The Collaborative Economy In Action European Perspectives

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The Collaborative Economy in Action: European Perspectives

Author : Andrzej Klimczuk
Publisher : University of Limerick
ISBN 13 : 1911620304
Total Pages : 387 pages
Book Rating : 4.9/5 (116 download)

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Book Synopsis The Collaborative Economy in Action: European Perspectives by : Andrzej Klimczuk

Download or read book The Collaborative Economy in Action: European Perspectives written by Andrzej Klimczuk and published by University of Limerick. This book was released on 2021-10-04 with total page 387 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The book titled The Collaborative Economy in Action: European Perspectives is one of the important outcomes of the COST Action CA16121, From Sharing to Caring: Examining the Socio-Technical Aspects of the Collaborative Economy (short name: Sharing and Caring; sharingandcaring.eu) that was active between March 2017 and September 2021. The Action was funded by the European Cooperation in Science and Technology - COST (www.cost.eu/actions/CA16121). The main objective of the COST Action Sharing and Caring is the development of a European network of researchers and practitioners interested in investigating the collaborative economy models, platforms, and their socio-technological implications. The network involves scholars, practitioners, communities, and policymakers. The COST Action Sharing and Caring helped to connect research initiatives across Europe and enabled scientists to develop their ideas by collaborating with peers. This collaboration opportunity represented a boost for the participants' research, careers, and innovation potential. The main aim of this book is to provide a comprehensive overview of the collaborative economy (CE) in European countries with a variety of its aspects for a deeper understanding of the phenomenon as a whole. For this reason, in July 2017, an open call for country reports was distributed among the members of the COST Action Sharing and Caring. Representatives of the member countries were invited to produce short country reports covering: definition(s) of the CE; types and models of the CE; key stakeholders involved; as well as legislation and technological tools relevant for the CE. Submitted reports varied in length and regarding the level of detail included, in accordance with how much information was available in each respective country at the time of writing. Editors of the book have compiled these early reports into a summary report, which was intended as a first step in mapping the state of the CE in Europe. The Member Countries Report on the Collaborative Economy, edited by Gaia Mosconi, Agnieszka Lukasiewicz, and Gabriela Avram (2018) that was published on the Sharing and Caring website, represented its first synergetic outcome and provided an overview of the CE phenomenon as interpreted and manifested in each of the countries part of the network. Additionally, Sergio Nassare-Aznar, Kosjenka Dumančić, and Giulia Priora compiled a Preliminary Legal Analysis of Country Reports on Cases of Collaborative Economy (2018). In 2018, after undertaking an analysis of the previous reports' strengths and weaknesses, the book editors issued a call for an updated version of these country reports. Prof. Ann Light advised the editorial team, proposing a new format for country reports and 4000 words limit. The template included: Introduction, Definition, Key Questions, Examples, Illustration, Context, Developments, Issues, Other Major Players, and Relevant Literature. The new template was approved by the Management Committee in October 2018. The task force that had supported the production of the first series of country reports (Dimitar Trajanov, Maria del Mar Alonso, Bálint Balázs, Kosjenka Dumančić, and Gabriela Avram) acted as mentors for the team of authors in each country. The final reports arrived at the end of 2018, bringing the total number of submissions to 30 (twenty-nine European countries plus Georgia). A call for book editors was issued, and a new editorial team was formed by volunteers from the participants of the COST Action: Andrzej Klimczuk, Vida Česnuityte, Cristina Miguel, Santa Mijalche, Gabriela Avram, Bori Simonovits, Bálint Balázs, Kostas Stefanidis, and Rafael Laurenti. The editorial team organized the double-blind reviews of reports and communicated to the authors the requirements for improving their texts. After reviews, the authors submitted updated versions of their country reports providing up-to-date interdisciplinary analysis on the state of the CE in 2019, when the reports were collected. During the final phase, the chapters were again reviewed by the lead editors together with all editorial team members. At the time, the intention was to update these reports again just before the end of the COST Action Sharing and Caring in 2021 and to produce a third edition. However, the COVID-19 pandemic changed these plans. Thus, this final volume was created by 82 scholars-editors and contributors-and consists of reports on 27 countries participating in the COST Action.

