A Review of How Firms Strategically Lead by Innovating Technology Within the Sharing Economy – A Case of Opportunities, Disruptions, Criticisms and Regulations

This article reviews how firms strategically lead by innovating technology within the sharing economy; highlighting the opportunities, disruptions, criticisms, and regulations associated with innovative technology. The article begins by defining sharing economy and its scale. Sharing economy is a complex phase with countless consequences that is adopted to define economic activities made possible through online transactions. To take a fair share of the market, companies use innovative technology. For example, eBay and Amazon utilize technologies such as Web 2.0 and mobile Apps to rid of market intermediaries, streamline transactions, and bring goods and services near people. Uber also allows customers to use a mobile application to reach drivers and this facilitates the sense of nearness. The use of technology in the sharing economy has many advantages. However, it carries with it some corrosive effects on the business community and society at large. Critics of technology are championing for stricter regulations. The sharing economy witnesses some pertinent disruptions caused by companies that innovate technology. They include unfair competition, lower entry barrier, regulations, quality standards, and financial sector risks. Keywords: Sharing Economy, Sharing Platform, Mobile Application, Chicken and Egg Strategy, Porter's Five Forces, Force Field Analysis, Technology, e-Business DOI: 10.7176/EJBM/11-12-01 Publication date: April 30th 201

Responsibilisation of participants in sharing economy platforms: The case of Airbnb and the hotelisation of hosting practice

Copyright © The Author(s) 2022. Processes of responsibilisation aim to configure individuals into the governance models of digital platforms and realise versions of the sharing economy pursued by powerful platform owners. Questions are raised, however, as to whether this is an empowering process or one that puts participants at risk. Based on a qualitative study of Airbnb hosts in Europe, we explore their understanding of their own responsibilities as emerging hospitality practitioners. Our analysis shows that hosts actively engage in professional identity work and map a practice architecture which includes a set of responsibilities. We suggest, however, that this is not by itself a sign of empowered individuals rather a reaction to the perceived shift of Airbnb’s strategy towards hotelisation of hosting practice. We contribute to an understanding of responsibilisation as a critical and reactionary process.The author(s) received no financial support for the research, authorship and/or publication of this article

Capitalism in the Platform Age. Emerging Assemblages of Labor and Welfare in Urban Spaces,

This two-part work brings together the outcomes of the Horizon 2020 Project PLUS, “Platform Labor in Urban Spaces”. Running from December 2018 to March 2022, which included an extension from December 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this research project investigated the main features and dimensions of the impact of digital platforms on the economy and society, with a specific focus on labour, urban transformations, and welfare. Sixteen partners, including universities, research centres, and cooperatives, investigated the operations of four digital platforms (AirBnb, Deliveroo, Helpling, and Uber) in seven European cities (Barcelona, Berlin, Bologna, Lisbon, London, Paris, and Tallin). The research involved, in different ways, municipalities, independent researchers, platform managers, and established grassroot unions. The fact that the four abovementioned platforms operate in diverse fields—accommodation, food delivery, domestic labour, and transport—has allowed us to carry out a wide-ranging analysis of the rapid spread of digital platforms across the economy and society