Amaral, Paulo Cardoso doMartins, Aurélio José Miguel2012-03-222012-03-222011http://hdl.handle.net/10400.14/8192This work discusses a new method of doing business designated by crowdsourcing (Howe, 2006). The idea is that companies source their needs using an indiscriminate group of individuals called the crowd. The crowd may consist from a single person to several million regardless their expertise or knowledge in the matter, such as amateurs. Theory reveals that the crowd can over perform a group of specialists (Howe, 2008). This dissertation‟s hypothesis is that this new strategy can be an important tool to attain specific needs that companies may have, since under specific circumstances crowdsourcing can output better and cheaper solutions than traditional methods, such as outsourcing. This can become a strategic resource for companies under the resource-based view theory and bring sustained competitive advantage under certain conditions. The analysis developed with this work is based on the observation of real examples and it shows the relevancy of this economic concept in nowadays business world. Well known companies like Linux, Procter & Gamble, Colgate-Palmolive, Youtube or Wikipedia, experienced successful results of crowdsourcing, with considerable financial gains. These examples not only support the theory but they also stand as models that can be followed by companies to attain identical outcomes, as it is demonstrated through the development of hypothetical examples.engCrowdsourcingPower of the crowdWeb 2.0The internetCrowdsourcing : a cheaper and better way of doing business?master thesis