Appalachian’s Pia Albinsson explores the ‘sharing economy’ in new book

BOONE, N.C. — Dr. Pia A. Albinsson, associate professor in Appalachian State University’s Department of Marketing, which is housed within the university’s Walker College of Business, is co-author of “The Rise of the Sharing Economy: Exploring the Challenges and Opportunities of Collaborative Consumption.” The book explores how consumption-based businesses — from Airbnb and Couchsurfing to Zipcar and Uber — give rise to a ‘sharing economy.’

Albinsson co-edited the book with Dr. B. Yasanthi Perera, assistant professor in the Goodman School of Business at Brock University, in Ontario, Canada, and a forward is provided by Dr. Russell W. Belk, professor and Kraft Foods Canada Chair in Marketing in the Schulich School of Business at York University.

The book’s publisher, Praeger — an imprint of ABC-CLIO LLC — describes the “The Rise of the Sharing Economy” as the ultimate source for “a global and multidisciplinary approach to defining the sharing economy, its facilitators, and its outcomes.”

The book, which was published in January 2018 by Praeger, is available in hardcover and e-book formats from the publisher, as well as from Amazon and Barnes & Noble. One online resource of Albinsson’s book is also available through Appalachian’s Belk Library and Information Commons.

The Rise of the Sharing Economy: Exploring the Challenges and Opportunities of Collaborative Consumption

By Pia A. Albinsson and B. Yasanthi Perera, Editors
2018

This is the ultimate source for anyone who wants a comprehensive view of how the sharing economy began and how it may fundamentally change capitalism across the globe.

“The Rise of the Sharing Economy: Exploring the Challenges and Opportunities of Collaborative Consumption” examines the business phenomenon of the sharing economy, giving readers a thorough analysis of this up-and-coming sector. The book presents a detailed historical perspective of sharing and cooperatives, followed by a discussion of societal factors—predominantly technology—that have facilitated the fast growth of collaborative consumption businesses. Additional chapters offer progressive perspectives on how companies can further commercialize sharing.

Written for undergraduate and graduate students studying the collaborative market and for those with entrepreneurial aspirations, this book provides important insight about technology facilities sharing, peer-to-peer lending, grassroots social entrepreneurial efforts, the economics of the sharing economy, legal and public policy issues, and more.

Features

• Takes a global and multidisciplinary approach to defining the sharing economy, its facilitators, and its outcomes
• Provides a concise yet thorough study of the sharing economy, in one volume
• Presents case-based research to explain how the sharing economy works
• Offers real-world examples of collaborative consumption and of sharing economy organizations

Available from Praeger / ABC-CLIO LLC

About Dr. Pia A. Albinsson

Albinsson currently holds the John W. Guffey Jr. Professorship in the Walker College of Business at Appalachian, where she has taught since 2009. Her research interests include collaborative consumption, consumer activism, sustainability and advertising effectiveness.

Her work has been published or is forthcoming in the European Journal of Marketing, the International Journal of Retailing and Distribution Management, the International Wine Business Research Journal, the Journal of Macromarketing, the Journal of Consumer Behaviour, the Journal of Public Policy and Marketing, the Journal of Marketing Theory and Practice, Psychology and Marketing, the Global Journal of Business Research and Advances in Consumer Research, among others.

Albinsson recently received the 2016 China Studies Institute Zhi-Xing China Academic Leaders Fellowship sponsored by the American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU) and China Education Association for International Exchange (CEAIE). She was a fellow for Society for Marketing Advances Doctoral Consortium in St. Petersburg, Florida, in 2008, and the AMA-Sheth Foundation Doctoral Consortium in Atlanta, Georgia, in 2009. Prior to academia, Albinsson spent several years working in the tourism industry in Greece, Malaysia and Portugal, as well as with banking and marketing in her native Stockholm, Sweden.

About the Department of Marketing and Supply Chain Management

At Appalachian State University, students in the Walker College of Business’ Department of Marketing and Supply Chain Management learn to drive industry initiatives that develop customer satisfaction and retention, contribute to company profits and build connections with suppliers, distributors and the community. Students majoring in marketing may select a concentration in general marketing, digital marketing or sales. Students majoring in supply chain management (SCM) learn about logistics, operations, strategic sourcing, process improvement strategies and supply chain technologies, enabling them to compete in the global marketplace and help future employers reduce costs, improve profits and expand their markets. Learn more at https://marketing.appstate.edu.

About the Walker College of Business

The Walker College of Business at Appalachian State University delivers transformational educational experiences that prepare and inspire students to be ethical, innovative and engaged business leaders who positively impact our community, both locally and globally. The college places emphasis on international experiences, sustainable business practices, entrepreneurial programs and real-world applications with industry. Enrolling approximately 3,000 undergraduates in 10 majors and 175 graduate students in three master's programs, the Walker College is accredited by AACSB International – the premier global accrediting body for schools of business. Learn more at https://business.appstate.edu.

About Appalachian State University

As the premier public undergraduate institution in the Southeast, Appalachian State University prepares students to lead purposeful lives as global citizens who understand and engage their responsibilities in creating a sustainable future for all. The Appalachian Experience promotes a spirit of inclusion that brings people together in inspiring ways to acquire and create knowledge, to grow holistically, to act with passion and determination, and to embrace diversity and difference. Located in the Blue Ridge Mountains, Appalachian is one of 17 campuses in the University of North Carolina System. Appalachian enrolls nearly 21,000 students, has a low student-to-faculty ratio and offers more than 150 undergraduate and graduate majors.

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