Suchergebnisse

Within a short period of time, the economy underwent a radical transformation and opened many new businesses the possibility to enter the market with new methods of making money (Hira and Reilly, 2017, pp. 1f.). Online platforms and technological improvements helped sharing companies grow so big and created numerous opportunities for consumers, but also for private and commercial providers. People can now easily rent out unused goods, space or services and thus earn some additional income and increase the efficiency. At the same time, people can save money because the access to goods in the sharing economy offers price benefits compared to the purchase of a good and it increases the availability. The use of these possibilities became normal for the majority of the people, and it is barely possible to imagine a world without these digital amenities. Though the changes brought along many advantages and comfort for the users, there are also new kinds of disadvantages or even threats. Moreover, the fact that the new sharing economy is scarcely regulated yet, gives rise to set limits and obligations to the providers and the users. In the following paper, the emergence of the sharing economy will be described, and the focus will be set on the hosting platform Airbnb. This subject was chosen due to the fast-growing expansion of Airbnb on an international scale and the problematic situation on the housing market, which are current topics in European cities and frequently discussed in the news. Especially the housing shortage and the rising rents in many cities, for which Airbnb is often blamed, causes disadvantages for the residents. The difficulties regarding the regulation will be discussed and which past and current attempts were made to limit the power of Airbnb and to mitigate the impacts on the general public. The relationship between hosting platforms and the housing market will be analyzed in a qualitative study by evaluating the numerous reporting on this topic on the print media. Further, the position of citizens and users of the platform will be elucidated and what changes the government and the cities are making to regulate this new economy. Unfortunately, in many cases the negative sides of the sharing economy are ignored and only the benefits are highlighted. These in some cases short-sighted and one-sided representations lead to general enthusiasm among the consumers. This thesis, on the contrary, examines the effects of the sharing economy on its environment from both sides and also the critical aspects that are entailed will be presented, reaching from tax avoidance to the illegal offering of rooms and apartments on lodging platforms. Precisely, this paper will be oriented on the two following research questions: 1. Which regulatory problems of the sharing economy are discussed in the print media? Based on the findings on the first research question, which serves as a fundamental basis for the main focus of this thesis, the even more central question should be answered which is dealing with Airbnbs impact on the housing market. 2. Does the sharing economy have negative effects on the housing market? These questions are intended to examine possible impacts of the sharing economy on the general public. In chapter 2, the sharing economy will be defined, and the short-term lodging platform Airbnb will be presented. Also, problems concerning the regulation of the sharing economy and the housing market will be addressed. Chapter 3 gives an overview about the method of this study, the data collection process and the data analysis. The findings of the research will be elucidated in chapter 4. A summarizing discussion and the conclusion will sum up this topic in the chapters 5 and 6. ; submitted by Julian Paulus, BSc. ; Universität Linz, Masterarbeit, 2019 ; (VLID)4487562