Cleaner Logistics and Supply Chain (Dec 2022)
The role of the enabler in sharing economy service triads: A logistics perspective
Abstract
The Sharing economy (SE) has been affirmed as a new innovative business model able to answer the need for more flexible, agile, and sustainable logistics. Within the triadic mechanism governing SE solutions, the service enabler is a pivotal actor, as it is responsible for driving the solution's operating mechanism by coordinating the sharing of resources between users and providers. The literature recognizes different triadic forms of relationships; however, they have not been studied in the logistics domain which is poorly populated with empirical studies investigating the role of the enabler, usually represented by the Logistics Service Provider (LSP), and the relational mechanisms it can leverage to support the development of SE initiatives. The current research explores the role of the enabler in the triadic mechanism of SE logistics solutions and its effect on the solutions’ outputs (i.e., enabling factors and benefits) by conducting multiple case study research considering LSPs enabling warehouse, transportation, and equipment sharing. Our findings reveal that the enabler plays different roles within the SE logistics triads depending on whether it detains the ownership of the logistics service with respect to the solutions’ users, which means that the sharing solution is the way the enabler provides a logistics service to the users. The ownership of the logistics service defines the level of control and power that the enabler exercises in the relationship, which in turn influences the type of triadic configuration (tertius gaudens or tertius iungens). The study enriches the current body of knowledge by studying the SE service triads in the logistics domain. The investigation opens up interesting theoretical and managerial considerations to discuss the way relationships are managed in SE solutions and the role of the LSP in offering SE solutions.
