To investigate whether there is unequal treatment for ethnic minorities in the sharing economy this paper conducts a field experiment on Airbnb in Sweden. The key findings report that inquiries from guests with Arabic-sounding names are 17 percentage points less likely to receive a booking invitation compared to guests with Swedish-sounding names. The discrimination is robust across host and listing characteristics. Furthermore, the results show that being associated with a lower social class decreases the probability of receiving a booking invitation for guests with Arabic-sounding names but not for guests with Swedish-sounding names, suggesting that the signal of social class is stronger for guests with Arabic-sounding names.

The study examinesthe variety of interaction and motivation practices to participate in the sharing initiative as well as pinpointing key elements of member-driven organization functioning;in the case of Stockholm Makerspace– a community of non-professional makers.  The Current scholarship on sharing is mostly focused on the large-scale platform businesses in a North American context, thus evidence from grassroots small-scale initiatives is lacking. This paper aims to fill this gap by providing the empirically grounded sociological study of the operation of sharing initiative in Sweden. Data including 1) 11 in-depth interviews conducted with active members of the community and experts, 2) ethnographic observation in situations of planned workshops and everyday life of the Makerspace, 3) systematic online observation (in the role of observer as participant) (Gold, 1958). Therefore, this study employs mixed ethnography and digital methodology – studying sharing economy communities both online and in situto provide a ‘thick’ description of community building. The results revealed that members of the Stockholm Makerspace, acted as prosumers, and attempted to benefit not only from the community understudy, but also contributed to the societal development at large, by creating a public good. Shared access to tools and common “know-how” democratized production of knowledge and its spreading, thus contributing to informal learning, which complemented formal education institutions. The main incentives of sharing, vocalized by participants in the study were open-ended socializing and community commitment, as well as self-expression and belonging.

People all over the world have always been sharing things and experiences but due to rapid technological development, new digital platforms emerged which led to a new way of sharing and the phenomenon sharing economy started to be a common concept. The purpose of this study is to explore how Turistrådet Västsveriges newly launched platform Meet the locals could contribute to increased social and economic sustainability. Using existing theories such as sense of place, types of tourists and the host-tourist relationship this was done through multiple interviews together with locals in the project Meet the locals - a platform where you are given opportunities to ‘explore the Swedish lifestyle from a local perspective’. The data collected from the interviews were transcribed and analyzed using the thematic analysis which aimed to find connections with the chosen themes based on the theories. These themes were; place attachment, the meeting between host and tourist and sustainability. The results in this study establish that sustainability is important for the locals interviewed. However, it is unclear how Meet the locals really are contributing to social and economic sustainability since sustainability is still a complex subject and the project itself is still growing.

Purpose: The aim is to investigate the content of the collaboration between car sharing companies and the construction company. The authors aim to map the different phases of collaboration and create a reasonable model to exhibit the collaboration. Methodology: This paper used qualitative approach as the method. Primary and secondary data were used. Primary data was gathered through phone interviews. The respondents were divided into three different categories in order to achieve the most comprehensive understanding. The categories are car sharing, construction company and city official organizations. In total the research had fourteen respondents from eleven different organizations. Findings: The authors developed a business model that may be used as a general outline if the closed-pool systems are applied to other major cities. The approximate costs were calculated and the general motivations for parties to advance to business making were mapped. The city hopes to increase alternative travelling methods and save for other purposes. The construction company aims to achieve zoning benefits in terms of cost-reduction and to have more space where to build. The car sharing companies aim to increase their market share and build their business. Conclusion: The findings indicate that the collaboration between car sharing companies and the construction company is possible within the city’s influence. The zoning benefits may be acquired with correct advancement through phases and, in theory, they would ensure a working business model that enables that the needs of all parties are satisfied. Practical Contribution: Decision makers of all parties may use the information of the study to build the optimal service to the Finnish business environment. The study is additionally intended to provide insight to individuals who are interested concerning zoning and closed-pool car sharing systems. Limitations: This study is delimited to understand the industry from the perspectives of car sharing companies, construction company and the city officials. Thus, the study does not investigate the open-pool business model characteristics of car sharing companies nor provide a follow-up information concerning the success of the collaboration. The study only involves companies operating in the Finnish business environment. Suggestions regarding future research: Future research should conduct a similar study like this, but in a larger scale, meaning in at least two different countries. Future studies can focus on more than one city within a country to raise the validity and reliability of the results and conclusions.

