Food has a crucial role in our lives as a way of shaping identities, societies, and because it enables possibilities of bringing people together. Access to food has complex social, ecological, and economic implications that deserve to be examined through a new approach. Natural disasters and nutrition concerns can be taken as an opportunity to reflect on alternative ways of getting accessing food, especially in urban contexts. In case of a similar outbreak or emergency of unknown repercussions, will mainstream food supply function sufficiently and be affordable? The aim of this study is to contribute with increased knowledge and understanding on alternative ways of allocating food in an urban context, to contribute with a discussion on their current spatial arrangements and possible ways of planning for them. As opposed to the mainstream ways of allocating food, alternative organizations specialized in food do not have a permanent space that makes them visible to outsiders, hence hindering access to them. The study shows that urban dwellers can have fluid roles regarding how food is allocated in urban contexts. They can be makers and producers, not only consumers. Alternative food allocation is a phenomenon that entails assorted aspects such as trust, spatiality, and safety and availability of the redistributed food.

There is little research covering the Swedish fashion renting market (SFRM), regarding which companies operate on the market, what they communicate or how the market is connected to the environmental perspective. The purpose of this study is to outline the SFRM, as well as to analyse brand communication through Instagram and how the media present the SFRM. The study is based on a mixed method, consisting of company information, Instagram posts and articles from Swedish sources. Furthermore, the methods used to analyse the data are Qualitative Content Analysis and Critical Discourse Analysis. Our results show that SFRM consists of five companies, mostly small enterprises located in the Stockholm area. The companies main messages on Instagram is overall community building and inspiration. We found three themes that create the identity within SFRM, namely sustainability, consumption and entrepreneurship. A combined result from the analysis of articles, Instagram and business information shows that there is a big difference in how the companies front themselves. Most companies on SFRM are trend-driven, as they more or less distribute the same clothes that can be found in stores, as they are trend-driven and follow the trends on what the customer wants. The division between trend-driven and not trend-driven companies could be the answer to why the sustainability perspective in SFRM is not so well addressed by all companies, as their goal is similar to the traditional fashion market: to provide consumers with fashion.

The primary objective of this dissertation is to examine the theoretical and practical implications of the collaborative consumption phenomenon for individuals, businesses and society. To accomplish this goal, a research approach at three levels of analysis is used to explore how market institutions and consumer practices negotiate a social order that combines the social domain of peers with the economic domain of market exchange. The first essay of the dissertation approaches this objective from a macro level to examine how social order is produced and sustained through the systemic interactions of service firms and peers. This essay provides a framework to understand the emergent business models by developing a typological theory that explains how platforms can be configured for higher value creation. The second essay approaches our understanding of the phenomenon from a meso level analysis to examine how peers interact with the social order of collaborative consumption markets to negotiate key existential tensions between consumer resistance and market appropriation. This essay explores the metaphors that peers use to construe the field of collaborative consumption. Through the interpretive analysis of participant-generated images, this research uncovers the prevailing use of a liberation metaphor that reveals a new way of thinking about resource circulation. Lastly, the third essay employs a micro level of analysis to examine how participation in collaborative consumption practices provokes intrapersonal dynamics leading to moral decay. By relying on a social cognitive framework that considers how behaviors impact personal and environmental factors in a recursive fashion, this essay scrutinizes when and how prolonged participation can erode moral identity and negatively impact prosocial behaviors. Together, this holistic approach advances our theoretical understanding of the collaborative consumption phenomenon and provides practical implications for managerial practice and public policy.

Renting, as one of the most common and long-existed collaborative consumption methods, recently gained attention in the fashion industry as a perfect candidate to minimize overconsumption in the fashion industry. However, the business perspective of clothing rental gained less focus in academic literature. This research aims to present, analyze and discuss the key components of clothing rental business models and the influence of digital platforms on clothing rental to gain a deeper understanding of the rental business in fashion. Qualitative research was conducted based on the case studies of five clothing rental companies. The analysis of the collected data was based on the 360° business model framework and the literature. The study results showed the key components of fashion rental business models in value creation, value proposition, value delivery, value capture, value communication, and the influence of digital platforms on the rental business. Findings show the potential to extend towards a mainstream mode of consumption that provides entrepreneurial initiative.

