IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/bushor/v59y2016i6p663-672.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

The sharing economy: Your business model's friend or foe?

Author

Listed:
  • Kathan, Wolfgang
  • Matzler, Kurt
  • Veider, Viktoria

Abstract

The sharing economy, a rising pattern in consumption behavior that is based on accessing and reusing products to utilize idle capacity, presents both tremendous possibilities and significant threats for emerging as well as incumbent businesses. As of today, it is unclear whether this economy is merely another ephemeral trend in consumption or whether we are experiencing a real shift in how goods are accessed, distributed, and used. Furthermore, little is known about how existing business models are affected by the sharing economy. These two issues represent the central motivation for the development of this article. Consequently, an examination of why the sharing economy has the potential to produce a long-term transformation in consumption behavior is followed by a consideration of how this change might affect companies’ business models. Based on a renowned business model framework and a variety of current illustrative examples, we propose central questions managers must ask themselves in order to be prepared to respond to changes brought about by this new economic trend.

Suggested Citation

  • Kathan, Wolfgang & Matzler, Kurt & Veider, Viktoria, 2016. "The sharing economy: Your business model's friend or foe?," Business Horizons, Elsevier, vol. 59(6), pages 663-672.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:bushor:v:59:y:2016:i:6:p:663-672
    DOI: 10.1016/j.bushor.2016.06.006
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0007681316300568
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.bushor.2016.06.006?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Mont, Oksana, 2004. "Institutionalisation of sustainable consumption patterns based on shared use," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 50(1-2), pages 135-153, September.
    2. Martin, Chris J. & Upham, Paul & Budd, Leslie, 2015. "Commercial orientation in grassroots social innovation: Insights from the sharing economy," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 118(C), pages 240-251.
    3. Juho Hamari & Mimmi Sjöklint & Antti Ukkonen, 2016. "The sharing economy: Why people participate in collaborative consumption," Journal of the Association for Information Science & Technology, Association for Information Science & Technology, vol. 67(9), pages 2047-2059, September.
    4. Lynda Cheshire & Peter Walters & Ted Rosenblatt, 2010. "The Politics of Housing Consumption: Renters as Flawed Consumers on a Master Planned Estate," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 47(12), pages 2597-2614, November.
    5. Alex Stephany, 2015. "The Business of Sharing," Palgrave Macmillan Books, Palgrave Macmillan, number 978-1-137-37618-3.
    6. Rens Meijkamp, 1998. "Changing consumer behaviour through eco‐efficient services: an empirical study of car sharing in the Netherlands," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 7(4), pages 234-244, September.
    7. Prettenthaler, Franz E. & Steininger, Karl W., 1999. "From ownership to service use lifestyle: the potential of car sharing," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 28(3), pages 443-453, March.
    8. Fleura Bardhi & Giana M. Eckhardt, 2012. "Access-Based Consumption: The Case of Car Sharing," Journal of Consumer Research, Journal of Consumer Research Inc., vol. 39(4), pages 881-898.
    9. J. Daniel Khazzoom, 1980. "Economic Implications of Mandated Efficiency in Standards for Household Appliances," The Energy Journal, International Association for Energy Economics, vol. 0(Number 4), pages 21-40.
    10. Jalas, Mikko, 2002. "A time use perspective on the materials intensity of consumption," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 41(1), pages 109-123, April.
    11. Martin, Elliot & Shaheen, Susan, 2011. "The Impact of Carsharing on Public Transit and Non-Motorized Travel: An Exploration of North American Carsharing Survey Data," Institute of Transportation Studies, Research Reports, Working Papers, Proceedings qt6xt6d5jv, Institute of Transportation Studies, UC Berkeley.
    12. Martin, Elliot & Shaheen, Susan, 2011. "The Impact of Carsharing on Household Vehicle Ownership," University of California Transportation Center, Working Papers qt7w58646d, University of California Transportation Center.
    13. repec:elg:eechap:15612_26 is not listed on IDEAS
    14. Houston, Douglas A., 2001. "Trust in the networked economy: Doing business on web time," Business Horizons, Elsevier, vol. 44(2), pages 38-44.
    15. Elliot Martin & Susan Shaheen, 2011. "The Impact of Carsharing on Public Transit and Non-Motorized Travel: An Exploration of North American Carsharing Survey Data," Energies, MDPI, vol. 4(11), pages 1-21, November.
