Anders Hansen Henten and Iwona Maria Windekilde
The paper aims to discuss the so-called sharing economy from a business modeling and industrial structure perspective. The illustrative cases examined are Airbnb and Uber. The…
Abstract
Purpose
The paper aims to discuss the so-called sharing economy from a business modeling and industrial structure perspective. The illustrative cases examined are Airbnb and Uber. The research question raised is concerned with the extent to which transaction cost theory can be used to explain the changing industrial structures in the application areas that the Internet-based platforms are addressing and how other theoretical frameworks can be helpful in understanding these developments.
Design/methodology/approach
As the sharing economy topic is relatively new, the paper takes its point of departure in a brief overview of the different issues discussed in the academic literature and the press regarding this emerging phenomenon. The paper presents relevant theoretical approaches to analyzing business models of sharing platforms and industrial structure implications. It, thereafter, presents the cases of Airbnb and Uber to discuss the relevance of the theories put forward.
Findings
The paper concludes by proposing a theoretical framework for analyzing the structural implications of the sharing economy based on theories on multi-sided platforms, transaction costs and substitution and complementation.
Research limitations/implications
The research implications are to establish a comprehensive theory framework for analyzing the development of commercial sharing platforms.
Originality/value
The originality and value of the paper is related to the novelty of topic and the development of a theory framework for analyzing the business models of commercial sharing platforms. Only little has been written from an academic analytical perspective on the sharing economy, and there is a need for developing a coherent framework for analyzing these developments.
Details
Keywords
The purpose of this paper is to develop a framework for analyzing the dynamics of innovations emanating from ICT‐based service encounters. Many innovations are based on the direct…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to develop a framework for analyzing the dynamics of innovations emanating from ICT‐based service encounters. Many innovations are based on the direct encounter between employees and customers, and the paper aims to extend the analysis of such encounters to ICT‐based encounters.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper discusses and merges different approaches in the existing literature and examines different modes of ICT‐based customer/employee interaction to construct a framework that will help understand how innovations are developed on the basis of a service encounter, which is ICT‐based.
Findings
The implementation of ICT in services contributes greatly to the innovation of services, but in order to better understand innovations in ICT‐based employee/customer interaction, a “service approach” is one of the important ways to move forward.
Research limitations/implications
The service encounter approach offers a promising research avenue for understanding innovations from the ICT‐based service encounter. However, it needs to be adapted to the ICT‐based context and supplemented with additional approaches especially in the cases of ICT‐based services where the users also are producers.
Originality/value
The paper combines a service innovation approach with a service encounter approach and, furthermore, extends this combination to ICT‐based service encounters.