Collaborative Consumption is an economic model wherein consumers gain access to goods without acquiring ownership, for example through sharing, trading, swapping, or renting (Belk, 2014). This approach is often viewed as a means to enhance resource efficiency and transform the economy in a sustainable way (Botsman, 2013). Likewise, the concept of toy rental suggests a more eco-friendly alternative to purchasing, extending a toy's lifespan through shared usage among multiple families (Martin-Woodhead & Waight, 2023). The empirical data for this thesis was gathered through in-depth interviews, centered around a case study involving the toy-rental subscription service Tribu Box. This thesis aims to gain a deeper understanding of the behavioral drivers that influence parents’ adoption of Collaborative Consumption behavior within the children’s goods industry. This includes exploring internal and external motivators and barriers, as well as shedding light on how this consumption model contributes to sign-value and self-expression. The findings highlight that parents primarily value Collaborative Consumption in the form of toy rental for its practical utility, simplifying daily life and decluttering. Additionally, it enables parents to construct an identity centered around family time rather than material possessions and differentiating them from previous generations through increased adaptability and flexibility. Building on these findings and drawing on previous literature on environmental communication, the second part of this thesis formulates communication strategies that aim to promote sustainable consumption behaviors, encouraging consumers to embrace various forms of Collaborative Consumption.

[pt] Os últimos dez anos foram marcados pelo nascimento de marcas que rapidamente se converteram em sinônimos de categorias, como Uber e Airbnb. Consideradas protagonistas do consumo colaborativo, tais marcas alcançaram valor de mercado superior ao de marcas tradicionais, transformando segmentos como os de transporte e hotelaria. Estima-se que, nos próximos cinco anos, a economia compartilhada gerará mais de 300 bilhões de dólares em novos negócios. Neste contexto, esta dissertação tem por objetivo explorar o significado do consumo colaborativo para o consumidor brasileiro, investigando, em especial, de que forma os consumidores interpretam as manifestações da marca Uber, utilizando a perspectiva teórico-metodológica da semiótica discursiva de linha francesa e o modelo Projeto/Manifestação de identidade de marca proposto por Semprini (2010). Os dados foram coletados por meio de quinze entrevistas individuais com consumidores e pesquisa documental. Foram utilizados como unidades de análise o discurso de consumidores acerca do consumo colaborativo e das manifestações da marca Uber, o conteúdo do site oficial da empresa e peças de campanha publicitária veiculada em 2018. Os resultados da pesquisa indicam que o conceito de consumo colaborativo diverge entre os consumidores entrevistados, ratificando a literatura sobre o tema. Através da identificação das aproximações e afastamentos entre o projeto da marca Uber e sua identidade manifesta, os achados apontam que há similaridades entre o projeto enunciado e o que é compreendido pelo público. Há também pontos dissonantes, indicando oportunidades para que os gestores da marca aperfeiçoem as manifestações em prol de uma comunicação de marca mais consistente. / [en] The last ten years have been marked by the emergence brands that quickly converted into categories such as Uber and Airbnb. Considered the protagonists of collaborative consumption, these brands reached higher market value than traditional brands, changing specifics segments like transportation and hospitality. It is estimated that, over the next five years, sharing economy will generate more than 300 billion dollars in new businesses. In this context, this research aims to explore the meaning of collaborative consumption for the Brazilian consumers, and investigate, particularly, how consumers interpret Uber brand manifestations, using the theoretical-methodological perspective of the French approach to discursivesemiotics and the Project/Manifestation model of brand identity proposed by Semprini (2010). The data were collected through 15 individual consumers interviews and documentary research, as well. Consumer s understanding about collaborative consumption and Uber brand s manifestations, in addition to the content of the company s official website and pieces of advertising campaign published in 2018 were used as units of analysis. The research results indicate that the concept of collaborative consumption is divergent among the consumers interviewed, ratifying the literature. Through the identification of the approaches and departures between the project proposed by Uber brand and its manifest identity, the findings indicate that there are similarities between the brand enunciation and what is understood by the public. However, there are also dissonant points, indicating opportunities for brand managers to optimize the manifestations for a more consistent brand communication.

