Dear Colleagues,

The sharing economy is an established business model—enabled by online platforms—that has spread globally, impacting various sectors. The main motivations behind its diffusion are embedded in the essence of peer-to-peer exchange: economic benefits by earning/saving money by renting underutilized resources (Rudmin, 2016), making them accessible to people whom cannot afford them (Moeller and Wittkowski, 2010); social benefits by building meaningful relations outside their sphere of interactions (Schor, 2015a; Fitzmaurice et al., 2016; Tussyadiah, 2015); environmental benefits due to increased efficiency in the production and usage of assets (Böcker and Meelen, 2017).

A strict connection can be identified between the sharing economy and sustainability, given that collaborative consumptions set the premise for a more efficient and respectful use of resources and a better quality of life.

At its current stage of life, the sharing economy is asked to face new challenges according to a rapidly evolving scenario. Changes in social values, norms, and economic constraints require better comprehending the role of collaborative consumptions. Ultimately, are we crossing a transitional phase, or do we have to expect disruptive modifications in the way people relate to the sharing economy and sustainable behaviors?

On the other hand, every organization faces a permanent progression (Casadesus- Masanell and Ricart, 2010; Paiola and Gebauer, 2020), continuously adapting its trajectory to new conditions, trends or external forces that may emerge from the environment (Demil and Lecocq, 2010). The emerging needs require a prompt response by companies and institutions, which induces an evolution in every sector toward new scenarios, with the stakeholders playing a key role in proposing innovative solutions.

Consequently, all the involved actors need to adapt to survive on the market, and companies are asked for a more fluid and responsive business model. The society becomes aware of its essential connection with the environment, but also of technology in supporting this relation. The so-called strategic sensitivity allows firms to identify opportunities for its renewal and transformation, overcoming the rigidity and inertia of existing structures (Doz and Kosonen, 2010).

Within this framework, contributions are required regarding the implications of:

• Service innovation in the sharing economy;
• New consumers and new needs;
• Business models evolution within the sharing economy;
• Changes in the sharing economy value chain;
• Emerging sectors in the sharing economy;
• Upcoming changes in the relationship between sharing economy and sustainability;
• Technological implications and new data exploitation;
• Challenges for organizations and regulation in order to abide by the new scenario.

These topics are only the preferential framework of this call for papers, and other interesting and related subject matters might also be considered.

Please contact the Special Issue editors for further information or in case a deadline extension is needed.

Prof. Dr. Giovanni Mattia
Dr. Martina Toni
Guest Editors

References

1. Böcker, L., & Meelen, T. (2017), “Sharing for people, planet or profit? Analysing motivations for intended sharing economy participation.” Environmental Innovation and Societal Transitions, 23, 28-39.
2. Casadesus-Masanell, R., & Ricart, J. E. (2010). From strategy to business models and onto tactics. Long range planning, 43(2-3), 195-215.
3. Demil, B., & Lecocq, X. (2010). Business model evolution: in search of dynamic consistency. Long range planning, 43(2-3), 227-246.
4. Doz, Y. L., & Kosonen, M. (2010). Embedding strategic agility: A leadership agenda for accelerating business model renewal. Long range planning, 43(2-3), 370-382.
5. Demil, B., & Lecocq, X. (2010). Business model evolution: in search of dynamic consistency. Long range planning, 43(2-3), 227-246.
6. Fitzmaurice, C., Ladegaard, I., Attwood‐Charles, W., Carfagna, L. B., Schor, J. B., & Wengronowitz, R. (2016). Domesticating the market: Moral exchange and the sharing economy. Unpublished paper, Boston College.
7. Moeller, S. and Wittkowski, K. (2010), “The burdens of ownership: reasons for preferring renting”, Managing Service Quality: An International Journal, 20(2), 176-191.
8. Paiola, M., & Gebauer, H. (2020). Internet of things technologies, digital servitization and business model innovation in BtoB manufacturing firms. Industrial Marketing Management.
9. Rudmin, F. (2016), “The consumer science of sharing: A discussant’s observations.” Journal of the Association for Consumer Research, 1(2), 198-209.
10. Schor, J. B. (2015a). Homo varians: Diverse motives and economic behavior in the sharing economy. Unpublished paper. Boston College
11. Tussyadiah, I. P. (2015), “An exploratory study on drivers and deterrents of collaborative consumption in travel”, in Information and Communication Technologies in Tourism 2015 (pp. 817-830). Springer International Publishing.

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• sharing economy
• sustainable consumptions
• sustainable business models
• consumer behavior