The Sharing Economy in Europe

Author : Vida Česnuitytė
Publisher : Springer Nature
ISBN 13 : 3030868974
Total Pages : 429 pages
Book Rating : 4.0/5 (38 download)

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Book Synopsis The Sharing Economy in Europe by : Vida Česnuitytė

Download or read book The Sharing Economy in Europe written by Vida Česnuitytė and published by Springer Nature. This book was released on 2022-01-21 with total page 429 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This open access book considers the development of the sharing and collaborative economy with a European focus, mapping across economic sectors, and country-specific case studies. It looks at the roles the sharing economy plays in sharing and redistribution of goods and services across the population in order to maximise their functionality, monetary exchange, and other aspects important to societies. It also looks at the place of the sharing economy among various policies and how the contexts of public policies, legislation, digital platforms, and other infrastructure interrelate with the development and function of the sharing economy. The book will help in understanding the future (sharing) economy models as well as to contribute in solving questions of better access to resources and sustainable innovation in the context of degrowth and growing inequalities within and between societies. It will also provide a useful source for solutions to the big challenges of our times such as climate change, the loss of biodiversity, and recently the coronavirus disease pandemic (COVID-19). This book will be of interest to academics and students in economics and business, organisational studies, sociology, media and communication and computer science.

Becoming a Platform in Europe

Author : Maurizio Teli
Publisher :
ISBN 13 : 9781680838404
Total Pages : pages
Book Rating : 4.8/5 (384 download)

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Book Synopsis Becoming a Platform in Europe by : Maurizio Teli

Download or read book Becoming a Platform in Europe written by Maurizio Teli and published by . This book was released on 2021-09-30 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Emerging out of the collaborative work conducted within the Working Group "Mechanisms to activate and support the collaborative economy" of the COST Action "From Sharing to Caring: Examining Socio-Technical Aspects of the Collaborative Economy", the book questions the varied set of organizational forms collected under the label of "collaborative" or "sharing" economy --ranging from grassroots peer-to-peer solidarity initiatives to corporate owned platforms-- from the perspective of what is known as the European social values: respect for human dignity and human rights (including those of minorities), freedom, democracy, equality, and the rule of law. Therefore, the edited collection focuses on the governance of such economic activities, and how they organize labour, cooperation and social life. From individual motivations to participating, to platform use by local groups, until platform design in its political as well as technological dimensions, the book provides a comparative overview and critical discussion on the processes, narratives and organizational models at play in the collaborative economy. On such a basis, the volume offers tools, suggestions and visions for the future that may inform the designing of policies, technologies, and business models in Europe.

The Collaborative Economy and EU Law

Author : Vassilis Hatzopoulos
Publisher : Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN 13 : 1509917152
Total Pages : 299 pages
Book Rating : 4.5/5 (99 download)

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Book Synopsis The Collaborative Economy and EU Law by : Vassilis Hatzopoulos

Download or read book The Collaborative Economy and EU Law written by Vassilis Hatzopoulos and published by Bloomsbury Publishing. This book was released on 2018-02-22 with total page 299 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 'Disruptive innovation', 'the fourth industrial revolution', 'one of the ten ideas that will change the world'; the collaborative/sharing economy is shaking existing norms. It poses unprecedented challenges in terms of both material policies and governance in almost all aspects of EU law. This book explores the application – or indeed inadequacy – of existing EU rules in the context of the collaborative economy. It analyses the novelties introduced by the collaborative economy and discusses the specific regulatory needs and instruments employed therein, most notably self-regulation. Further, it aims to elucidate the legal status of the parties involved (traders, consumers, prosumers) in these multi-sided economies, and their respective roles in the provision of services, especially with regard to liability issues. Moreover, it delves into a sector-specific examination of the relevant EU rules, especially on data protection, competition, consumer protection and labour law, and comments on the uncertainties and lacunae produced therein. It concludes with the acute question of whether fresh EU regulation would be necessary to avoid fragmentation or, on the contrary, if such regulation would create unnecessary burdens and stifle innovation. Taking a broad perspective and pragmatic view, the book provides a comprehensive overview of the collaborative economy in the context of the EU legal landscape.

