Sharing economy: peer-to-peer accommodation as a foucauldian heterotopia

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna Farmaki ◽  
Dimitrios P. Stergiou ◽  
Prokopis Christou
Keyword(s):  
Design Methodology ◽  
Sharing Economy ◽  
Peer To Peer ◽  
Interstitial Space ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Cultural Backgrounds ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Micro Scale ◽  
Accommodation Space ◽  
Spatial Dimensions

Purpose This study aims to use Foucault’s theory of heterotopian space to interpret peer-to-peer (P2P) accommodation experiences by considering the perceptions of Airbnb hosts and guests. Design/methodology/approach Data for this study were collected through the use of semi-structured interviews with Airbnb hosts and guests of different cultural backgrounds. Findings Informed by Foucault’s heterotopology, study findings identify and discuss the spatial dimensions at the micro-scale that distinguish P2P accommodation space from traditional hospitality spaces, arguing that P2P accommodation represents an interstitial space within the tourism system that triggers a reordering of resources, skills and meanings. Originality/value The paper introduces a cutting-edge perspective on how P2P accommodation spatiality may be viewed or approached in a meaningfully different manner, particularly advancing knowledge on how prescribed roles and practices in hospitality are being redefined.

scholarly journals Operational risks and coping strategies of micro-enterprise in peer-to-peer accommodation service sector: evidences from China

2020 ◽  
Vol 120 (9) ◽  
pp. 1759-1775
Author(s):  
Wanfei Wang ◽  
Chengcheng Su ◽  
Jin Hooi Chan ◽  
Xiaoguang Qi
Keyword(s):  
Coping Strategies ◽  
Service Sector ◽  
Sharing Economy ◽  
Peer To Peer ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Chinese Market ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Operational Risks ◽  
Accommodation Sector ◽  
And Coping

PurposeFocusing on the supply side of peer-to-peer (P2P) accommodation service sector, this study identifies the emerging types of micro-enterprise operators in the growing Chinese market, and investigate their respective operational risks and coping strategies.Design/methodology/approachA qualitative study was adopted to explore the micro-enterprise in peer-to-peer accommodation in China. Twenty semi-structured interviews were conducted to explore the operators' behaviors in the service sector.FindingsBased on the types of property ownership and forms of interaction, four groups of operators were identified, i.e. hospitable sharers, remote sharers, roommates and butlers. This study uncovers their operational risk factors (safety, cost, legal and social, psychological) and respective coping strategies.Originality/valueMost prior studies on P2P accommodation sector are conducted from the demand side about customer behaviors. This study not only enhances the understanding of the hosts in the sharing economy by developing a novel typology of operators, but also provides insights into the operational behaviors on an individual operator perspective.

Peer-to-peer evaluations as narcissistic devices: fabricating an entrepreneurial community

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Penelope Van den Bussche ◽  
Claire Dambrin
Keyword(s):  
Online Community ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Review Process ◽  
Sharing Economy ◽  
Peer To Peer ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Public ◽  
Online Evaluation ◽  
Corporate Context ◽  
Public Nature

PurposeThis paper investigates online evaluation processes on peer-to-peer platforms to highlight how online peer evaluation enacts neoliberal subjects and collectives.Design/methodology/approachThe paper uses netnography (Kozinets, 2002) to study the online community of Airbnb. It is also based on 18 interviews, mostly with Airbnb users, and quantitative data about reviews.FindingsResults indicate that peer-to-peer platforms constitute biopolitical infrastructures. They enact and consolidate narcissistic entrepreneurs of the self through evaluation processes and consolidating a for-show community. Specifically, three features make evaluation a powerful neoliberal agent. The object of evaluation shifts from the service to the user's own worth (1). The public nature of the evaluation (2) and symetrical accountability between the evaluator and the evaluatee (3) contribute to excessively positive reviews and this keeps the market fluid.Social implicationsThis paper calls for problematization of the idea of sharing in the so-called “sharing economy”. What is shared on peer-to-peer platforms is the comfort of engaging with people like ourselves.Originality/valueThis paper contributes to the literature on online accounting by extending consideration of evaluation beyond the review process. It also stresses that trust in the evaluative infrastructure is fostered by narcissistic relationships between users, who come to use the platform as a mirror. The peer-to-peer context refreshes the our knowledge on evaluation in a corporate context by highlighting phenomena of standardized spontaneity and euphemized evaluation language. This allows evaluation processes to incorporate a market logic without having to fuel competition.

