3. ABSTRACT
Flats, cars, rides, and much more can be shared from peer to peer online today.
Some suggest a global and unstoppable trend towards green and more sustainable
consumption and local production, which results in an increased economically
importance of interpersonal aspects. Others merely see in it the long known
principle of flea markets and micro entrepreneurship—transferred to the Internet
and app-based age at which mainly price matters. In this article, we take a look at
different concepts and challenges of the Sharing Economy.
KEYWORDS
Sharing economy; e-commerce; peer-to-peer markets.
4. Disambiguation of Sharing
The notion of sharing has experienced a remarkable transformation in its linguistic
history. In the 16th century it was used in the sense of splitting or dividing something
into pieces (John, 2013a, p. 114).This, with regard to resources, entails that there is
not much to gain from sharing, since it constitutes a zero-sum game.
5. Disambiguation of Economy
“the process or system by which goods and services are produced, sold, and bought
in a country or region.” according to Meriam-Webster dictionary
6. “What’s Mine isYours—The Rise of Collaborative
Consumption” by Rachel Botsman and Roo Roger
Sharing Economy differentiates between:
1. Product service systems (zipcar)
2. Redistribution markets (eBay)
3. Collaborative lifestyles (Airbnb)
7. Conclusion
This field of the economy has been developing rapidly, and social norms have not
fully been established or adopted to the changing reality yet. Regarding the future
of the Sharing Economy, there is reason to be cautiously optimistic. Using resources
efficiently simply makes sense, and providers, clients, as well as society as a whole
can benefit. Companies like uber and others bet that legal conditions will adopt in
the longrun. Meanwhile, exalting idealism and philanthropy are not necessary in
most cases, but also will not be harmful. Ideally, sharing platforms convey, insure,
and support the consumers’ transactions—if appropriate also regarding tax
payments—so that all involved parties operate in accordance with applicable law.