The Collaboration Economy

Author : Eric Lowitt
Publisher : John Wiley & Sons
ISBN 13 : 1118573366
Total Pages : 196 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (185 download)

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Book Synopsis The Collaboration Economy by : Eric Lowitt

Download or read book The Collaboration Economy written by Eric Lowitt and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2013-04-17 with total page 196 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: How six industries are collaborating with competitors, society, and the public sector for competitive advantage No longer can we consume the equivalent of 1.3 Earths resources and expect to remain prosperous in perpetuity. We need a new economic paradigm, one that yields growth in a way that strengthens the global systems we rely on daily for survival, such as the global water, food, and energy systems. The Collaboration Economy—a model where the private, public, and civil sectors collaborate for prosperity that can last in perpetuity—is emerging. But what does this economic model look like? How does it work? How can companies survive and thrive in the Collaboration Economy? The Collaboration Economy provides easy to use frameworks and tools to enable leaders of industry, of government, and of society to lead the effort to align growth with sustainable development. Offers a plan for how the private, public, and civil sectors can successfully collaborate to steward resources, fortify global water, food, and energy systems, and spark a new era of prosperity at the same time Contains case study profiles of the leaders of the Collaboration Economy, including Unilever, GE, Coca-Cola, Nestle Waters North America, Grieg Green, and the European Parliament Written by Eric Lowitt, a globally recognized and sought after consultant, thought leader, and speaker in the fields of competitive strategy, growth, and sustainability, who has been named one of the Global Top 100 Thought Leaders on Trustworthy Business Behavior by Trust Across America

Creative Destruction and the Sharing Economy

Author : Henrique Schneider
Publisher : Edward Elgar Publishing
ISBN 13 : 1786433435
Total Pages : 160 pages
Book Rating : 4.7/5 (864 download)

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Book Synopsis Creative Destruction and the Sharing Economy by : Henrique Schneider

Download or read book Creative Destruction and the Sharing Economy written by Henrique Schneider and published by Edward Elgar Publishing. This book was released on 2017-01-27 with total page 160 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: While creative destruction and disruptive innovation change the entrepreneurial landscape; regulation – especially regulation of sectorial markets and competition regulation – can delay this change or even bring it to a halt. Uber plays an active role between these two forces: first as an agent of creative destruction and then possibly in championing regulation on its own terms. Grounded in a particular understanding of the economic concept of the market as a series of processes, this book explores the implications of creative destruction, competition regulation and the role that businesses play. Instead of discussing these relations in a purely abstract manner, this book uses Uber as a case study.

The Future of Airbnb and the ‘Sharing Economy’

Author : Jeroen A. Oskam
Publisher : Channel View Publications
ISBN 13 : 1845416759
Total Pages : 250 pages
Book Rating : 4.8/5 (454 download)

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Book Synopsis The Future of Airbnb and the ‘Sharing Economy’ by : Jeroen A. Oskam

Download or read book The Future of Airbnb and the ‘Sharing Economy’ written by Jeroen A. Oskam and published by Channel View Publications. This book was released on 2019-04-15 with total page 250 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book deconstructs the ‘sharing’ marketing narratives surrounding Airbnb and similar platforms. It provides a conceptual analysis of the ‘sharing economy’ and accommodation sector and furthers the ongoing discussion surrounding Airbnb and the social sustainability of city tourism. The volume analyses the touristification of neighbourhoods in the context of broader economic and ideological shifts, thus bridging the gap between academic and social debate. It presents four different city scenarios of potential future developments and evaluates the effects of different regulatory responses, giving readers an understanding of the forces and factors at work and envisioning the ultimate consequences of current developments. The book will appeal to students and researchers in tourism and hospitality studies, futures studies and urban planning, as well as to policymakers and strategists in the hospitality and tourism sectors.

The Cambridge Handbook of the Law of the Sharing Economy

Author : Nestor M. Davidson
Publisher : Cambridge University Press
ISBN 13 : 1108266207
Total Pages : 952 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (82 download)

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Book Synopsis The Cambridge Handbook of the Law of the Sharing Economy by : Nestor M. Davidson

Download or read book The Cambridge Handbook of the Law of the Sharing Economy written by Nestor M. Davidson and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2018-11-22 with total page 952 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This Handbook grapples conceptually and practically with what the sharing economy - which includes entities ranging from large for-profit firms like Airbnb, Uber, Lyft, Taskrabbit, and Upwork to smaller, non-profit collaborative initiatives - means for law, and how law, in turn, is shaping critical aspects of the sharing economy. Featuring a diverse set of contributors from many academic disciplines and countries, the book compiles the most important, up-to-date research on the regulation of the sharing economy. The first part surveys the nature of the sharing economy, explores the central challenge of balancing innovation and regulatory concerns, and examines the institutions confronting these regulatory challenges, and the second part turns to a series of specific regulatory domains, including labor and employment law, consumer protection, tax, and civil rights. This groundbreaking work should be read by anyone interested in the dynamic relationship between law and the sharing economy.

