The information flow between enterprises in the context of sharing economy

Abstract

Purpose: The aim of this research is to examine whether enterprises exchange information in the area of sharing economy, what barriers exist in the process of information exchange and what are the directions and ways to exchange information. Design/methodology/approach: Research on the customs and habits of information exchange on available resources between entities operating in various sectors of the economy was carried out in 2019. Data on the use and exchange of property resources was obtained from enterprises in Poland. Companies for the study were selected at random, where the layers constituted the size of the company; an identical number of companies was drawn from each layer, which made it possible to study differences due to the number of employees, and on the other hand, it did not interfere with the results obtained. The primary data were collected using the CATI method. The collected empirical material was developed using specialized statistical software Statistica. Findings: Research findings suggest that the exchange of information between enterprises is closely related to the pursuit of their own goals. They also indicate that an important role in the exchange of information about free resources is played by the trust between enterprises that are participants of the exchange process. Practical implications: The results obtained may be useful for an information sharing platform development. They allow for better design of this platform, considering the directions and ways to exchange information and to identify barriers affecting this process. Originality/value: The research is original because it can be used to develop future research directions, like further work concentrating on the role of trust in the process of information exchange between enterprises.