Car Sharing and Relocation Strategies: a Case Study Comparison in the Italian Market

The sharing economy represents an economic model based on the sharing of goods and services. In particular, this paper examines car sharing model, an attractive alternative to a self-owned car which has found large interest in the recent literature in different research fields. This study aims to investigate innovative and effective relocation strategies based on the analysis of data on users’ consumptions, for the constantly growing car sharing system. For this purpose, after a literature review, the paper presents a case study focused on the car repositioning algorithm developed by one of the market leader in this sector: car2go. More in detail, the paper evaluates differences and similarities in the strategic management of this model within the Italian context, through a comparison among the cities of Rome and Milan. Empirical results and practical implications for users will be provided, by highlighting opportunities and threats concerning the different settings

The impact of Digital Platforms on Business Models: an empirical investigation on innovative start-ups

Digital platforms have the ability to connect people, organizations and resources with the aim of facilitating the core interactions between businesses and consumers as well as assuring a greater efficiency for the business management. New business concepts, such as innovative start-ups, are therefore created based on innovation, scalability and the relationships within the community around them. The purpose of this work is to deeply understand the evolution of business models brought by innovative and dynamic companies operating through online platforms. In order to achieve the objectives set, an exploratory multiple-case study was designed based on in-depth structured interviews. The aim was to conduct a mixed analysis, in order to rely both on qualitative and quantitative data. The structured interview protocol was therefore designed to collect and then analyse data concerning the company profile and managers’ perspectives on the phenomenon of interest. The interview protocol was submitted in advance and then face-to-face interviews were carried out with the following professional figures: Chief Executive Officer (CEO), General Manager, Chief Technology Officer (CTO), Marketing Manager and Developers. Collected data were analysed and processed through the Canvas Business Model in order to clearly outline similarities and differences among the sample. Results can be considered under two viewpoints. On the one hand, this work provides a detailed overview of the companies interviewed, according to the dimensions of: reference market dynamics, type and number of customers, scalability. On the other one, they allow to identify some success patterns regarding key activities, key resources, channel mix strategy, costs management, value proposition, customer segmentation, key partners and the way to obtain revenues. Results from the multiple-case study with 15 Italian start-ups provide interesting insights by comparing the innovative business models developed and highlighting key differences and similarities. verall, the start-ups analyzed, operating in several sectors, showed great growth prospects and the possibility to create value for their customers through innovative products and services offered through digital platforms

La mobilità condivisa. Un focus sul carsharing: conoscenza del fenomeno ed impatto sull'ambiente

Il primo obiettivo di questa ricerca è capire qual è la conoscenza e l’utilizzo del servizio di carsharing mettendo a confronto due realtà: Roma e Milano, svolgendo l’analisi su studenti di età compresa tra i 19 ed i 30 anni con lo scopo di valutare la diffusione e l’evoluzione nella conoscenza ed utilizzo del servizio anche in questa fascia di popolazione. Il secondo obiettivo della presente tesi riguarda invece l’impatto del servizio in Italia e nello specifico consiste nel valutare se il carsharing possa essere considerato uno strumento utile alla riduzione dell’inquinamento atmosferico anche nel nostro Paese. Per rispondere alle domande di ricerca sono state utilizzate metodologie diverse. Rispetto alla prima domanda è stata scelta una tecnica di indagine quantitativa, sottoponendo un questionario a studenti universitari delle due città e per la seconda è stato invece utilizzato un metodo di indagine qualitativo. In particolare, per rispondere a quest’ultima, è stata dapprima effettuata l’analisi di alcuni documenti e report relativi alle emissioni inquinanti attribuibili al settore del trasporto su strada, alla flotta di auto in circolazione sulla base delle varie tipologie di alimentazione, al legame tra carsharing e riduzione delle emissioni emerso dagli studi della letteratura ed alla diffusione del servizio in Italia. Sono state inoltre svolte due interviste qualitative ad aziende del settore, Share’ngo e ShareNow (car2go), in modo da valutare il legame tra il servizio ed i problemi ambientali e capire quali siano le strategie messe in atto dalle aziende aventi come obiettivo la riduzione delle emissioni inquinanti

Car sharing and relocation strategies: the case of CAR2GO

Car sharing can be defined as a service in which a group of individuals pay for “access a fleet of cars” with other paying individuals. At the base of this definition there is the concept of access. An access-based service relies on a transaction that may be market mediated in which no transfer of ownership takes place. From an historical perspective, the idea of sharing a car was born during the Second World War in USA, as a tactic to ration gasoline. In 1948 this service was organized in Zurich by the company SEFAGE. Subsequently, during the energy crisis of the 1970s, the car sharing was organized by car clubs. Then, in 1971, in Montpellier was founded a car sharing system called Procotip, and in 1973 was formed Witkar in Amsterdam. The first true form of organized car sharing was born in Switzerland in 1987 by citizens motivated by environmental problems. They formed two cooperatives: ShareCom and ATG (Auto Teilet Genossenschaft). In 1997 these cooperatives merged and formed a new organization: “Mobility, Car Sharing Switzerland”. After Switzerland, car sharing organizations were also established in other countries, especially in Austria, Germany and Netherlands, and later in many other countries around the world. The current rapid growth of mobile technology and internet allows to simplify the sharing process and are emerging new forms of car sharing. Nowadays, the main benefits that push consumers to use car sharing are convenience and time savings. The literature describes several car sharing business models: - Business-to-Consumer (B2C) car sharing, in which the company distributes cars at key points in the city; - NonProfit/Cooperative car sharing, in which the organization is a non-profit cooperative; - P2P Car sharing, that doesn’t need any additional vendor or supplier and is more sustainable than the B2C model. On the other hand, based on vehicles relocation strategies, there are two types car sharing: round-trip, when the car has to be brought back to the pick-up point; oneway type, in which the car can be left at a different point than the original location (Di Doi, and Danielis, 2015). Moreover, one-way car sharing is divided into two sub-types: (i)car sharing station– based, in which the company establishes the places to return the car; and (ii) car sharing free-floating where the car can be parked in a given area. Given the above definitions of the different types of car sharing, and their specific characteristics, this chapter will analyse in depth the business case of car2go, one of the most famous and successful car sharing free-floating companies in the World

Overcoming the digital divide: Poste c'è.

