In this sense, this course endeavours to help students:

• Understand the importance of studying collaborative consumption;
• Assess different business models regarding its actors, drivers, and motivations;
• Acknowledge its societal, economic, environmental and social impacts;
• Consider critical issues related to collaborative consumption platforms in terms of legal, regulatory, and ethical aspects from both users and hosts viewpoints;
• Identify the fundamental features that differentiate the collaborative economy platforms in different industries (i.e., transportation, consumer goods, accommodation, professional personal services, and fast food); and
• Anticipate future growth and trends in the collaborative economy platforms.

This course will enable students to enhance not only their theoretical knowledge, but also practical knowledge in the field of collaborative consumption and sharing economy by the help of several case-studies. Progressively, the course also intends to develop students’ analytical and critical thinking skills through several activities that will make up the course assessment.

The course was created as part of the Project Higher Education Curricula Development on the Collaborative Economy in Europe (COLECO), granted by ERASMUS+ KA203 supported by the European Commission.

Requirements

Interest in new trends in economy and in the latest business models; Basic knowledge of the tourism sector – accommodation, transport, restauration –; Basic knowledge of business administration.