Sharing Economy: A Business Perspective

The developments in information technology on the one hand, and the reduced purchasing power of many people due to the global crisis as well as the increasing sustainability concerns on the other hand, have contributed in recent years to the creation of a multitude of Internet-enabled peer-to-peer platforms and the consequent rise of a new paradigm of economy, namely the sharing economy. Under this paradigm, consumers on a massive scale share and make use of underutilized resources upon payment. In this chapter, we present an overview of the sharing economy phenomenon from a business perspective by identifying the major factors guiding its emergence and growth, by presenting some important business principles that characterize the sharing economy and a classification of business models utilized in this context, together with the major revenue streams associated with them. Our general overview can be useful to researchers and practitioners to gain initial understanding of the sharing economy, its causes and effects from a business perspective

Automation, Algorithms, and Beyond: Why Work Design Matters More Than Ever in a Digital World

We propose a central role for work design in understanding the effects of digital technologies. We give examples of how new technologies can—depending on various factors—positively and negatively affect job resources (autonomy/control, skill use, job feedback, relational aspects) and job demands (e.g., performance monitoring), with consequences for employee well-being, safety, and performance. We identify four intervention strategies. First, work design choices need to be proactively considered during technology implementation, consistent with the sociotechnical systems principle of joint optimization. Second, human-centred design principles should be explicitly considered in the design and procurement of new technologies. Third, organizationally oriented intervention strategies need to be supported by macro-level policies. Fourth, there is a need to go beyond a focus on upskilling employees to help them adapt to technology change, to also focus on training employees, as well as other stakeholders, in work design and related topics. Finally, we identify directions for moving the field forward, including new research questions (e.g., job autonomy in the context of machine learning; understanding designers’ work design mindsets; investigating how job crafting applies to technology); a reorientation of methods (e.g., interdisciplinary, intervention studies); and steps for achieving practical impact

Rapid and efficient synthesis of [11C]ureas via the incorporation of [11C]CO2 into aliphatic and aromatic amines

International audienceThe ExoMars programme, which is carried out by European Space Agency (ESA) in cooperation with the Russian federal Space Agency (Roscosmos), foresees a two-steps mission to Mars. The first mission consists of an orbiter and an Entry Descent and Landing Demonstrator Module (EDM) to be launched in January 2016 and is scheduled to land on the planet during the statistical dust storm season; the second mission includes a descent module, a surface platform and a rover and will be launched in 2018. The DREAMS (Dust characterization, Risk assessment and Environment Analyser on the Martian Surface) experiment for ExoMars 2016 is an autonomous meteorological station designed to study the effect of dust on Martian environment which will operate for two Martian days (sols) relying on its own power supply after landing. DREAMS includes a suite of sensors able to analyse temperature, pressure, humidity, wind speed and direction and solar irradiance as well as an electric field probe which will perform the first electrical characterization of Mars surface atmosphere