Integrated sustainability assessment of sharing economy models: The case for Qatar

Abstract

This research is another contribution to the value of the sharing economy. Many applications are used worldwide for individual and group market sharing either Business-to-Business, Business-to-Customer, or Customer-to-Customer business models. In this research, we briefly illustrated 9 applications of the sharing economy. However, as the sharing economy phenomena grow, Triple Bottom Lines (TBL) for sustainability has to be evaluated for positive and negative impacts to ensure the quality of the business model as well as continuous improvement. Three methods of assessment were introduced: 1) Product Life Cycle Assessment, 2) Supply Chain Network & Saving and 3) Social Media Analysis of Sharing Economy Platform Website. Based on the literature review findings, many benefits and opportunities for improvement were addressed and summarized. As a result, the lesson learned analysis and recommendations were contributed to this research for the State of Qatar case. The sharing economy is a great global innovation and a proven high level of success. Consequently, researchers shall continue to study different business models and convert them into better market sharing by considering the sustainability, supply chain, policy implications, and other local and international legislation requirements. The authors also recommend widespread adoption of circular economy applications such as carsharing, home-sharing, for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022.