Thesis advisor: Candace Jones / Thesis advisor: Richard P. Nielsen / The sharing economy has played an important role in transforming today's business landscape. The dissertation consists of two essays that examine different aspects of meanings illuminated by the sharing economy. In each essay, I draw on several theoretical lenses, including institutional logics, legitimacy, and categories, to build theories of how entrepreneurial firms strategically appropriate meanings as resources to shape the attention and the interpretation of their activities and how such cultural meanings emerge and transform. The first essay illustrates the case of Airbnb to examine how an entrepreneurial firm uses institutional logics for legitimacy in navigating multiple audiences with potentially contradictory criteria for legitimacy at different stages of development. The second essay looks at the sharing economy as a category to examine what is used as the central examples of a category by the category promoters (i.e., movement) versus the press, the differences in how the central examples are understood that lead to changes and differences in the category’s meanings, and ultimately affect the survival or decline of a category. I conclude with implications for theories around changes in meanings, the strategic uses of meanings, and their political and moral nature. / Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2021. / Submitted to: Boston College. Carroll School of Management. / Discipline: Management and Organization.

The sharing economy has become a widely known phenomena, however, the main focus has always been on sharing between consumers, with firms like Airbnb and Uber at the center of the conversation. There is plenty of material written on the sharing economy in a consumer context, however, there is a glaring gap in current literature when it comes to sharing between businesses. There is a need for an analysis of what drives sharing between businesses, in order to identify potential differences between the consumer and the business environment. This study aims to answer the following research question: Why and to what extent do the factors convenience, financial, sustainable and uncertainty entice or deter management participation in the B2B sharing economy? The factors investigated in the study is derived from current literature. From the literature a conceptual model was developed. To complement the secondary data interviews were held to get a better grasp of sharing in a business context. The results suggests that there is an importance hierarchy in between the factors from most to least important as follows; financial, uncertainty, convenience and sustainability. Finally, the study contributes with a revised conceptual model where data from the results are used to modify the model derived from previous literature. The revised conceptual model can guide business to business sharing platforms when developing marketing strategies for their platforms. In addition, the insights gained from the study can be used when developing a platform or business model by prioritizing the more important factors.

This thesis deals with a subject of collaboration economy and it aims at two of its representatives in particular, Airbnb and Uber. My focus targets at current status in terms of established or missing regulation and mapping of up to date trends for regulation to be developed or to be improved in contrast to what has already set. Simultaneously, there is described its functional system and familiarization with them for a potential user. At least but not last, one of the goals is to clarify why new representatives as Uber or Airbnb might be spotted controversial. It is observed that current legal status of collaborative economy does not reflect its ability to share a global market and its potential regulation from government point of view has become likely. However, politician opinions on how this regulation should look like vary. Nevertheless what may be found identical in those opinions is that there is no will collaborative economy to be repressed however, rules and limits should be clearly stated. Expansion of digital technologies and its relation to collaborative economy growth was hardly predictable. For traditional services, for instance, taxi drivers, rules and limits are very restrictive regardless modern social and technological situation does not require such a strict limits since modern...

Within the context of multiple crises and change, a range of practices discussed under the umbrella term of collaborative (or sharing) economy have been gaining considerable attention. Supporters build an idealistic vision of collaborative societies. Critics have been stripping the concept of its visionary potential, questioning its revolutionary nature. In the study, these debates are brought down to the local level in search for common perceptions among the co-creators of the concept in Vienna, Austria. Towards this aim a Q study is conducted, i.e. a mixed method enabling analyses of subjective perceptions on socially contested topics. Four voices are identified: True Believers, Market Optimists, Dedicated Critics, and Healthy Sceptics, each bringing their values, visions, and practical goals characteristic of different understanding of the collaborative economy. The study questions the need for building a globally-applicable definition of the concept, calls for more context-sensitivity, and the need for further exploratory approaches. (author's abstract) / Series: Ecological Economic Papers

