Monetary income as opportunity cost: exploring the negative effect on free knowledge contribution of knowledge suppliers
Journal of Knowledge Management
ISSN: 1367-3270
Article publication date: 12 June 2023
Issue publication date: 4 March 2024
Abstract
Purpose
In the hybrid knowledge-sharing platform where paid and nonpaid (“free”) knowledge activities coexist, users’ free knowledge contribution may be influenced by financial factors. From the perspective of opportunity cost, this study investigates the direct effect of how the amount of monetary income from users’ contribution to paid knowledge activities influences their free knowledge contribution behavior in the future. Further, this study aims to verify the interaction effect of financial and nonfinancial factors (i.e. the experience of free knowledge contribution and social recognition) on free knowledge contribution.
Design/methodology/approach
Objective data was collected from a hybrid knowledge-sharing platform in China and then analyzed by using zero-inflated negative binomial regression model.
Findings
Results show that the amount of monetary income that knowledge suppliers gain from paid knowledge contribution negatively influences their free knowledge contribution. Experience of free knowledge contribution strengthens the negatively main effect, while social recognition has the weakening moderating role.
Originality/value
Although some studies have explored and verified the positive spillover effect of financial incentives on free knowledge contribution, the quantity dimension is ignored. This study examines the hindering influence of the quantity of monetary income from the perspective of opportunity cost. By taking the characteristic of knowledge suppliers and platforms as moderators, this study deepens the understanding of the influence of monetary income on free knowledge contribution in the hybrid knowledge-sharing platform.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
Authors thank the Editor-in-Chief, Professor Manlio Del Giudice, and two anonymous referees of Journal of Knowledge Management, for their valuable and helpful comments that helped them significantly improve our paper. This study was supported by the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities (WUT: 233115001).
Citation
Jiang, S., Nguyen, D.K., Dai, P.-F. and Meng, Q. (2024), "Monetary income as opportunity cost: exploring the negative effect on free knowledge contribution of knowledge suppliers", Journal of Knowledge Management, Vol. 28 No. 2, pp. 440-462. https://doi.org/10.1108/JKM-09-2022-0694
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
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