When sharing economy meets established institutions: a comparative case study

The emergence of Uber and Airbnb not only embodies the concept of sharing economy, but also declares war on formal institutions. Concerned with addressing such social conflicts and market uncertainties, this study examines the institutional strategies taken by Uber and Airbnb when entering the Taiwanese market. Using qualitative research procedures, we discuss how Uber and Airbnb draw on set of strategic actions to overcome institutional obstacles, earn recognition from the public and legitimate their new activities. We divide the strategies into three categories: framing, aggregating, and bridging. Uber and Airbnb use framing to make their brand image positive, and aggregating to integrate internal resources. They adopt bridging to cooperate with the external environment and acquire resources that make themselves stronger.