A typology of user misbehaviours in the sharing economy context

Golf-Papež, Maja (author), Culiberg, Barbara (author)

Purpose – This paper aims to examine the types of user misbehaviours in the sharing economy (SE) context. SE offers a fruitful study setting due to the scope of potential misbehaviour and the expanded role of consumers. Design/methodology/approach – The study drew on online archival data from the AirbnbHell. com website, where people share their stories about their Airbnb-related negative experiences. The authors reviewed 405 hosts’, guests’ and neighbours’ stories and coded the identified forms of misbehaviours into categories. The typology thus developed was validated in the context of the Uber Rides service. Findings – User misbehaviours in the SE context can be distinguished based on the domain in which the user role is violated and the nature of violated norms. These two conceptual distinctions delineate a four-fold typology of user misbehaviours: illegal, unprofessional, unbefitting and uncivil behaviours. Research limitations/implications – The trustworthiness of the stories could not be assessed. Practical implications – The presented typology can be used as a mapping tool that facilitates detection of the full scope of misbehaviours and as a managerial tool that provides ideas for effective management of misbehaviours that correspond to each category. Originality/value – The paper presents the first empirically derived comprehensive typology of user misbehaviours in SE settings. This typology enables classification of a broad set of misbehaviours, including previously overlooked unprofessional behaviours carried out by peer-service providers. The study also puts forward a revised definition of consumer misbehaviours that encompasses the impact of misbehaviours on parties not directly involved in the SE-mediated exchange.

• Language: English
• Keywords: marketing, sharing economy, consumer behaviours, user misbehaviours, consumer misbehaviours, collaborative consumption, Airbnb, Uber, online archival data
• Work type: Article
• Typology: 1.01 - Original Scientific Article
• Organization: EF - School of Economics and Business
• Publication status: Published
• Publication version: Version of Record
• Year: 2023
• Number of pages: Str. 111-151
• Numbering: Vol. 57, no. 13
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-152599
• UDC: 339.138
• ISSN on article: 0309-0566
• DOI: 10.1108/EJM-08-2021-0583
• COBISS.SI-ID: 158683139
• Publication date in RUL: 30.11.2023

Record is a part of a journal

• Title: European journal of marketing
• Shortened title: Eur. j. mark.
• Publisher: Emerald
• ISSN: 0309-0566
• COBISS.SI-ID: 25429504

Licences

• License: CC BY 4.0, Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
• Link: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
• Description: This is the standard Creative Commons license that gives others maximum freedom to do what they want with the work as long as they credit the author.

Secondary language

• Language: Slovenian
• Keywords: trženje, delitvena ekonomija, vedenje potrošnikov

Projects

• Funder: ARRS - Slovenian Research Agency
• Project number: J5-1782
• Name: Vpogled v temne plati tristranskega razmerja v delitveni ekonomiji