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Individuals are motivated to consume brands that allow them to express their self-concept and signal a unique identity to others. However, consumers may not always be able to purchase these brands. Aspirational brands are currently unaffordable “dream brands” that an individual desires to purchase at some point in the future after reaching a higher status or income level. Through aspirational access, an emerging form of access-based consumption, consumers can now temporarily experience their ideal lifestyle for a membership fee. Researchers have begun to explore access-based consumption as an alternative to traditional ownership since consumers are increasingly choosing to access products and benefit from the use, rather than buying and owning them. Most research focuses on utilitarian access-based consumption, such as car sharing. Yet more consumers are using access-based services to facilitate an idealized lifestyle. In the past, these consumers would have to wait to acquire aspirational brands after saving up to purchase, but aspirational access now provides the benefits of these brands in the present allowing aspirational access-based consumers to forego the patience and work of saving long-term for the brand. Four studies are conducted to holistically explore the psychological consequences of aspirational access. Specifically, the following research questions are addressed by employing a multi-method approach in a series of four studies —What do owners of aspirational brands think about aspirational access-based services? How does aspirational access participation influence an accessor’s self- and brand-related perceptions? How can the outcomes of aspirational access be enhanced for accessors through brand curation? Can accessors temporarily using aspirational brands obtain the same level as self- and brand-related outcomes as owners? By exploring these questions, this research aims to understand the nature of aspirational brand consumption and the psychological consequences of accessing versus owning aspirational brands.

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Die vorliegende Arbeit beschäftigt sich mit der Umsetzung der Saatgutbibliotheken in den Öf-fentlichen Bibliotheken Deutschlands. Weil es sich hierbei um einen unerforschten Bereich handelt, sollen die Gemeinsamkeiten und Unterschiede der Saatgutbibliotheken anhand der Er-fassung grundlegender Daten über die Motivation, den Aufbau und die Finanzierung, die Aus-leihe, den Bestand, die Erschließung und Präsentation, die Zuständigkeit, die Veranstaltungs- und Öffentlichkeitsarbeit und die Evaluation erarbeitet werden.:Abbildungsverzeichnis 4 1 Einführung 6 2 Theoretische Einordnung 9 2.1 Begriff Saatgutbibliothek 9 2.2 Gründe für Saatgutbibliotheken 13 2.2.1 Kurze Geschichte der Saatgutproduktion 13 2.2.2 Samenfeste Sorten versus Hybridsorten 14 2.2.3 Ziele einer Saatgutbibliothek 15 2.3 Gründe für die Umsetzung einer Saatgutbibliothek in einer Öffentlichen Bibliothek . 17 2.3.1 Agenda 2030 17 2.3.2 Grüne Bibliothek 20 2.3.3 Sharing Economy 21 2.3.4 Bibliothek als Dritter Ort 23 2.4 Entwicklung der Saatgutbibliotheken in Bibliotheken 25 2.4.1 Saatgutbibliotheken außerhalb von Deutschland 25 2.4.2 Projekte und Beispiele in Deutschland 28 2.5 Was muss bei der Umsetzung einer Saatgutbibliothek beachtet werden? 30 3 Methode 34 3.1 Ermittlung der Befragungsteilnehmenden 34 3.2 Vor- und Nachteile der Methode 38 3.3 Erstellung des Fragebogens 39 3.4 Durchführung der Online-Befragung 40 3.5 Reflektion der Durchführung und des Fragebogens 41 4 Ergebnisse der Befragung 43 4.1 Allgemeines 43 4.2 Motivation 44 4.3 Aufbau 46 4.3.1 Partner 46 4.3.2 Finanzierung 46 4.4 Ausleihe 47 4.5 Bestand 50 4.6 Erschließung und Präsentation 53 4.7 Zuständigkeit 56 4.8 Veranstaltungs- und Öffentlichkeitsarbeit 57 4.9 Evaluation 59 4.10 Bemerkungen 62 5 Ergebnisdiskussion 63 6 Fazit 70 Literatur- und Quellenverzeichnis 72 Selbstständigkeitserklärung 82 Anhang 83