This chapter explains the way how information systems that integrate different proprietary technologies can help in overcoming the digital divide. The Posta c’è service is addressed to the over 65 population that represents a constantly growing target, the so called “Silver Economy”, with particular needs and low level of digital literacy. Poste c’è leverages on the capillarity of the Poste Italiane network and the advanced technologies of the providers Apple and IBM

The impact of Digital Platforms on Business Models: an empirical investigation on innovative start-ups

Digital platforms have the ability to connect people, organizations and resources with the aim of facilitating the core interactions between businesses and consumers as well as assuring a greater efficiency for the business management. New business concepts, such as innovative start-ups, are therefore created based on innovation, scalability and the relationships within the community around them. The purpose of this work is to deeply understand the evolution of business models brought by innovative and dynamic companies operating through online platforms. In order to achieve the objectives set, an exploratory multiple-case study was designed based on in-depth structured interviews. The aim was to conduct a mixed analysis, in order to rely both on qualitative and quantitative data. The structured interview protocol was therefore designed to collect and then analyse data concerning the company profile and managers’ perspectives on the phenomenon of interest. The interview protocol was submitted in advance and then face-to-face interviews were carried out with the following professional figures: Chief Executive Officer (CEO), General Manager, Chief Technology Officer (CTO), Marketing Manager and Developers. Collected data were analysed and processed through the Canvas Business Model in order to clearly outline similarities and differences among the sample. Results can be considered under two viewpoints. On the one hand, this work provides a detailed overview of the companies interviewed, according to the dimensions of: reference market dynamics, type and number of customers, scalability. On the other one, they allow to identify some success patterns regarding key activities, key resources, channel mix strategy, costs management, value proposition, customer segmentation, key partners and the way to obtain revenues. Results from the multiple-case study with 15 Italian start-ups provide interesting insights by comparing the innovative business models developed and highlighting key differences and similarities. Overall, the start-ups analyzed, operating in several sectors, showed great growth prospects and the possibility to create value for their customers through innovative products and services offered through digital platforms

The attitude of consumers towards “Made in Italy” products. An empirical analysis among Italian customers

The paper is part of a wider research aimed at studying consumer’s attitude towards “Made in Italy” products through empirical investigation. The research questions addressed are: 1) Does recognition in terms of the qualitative characterization of “Made in Italy” products exist? And if yes, 2) Is there a willingness to pay, in quantitative terms, a premium price for such products? From a theoretical standpoint, the research tries to fill a gap in the literature, since works which combines the “made in” characteristic with a measured “willingness to pay” are neither conventional nor numerous. The specific purpose of this contribution is to analyze the relationship between the purchase of “Made in Italy” products, the recognition of the quality and the willingness to pay a premium price by Italian consumers, reporting the results of an empirical research. The survey involved a total of 315 Italian consumers and three are the merceological sectors analized: food, fashion and mechanical automation. The results confirm the presence of a propensity to purchase "Made in Italy" products, an attitude that does not seem bound to irrational consumer behavior. The "Made in Italy" is confirmed as a conceptual category consolidated in the minds of consumers, since there is a clear recognition for these products in terms of qualitative characterization. There is a significant and important willingness to pay a premium price for the three sectors analyzed, even if the premium price is not homogeneous: although the measures are mostly between 10 and 30%, higher values refer to products of the food sector. These and other results of the research (which have to be confirmed and deepened with further empirical investigations) are relevant both for the literature on the subject and as indications for public policies and for the strategies of the companies operating in the examined sectors

A Walkable Urban Environment to Prevent Chronic Diseases and Improve Wellbeing, an Experience of Urban Health in the Local Health Unit Roma 1

Cities play a vital role in promoting health, as most of the world’s population lives in urban areas. Urbanization and city planning are both factors that must be considered to improve the health of communities. Walkability is a measure of how friendly an area is to walk. The Walking Suitability Index of the Territory (T-WSI) measures the pedestrian viability of the streets of a environmental islands. It includes 12 indicators, distributed into four categories: practicability, safety, urbanity, pleasantness. The goal of this study is to establish a model of connection between universities, local authorities, and health institutions to improve the walkability of urban areas. Five Environmental Islands were identified in the Municipality of Roma Capitale. First step concerned multidisciplinary training, sharing the goal between professionals in both the health and non-health fields. The theoretical acquisition, for Public Health personnel, on the use of the “walkability” assessment tool T-WSI was concretized by applying the assessment in training inspections. The on-site measurements showed that the main critical issues in terms of unfavorable factors for walking are the obstacles on the sidewalks, concerning the safety of pedestrian crossings and protection from vehicular speed. Measurement was associated with a characterization based on census data, obtained from satellite imagery. It is important to develop tools that are easy to apply and that can be easily used, also by health personnel. This is necessary in the light of recent developments in the Italian regulatory framework, and international guidelines, toward a growing integration of professional skills with the common objective of Urban Health. © 2023, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG