Esta tese propõe analisar os desafios e oportunidades inerentes ao fenômeno recente e em expansão da Economia do Compartilhamento (Sharing Economy), que coloca em questionamento as práticas de consumo e posse dos objetos, assim como o papel do design em fomentar tais práticas. A pesquisa fundamenta-se sob o paradigma interpretativo, com abordagem predominantemente qualitativa e estudo fenomenológico enquanto método. A narrativa construída neste trabalho inicia-se com a exploração de possibilidades de leitura do objeto de estudo a partir de referências teóricas que apontam a necessidade de mudanças na forma de produção e consumo, assim como no papel do design frente à questão da sustentabilidade como ponto de partida, passando pela descrição do fenômeno emergente da Economia do Compartilhamento, que surge como uma das possíveis respostas para tal necessidade, culminando na reflexão sobre os aspectos do materialismo e do altruísmo no consumo, com apoio de autores que tratam do apego e da construção do self por meio das posses à luz da Teoria da Cultura do Consumidor (CCT). O caminho inverso é proposto na descrição e análise dos dados coletados na pesquisa de campo como forma de explorar motivações, barreiras e oportunidades para adoção de práticas de uso compartilhado a partir de três óticas principais, que ajudam a construir uma fotografia panorâmica da investigação: parte-se da relação entre pessoas e objetos em práticas espontâneas de compartilhamento e de posse que sugerem motivações para adotar ou rejeitar tais práticas, fundamentadas no apego, na construção do self e do pertencimento. Em seguida, são analisadas práticas de compartilhamento de produtos mediadas por serviços no Brasil e na Finlândia, descrevendo-se as barreiras e oportunidades para essas ofertas, sob a perspectiva de gestores desses serviços e o aprofundamento de um desses casos baseado na percepção das usuárias. Por fim, traz-se a reflexão crítica sobre o design para o compartilhamento, a partir de entrevistas com teóricos e praticantes em áreas correlatas ao tema desta investigação. A trajetória percorrida revela inconsistências, ambivalências e contradições teóricas e práticas que se inter-relacionam com desafios e oportunidades para a promoção do uso compartilhado, delineando-se, assim, contribuições para o campo teórico e prático do design a partir das três óticas propostas para observação do fenômeno investigado. / This dissertation proposes the analysis of the challenges and opportunities inherent to the recent and growing phenomenon of Sharing Economy, which raises questions concerning the practices of consumption and usage of objects, as well as the role of design regarding the promotion of such practices. This research bases itself on the interpretative paradigm, using a predominantly qualitative approach and a phenomenological study as method. The narrative which was built in this work starts with the exploration of possibilities of reading the object of study through theoretical background, which indicated the need of changes in the manner of production and consumption, as well as the role of design regarding the sustainability issue, as a starting point, then going through the description of the emerging phenomenon of Sharing Economy, which arises as one of the possible answers to such need, culminating on the reflection about the aspects of materialism and altruism on consumption, supported by authors which discuss attachment and the development of self through possession in light of the Consumer Culture Theory (CCT). The opposite way is proposed on the description and analysis of the data collected on the field research as a way of exploring motivation, barriers and opportunities for the adoption of practices of shared usage through three main point of views, which helps building a panoramic picture of the investigation: it starts with the relations between people and objects on spontaneous practices of sharing and possession, which suggests motivation to adopt or reject such practices based on attachment, development of self and sense of belonging. After that, product sharing practices mediated by services in Brazil and Finland were analyzed, describing the barriers and opportunities for theses offers, using the perspective of managers of these services and the deepening of one of those cases based on the perception of the users. Lastly, a critical reflection is proposed about design for sharing, through interviews with theorists and practitioners of areas of knowledge correlated to the subject of this investigation. The path taken shows inconsistencies, dubious interpretations and theoretical and practical contradictions which are interrelated with challenges and opportunities for the promotion of shared usage thus outlining contributions for the theoretical and practical fields of design through the three points of view proposed for the observation of the investigated phenomenon.

Customer behavior has always been of interest for business researchers. However, it is just in recent years that there has been an increasing interest in the phenomenon of the sharing economy. It has been suggested that there is an ongoing shift in the traditional way of consuming. The idea behind the sharing economy is that two different parties can make use of their underused assets through an online platform. Previous quantitative research in the area of interest mainly focuses on the motivational factors for participation in the sharing economy; four of the most prominent factors were therefore identified and further investigated. In this thesis, these factors are referred to as drivers and more specifically, the drivers of enjoyment, sustainability, convenience, and financial benefits. Further, previous research gives an indication of a discrepancy between customer attitudes and actions when making a decision in the sharing economy. With this in mind, the purpose of this thesis is to describe customer behavior in the sharing economy. More specifically, this thesis seeks to study the relationship between attitudes and actions of customers in the sharing economy. Taking this into account, the following research question was formulated:   What is the relationship between attitudes and actions of the customers participating in the sharing economy of Rentl AB?   In order to fulfill the purpose of this thesis, the Swedish sharing economy business Rentl was addressed. To answer the research question a quantitative research strategy was followed where a survey was sent out to randomly chosen customers of Rentl and 145 responses were collected. The collected data was statistically analyzed by the use of Paired T-tests and Regression Analyses. Further, the empirical findings regarding the four identified drivers were analyzed in accordance with the theoretical framework. The identified attitude-action gap is therefore analyzed by the application of basic customer decision-making, the theory of Bounded Rationality, the Theory of Reasoned Action & the Theory of Planned Behavior, and finally the Self-Determination Theory.   The authors established that there is a positive relationship between attitudes and actions regarding the extrinsic drivers, convenience and financial benefits. However, it was further established that the intrinsic drivers, enjoyment and sustainability, do not have a significant influence on the actual actions. In other words, a positive attitude toward enjoyment and sustainability as drivers for participation in the sharing economy does not necessarily translate into actions. Thus, the authors identified that there is an attitude-action gap in the sharing economy.     In addition to the theoretical contributions, this research further contributes with practical aspects. More importantly, the sharing business Rentl is provided with a better understanding for the customer behavior in their business. Considering that the findings of this research identify convenience and financial benefits as significant drivers for participation, this can be emphasized in marketing contexts by managers.

Esta tese propõe analisar os desafios e oportunidades inerentes ao fenômeno recente e em expansão da Economia do Compartilhamento (Sharing Economy), que coloca em questionamento as práticas de consumo e posse dos objetos, assim como o papel do design em fomentar tais práticas. A pesquisa fundamenta-se sob o paradigma interpretativo, com abordagem predominantemente qualitativa e estudo fenomenológico enquanto método. A narrativa construída neste trabalho inicia-se com a exploração de possibilidades de leitura do objeto de estudo a partir de referências teóricas que apontam a necessidade de mudanças na forma de produção e consumo, assim como no papel do design frente à questão da sustentabilidade como ponto de partida, passando pela descrição do fenômeno emergente da Economia do Compartilhamento, que surge como uma das possíveis respostas para tal necessidade, culminando na reflexão sobre os aspectos do materialismo e do altruísmo no consumo, com apoio de autores que tratam do apego e da construção do self por meio das posses à luz da Teoria da Cultura do Consumidor (CCT). O caminho inverso é proposto na descrição e análise dos dados coletados na pesquisa de campo como forma de explorar motivações, barreiras e oportunidades para adoção de práticas de uso compartilhado a partir de três óticas principais, que ajudam a construir uma fotografia panorâmica da investigação: parte-se da relação entre pessoas e objetos em práticas espontâneas de compartilhamento e de posse que sugerem motivações para adotar ou rejeitar tais práticas, fundamentadas no apego, na construção do self e do pertencimento. Em seguida, são analisadas práticas de compartilhamento de produtos mediadas por serviços no Brasil e na Finlândia, descrevendo-se as barreiras e oportunidades para essas ofertas, sob a perspectiva de gestores desses serviços e o aprofundamento de um desses casos baseado na percepção das usuárias. Por fim, traz-se a reflexão crítica sobre o design para o compartilhamento, a partir de entrevistas com teóricos e praticantes em áreas correlatas ao tema desta investigação. A trajetória percorrida revela inconsistências, ambivalências e contradições teóricas e práticas que se inter-relacionam com desafios e oportunidades para a promoção do uso compartilhado, delineando-se, assim, contribuições para o campo teórico e prático do design a partir das três óticas propostas para observação do fenômeno investigado. / This dissertation proposes the analysis of the challenges and opportunities inherent to the recent and growing phenomenon of Sharing Economy, which raises questions concerning the practices of consumption and usage of objects, as well as the role of design regarding the promotion of such practices. This research bases itself on the interpretative paradigm, using a predominantly qualitative approach and a phenomenological study as method. The narrative which was built in this work starts with the exploration of possibilities of reading the object of study through theoretical background, which indicated the need of changes in the manner of production and consumption, as well as the role of design regarding the sustainability issue, as a starting point, then going through the description of the emerging phenomenon of Sharing Economy, which arises as one of the possible answers to such need, culminating on the reflection about the aspects of materialism and altruism on consumption, supported by authors which discuss attachment and the development of self through possession in light of the Consumer Culture Theory (CCT). The opposite way is proposed on the description and analysis of the data collected on the field research as a way of exploring motivation, barriers and opportunities for the adoption of practices of shared usage through three main point of views, which helps building a panoramic picture of the investigation: it starts with the relations between people and objects on spontaneous practices of sharing and possession, which suggests motivation to adopt or reject such practices based on attachment, development of self and sense of belonging. After that, product sharing practices mediated by services in Brazil and Finland were analyzed, describing the barriers and opportunities for theses offers, using the perspective of managers of these services and the deepening of one of those cases based on the perception of the users. Lastly, a critical reflection is proposed about design for sharing, through interviews with theorists and practitioners of areas of knowledge correlated to the subject of this investigation. The path taken shows inconsistencies, dubious interpretations and theoretical and practical contradictions which are interrelated with challenges and opportunities for the promotion of shared usage thus outlining contributions for the theoretical and practical fields of design through the three points of view proposed for the observation of the investigated phenomenon.

