Understanding provider behavior in the sharing economy: an experimental study on risk and value perception through institutional and regulatory focus theories

Abstract

This doctoral thesis examines the relationship between risk and value perceptions on users' intention to provide activities for sharing economy platforms through the moderating effect of review systems, pricing strategies and regulatory focus. Unlike most publications on sharing economy, which focus their studies on the consumer behavior (Pang et al., 2020), this research proposes to investigate the reasons that encourage people to want to share their goods or to carry out activities through these sharing platforms. The balance between the demand and supply of these services is fundamental for the sustainable success of this market in the long term (Acquier et al., 2017), therefore providing theoretical and managerial knowledge about these users, hitherto little explored (Täuscher & Laudien, 2018), is highly necessary. Two experimental studies were conducted to investigate these relationships through 5 hypotheses, 3 of which were supported by the results. As expected, Study 1 shows that risk perception is negatively correlated with the intention to provide, while value perception acts as a mediating variable in this relationship, with positive effects on the intention to supply. The statistical significance was not found for the model through institutional mechanisms (evaluation systems and pricing strategies). Through Study 2, it was possible, in addition to revalidating the findings regarding the perception of risk and value, to add the regulatory focus theory as an explanatory factor to the model. The regulatory focus was relevant as a moderating variable in this relationship, where individuals under a preventive focus show less intention to provide sharing platforms. The results of this research have important implications for understanding the intent to provide on sharing economy platforms, as well as for managers, regulatory policymakers, and designers of platforms that aim to promote sharing behavior. Overall, this thesis contributes to the sharing economy literature, advancing the understanding of the role of providers for the success of platforms and the viability of this business model.