scholarly journals The Airbnb phenomenon: the resident’s perspective

2019 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 8-26 ◽  
Author(s):  
Steven Richards ◽  
Lorraine Brown ◽  
Alessandra Dilettuso
Keyword(s):  
Design Methodology ◽  
Sharing Economy ◽  
Qualitative Approach ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
User Experiences ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Local Residents ◽  
The City

Purpose Media and academic attention on Airbnb focuses on user experiences, implications for traditional accommodation establishments and negative sociocultural impacts. The purpose of this paper is to explore the views of Barcelona residents who have been impacted by the proliferation of Airbnb rentals. Design/methodology/approach A qualitative approach was adopted, involving semi-structured interviews with residents of Barcelona. Findings It highlights the problem of unregistered Airbnb rentals throughout the city, carrying implications for the gentrification of neighbourhoods, the displacement of local residents and anti-social guest behaviour. This study points to a consequent rise in anti-tourist feeling. It also reveals that the authentic experience promised by the sharing economy is illusory. Originality/value This paper presents a model that highlights a clash between the vaunted benefits of the sharing economy for hosts and tourists and the negative implications for a city’s residents.

Constructing meanings of luxury in Airbnb

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna Farmaki ◽  
Elena Spanou ◽  
Prokopis Christou
Keyword(s):  
Conceptual Framework ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Peer To Peer ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Personalized Service ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Personal Meanings ◽  
Luxury Market ◽  
Point Of Departure ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose Following Airbnb’s recent turn to the luxury market, this paper aims to explore how Airbnb hosts construct meanings of luxury as enacted in their hosting practices. Design/methodology/approach Semi-structured interviews with 46 Airbnb hosts were undertaken using purposing sampling. Findings Study findings reveal that social and personal meanings of luxury manifest in host practice, with “home feeling” representing the epicentre of the luxury peer-to-peer (P2P) accommodation experience. Research limitations/implications Although this study draws from host views, it represents a first attempt to empirically examine perceptions and applications of luxury within P2P accommodation. The study provides a conceptual framework which may serve as a point of departure for further research into which luxury service dimensions guests value. Practical implications The findings of the study carry implications to the wider hospitality context. Specifically, hospitality practitioners need to reconceptualize luxury hospitality provision to promote a “homotel” accommodation model which highlights the offering of physical and social luxury dimensions in addition to elements of personalized service and home-like hedonic benefits. Originality/value The study offers a conceptual framework of the luxury P2P accommodation servicescape, which identifies two distinct luxury offerings that may be informative to both P2P accommodation providers and hospitality practitioners.

scholarly journals Teaching innovations in Asian higher education: perspectives of educators

2018 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 179-190 ◽  
Author(s):  
T.M. Wong
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Higher Education Institutions ◽  
The Other ◽  
Asian Countries ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Advanced Technologies ◽  
The Many

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to identify the teaching innovations that have been implemented in higher education institutions in Asia and the perspectives of educators on them. Design/methodology/approach Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 28 educators who were affiliated with 23 higher education institutions in ten Asian countries/regions. The interviews covered information about the teaching innovations of the participants’ institutions, the characteristics of the innovative practices and the participants’ views on them. The relationships between the characteristics of institutions and their teaching innovations were also examined. Findings The results showed that the teaching innovations included two main categories, namely, those which involved the use of advanced technologies and those which did not. The innovations that involved the use of advanced technologies were mainly from larger institutions, while the other category was mainly from smaller ones and had been practised for less than 1.5 years. Differences were also identified between the two categories in terms of the aims and importance of innovations, innovative features, the evaluation of innovations and improvements needed for them. Originality/value The results highlighted that technology is only one of the many aspects of teaching innovations, which is different from the view prevailing in the literature. They also suggested that differences in the scale of institutions (in terms of number of students) possibly influences the kind of teaching innovations adopted.