A presente dissertação é dividida em três capítulos, o primeiro deles buscando explicar o aparecimento de novas formas de trabalho com a ascensão da chamada economia colaborativa, focando especialmente no aplicativo Uber e o trabalho prestado por motoristas parceiros no transporte individual privado de passageiros, bem como o surgimento de um novo termo na economia e no mundo do trabalho, a uberização. É objeto de exame a natureza do trabalho prestado por esses motoristas, se subordinado, com o exame detalhado dos requisitos da relação de emprego, ou se autônomo, bem como sua aproximação a alguns modelos trabalhistas assemelhados a essa nova forma de trabalho, com menção à zona cinzenta existente entre a subordinação e a autonomia, com o exemplo da parassubordinação italiana. Estudam-se tendências mundiais, com os exemplos de duas decisões judiciais (na Califórnia e no Reino Unido) reconhecendo direitos trabalhistas ao motorista do Uber, bem como os primeiros passos possíveis em território nacional – igualmente com decisões judiciais recentes -, e as possibilidades de tutela de direitos trabalhistas dos motoristas parceiros do Uber. / This thesis is divided into three chapters, the first one seeking to explain the emergence of new ways of working with the rise of so-called collaborative economy, focusing especially on the Uber app and the work done by partners drivers in the private individual passenger transport, as well as the rising of a new term in the economy and the world of work, the uberization. The nature of the work performed by these drivers is examined, if subordinated, with the detailed examination of the requirements of the employment relationship, or if autonomous, as well as its approximation to some labor models similar to this new form of work, with mention of the gray area between subordination and autonomy, with the example of Italian parassubordination. New trends are being studied worldwide, with examples of two judicial decisions (in California and the United Kingdom) recognizing labor rights for the driver of Uber, as well as the first possible steps in national territory – also with judicial decisions -, and the possibilities of protection of labor rights of Uber's partner drivers.

abstract: This dissertation examines travelers’ innovation adoption and repurchase behaviors in the sharing economy. The central question is to what extent the tourism industry embraces service innovations in the sharing economy. Predicated upon behavioral reasoning theory, this research makes a contribution to the tourism study and diffusion of innovation literature, by exploring the influence of travelers’ reasonings in the innovation decision process. The dissertation follows a two-study format. The analysis contextualizes reasons for and against adoption, by incorporating appropriate constructs relevant to service innovations in social dining services (Study 1) and ride-sharing services (Study 2). An exploratory mixed methods approach is taken in both studies. The survey data and the semi-structured interviews are used to identify the context-specific reasons for and against adoption. And, a series of statistical analyses are employed to examine how reasonings influence intentions to adopt social dining services (Study 1) and intentions to repurchase ride-sharing services for the next trip (Study 2). The main results suggest that both reasons for and reasons against adoption have countervailing influences in the psychological processing, supporting the validity of the research models. The findings also reveal that different psychological paths in travelers’ adoption and repurchase intentions. In Study 1, the trustworthiness of service providers attenuates the reasons against adoption and enhances the likelihood of adopting social dining services in the pre-adoption stage. In Study 2, attitude strength functions as an additional construct, which mediates travelers’ attitudes and ultimately intentions to repurchase ride-sharing services for the next trip in the post-adoption stage. By developing and testing a framework comprising a set of consumers’ beliefs, reasonings for adoption and resistance, attitudes towards adoption, and behavioral responses to the sharing economy, the insights gleaned from this research allow practical recommendations to be made for service providers, platform providers, and policy makers in the tourism industry. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation Community Resources and Development 2019

Background: Understanding how coherently commitment and basic human values shaping and affecting timebank, one of the popular peer-to-peer exchange system. With time banking, a person with own skill set can trade hours of work for equal hours for another member using hours for paying or being paid for services. Thesis aim: Understanding the impact of drivers/barriers and personal values and how these are connected to the commitment Methodology A quantitative study with forty-seven timebanks across three different country – USA, New Zealand and India. Survey were conducted to collect data and later SPSS has been used for analyzation Findings: Values play significant role to shape commitment to timebank and commitment and personal values has relationship with drivers and barriers of participation in timebank.

