Sharing Economy Platforms: Co-creating Shared Value by Embedded Virtues

Rong, Ke; Li, Boyi; Peng, Wan; Zhou, Di; Shi, Xinwei

Abstract

Sharing Economy Platforms (SEPs) are, in general, easily challenged by social ethics and culture, and are vulnerable to social and institutional uncertainties. Drawing from the Creating Shared Value (CSV) concept (Porter and Kramer, 2011), this article investigates whether CSV activities assist SEPs in retaining sustainable innovation at an ecosystem level. Based on the Polanyian embeddedness framework, we specifically examine how SEPs’ CSV co-evolves and aligns with virtue ethics and local culture across three growth stages: Community stage, Scaling-up stage, and Legitimation stage. Data for this research were collected from multiple case studies from two major sectors:
the bike-sharing platform sector and the ride-sharing platform sector. Our findings indicate that SEPs should co-create shared values by embedding virtue ethics and local culture into their work with key ecosystem partners in order to preserve sustainable innovation. The research contributes to an evolving understanding of CSV activities in
the sharing economy literature on SEPs, as well as proposing some practical implications for industrial practitioners and policymakers.

Citation

Rong, K., Li, B., Peng, W., Zhou, D., & Shi, X. (2021). Sharing Economy Platforms: Co-creating Shared Value by Embedded Virtues. Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 169, Article 120804. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techfore.2021.120804

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Apr 9, 2021
• Online Publication Date: Aug 1, 2021
• Publication Date: Aug 1, 2021
• Deposit Date: Sep 23, 2024
• Journal: Technological Forecasting and Social Change
• Print ISSN: 0040-1625
• Electronic ISSN: 1873-5509
• Publisher: Elsevier
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 169
• Article Number: 120804
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techfore.2021.120804
• Public URL: https://durham-repository.worktribe.com/output/2870309