scholarly journals Exploring producers' motivations and challenges within a farmers' market

2020 ◽  
Vol 122 (7) ◽  
pp. 2089-2103
Author(s):  
Rosario Michel-Villarreal ◽  
Eliseo Luis Vilalta-Perdomo ◽  
Martin Hingley
Keyword(s):  
Design Methodology ◽  
Farmers Markets ◽  
Full Time ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Farmers Market ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Food Supply Chains ◽  
Part Time ◽  
Short Food Supply Chains

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to explore food producers' motivations and challenges whilst participating in short food supply chains (SFSCs). This paper compares findings with previous literature and investigates the topic in the context of producers' motivations.Design/methodology/approachThe paper includes a literature review concerning producers' motivations to engage in SFSCs. A case study was designed to investigate motivations underlying producers' engagement in SFSCs, as well as the challenges that they face. Semi-structured interviews were conducted in a farmers' market located in Mexico. Thematic analysis is used to identify the principal issues for producers'. Propositions based on findings are presented.FindingsFindings suggest that small, large, part-time and full-time producers are willing to engage with farmers' markets for diverse primary economic and non-economic motivations. Individual and collective challenges were also identified.Originality/valueThis research helps to explain producers' motivations and challenges within SFSCs in an under-researched context, namely a focus on producers' and in the Global South.

Has Lean improved organizational decision making?

2016 ◽  
Vol 29 (5) ◽  
pp. 536-549 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pascale Simons ◽  
Jos Benders ◽  
Jochen Bergs ◽  
Wim Marneffe ◽  
Dominique Vandijck
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Lean Management ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Organizational Decision Making ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Organizational Contexts ◽  
Sustainable Improvement ◽  
Care Processes ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose – Sustainable improvement is likely to be hampered by ambiguous objectives and uncertain cause-effect relations in care processes (the organization’s decision-making context). Lean management can improve implementation results because it decreases ambiguity and uncertainties. But does it succeed? Many quality improvement (QI) initiatives are appropriate improvement strategies in organizational contexts characterized by low ambiguity and uncertainty. However, most care settings do not fit this context. The purpose of this paper is to investigate whether a Lean-inspired change program changed the organization’s decision-making context, making it more amenable for QI initiatives. Design/methodology/approach – In 2014, 12 professionals from a Dutch radiotherapy institute were interviewed regarding their perceptions of a Lean program in their organization and the perceived ambiguous objectives and uncertain cause-effect relations in their clinical processes. A survey (25 questions), addressing the same concepts, was conducted among the interviewees in 2011 and 2014. The structured interviews were analyzed using a deductive approach. Quantitative data were analyzed using appropriate statistics. Findings – Interviewees experienced improved shared visions and the number of uncertain cause-effect relations decreased. Overall, more positive (99) than negative Lean effects (18) were expressed. The surveys revealed enhanced process predictability and standardization, and improved shared visions. Practical implications – Lean implementation has shown to lead to greater transparency and increased shared visions. Originality/value – Lean management decreased ambiguous objectives and reduced uncertainties in clinical process cause-effect relations. Therefore, decision making benefitted from Lean increasing QI’s sustainability.

