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Keynote speaker, global Sharing Economy expert
Why the Sharing Economy is Win-Win for all
Benita Matofska är en världsledande expert och talare inom delningsekonomi. Hon är grundare och CEO av The People Who Share som är ett socialt företag som hjälper människor att upptäcka och komma i kontakt med delningsekonomi som blivit ett fenomen under 2000-talet.
Föredraget är på engelska.
What are the short-term challenges and the long-term payoffs of transitioning to a sharing economy?
The short term challenges are disruption and behavior change. The Sharing Economy is causing the biggest societal shift since the Industrial Revolution and as such turns traditional, hierarchical, inefficient systems and approaches on its head. Transitioning from being a society based around ownership, consumption and a siloed based approach to becoming a networked, connected, access, experiences and creative approach is a challenge to those who wish to maintain the status quo. The reality is that in both the short and long term, the payoffs are social, economic and environmental. When cities introduce car sharing and bike sharing systems, citizens are healthier, wealthier and the planet benefits too; when community skills and goods sharing initiatives are offered, the same impact occurs; when people are able to participate, contribute and co-create their environments, find new types of shared / ‘gig’ work related to their skills and passions, there is an economic, social and environmental impact that is long-term. Sharing cities are sustainable cities as infrastructure is built based on shared, available human and physical resources, with citizens’ and the planetary needs at the centre of and involved in the creation of the systems themselves.
What are its disruptive powers impacting the city? What does the rise of AirBnb, Uber and others in the sharing economy mean to businesses that are losing out on customers?
The Sharing Economy is causing the biggest shift since the Industrial Revolution. It’s also the most significant business trend of all time. Now that people can trade directly with others and that accessing goods rather than owning them is fast becoming the norm, businesses need to adopt new models in order to survive. Involving the crowd in the creation of goods and services is essential; today’s consumers, no longer see themselves as passive ‘consumers’ but as active creators, makers, service providers, hosts, drivers, gig workers… Every business, traditional or otherwise can participate in the Sharing Economy, provided that they work with those who understand how this new economy operates and that they adapt their business model to the changing times and needs of a new generation of citizens, users, workers, people… Businesses that cannot adapt and play an active role in the Sharing Economy, will simply not survive. We are now in an era where the ability to share and collaborate is essential for sustainability. Rather than losing customers, businesses stand to gain economically, socially and environmentally from adopting this new approach. One Deloitte study showed that businesses adopting these sharing models, doubled their profits within the first year; Sharing Economy models are inherently efficient, making maximum use of resources, connecting idling capacity with need and building happier, healthier more connected, sustainable businesses and communities.