Today’s environment conditions have reached a critical stage that challenges us to revertthe current paradigm of production and waste into new ways to fulfill needs. The wholesociety needs a shift away from the individual ownership, being it one big reason of environmentalcrisis.This thesis project is an exploration into the field of sustainability in housing contexts thatseeks a different approach in the matter by encouraging the collective use of resources.The resulting design is a product service system that uses indeed a combination of artifactsand services to enhance and augment behaviors towards sustainability, by usingcalm technology as main touchpoint with the users. This means that the project tries toestablish a dialog with the user at a level that presents a valuable aesthetic of interactionbecause of the fluency of communication.

受到科技進步、消費者心態轉變、經濟因素三大條件驅動，共享經濟逐漸發展成具規模的集體社會趨勢，更被美國《時代週刊》列為「將會改變世界的十大主意」之一。本研究參考學者研究，將共享經濟定義為：「基於使多數人得以重複使用之目的，將閒置生產力透過中介平台，以群體合作進行有效率的點對點分享，並創造利益之商業模式」。 　　然而，隨著共享經濟企業的規模與版圖逐漸擴展，產業內既有的商業模式面臨破壞式創新所帶來的嚴峻挑戰和威脅，導致既得利益者企圖透過尋租行為要求政府禁止或限制共享經濟企業的營運，造成共享經濟發展受到限制。其中，尋租者多從「私人財產利用界線」及「平台與使用者間關係」來爭執共享經濟企業的合法性，且根據美國Uber案及Smart Apartment案判決分析，可再細部歸納得出「外部成本」、「契約性質」係爭議主因。 　　Airbnb係目前規模最大的私人住宅出租平台，為共享經濟十分成功的個案，使用者可將家中閒置空間刊登於平台上，短租給各地旅客。然而，多數城市均以法律規定業者需取得許可始能提供短期住宿服務，Airbnb使用者未獲得許可即於平台上提供住宅短租的行為，即產生適用法規上的合法性爭議。 　　本研究從「外部成本」及「契約性質」兩大角度切入，以紐約州檢察總長之Airbnb市場研究報告、Airbnb美國訴訟案以及我國日租套房判決，針對Airbnb「短租私人住宅」與「使用者利用平台」兩大行為做出我國法規適用之合法性討論，並企圖以立法管制、寇斯定理及社會規範，提出政府面對Airbnb於臺灣營運時可行之管理方式。 / Driven by the technological, changes, consumers’ purchase behaviors and the economy concern issues, sharing economy becomes a sizable social trend. Furthermore, Times magazine even ranks sharing economy as one of the ideas that would change the world. This research difines sharing economy as “a accessibility based business model for peer-to-peer markets, aimd to share underutilized asset or idling capacity effciently by crowd collaboration through a intermediary platform”. 　　However, as the growth of sharing economy, enterprises are threatened by disruptive innovations and new business models., Thus, stakeholders’ rent-seeking behaviors within the industry would bring the difficulties and limitations to sharing economies. Those rent-seekers argue the issues of “the boundery of private property use” and “the relationship between platform and users” which make sharing economy invalid, and the lawsuits on Uber and Smart Apartment also show that “external costs” and “the nature of contract” are the main reasons resulting to rent seeking. 　　Airbnb is the biggest house-renting platform also one of the most successful sharing economy enterprises. Users could plae their own vacant spaces to rent out to other users on this platform to earn extra profits. While most cities in the world require house-renting or hotel business to obtain permission before providing short-term accommodation services, Airbnb’s users provide short-term accommodation via its platform do not require the permission which arise the disputes of the legality and vaility when applying to local regulation. 　　This theis is base on the perspectives of “external costs” and “the nature of contract”, market research report undertaken by the New York State Attorney General, American lawsuits related to Airbnb and cases of daily-based house-rental business in Taiwan to analyze the issues of short-term rental for private house, the useage of sharing economy platform, and the legality and validity of Airbnb when its business model applying to Taiwanese regulation. Based on the analysis, this theis proposes a solution about how Taiwanese government manages Airbnb’s based on legislative control, Coase Theorem and social norms.