Environmental impacts and potential of the sharing economy

Author : John Magne Skjelvik
Publisher : Nordic Council of Ministers
ISBN 13 : 9289351578
Total Pages : 81 pages
Book Rating : 4.2/5 (893 download)

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Book Synopsis Environmental impacts and potential of the sharing economy by : John Magne Skjelvik

Download or read book Environmental impacts and potential of the sharing economy written by John Magne Skjelvik and published by Nordic Council of Ministers. This book was released on 2017-10-19 with total page 81 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The various sharing initiatives seen in the Nordic countries over the last years within transportation, housing/accommodation, sharing/renting of smaller capital goods and personal services could yield considerable benefits for consumers due to better quality and/or lower prices of the services. They also have a potential for emissions reductions of CO2 and local pollutants. However, savings from lower prices could lead to increased emissions from increased demand of the services (particularly transport) and increased spending on other goods and services. Depending on how consumers spend their savings, these changes could partly, wholly or more than offset the initial emission reductions. The impacts on overall CO2 emissions depend on whether the emissions are taxed, part of the emissions trading system EU ETS or not regulated at all.

The Business of Sharing

Author : Alex Stephany
Publisher : Springer
ISBN 13 : 113737618X
Total Pages : 226 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (373 download)

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Book Synopsis The Business of Sharing by : Alex Stephany

Download or read book The Business of Sharing written by Alex Stephany and published by Springer. This book was released on 2015-03-09 with total page 226 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Providing a colorful insight into the people at the forefront of the emergent Sharing Economy, a movement predicted to already be worth around $26B a year, this book gives vital advice to anyone thinking of starting or investing in a collaborative consumption business. The first of its kind, written by an author on the forefront of this new trend.

Digital Entrepreneurship and the Sharing Economy

Author : Evgueni Vinogradov
Publisher : Routledge
ISBN 13 : 1000409236
Total Pages : 187 pages
Book Rating : 4.0/5 (4 download)

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Book Synopsis Digital Entrepreneurship and the Sharing Economy by : Evgueni Vinogradov

Download or read book Digital Entrepreneurship and the Sharing Economy written by Evgueni Vinogradov and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2021-07-15 with total page 187 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The digital and increasingly digitised world is shaped by the interplay of new technological opportunities and ubiquitous societal trends. Both lead to drastic changes facing artificial intelligence (AI), cryptocurrencies and block-chain technologies, internet of things, technology-based surveillance, and other disruptive innovations. These developments facilitate the rise of the sharing economy and open for a variety of new entrepreneurial opportunities that businesses can take up. The novel entrepreneurial opportunities, however, imply a paradigmatic shift in the understanding of entrepreneurship. This book combines digital entrepreneurship with the sharing economy. It presents cutting-edge research for scholars and practitioners interested in either one of the topics – digital entrepreneurship or sharing economy – or their connection. The book addresses three major ways to become entrepreneurial in the sharing economy: digital entrepreneurship through creating novel sharing-economy platforms; technology entrepreneurship through the exploitation of sharing-economy platforms; and business model innovation or business model change influenced by the sharing economy. The book also highlights governance questions on digital entrepreneurship in the sharing economy, which are highly relevant for businesses, the economy, and society. The book will be of interested to researchers, academics, and students in the field of business and entrepreneurship, with a special focus on digital entrepreneurship.

EU Climate Policy Explained

Author : Jos Delbeke
Publisher : Routledge
ISBN 13 : 1317338111
Total Pages : 117 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (173 download)

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Book Synopsis EU Climate Policy Explained by : Jos Delbeke

Download or read book EU Climate Policy Explained written by Jos Delbeke and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2015-10-05 with total page 117 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The EU has been the region of the world where the most climate policies have been implemented, and where practical policy experimentation in the field of the environment and climate change has been taking place at a rapid pace over the last twenty-five years. This has led to considerable success in reducing pollution, decoupling emissions from economic growth and fostering global technological leadership. The objective of the book is to explain the EU's climate policies in an accessible way, to demonstrate the step-by-step approach that has been used to develop these policies, and the ways in which they have been tested and further improved in the light of experience. The book shows that there is no single policy instrument that can bring down greenhouse gas emissions, but the challenge has been to put a jigsaw of policy instruments together that is coherent, delivers emissions reductions, and is cost-effective. The book differs from existing books by the fact it covers the EU's emissions trading system, the energy sector and other economic sectors, including their development in the context of international climate policy. Set against the backdrop of the 2015 UN Climate Change conference in Paris, this accessible book will be of great relevance to students, scholars and policy makers alike.

