The Sharing Economy
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Item The Impact of Dynamic Two-Sided Platform Pricing on Fairness Perception in the Sharing Economy(2018-01-03) Angerer, Peter; Zimmermann, Steffen; Pale, Gerald; Salomon, Gina; Provin, Daniel; Kathan, Wolfgang; Matzler, KurtFrom an economic perspective, dynamic pricing seems to be the profit maximizing pricing strategy for consumer-to-consumer (C2C) sharing platforms because it allows balancing supply and demand over time. Based on distributive justice and equity theory we investigate how two characteristics of dynamic pricing, namely -˜fee changes over time’ and -˜fee differences across consumer groups’, influence fairness perception and intention to share of consumers. Using a laboratory experiment, we find that fee differences between lenders and borrowers is the dominant source of negative fairness perception, which in turn results in a lower intention to share, especially for the consumer group that is charged with a higher fee. Consequently, C2C sharing platforms have to be aware of this negative effect from fairness perception when they implement a dynamic two-sided platform pricing strategy to maximize profits.Item An Empirical Analysis of the Impacts of the Sharing Economy Platforms on the U.S. Labor Market(2018-01-03) Li, Ziru; Hong, Yili; Zhang, ZhongjuEach generation of digital innovation has caused a dramatic change in the way people work. Sharing economy is the latest trend of digital innovation, and it has fundamentally changed the traditional business models. In this paper, we empirically examine the impacts of the sharing economy platforms (specifically, Uber) on the labor market in terms of labor force participation, unemployment rate, supply, and wage of low-skilled workers. Combining a data set of Uber entry time and several microdata sets, we utilize a difference-in-differences (DID) method to investigate whether the above measures before and after Uber entry are significantly different across the U.S. metropolitan areas. Our empirical findings show that sharing economy platforms such as Uber significantly decrease the unemployment rate and increase the labor force participation. We also find evidence of a shift in the supply of low skill workers and consequently a higher wage rate for such workers in the traditional industries.Item Battle of Sharing Economy: The Contingent Effects of Ride-Sharing on Taxi Industry(2018-01-03) Lee, Yunseok; Park, Jiyong; Lee, ByungtaeWith the rapid growth of sharing economy, there has been a bitter controversy on the disruptive nature of sharing economy to threaten traditional industry. This study examines the impact of ride-sharing services, which is one of the most successful business models in sharing economy, on taxi industry. Using comprehensive data on Uber and taxi transactions in New York City from April to September 2014, we find that ride-sharing is negatively associated with the demand for taxis. Interestingly, this effect is contingent upon market- and customer-segments. The negative effect of Uber on taxis is mostly driven in Manhattan and high-income areas, where most taxis are concentrated. Furthermore, our analyses reveal that ride-sharing services take more demand of taxi customers who pay by cash and who are price-sensitive, by providing relative advantages of ride-sharing platforms. In addition, taxi customers in groups appear to more switch to ride-sharing services. Relevant implications for both research and practice are discussed.Item Understanding the Intention to Use Commercial Bike-sharing Systems: An Integration of TAM and TPB(2018-01-03) Yu, Ying; Yi, Wenjie; Feng, Yuanyue; Liu, JiaCommercial bike-sharing system is growing rapidly as a critical form of the sharing economy. Although past research has discussed the design and operation of commercial bike-sharing systems, there have been few studies examining the factors motivating the use of such systems. This study integrates the technology acceptance model (TAM) and the theory of planned behavior (TPB) to develop a holistic model to explain the intention to use commercial bike-sharing systems. The PLS-SEM results from a survey with 286 users reveal that the intention to use commercial bike-sharing systems is positively affected by perceived usefulness of the system, attitude toward bike-sharing and perceived behavioral control. Further, we find that attitude toward the bike-sharing is positively affected by perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use of the system. Beyond our expectation, subjective norm has no significant effect on the intention to use. Implications and directions for future research are also discussed.Item Emotional Labor in the Sharing Economy(2018-01-03) Lutz, Christoph; Newlands, Gemma; Fieseler, ChristianThe peer-to-peer nature of the sharing economy encourages participants to alter their behavior in ways that resemble traditional notions of emotional labor. A key element in this shift lies in the coercive nature of feedback mechanisms which condition both providers and consumers to perform emotional labor during service encounters. Using survey data from 207 sharing economy consumers in the US, we show how different facets of the feedback mechanisms employed by sharing economy services influence consumers’ emotional labor. In addition, we show how platforms and their policies matter in encouraging emotional labor, indicating the need to analyze the topic on a fine-grained level. We conclude by deriving propositions for future research and practical recommendations.Item On Rapport Uncertainty in the Sharing Economy - Extending the Categories of Uncertainty(2018-01-03) Frey, Alexander; Trenz, Manuel; Tan, Chee-Wee; Veit, DanielSharing Economy platforms enable a close physical interaction among strangers by mediating goods and services owned or provided by individuals. This close physical interaction is an inherent part of the service experience, is highly individual and thus can hardly be evaluated beforehand. This gives rise to a novel type of service uncertainty that we term as rapport uncertainty. Building on the hierarchical decomposition of service quality, we construct an uncertainty model that encompasses three uncertainty categories consumers face when sharing a resource: rapport, technical, and environment uncertainty. Our empirical study in a ride sharing context reveals that rapport uncertainty differs from other categories of uncertainty and significantly reduces the intention to transact with a service provider. Our findings illustrate how the concept of uncertainty must be extended to reflect the nature of shared service experiences. We suggest that owners of these platforms should actively manage this aspect through platform design.Item Introduction to the Minitrack on The Sharing Economy(2018-01-03) Xiao, Bo Sophia; Lim, Eric; Tan, Chee-Wee