International business strategy is a widely investigated topic, with a plethora of related research. Aspects such as the internationalization process and the challenges faced when entering a foreign market have been widely examined, with the majority of existing literature linked to multinational corporations and companies of a traditional nature. However, there is a lack of research based on companies operating within the sharing economy. This is in contrast to the attention that has been given to the study of small entrepreneurial firms, such as international new ventures and born globals. Hence making the sharing economy a valuable area of investigation in terms of internationalization.   With more and more companies breaking away from the traditional norms of operation, this modern approach to business requires a deeper understanding. Due to the very nature of the sharing economy, companies are highly likely to internationalize and do so from an early stage, and knowledge of the challenges related to the process is therefore vital. Such recognition provided the motivation for this study, in the belief that it will provide valuable knowledge to companies, as well as contribute to the existing body of literature.   This study sets out to fill this knowledge gap by exploring the challenges faced by sharing economy companies when internationalizing. Furthermore, the study seeks to examine the effects such challenges have on the company and how they can be overcome. Research was carried out through a qualitative case study of six companies, out of which; four have already internationalized and two are yet to internationalize. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with the founders and senior managers, with questions relating to both internal and external challenges. The challenges were examined and their impact on the internationalization process explained.   The researchers conclude that both internal and external challenges impacted the internationalization process, and that many challenges were somewhat interconnected. From the challenges identified, the following were considered critical: networks, business model, funding and leadership decision-making. Overcoming such challenges can lessen the effects of other challenges and make the internationalization process more successful.

The concept of the sharing economy has gained increased attention among academicresearch and practitioners alike. The sharing economy presents a shift from the traditionalcommerce way of business to a more collaborative sharing of resources. Companies suchas Uber, Airbnb and TaskRabbit have contributed to the raising popularity of sharingservices, by providing consumers with a platform to engage in peer-to-peer sharing. Inaddition, Web 2.0 has proven to be an essential factor in the rigorous growth of the sharingeconomy among consumers, by connecting them and enabling consumer engagement.Despite academic researchers devoting more attention to the sharing economy, there hasbeen a lack of research addressing specific influences that Web 2.0 has on the consumerin the sharing economy. In order to fill this gap, this research seeks to gain a deeper understanding of the consumerperspective by providing valuable insights into how Web 2.0 affects consumer behaviorwithin the sharing economy. Therefore, this research first aims to identify the aspects thatdrive consumers to consider the sharing economy as an alternative to traditional options.Following this, the research intends to uncover how both companies and peer consumersin the sharing economy attempt to influence potential consumers’ consideration of asharing option. Finally, it is equally important to highlight how participation and Web 2.0affects the outcomes. To fulfill this purpose, a qualitative study has been conducted among users of the sharingeconomy. The sample group for the semi-structured interviews was selected based ontheir shared characteristic of belonging to Generation Y and having used a sharing optionin the past. In order to add a degree of credibility to our findings, a product manager fromthe sharing economy shared comments and insights in regards to the data gathered duringthe interviews. Several themes were derived from the gathered data through the analysis and discussionin regards to the drivers, influencing factors and outcomes of the participation in thesharing economy. In terms of the drivers, the first theme is financial considerations, whoseimportance is dependent on the nature of the sharing option. The second theme is the needfor experience, which includes authentic and local experiences. Finally, the theme ofsecurity considerations is concerned with the perception of risk of participation in thesharing economy. Within the company influencing factors, the first theme of onlinemarketing is subjected to factors such as presentation and delivery which affect thecredibility of these activities. Meanwhile, the second theme of consumer referral systemsenjoys more credibility due to the overwhelming involvement of peers. On the other hand,influences by other consumers show the importance of trust in peers through eWOM,including reviews and recommendations, as part of the identified receiving consumerengagement theme. The final influencing factors are part of the third-party theme, whichincludes the importance of online news and pop culture as a source of awareness. Lastly,the identified themes in terms of outcomes after participating in the sharing economyrevolve around the change in concerns regarding risk and uncertainty, which affect thedegree of online trust. Finally, the creating consumer engagement theme shows that thequality of the sharing experience motivates the consideration to engage in eWOM and inturn become an advocate for sharing options.