What's Yours is Mine

Author : Tom Slee
Publisher : Scribe Publications
ISBN 13 : 1925548473
Total Pages : 260 pages
Book Rating : 4.9/5 (255 download)

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Book Synopsis What's Yours is Mine by : Tom Slee

Download or read book What's Yours is Mine written by Tom Slee and published by Scribe Publications. This book was released on 2017-11-23 with total page 260 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Airbnb facilitates the booking of over 37 million overnight stays per year. Uber operates in 450 cities in 60 countries. Both claim to be part of the rapidly growing ‘sharing economy’ — but what does that actually mean? Here, Tom Slee offers a razor-sharp examination of the ‘sharing economy’: from its genesis in open-source software and media file sharing, through to the present day popularity of Uber, Airbnb, Taskrabbit, and similar services, which operate outside of normal business regulations, taking on none of the risk or responsibility when something goes wrong. He asks, how did we get from the generosity of what’s mine is yours, to the self-interest and greed of what’s yours is mine?

Sharing and Collaborative Economy

Author : Enric Bas
Publisher : Springer Nature
ISBN 13 : 3030938824
Total Pages : 92 pages
Book Rating : 4.0/5 (39 download)

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Book Synopsis Sharing and Collaborative Economy by : Enric Bas

Download or read book Sharing and Collaborative Economy written by Enric Bas and published by Springer Nature. This book was released on 2022-02-02 with total page 92 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book presents a foresight-based exploratory analysis on the coming post-capitalist society and the transforming role of technology, creativity, and social innovation in the new economy. Topics analyzed include innovation culture, the role of politics, legal protection, the digitalization of social life, as well as vulnerabilities and opportunities of the Sharing & Collaborative Economy (ShE). ShE is here essentially understood just as a proof of the current Zeitgeist; a sign of its time. A time, where the formal social structures and institutions which traditionally have shaped and framed human societies are - slowly but progressively- getting dissolved into a new emerging social system, complex and mutant by nature. The book subsequently presents three plausible scenarios for ShE as the outcome of this analysis in the horizon of 2030: 1) the probable future, balancing neoliberalism: the shared/collaborative economy as a new third way, 2) the contingent/rupturist future, hypercapitalism: neoliberalism on steroids, or the collaborative paradigm as a trojan horse, and 3) the preferable future, postcapitalism, or the sharing economy as the poster child of the 4th industrial revolution. It connects these three scenarios with a change of paradigm where horizontal management, cultural diversity, social responsibility, climate change management, and the transformative power of radical creativity and participation are finally getting a leading role in the design of brand new ways of approaching a more integrative and sustainable business and economy.

Collaborative Economy and Tourism

Author : Dianne Dredge
Publisher : Springer
ISBN 13 : 3319517996
Total Pages : 323 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (195 download)

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Book Synopsis Collaborative Economy and Tourism by : Dianne Dredge

Download or read book Collaborative Economy and Tourism written by Dianne Dredge and published by Springer. This book was released on 2017-05-30 with total page 323 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book employs an interdisciplinary, cross-sectoral lens to explore the collaborative dynamics that are currently disrupting, re-creating and transforming the production and consumption of tourism. House swapping, ridesharing, voluntourism, couchsurfing, dinner hosting, social enterprise and similar phenomena are among these collective innovations in tourism that are shaking the very bedrock of an industrial system that has been traditionally sustained along commercial value chains. To date there has been very little investigation of these trends, which have been inspired by, amongst other things, de-industrialization processes and post-capitalist forms of production and consumption, postmaterialism, the rise of the third sector and collaborative governance. Addressing that gap, this book explores the character, depth and breadth of these disruptions, the creative opportunities for tourism that are emerging from them, and how governments are responding to these new challenges. In doing so, the book provides both theoretical and practical insights into the future of tourism in a world that is, paradoxically, becoming both increasingly collaborative and individualized.

