Humans as a Service

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeremias Prassl
Keyword(s):  
Business Models ◽  
Disruptive Innovation ◽  
Level Playing Field ◽  
Employment Relationships ◽  
Playing Field ◽  
On Demand ◽  
Gig Economy ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Digital Work ◽  
Stable Employment

The rise of the gig economy is disrupting business models across the globe. Platforms’ digital work intermediation has had a profound impact on traditional conceptions of the employment relationship. The completion of ‘tasks’, ‘gigs’, or ‘rides’ in the (digital) crowd fundamentally challenges our understanding of work in modern labour markets: gone are the stable employment relationships between firms and workers, replaced by a world in which everybody can be ‘their own boss’ and enjoy the rewards—and face the risks—of independent businesses. Is this the future of work? What are the benefits and challenges of crowdsourced work? How can we protect consumers and workers without stifling innovation? Humans as a Service provides a detailed account of the growth and operation of gig-economy platforms, and develops a blueprint for solutions to the problems facing on-demand workers, platforms, and their customers. Following a brief introduction to the growth and operation of on-demand platforms across the world, the book scrutinizes competing narratives about ‘gig’ work. Drawing on a wide range of case studies, it explores how claims of ‘disruptive innovation’ and ‘micro-entrepreneurship’ often obscure the realities of precarious work under strict algorithmic surveillance, and the return to a business model that has existed for centuries. Humans as a Service shows how employment law can address many of these problems: gigs, tasks, and rides are work—and should be regulated as such. A concluding chapter demonstrates the broader benefits of a level playing field for consumers, taxpayers, and innovative entrepreneurs.

Levelling the Playing Field

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeremias Prassl
Keyword(s):  
Business Model ◽  
Business Models ◽  
Employment Law ◽  
Level Playing Field ◽  
Playing Field ◽  
On Demand ◽  
Gig Economy

This chapter considers the implications of the on-demand economy for consumers and markets. It shows how, for both consumers and workers, the on-demand bargain can unravel rather quickly: users potentially end up paying a much higher price and receive worse-quality services than promised. In addition, the gig-economy business model can lead to significant tax losses, as taxpayers are left to make up the shortfall and subsidize the industry in myriad ways. When these problems for consumers, workers, and taxpayers are added to the questionable economics behind many platforms’ business models, as discussed in the first chapter, it is not difficult to see why some suggest that the platforms should be banned. This chapter, however, argues against such drastic moves: we would destroy all benefits and innovation, and leave at least some consumers and workers worse off. Employment law is key to creating a level playing field for competition, which fosters innovation.

scholarly journals Blockchain Beyond Cryptocurrency: Non-Fungible Tokens

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Burcu Sakız ◽  
Ayşen Hiç Gencer
Keyword(s):  
Business Models ◽  
Disruptive Innovation ◽  
Peer To Peer ◽  
Smart Contracts ◽  
Blockchain Technology ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Peer Network ◽  
Work Mechanism ◽  
Distributed Networking ◽  
Peer To Peer Network

Blockchain technology is a disruptive innovation with the potential to replace existing business models that rely on centralized systems and third parties for trust. Even if there are a lot of application areas, blockchain used primarily for cryptocurrencies. Satoshi Nakamoto implemented the first blockchain application and invented the world’s first digital currency which is named as Bitcoin in 2008. Fundementally Bitcoin relies on cryptographic “proof of work” mechanism, digital signatures, and peer to peer distributed networking layer in order to provide a distributed ledger holding transactions. In 2014, a second generation of blockchains allow to program and execute them over distributed networks such as Ethereum project. The code to program any asset stored in blockchain’s peer-to-peer network is called as "smart contract" and smart contracts gives a powerful tool to developers for decentralized applications. There are various types of tokens that anyone can built on top of Ethereum and by combining smart contracts and new tokens, this paved the way of possibility to build a wide range of decentralized projects. One of the disruptive blockchain based innovation impacting intellectual property is called non-fungible-tokens or NFTs firstly introcuced in late 2017 on Ethereum network. This research contends that blockchain and non-fungible tokens (NFTs) which are cryptographically unique, scarce, non-replicable digital assets created through smart contracts and provably digital collectible assets. Our objective is to give NFT taxonomy, review NFT platforms and discuss technical challenges as well as recent advances in tackling the challenges. Moreover, this paper also aims to point out the future directions for NFT technology.

Work on Demand

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeremias Prassl
Keyword(s):  
Regulatory Arbitrage ◽  
On Demand ◽  
Broader Impacts ◽  
Gig Economy ◽  
Digital Work ◽  
Global Growth

This chapter explores how the gig economy works. It looks at some of the most important platforms and illustrates their central role in shaping transactions between consumers and workers. Digital work intermediation, in particular, is key to understanding the gig economy: here, platforms’ sophisticated algorithms connect workers and customers, and exercise ongoing control over the ensuing relationships. The chapter then charts the astonishing variety and global growth of the gig economy, with a particular emphasis on how platforms make money, from improved matchmaking to regulatory arbitrage. Finally, this chapter turns to the broader impacts of digital work intermediation, considering how platforms go beyond mere matchmaking to shape the experiences of workers and consumers.

scholarly journals A Level Playing Field for Classical Liberalism: the Abolition of the Court Challenges Program Empowers a Diversity of Perspectives on Freedom and Equality

2011 ◽  
Vol 16 (1, 2 & 3) ◽  
pp. 2007 ◽  
Author(s):  
John Carpay
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Public Policy ◽  
Active Role ◽  
Level Playing Field ◽  
Classical Liberalism ◽  
Political Arena ◽  
Playing Field ◽  
Division Of Powers ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
American Model