Delningsekonomin har framkallat stor kontrovers eftersom förespråkare hävdar att det ger effektivitet, möjlighet och flexibilitet medan kritiker hävdar att det bland annat förvärrar ojämlikhet. Med studien undersöks ifall arbetet på plattformarna och osäkerheten inom delningsekonomin kan bidra till den ökande ojämlikheten. Detta diskuteras utifrån resultat från intervjuer med leverantörer på plattformen Airbnb, alla från Gotland, och en intervju med en delningsekonomi-expert. Dessa jämförs med studier gjorda i USA. Moderna arbetsmarknaden kännetecknas av en flexibilitet där risker har förflyttats från arbetsgivare till arbetstagare. Dessa risker påverkar framförallt de som arbetar inom delningsekonomin. I delningsekonomin är det lägre (ofta icke-existerande) facklig organisering och inga kollektivavtal vilket gör att arbetarna är sämre skyddade på arbetsmarknaden och ansvaret ligger hos arbetstagaren. De har ofta ingen tillgång till social trygghet vid sjukdom, arbetslöshet och pension. De exkluderas ofta från trygghetssystemet. Delningsekonomin kan tänkas stärka vad som tidigare orsakat ojämlikhet, vilket var att folk började behandlas som oberoende entreprenörer och att de ekonomiska och sociala riskerna med anställning blev den enskilda arbetstagarens ansvar. Delningsekonomin kan framförallt tänkas påverka ojämlikheten om den växer sig större, vilket den förväntas göra. På grund av att det är högt utbildade utförare som använder plattformen för att öka sin nuvarande inkomst bidrar delningsekonomin till ökade inkomster hos övre medelklassen. Denna grupp utför arbeten som traditionellt utförts av de med en lägre utbildningsstatus. Alla respondenter väljer att dela på plattformen för att få in en extra inkomst utöver sin huvudsakliga inkomst. Detta tyder på att deltagandet på Airbnb här på Gotland skulle kunna ge en utträngningseffekt. Inkomsterna för de som vanligtvis skulle ha gjort exempelvis städningen eller det administrativa arbetet på ett hotell utför istället av Airbnb-utövaren och därmed hamnar inkomsterna hos de som redan har en stabil inkomst. Resultaten bland intervjuerna pekar på att delningsekonomin främst är till för de med högre kompetens och en högre utbildning. / The sharing economy has provoked controversy – advocates claim that it provides opportunity and flexibility while critics argue that it exacerbates inequality. This study investigates whether the work on the platforms and the uncertainty in the sharing economy can contribute to the increasing inequality. This is discussed based on results from independent interviews with suppliers on the platform Airbnb and with a sharing economy expert. These are compared with studies done in the United States.  In the sharing economy, the union organization is often non-existent and there are no collective agreements, which means the employees are excluded from the security system. The sharing economy can therefore strengthen the trends that previously caused inequality: people treated as independent entrepreneurs and the economic and social risks of employment are the responsibility of the worker. Not everyone can do well in the sharing economy. The platform-earnings goes to those with a already fairly good income - to do well on Airbnb, you need some kind of capital to rent out. Findings show us that highly educated people use Airbnb to increase their current income - this could mean that the sharing economy contributes to increased incomes in the upper middle class. This group performs work that has traditionally been performed by people with lower educational status, whose jobs could be "pushed away".

Within the context of multiple crises and change, a range of practices discussed under the umbrella term of collaborative (or sharing) economy have been gaining considerable attention. Supporters build an idealistic vision of collaborative societies. Critics have been stripping the concept of its visionary potential, questioning its revolutionary nature. In the study, these debates are brought down to the local level in search for common perceptions among the co-creators of the concept in Vienna, Austria. Towards this aim a Q study is conducted, i.e. a mixed method enabling analyses of subjective perceptions on socially contested topics. Four framings are identified: Visionary Supporters, Market Optimists, Visionary Critics, and Skeptics, each bringing their values, visions, and practical goals characteristic of different understanding of the collaborative economy. The study questions the need for building a globally-applicable definition of the concept, calls for more context-sensitivity, exploratory studies, and city-level multi-stakeholder dialogues.