Identifying Participation Motives of Peer-to-Peer Carsharing Users

Bachelor Thesis from the year 2016 in the subject Business economics - Offline Marketing and Online Marketing, grade: 1,1, European Business School - International University Schloß Reichartshausen Oestrich-Winkel, language: English, abstract: In 2011, the American TIME Magazine described the "Sharing Economy" as one of the ten ideas that will change the world. The phenomenon, which encompasses the transformation of underutilized assets into productive resources, has not only fundamentally changed the daily lives of individuals; it has also substantially changed the business landscape. Business sectors, especially the dynamic automotive industry, have experienced a significant transformation. Therefore, managers must adapt their business strategy accordingly in order to stay profitable and meet the requirements of the future market.

Global trends such as an increase in economic and ecological awareness, fast technological improvements, traffic problems in megacities, as well as a change in the social importance of a car, have motivated people to search for alternative mobility solutions. Besides classical car rental, car-pooling, or car-leasing, carsharing is increasingly gaining worldwide attention. As the fastest-growing service among innovative mobility solutions, carsharing bears a high potential for business. The concept has a positive impact on the environment as it reduces car-ownership and supports the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions.

Furthermore, carsharing can help businesses and private organizations to overcome problems that emerge in megacities as it reduces traffic through the collaborative consumption of underutilized resources. Therefore, carsharing addresses current issues such as the increasing focus on efficient and sustainable business operations, logistical challenges in urban areas caused by the increasing population density and growth of megacities, and market saturation in industrialized countries.