In 1982, Canada abandoned its parliamen- tary democracy for an American model of con- stitutional democracy in which unelected, and hence unaccountable, judges exercise substan- tial legislative power. Before the Canadian Char- ter of Rights and Freedoms1 became the supreme law of the land, Canada’s Parliament and pro- vincial legislatures were essentially sovereign, limited only by the federal-provincial division of powers in sections 91 and 92 of the Constitu- tion Act, 1867.2 Activism and advocacy in the democratic political arena were the only ways to bring about policy change. But since 1982, Canadian judges — like their United States (U.S.) counterparts — play a very active role in shaping public policy on a wide range of issues, many of them complex and controversial.

scholarly journals Profits Uber everything? The gig economy and the morality of category work

2019 ◽  
pp. 147612701989450 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joep Cornelissen ◽  
Magdalena Cholakova
Keyword(s):  
Business Models ◽  
Sharing Economy ◽  
Employment Relationship ◽  
On Demand ◽  
Moral Basis ◽  
Gig Economy ◽  
The World ◽  
Organizational Activities ◽  
Do So

In this essay, we address the question of how the strategic and organizational activities of on-demand sharing economy companies such as Uber are labeled and classified. We approach this question through a categorization lens and explore in particular whether sharing economy companies can legitimately frame the individuals who work for them as “independent workers” and what this implies for the nature of the employment relationship in such on-demand business models. Our overall aim in doing this is twofold. First, we highlight and address an important categorization issue in our current society, which has potentially far-reaching consequences for the nature of employment and the securities and protections that workers used to enjoy in many parts of the world. Second, we advance prior research in the strategy and organizational domain by elaborating how acts of categorization are inherently moral and political in nature. In this way, we aim to provoke researchers toward studying the moral basis of categorization work and we provide pointers in this essay for how they might do so.

Mobile NFC Services

2012 ◽  
pp. 254-272 ◽  
Author(s):  
Faouzi Kamoun
Keyword(s):  
Success Factors ◽  
Business Models ◽  
Near Field ◽  
Disruptive Innovation ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Near Field Communication ◽  
Cooperative Model ◽  
Classification Approach ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Depth Analysis

The integration of Near Field Communication (NFC) into mobile devices has recently emerged as a disruptive innovation and a strong enabler of a wide range of new mobile applications and services. Yet, despite this great potential, the widespread adoption of mobile NFC services remains restrained. This chapter investigates the success factors that are contributing towards the proliferation of mobile NFC services. It also presents an in-depth analysis of the key hurdles standing in the way of full NFC commercialization, with the caveat that disagreement about the proper business model among the key ecosystem players is currently the major adoption restraint. The chapter articulates the vision of a cooperative model that can enable the sharing of services, infrastructure, cost, and revenues among various NFC ecosystem players. The author also adopts a four-tier classification approach to categorize NFC business models into a number of typologies. Some recommendations for future research are also provided.

scholarly journals The Human Capital Hoax: Work, Debt and Insecurity in the Era of Uberization

2017 ◽  
Vol 38 (5) ◽  
pp. 691-709 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter Fleming
Keyword(s):  
Human Capital ◽  
Business Models ◽  
Human Capital Theory ◽  
Economic Insecurity ◽  
Costs And Benefits ◽  
Capital Theory ◽  
On Demand ◽  
Self Employment ◽  
Gig Economy ◽  
Gary Becker

Human capital theory – developed by neoclassical economists like Gary Becker and Theodore Schultz – is widely considered a useful way to explain how employees might enhance their value in organizations, leading to improved skill, autonomy and socio-economic wellbeing. This essay argues the opposite. Human capital theory implies that employees should bear the costs (and benefits) of their investment. Highly individualized training and work practices are an inevitable corollary. Self-employment, portfolio careers, the ‘gig economy’ and on-demand business models (including Uber and Deliveroo) faithfully reflect the assumptions that inform human capital theory. I term this the radical responsibilization of the workforce and link it to growing economic insecurity, low productivity, diminished autonomy and worrying levels of personal debt. The essay concludes by proposing some possible solutions.

Network Organizational Structure (a Scientific and Practical Review)

2020 ◽  
Vol 26 (6) ◽  
pp. 613-618
Author(s):  
A. V. Altukhov ◽  
S. A. Tishchenko
Keyword(s):  
Organizational Structure ◽  
Network Structure ◽  
Business Models ◽  
Scientific Development ◽  
Network Structures ◽  
Scientific Publications ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Modern Business ◽  
History Of ◽  
Business Structures

The presented study reviews practically relevant research papers in the field of network structures, modern network business models and platforms.Aim. The study aims to elaborate and explain the concept of network structure and platform and to show the reasons for the progressiveness and potential of network organizational structure at the current stage of socio-economic and scientific development.Tasks. The authors highlight the main scientific ideas about network structures in business, including significant studies in this area; provide and explain the main terms and definitions and examine the key characteristics of network business structures; characterize “platforms” as an important concept for modern business and show the relationship between platforms and network structures.Methods. This study uses analysis of information and subsequent synthesis of new knowledge in the form of the authors’ conclusions and a wide range of relevant scientific publications of Russian and foreign authors, including original publications in English and French.Results. The history of network structures is briefly provided. Definitions and characteristics of such concepts as “network structure” and “platform” in relation to business are provided and explained by the authors.

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