Sharing at social distance: “clay-footed giants” coping strategies for navigating the pandemic

Abstract

PurposeThe sudden outbreak of COVID-19 has led in a very short time to a worldwide pandemic that has had severe effects on both businesses and daily lives. In a scenario characterised by the social distancing imperative, the sharing economy found itself struggling to survive, deprived of its core asset, namely, peer (human) relationships. The purpose of this paper is to reveal the coping strategies that have been implemented by sharing economy platforms to navigate the pandemic.Design/methodology/approachAn explorative empirical investigation of 20 sharing economy platforms was carried out during the first lockdown phase (March–June 2020). To drive the analysis, a theoretical framework was developed by merging the literature on the business model and crisis management strategies.FindingsThe answers provided by sharing economy platforms to the health crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic have been classified into nine typologies of intervention according to the developed framework, with illustrative examples.Originality/valueThis paper provides an empirical investigation into the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the sharing economy field and it offers evidence about the immediate reactions of sharing platforms to the health crisis effects. The paper also introduces a framework about business model and crisis management strategies as a conceptual tool that could be adopted by firms from other industries.

Measuring short- and long-run impacts of COVID19 on the sharing economy and business models

“…In the long run, at 1% significance level, economic support has a negative effect with the coefficient -0.0323 for the reason that it would reduce incentives to work and create wealth, while sharing economy is positively correlated with stringency with the coefficient 0.0220 to ensure the safety and enhance awareness of prevention. Some government responses, such as the development of closure and restriction policies (Hale et al, 2021 ), the design of health and safety rules (Wen et al, 2021 ), the regulation of SE services (Grieco, 2022 ), and financial support (Liu et al, 2022 ) facilitate the management of the SE sectors and buffer social anxiety (Hossain, 2021 ). Stringency measures can be effective in controlling the spread of Covid-19 (Maier & Brockmann, 2020 ).…”

How has COVID-19 influenced changes in a platform business model of a startup? Alloy’s case study

“…While platforms were crucial to the survival of many businesses, such as those that move from physical to online interaction due to the pandemic restrictions (Almunawar & Anshari, 2022;Subriadi & Kusuma Wardhani, 2022;Türkeș, Stăncioiu, Băltescu, & Marinescu, 2021;Xu, Siqin, Chung, & Choi, 2021), platforms business models also needed innovations considering the new conditions presented by the pandemic such as improving their functionalities (Grieco, 2023;Mont, Curtis, & Voytenko Palgan, 2021).…”

Effectiveness of the Management System in the Conditions of Military Operations and Crisis Situations

“…The management tools that were reflected in the management model of the analyzed company should be defined as follows: the transformation of business models in accordance with requirements and requests, construction and development of corporate culture, creation of a development ecosystem, and use of outsourcing services. The analysis of the work of enterprises in the conditions of the pandemic identified a number of management tools aimed at overcoming its consequences, which were combined into the following groups: economic, social, intellectual, technical, information, and human capital [Grieco, C. (2022)]. One of the elements of the management system is the organizational structure.…”