    16. Banister, David, 2008. "The sustainable mobility paradigm," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 15(2), pages 73-80, March.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Mundaca, Luis & Román-Collado, Rocío & Cansino, José M., 2022. "Assessing the impacts of social norms on low-carbon mobility options," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 162(C).
    2. Schneckenberg, Dirk & Roth, Steffen & Velamuri, Vivek K., 2023. "Deparadoxification and value focus in sharing ventures: Concealing paradoxes in strategic decision-making," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 162(C).
    3. Tünde Zita Kovács & Forest David & Adrián Nagy & István Szűcs & András Nábrádi, 2021. "An Analysis of the Demand-Side, Platform-Based Collaborative Economy: Creation of a Clear Classification Taxonomy," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(5), pages 1-20, March.
    4. Anna Jasinska-Biliczak, 2020. "TRIBE 2.0 – The Microcommunity Needs in the Frames of the Sharing Economy Concept," European Research Studies Journal, European Research Studies Journal, vol. 0(Special 2), pages 75-84.
    5. Hung-Tai Tsou & Ja-Shen Chen & Cindy Yunhsin Chou & Tzu-Wen Chen, 2019. "Sharing Economy Service Experience and Its Effects on Behavioral Intention," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(18), pages 1-25, September.
    6. JinHyo Joseph Yun & Xiaofei Zhao & Jinxi Wu & John C. Yi & KyungBae Park & WooYoung Jung, 2020. "Business Model, Open Innovation, and Sustainability in Car Sharing Industry—Comparing Three Economies," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(5), pages 1-27, March.
    7. Leiming Li & Yu Zhang, 2023. "An extended theory of planned behavior to explain the intention to use carsharing: a multi-group analysis of different sociodemographic characteristics," Transportation, Springer, vol. 50(1), pages 143-181, February.
    8. Firnkorn, Jörg & Müller, Martin, 2011. "What will be the environmental effects of new free-floating car-sharing systems? The case of car2go in Ulm," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 70(8), pages 1519-1528, June.
    9. Soha Abutaleb & Noha El-Bassiouny & Sara Hamed, 2023. "Using norm activation theory to understand intentions for collaborative consumption," International Review on Public and Nonprofit Marketing, Springer;International Association of Public and Non-Profit Marketing, vol. 20(1), pages 245-268, March.
    10. Pettifor, Hazel & Wilson, Charlie, 2020. "Low carbon innovations for mobility, food, homes and energy: A synthesis of consumer attributes," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 130(C).
    11. Teck Ming Tan & Jari Salo, 2023. "Ethical Marketing in the Blockchain-Based Sharing Economy: Theoretical Integration and Guiding Insights," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 183(4), pages 1113-1140, April.
    12. Nivedita Agarwal & Robert Steinmetz, 2019. "Sharing Economy: A Systematic Literature Review," International Journal of Innovation and Technology Management (IJITM), World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd., vol. 16(06), pages 1-17, October.
    13. Aurelija Burinskienė & Edita Leonavičienė & Virginija Grybaitė & Olga Lingaitienė & Juozas Merkevičius, 2021. "Core Elements Affecting Sharing: Evidence from the United States," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(7), pages 1-14, April.
    14. Aguilera-García, Álvaro & Gomez, Juan & Antoniou, Constantinos & Vassallo, José Manuel, 2022. "Behavioral factors impacting adoption and frequency of use of carsharing: A tale of two European cities," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 123(C), pages 55-72.
    15. Johanna Kopp & Regine Gerike & Kay Axhausen, 2015. "Do sharing people behave differently? An empirical evaluation of the distinctive mobility patterns of free-floating car-sharing members," Transportation, Springer, vol. 42(3), pages 449-469, May.
    16. de Lange, Deborah & Valliere, Dave, 2020. "Investor preferences between the sharing economy and incumbent firms," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 116(C), pages 37-47.
    17. Zhou, Fan & Zheng, Zuduo & Whitehead, Jake & Perrons, Robert K. & Washington, Simon & Page, Lionel, 2020. "Examining the impact of car-sharing on private vehicle ownership," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 138(C), pages 322-341.
    18. Jin, Fanglei & An, Kun & Yao, Enjian, 2020. "Mode choice analysis in urban transport with shared battery electric vehicles: A stated-preference case study in Beijing, China," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 133(C), pages 95-108.
    19. F. Ziesemer & A. Hüttel & I. Balderjahn, 2021. "Young People as Drivers or Inhibitors of the Sustainability Movement: The Case of Anti-Consumption," Journal of Consumer Policy, Springer, vol. 44(3), pages 427-453, September.
    20. Meisam Ranjbari & Gustavo Morales-Alonso & Ruth Carrasco-Gallego, 2018. "Conceptualizing the Sharing Economy through Presenting a Comprehensive Framework," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(7), pages 1-24, July.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:bushor:v:59:y:2016:i:6:p:663-672. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/bushor .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.