Abstract—In an extremely competitive global market
companies strive for supremacy. The goal is to differentiate
from competitors and the key element for success is innovation.
But how to innovate in an always changing environment? How
to maintain market position with such demanding, price
sensitive and informed customers? It seems almost impossible.
But nothing is impossible when organizations are making use of
their main competitive advantage, their intellectual capital, for
transforming passive consumers into prosumers. Prosumers are
creative individuals who have a predilection for engaging in
activities concerning firms or institutions with which they have
a relationship with. They are valuable assets if fully engaged
with a company. Therefore, the authors argue that human
capital can stay in touch through structural capital with
consumers and develop a consumer capital – a relationship with
them. If this activity is creative and engaging, a number of
consumers can change and become prosumers, providing
feedback, creative ideas and information for innovation.
Alongside prosumers companies can co-create value which
differentiates their offer from competition and establish a
relationship of trust and involvement which determines
consumer recommendations and influence in the market. The
proposed interrelated system can be managed with the scope of
transforming consumers into prosumers for innovation
purposes.
Index Terms—Co-creation of value, collaborative innovation,
intellectual capital, prosumer.
Monica Izvercian, Sabina Alina Seran, and Cella-Flavia Buciuman are
with the Politehnica University of Timisoara, 300006 Timisoara, Romania
(e-mail: monica.izvercianu@mpt.upt.ro, seran.sabina@yahoo.com,
cella.buciuman@mpt.upt.ro).
Cite:Monica Izvercian, Sabina Alina Şeran, and Cella-Flavia Buciuman, "Transforming Usual Consumers into Prosumers with the Help of Intellectual Capital Collaboration for Innovation," International Journal of Information and Education Technology vol. 3, no. 3, pp. 388-392, 2013.