Skip to content

The Rise of the Sharing Economy: Access is the New Ownership

by Tracey Mcdonald Publishers
ISBN: 9781776260980
Product in Stock: Yes
Original price R 320.00 - Original price R 320.00
Original price R 320.00
R 320.00
R 320.00 - R 320.00
Current price R 320.00
Add to Wishlist
Is access the alternative to ownership?

In 2011, the sharing economy was dubbed by TIME Magazine as one of the ‘Ten ideas that will change the world’ and it has been widely hailed as a major growth sector, by sources ranging from Fortune Magazine, to the World Economic Forum, to former President Obama.

The sharing economy is a new economic model that focuses on access to assets or resources instead of ownership. It has exploded in popularity over recent years and has disrupted a significant number of mature industries such as accommodation, automotive, and entertainment. The total value of the global sharing economy is estimated to grow from $14 billion in 2014 to $335 billion by 2025.

With limited resources, the desire to become more environmentally conscious, the high cost and burdens of ownership, and a rapidly growing population, living increasingly in densely populated cities, consumers are faced with greater challenges and opportunities to fill their consumption needs. While the Fourth Industrial Revolution and COVID-19 pandemic is influencing and changing consumer behaviours, organisations are facing a dilemma that is affecting the future of their profitability, existence, and sustainability.

People are experiencing a significant value shift with a desire to reconnect with products and services in a more meaningful way, are becoming more cost and environmentally conscious, and are prioritising experience over ownership. An organisation’s ability to reimagine and reinvent its business model to offer unique opportunities for humanising technology and developing innovative sharing platforms, such as Uber and Airbnb, would be a game changer for them.

In The Rise of the Sharing Economy, Kevin Govender shares his insights and expertise on the evolution of the sharing economy, consumer behaviours, and alternative business models, and empowers consumers to rediscover and realise the enormous benefits of access over ownership, and the potential savings in time, money, space and the opportunity to make new friends. Access is a cultural and socioeconomic phenomenon that is transforming businesses, consumers, the way we live, work, learn, consume, commute and play. Access is the new ownership.

x