Digital entrepreneurship: Innovative business models for the sharing economy

Abstract

What's mine is yours. An increasing number of people are participating in sharing and exchanging information, knowledge, data and goods. As research addressing the so‐called ‘sharing economy’ is still in its infancy, this article aims to shed light on it. To do this, a qualitative research approach comprising guided interviews with 14 companies from Germany, Austria and Switzerland provides detailed insights into different aspects of the sharing economy phenomenon. Our results make a direct contribution to sharing economy research, especially regarding the new business models of start‐ups. Here, we find a clear difference between the relevance of economic and social orientation. The latter appears to be in higher demand among customers than entrepreneurs. The increasingly digitalized environment has led to a changed living situation characterized by urbanity, openness to new solutions, changed working situations and new mindsets. All of these aspects drive the sharing economy. The results of this paper are summarized in a framework highlighting the requirements, drivers and goals of the sharing economy. Considering the limited research in this field, the developed framework is a strong basis for discussion, critique and/or support of future research.

Conceptualizing the Sharing Economy through Presenting a Comprehensive Framework

“…Advances in technology and the growing rate of its application have resulted in SE becoming active in physical assets sharing, rather than only digital ones [110]. Richter et al (2017) put their emphasis on the internet and Web 2.0 as the enabler and facilitator of the SE, through which sharing under-utilized assets takes place, systematically [41]. Dervojeda et al (2013), Grybaitė and Stankevičienė (2016) and Muñoz and Cohen (2017) highlight the intermediary role of the SE in the exchange between service providers and users [33,50,61], and also, Beck (2017) states that the digital intermediation in the SE, which is conducted through online platforms, makes the peer-to-peer transactions for the under-utilized assets viable Not all these features appear in one particular definition, but the collection made of all of these features clarifies different aspects of the SE.…”

The Characteristics of Digital Entrepreneurship and Digital Transformation: A Systematic Literature Review

“…Digital entrepreneurship can be defined as entrepreneurial opportunities being created and pursued through the use of technological platforms and other information communicating equipment [2,14]. Therefore, digital entrepreneurship may fall within many categories of business [1,5]. As technology advances and cultivates, so too will these categories (e.g.…”

“…Furthermore, digital entrepreneurship is deeply entrenched in digital opportunity [5]. The rate of technological development is at an all-time, ever-increasing high, and digital entrepreneurs are mindful of the opportunities that this growth is creating [5,6]. To capitalise on these opportunities, entrepreneurs are looking towards digital transformation.…”

Characterizing the Sharing Economy State of the Research: A Systematic Map

“…22.7% [35][36][37] Institution and governance system Proposals for implementation of regulation and laws; analysis of matters of ethics and labor; discussion on asymmetric power relationships 18.7% [38][39][40]…”