Det finns många miljömässiga och ekonomiska baksidor med de konsumtionsmönster som har utvecklats i västvärlden. Detta har lett till ökad medvetenhet kring problemen. Kollaborativ konsumtion är en företeelse som fått allt större spridning tack vare modern teknik och internet. Det innebär ett sätt att förändra konsumtionsmönstren genom att dela på materiella tillgångar. I den här pilotstudien intervjuades sju personer. Fem av dessa har valt att delta i Swinga Bazaar, en nystartad digital tjänst för kollaborativ konsumtion av föremål. De begränsningar som framkom gällande ägodelar kan delas upp i två slag: Hinder, alltså något som gör att respondenten tvekar eller avstår från att delta, och förebehåll, vilket innebär att de kan delta men på vissa villkor. Mest frekvent förekommande var förbehåll angående vem respondenterna kunde tänka sig att låna/hyra ut till. En slutsats är därför att man bör anpassa digitala tjänster för kollaborativ konsumtion till att ta detta resultat i beaktande; användarna bör ges möjlighet att välja att låna/hyra ut bara till personer de känner sedan tidigare. Ytterligare ett syfte med studien var att undersöka drivkrafter bakom valet att delta i kollaborativ konsumtion. När det gällde Swinga Bazaar var sociala relationer viktigast, men även när det gällde den generella synen på kollaborativ konsumtion angavs sociala aspekter som en av de viktigaste fördelarna. Därför är en slutsats att de aktiva användarna är viktiga som förebilder. De bör involveras i arbetet för att locka ännu fler att delta. Andra fördelar med kollaborativ konsumtion som framkom i intervjuerna var bland annat miljöskäl och möjligheten att spara pengar samt ett mer effektivt nyttjande av egna och andras ägodelar. Denna bredd av motiverande faktorer möjliggör olika tilltalssätt för att locka fler människor till att delta. / There are many social and economic downsides to the consumption patterns that have developed in the Western world. This has lead to an increased awareness·of the problem. Collaborative consumption is a phenomen that is gaining traction thanks to modern technology and the internet. It represents one way of changing consumption patterns by sharing tangible assets. In this pilot study, seven people were interviewed. Five of these have chosen to participate in Swinga Bazaar, a newly established digital service for collaborative consumption of goods. The limitations that emerged regarding belongings can be divided into two kinds: obstacles, that is, something that makes the respondent hesitate or refrain from participating, and restrictions, which means they can participate but under certain conditions. The most frequently occurring restriction concerned who the respondents were willing to lend or rent to. One conclusion is therefore that one should adapt digital servives for collaborative consumption to consider this result; the users should be given the option to lend/rent only to people with whom they are already familiar. Another aim with the study was to investigate the driving forces behind the choice to participate in collaborative consumption. In the case of Swinga Bazaar, social relations were the most important. But also concerning the general view of collaborative consumption, social aspects were identified as one of the most important benefits. Therefore, one can draw the conclusion that the active users are important as role models. They should be involved in the work to encourage even more people to participate. Other benefits of collaborative consumption emerging from the interviews were environment reasons and the possibility to save money as well as a more efficient use of their own and others belongings. This breadth of motivating factors enables different ways to attract people to take part.

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to investigate the relationship between consumer behavior and the business (B2C and C2C) in the sharing economy. Research questions: What factors of Consumer behaviour effect C2C business in sharing economy? What factors of Consumer behaviour effect B2C business in sharing economy? Methodology: A descriptive research design with a quantitative approach was conducted, utilizing an online questionnaire with a total of 120 respondents in China. Conclusion: the finding from the study demonstrates that all of the adopted variables (psychological, personal, social and culture) had a close link and impact on the B2C business based on a shared economy. the findings indicated that with the exception of the ‘social’ variable, the others had a considerable impacts on the business strategy, despite the existing variability. The research shows that most of the elements of the consumer behavior affect both B2C and C2C.The applicability of the model is essential to the multinational firms.

Airbnb as one of examples of sharing accommodation is changing the way of travel. More and more consumers from all over the world are attracted to use the platform of Airbnb to book a local individual sharing house to access the authentic and unique local experience. Airbnb has also received attention from scholars recently, and they mainly focus on why consumers choose Airbnb. However, most of the studies have focused on European or American consumers, and there is less attention put on Chinses consumers. We aim to fill in this research gap in this thesis, and we develop a study on the motivation and constrain factors influencing the attitude of Chinese consumers toward Airbnb. Drawing inspiration from previous research (So, Oh and Min, 2018), we employ a mixed-method research design in this thesis to collect empirical data including semi-structure interview and questionnaire. We conduct an online survey with 316 respondents, and analyze it through SPSS. Our qualitative research confirms the 8 factors, price value, enjoyment, trust, insecurity, home benefit, authenticity, social interaction and perceived risk are factors to influence Chinese consumers’ attitude toward Airbnb. For the quantitative research, the first four factors mentioned above are tested as significant factors to influence Chinese consumers and the last four factors are tested as insignificant factors. Comparing with American and Canadian consumers studied by So et al. (2018), “price value” and “enjoyment” take significant influence both on American and Canadian consumers and Chinese consumers. Both the two groups are not influenced by “authenticity”, “social interaction” or “perceived risk” significantly. American and Canadian consumer concern “home benefit”, but Chinese consumers don’t. Insecurity significantly influences Chinese consumers, but not for American and Canadian consumers. Distrust significantly influences American and Canadian consumers, while trust motivate significantly Chinese consumers’ attitude.