The Sharing Economy Platforms: Managerial perspective for peer-to-peer services

Abstract

The increased usage of mobile devices and constant online presence as well as the changes in consumer values have helped the sharing economy platforms to grow significantly. The sharing economy platforms are not only competitors to one another but also to the incumbent companies.

The sharing economy platforms benefit from the idle resources owned by the individuals willing to contribute to the platform, which means that value creation differs from traditional business models. This thesis presents the key differences between managing incumbent companies and managing the sharing economy platforms.

This thesis provides a managerial perspective for peer-to-peer services by using two research methods: a literature review and an online study. The literature review focuses on academical studies and frameworks presented by researchers and the online study clarifies the current practices the sharing economy platforms are using to tackle some managerial issues relevant for sharing economy businesses. Moreover, some criticism the sharing economy has confronted is presented in the thesis.

In addition to addressing the key differences and challenges in managing sharing economy platforms, this thesis provides suggestions on how to avoid common pitfalls and how to tackle common challenges.