| Abstract [eng] |
Collaborative consumption has become quite popular form in use of products or services over the last few years while companies that have engaged this innovative phenomenon are mostly well known all around the world. Although there are three main groups in the sharing system – buyers, sellers and the platform with the owner behind it – the first two are the key parts for the operation of this phenomenon. Recently, collaborative consumption has been actively analyzed in various studies but it is still difficult to identify the factors that determine a person's intention to share his personal assets with other community members of the platform as well as what motivates buyers to temporarily take over resources of the others. That is why the scientific problem of this project can be formulated by the question: what factors determine the intentions of the collaborative consumption? The object of the project: collaborative consumption accommodation service platforms. The aim of the project: to theoretically and empirically identify factors that determine intentions of the collaborative consumption. The objectives of the project: 1. To identify the relevance of the collaborative consumption as well as determinants and outcomes of it. 2. To define the concepts of sharing economy and collaborative consumption on a theoretical level. 3. To conceptualize the intentions of collaborative consumption and the factors determining them in the context on theory of planned behavior. 4. Develop a conceptual model which covers factors determining intentions of the collaborative consumption. 5. To develop the methodology for empirical testing of the conceptual model. 6. Empirically test the conceptual model of factors determining intentions of the collaborative consumption. 7. To summarize the possibilities of the model application based on the results of theoretical and empirical research as well as identify the directions for further researches and provide recommendations for the owners of sharing platforms. Results of the project: Based on the results of the scientific literature analysis a conceptual research model was developed. The main idea of it: groups of determining factors form relevant personal beliefs which further determine certain intentions related to the collaborative consumption. Mentioned model was used in the empirical study to test the sharing systems of accommodation services in the Lithuanian market. The empirical study revealed that the group of engagement determinants which includes the overall knowledge of the sharing platforms, trust in community members, and the ease of connection and further usage of the sharing system has the strongest impact on the intentions of both new and existing users in collaborative consumption platforms. Meanwhile, personal benefits, risk minimization and external environment pressure had a weaker effect on the intentions of the collaborative consumption. Also, worth mentioning that people who have never used accommodation sharing platforms are less motivated by the asset management risks as well as by the sense of belonging to a social community. Meanwhile, regular consumers will continue to use accommodation sharing platforms in the form of external pressures and factors of personal benefits which are mainly driven by hedonistic motives that define internal satisfaction about the innovative personal behavior. Based on the empirical study results operators of the sharing systems should allocate as much as possible resources to the smooth technical operation of the platform and ensure that all information related to the operating principles is easily accessed at any time. Also, they should put all effort in order to create an environment in which community members cannot cheat and take advantage of other users. Appropriate changes made in the system of sharing platform as well as in the strategy of marketing activities allow to expect for a greater involvement of new users together with a more active participation of the current consumers. |