The Oxford Handbook of Consumption

Author : Dr. Frederick F. Wherry
Publisher : Oxford University Press
ISBN 13 : 0190695617
Total Pages : 752 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (96 download)

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Book Synopsis The Oxford Handbook of Consumption by : Dr. Frederick F. Wherry

Download or read book The Oxford Handbook of Consumption written by Dr. Frederick F. Wherry and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2019-09-09 with total page 752 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Oxford Handbook of Consumption consolidates the most innovative recent work conducted by social scientists in the field of consumption studies and identifies some of the most fruitful lines of inquiry for future research. It begins by embedding marketing in its global history, enmeshed in various political, economic, and social sites. From this embedded perspective, the book branches out to examine the rise of consumer culture theory among consumer researchers and parallel innovative developments in sociology and anthropology, with scholarship analyzing the roles that identity, social networks, organizational dynamics, institutions, market devices, materiality, and cultural meanings play across a wide variety of applications, including, but not limited to, brands and branding, the sharing economy, tastes and preferences, credit and credit scoring, consumer surveillance, race and ethnicity, status, family life, well-being, environmental sustainability, social movements, and social inequality. The volume is unique in the attention it gives to consumer research on inequality and the focus it has on consumer credit scores and consumer behaviors that shape life chances. The volume includes essays by many of the key researchers in the field, some of whom have only recently, if at all, crossed the disciplinary lines that this volume has enabled. The contributors have tried to address several key questions: What motivates consumption and what does it mean to be a consumer? What social, technical, and cultural systems integrate and give character to contemporary consumption? What actors, institutions, and understandings organize and govern consumption? And what are the social uses and effects of consumption?

The Zero Marginal Cost Society

Author : Jeremy Rifkin
Publisher : St. Martin's Press
ISBN 13 : 1137437766
Total Pages : 368 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (374 download)

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Book Synopsis The Zero Marginal Cost Society by : Jeremy Rifkin

Download or read book The Zero Marginal Cost Society written by Jeremy Rifkin and published by St. Martin's Press. This book was released on 2014-04-01 with total page 368 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In The Zero Marginal Cost Society, New York Times bestselling author Jeremy Rifkin describes how the emerging Internet of Things is speeding us to an era of nearly free goods and services, precipitating the meteoric rise of a global Collaborative Commons and the eclipse of capitalism. Rifkin uncovers a paradox at the heart of capitalism that has propelled it to greatness but is now taking it to its death—the inherent entrepreneurial dynamism of competitive markets that drives productivity up and marginal costs down, enabling businesses to reduce the price of their goods and services in order to win over consumers and market share. (Marginal cost is the cost of producing additional units of a good or service, if fixed costs are not counted.) While economists have always welcomed a reduction in marginal cost, they never anticipated the possibility of a technological revolution that might bring marginal costs to near zero, making goods and services priceless, nearly free, and abundant, and no longer subject to market forces. Now, a formidable new technology infrastructure—the Internet of things (IoT)—is emerging with the potential of pushing large segments of economic life to near zero marginal cost in the years ahead. Rifkin describes how the Communication Internet is converging with a nascent Energy Internet and Logistics Internet to create a new technology platform that connects everything and everyone. Billions of sensors are being attached to natural resources, production lines, the electricity grid, logistics networks, recycling flows, and implanted in homes, offices, stores, vehicles, and even human beings, feeding Big Data into an IoT global neural network. Prosumers can connect to the network and use Big Data, analytics, and algorithms to accelerate efficiency, dramatically increase productivity, and lower the marginal cost of producing and sharing a wide range of products and services to near zero, just like they now do with information goods. The plummeting of marginal costs is spawning a hybrid economy—part capitalist market and part Collaborative Commons—with far reaching implications for society, according to Rifkin. Hundreds of millions of people are already transferring parts of their economic lives to the global Collaborative Commons. Prosumers are plugging into the fledgling IoT and making and sharing their own information, entertainment, green energy, and 3D-printed products at near zero marginal cost. They are also sharing cars, homes, clothes and other items via social media sites, rentals, redistribution clubs, and cooperatives at low or near zero marginal cost. Students are enrolling in free massive open online courses (MOOCs) that operate at near zero marginal cost. Social entrepreneurs are even bypassing the banking establishment and using crowdfunding to finance startup businesses as well as creating alternative currencies in the fledgling sharing economy. In this new world, social capital is as important as financial capital, access trumps ownership, sustainability supersedes consumerism, cooperation ousts competition, and "exchange value" in the capitalist marketplace is increasingly replaced by "sharable value" on the Collaborative Commons. Rifkin concludes that capitalism will remain with us, albeit in an increasingly streamlined role, primarily as an aggregator of network services and solutions, allowing it to flourish as a powerful niche player in the coming era. We are, however, says Rifkin, entering a world beyond markets where we are learning how to live together in an increasingly interdependent global Collaborative Commons.