New innovation often forces The rise of the sharing economy has created a host of regulatory challenges for both agencies and legislators. Specifically, the ride-sharing and short-term rental industries have faced significant challenges from incumbent industries, lawmakers, and the public. Evaluating the respective policy development of these industries and the strategies of the industry leaders provide a useful lens of analysis.

The biggest barrier for expansion and adoption in the field of sharing economy is risk and fear regarding safety. This new company form has resulted in higher competition in the service industry, resulting in increased focus on high quality. Since sharing economy is a new phenomenon a comparison with traditional companies has been made in order to see how the different forms of companies work with quality management. The purpose of this thesis is to investigate how sharing economy companies within ridesharing and on demand rides, compared to traditional taxi companies, work with quality management. The thesis answers three subordinate questions: 1) How do companies work with quality assurance during the recruitment process? 2) How do companies work with continuous quality control and evaluation? 3) Is there a difference between the investigated industries within sharing economy and traditional taxi companies? Based on theories from management control and service quality management a theoretical framework was designed which provides guidance as to how researchers and managers can work with quality management in the service industry. A qualitative study was further performed through semi-structured interviews, where the gathered empirical material was presented through the theoretical framework. One conclusion that can be made in this thesis is that sharing economy companies have automated their services, as well as big parts of their quality management. Traditional companies seem to move more towards automating their services, as well as some parts of their quality control, but many parts are still handled manually. Another conclusion is that both types of companies have differences that lie in the nature of being a traditional company versus being a sharing economy company, and at the same time they have some fundamental similarities.

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New companies with business models based on technology-enabled sharing have emerged as the hot topic in technology in recent years. Uber, the sharing-economy’s poster-child, is now the world’s most valuable start-up by far. Lyft, its younger competitor, is seeing year over year growth in the hundreds of percentage points. This growth is coming at the cost of the incumbent taxi industry, and this is what this study sets out to examine. What is the effect of Uber, Lyft, and other ride-sharing services on the taxi industry? My study reveals that there has been an extremely negative effect on taxicabs, and that there are only a few last strands of hope for ways taxis can compete. Based on my study and learning, in final I forecast the ways that the firms in this space can continue to grow and dominate the ride-sharing market, and beyond.

In the recent decades a new type of economic system based on collaborative consumption has increased in popularity. The new cost competitive model challenges the traditional business model that has fueled the hyper consumption, which the 20th century is known for. This research focuses on how national cultures impact the development of this new economic system, in order to understand how much people of different cultures are willing to share. A conceptual model was created to try to understand cultural influence on sharing. Hofstede’s cultural dimensions have been used to measure and compare the empirical data, that was collected through five focus groups representing four different countries: Sweden, France, China and United States. Out of the six cultural dimensions, it was found that the indulgence dimension together with power distance might influence people’s willingness to share. Indulgence was also found to explain socialization as a motivational factor together with power distance and long-term orientation. In conclusion, four different sharing sectors were analyzed, and it was found that transportation and clothing was considered shareable, disregarding national culture. Accommodation might be dependent on national culture since the focus groups that were supposed to be indulgent showed resistance to share, while the restraint groups showed a greater willingness. Technology was not considered shareable by any group. Furthermore, three motivational factors, that might be depend on national culture, was identified. These are environment, socialization and technology. An additional four motivational factors were identified, but these might be independent of national culture. These four are personal, economical, trust/safety and convenience. Lastly, additional findings showed that similar genders have similar willingness to share across cultures which makes it a topic of interest for future research.

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.