Responsibility and value creation in the sharing economy

Sharing economy business models have been rapidly growing. It has become a common practice for private persons to offer their homes, goods, and services by relying on digital platforms. The demand for tourism services has exceeded the offer of traditional suppliers in Lapland, which has contributed to creation of suitable business environment for sharing economy services. Along with business potential and many positive opportunities, sharing economy related services have also caused many legal, social, and economic challenges. Although there is a considerable body of literature on the sharing economy, there is still a need to understand the responsibilities of sharing economy stakeholders and the process of value creation in this new business model, which has also been reshaped by the pandemic.
In this study, our aim is to shed light on this phenomenon by addressing the following research questions: What kind of sharing economy-based tourism is locally acceptable? How is CSR reflected in the practices of sharing economy companies? How can the sharing economy help companies develop their value creation process? What are the legal responsibilities of platform service providers? To that end, we conduct an action research in Finnish Lapland during 2020-2022.