Emotion display and suppression among Arab and Jewish assistant principals in Israel

2018 ◽  
Vol 3 (3) ◽  
pp. 173-191 ◽  
Author(s):  
Khalid Arar ◽  
Izhar Oplatka
Keyword(s):  
Emotion Regulation ◽  
Emotional Expression ◽  
Assistant Principals ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Practical Knowledge ◽  
Educational Leaders ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Personal Needs ◽  
Teachers And Parents

Purpose It is widely accepted that educational leaders and teachers need to manage and regulate their emotions continually, mainly because schooling and teaching processes expose many emotions. Thus, the purpose of this paper is to trace the ways Israeli assistant principals, both Arab and Jewish, manage their emotions at work. Design/methodology/approach Based on semi-structured interviews with 15 assistant principals, it was found that they are required to manage their emotions in accordance with entrenched emotion rules in the culture and society. Findings Most of the Jewish female APs tend to display warmth and empathy toward teachers in order to better understand their personal needs and professional performances. In contrast, Arab APs suppressed or fabricated emotional expression in their discourse with teachers and parents, in order to maintain a professional façade and retain the internal cohesion of the school. Both groups of APs believed their emotion regulation results in higher level of harmony in the school. Empirical and practical suggestions are put forward. Originality/value The paper is original and contributes to the theoretical and practical knowledge.

Dual leadership in a hospital practice

2017 ◽  
Vol 30 (1) ◽  
pp. 101-112 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bettina Ravnborg Thude ◽  
Svend Erik Thomsen ◽  
Egon Stenager ◽  
Erik Hollnagel
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Qualitative Study ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Leadership Teams ◽  
Decision Processes ◽  
Power Balance ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Hospital Practice ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Danish Hospital

Purpose Despite the practice of dual leadership in many organizations, there is relatively little research on the topic. Dual leadership means two leaders share the leadership task and are held jointly accountable for the results of the unit. To better understand how dual leadership works, this study aims to analyse three different dual leadership pairs at a Danish hospital. Furthermore, this study develops a tool to characterize dual leadership teams from each other. Design/methodology/approach This is a qualitative study using semi-structured interviews. Six leaders were interviewed to clarify how dual leadership works in a hospital context. All interviews were transcribed and coded. During coding, focus was on the nine principles found in the literature and another principle was found by looking at the themes that were generic for all six interviews. Findings Results indicate that power balance, personal relations and decision processes are important factors for creating efficient dual leaderships. The study develops a categorizing tool to use for further research or for organizations, to describe and analyse dual leaderships. Originality/value The study describes dual leadership in the hospital context and develops a categorizing tool for being able to distinguish dual leadership teams from each other. It is important to reveal if there are any indicators that can be used for optimising dual leadership teams in the health-care sector and in other organisations.

scholarly journals Student engagement with sustainability: understanding the value–action gap

2014 ◽  
Vol 15 (4) ◽  
pp. 404-417 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gareth Chaplin ◽  
Paul Wyton
Keyword(s):  
Design Methodology ◽  
Strong Association ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Online Questionnaire ◽  
Sustainable Living ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Lack Of Information ◽  
Significant Barrier ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Insight Into

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to present the findings of research that aimed to determine what university students living in Unite accommodation in the UK understand about the concept of sustainable living. It considers what barriers they perceive to be standing in the way of following sustainable living practices. In particular, the research aimed to explore any value–action gap for the student population with a view to informing future actions to help close any gap. Design/methodology/approach – The study was completed through an online questionnaire survey of students living in halls of residence operated by provider The Unite Group Plc. The survey informed semi-structured interviews and focus groups that explored the issues raised in greater detail. Findings – It was found that students living in Unite properties believed sustainable living to be important, yet levels of understanding were very low and there appeared to be a wide value–action gap. Reasons for this are varied; however, an unexpected theme emerged around the association of effort and importance. There was a very strong association between sustainable living and recycling, which, therefore, saw the lack of adequate recycling facilities as a significant barrier to sustainable living. There were also issues around a lack of information, cost and respondents’ flatmates as further barriers. However, the most significant barrier was the displacement of responsibility for sustainable living to other people or organisations. Originality/value – Gaining an insight into the complexity of attitude and behaviour of students with the sustainability agenda will enable understanding that can be applied to activities that promote sustainability.

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