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[News] Characteristics of Shared Economy -2-
Looking at the view of the broker, I would like to explain the platform operator's status, with a focus on the aspect of helping the platform operator negotiate with both sides of the contract and to sign the contract. Under commercial law, however, "medium" refers to the act of negotiating a bilateral contract so that it can be concluded, and believes that simply providing information or a chance to trade does not constitute an intermediary. In this respect, it is difficult to say that it is a commercial law broker. It is said that the view that the platform operator is acting as the provider's agent should be viewed as a proxy, given that the platform operator is acting as a intermediary and even as a trading partner. However, a proxy refers to a person who is not a commercial user for a certain merchant but is always a proxy or broker of a transaction belonging to that operating category. In response to this proxy definition, there is criticism that it is too much to be seen as a proxy, as the platform operator only provides information and opportunities for transactions for an unspecified number of suppliers.
The concept of consignee also does not clearly describe the platform operator's status. A consignee is a person whose name refers to a person who sells goods or securities by calculation of another person because the platform operator provides platform services under its own name but does not directly become a party to the transaction. After all, the platform operator has a different identity from the existing commercial law concepts in that it provides only transaction information or opportunities for both parties that wish to do so, and is not a person who directly negotiates or becomes a party to the transaction. Despite this distribution of roles, however, the platform operator is also the main driver of the shared economy. First, the platform operator introduces and engages in all transactions occurring between the supplier and the consumer. A consumer can only find the supplier he or she wants through the platform provided by the platform operator. After joining the platform, the consumer sees the vendor's information provided by the platform and chooses the supplier he or she wants. The platform provides the vendor with information about the consumer's subscription, and the provider, like the consumer, decides whether to accept it or not. In addition, payment for the use of goods is often made through the platform. As such, the platform operators are playing a role in ensuring trust in each other while significantly reducing the costs of mutual exploration of the parties by connecting the parties to each other.
Its role as the centerpiece of the platform operator is not just the status of the introduction. The platform operator is the only one of the three players in the shared economy who is in a position to sanction other players. Only the platform operator can impose certain obligations, such as making the other two members of its platform services as members and having them agree to the terms and conditions upon membership. The use of a reputation system may also require unqualified suppliers or consumers with low ratings to be disadvantaged in service use. Of course, it is also true that the platform operator's operations are also impossible if either supplier or consumer does not exist. The shared economy is a two-sided market, because the network externalities between suppliers and consumers determine the success of the market. However, the relative importance of the platform operator is still maintained in that only the platform operator can be a central axis in its superior position. These platform service providers' status also plays an important role in regulating the shared economy, as shown in Chapter 3, with many countries using the platform service provider as the main beneficiary of the regulation, and also introducing self-regulation of suppliers.
Thanks to the presence of the platform operator, the provider can easily navigate to a trusted consumer who wants to do business with it. This is because the problem of transaction costs and information asymmetry can be handed over to the platform operator. The cost-reduction shift has brought a new phenomenon to the shared economy: even nonprofessional suppliers have begun to engage in commodity trading. In fact, the survey on the reasons for supplying goods to lodging-sharing found that 36.4 percent of the suppliers said they were participating in the shared economy out of curiosity for new services, with a significant proportion of unprofessional suppliers among the suppliers. This phenomenon is symbolic of the uniqueness of the shared economy. This is because economic activities by individuals who own and share goods, not merchants who specialize in producing and selling goods, are the essence of a shared economy. Non-professional suppliers are also groups that enable the implementation of long-tail market in a shared economy. While demanders generally want a good product with a good price-to-performance value, modern demanders want a new service and cultural experience as well. A group of nonprofessional suppliers is a good supplier for them. In the case of Airbnb, for example, guests who wanted to stay in the past were forced to stay in formal accommodation such as hotels and motels. At Airbnb, however, consumers have access to accommodation with various interiors and structures that reflect the characteristics of the home owner. In other words, through accommodation sharing, consumers can opt out of their regular accommodation and choose accommodation that suits their taste. It is more appropriate for these unprofessional suppliers to be regarded as fragmented individuals than as homogeneous groups of operators doing the same business. Some of them may be doing the work of supplying resources in a shared economic system, but some may just be a hobby, one-off. These features make it quite difficult to regulate the suppliers of shared economies. This is because they are a homogeneous group. For example, it is possible to grant a package of obligations for taxi drivers to participate in education on traffic-related laws, etc. However, some suppliers may intend to supply goods for business, but others do not, so it is difficult to impose direct and horizontal regulations such as granting such a blanket obligation to participate in education. Thus, regulatory measures that take into account nonprofessional suppliers are required.
Looking at the view of the broker, I would like to explain the platform operator's status, with a focus on the aspect of helping the platform operator negotiate with both sides of the contract and to sign the contract. Under commercial law, however, "medium" refers to the act of negotiating a bilateral contract so that it can be concluded, and believes that simply providing information or a chance to trade does not constitute an intermediary. In this respect, it is difficult to say that it is a commercial law broker. It is said that the view that the platform operator is acting as the provider's agent should be viewed as a proxy, given that the platform operator is acting as a intermediary and even as a trading partner. However, a proxy refers to a person who is not a commercial user for a certain merchant but is always a proxy or broker of a transaction belonging to that operating category. In response to this proxy definition, there is criticism that it is too much to be seen as a proxy, as the platform operator only provides information and opportunities for transactions for an unspecified number of suppliers.
The concept of consignee also does not clearly describe the platform operator's status. A consignee is a person whose name refers to a person who sells goods or securities by calculation of another person because the platform operator provides platform services under its own name but does not directly become a party to the transaction. After all, the platform operator has a different identity from the existing commercial law concepts in that it provides only transaction information or opportunities for both parties that wish to do so, and is not a person who directly negotiates or becomes a party to the transaction. Despite this distribution of roles, however, the platform operator is also the main driver of the shared economy. First, the platform operator introduces and engages in all transactions occurring between the supplier and the consumer. A consumer can only find the supplier he or she wants through the platform provided by the platform operator. After joining the platform, the consumer sees the vendor's information provided by the platform and chooses the supplier he or she wants. The platform provides the vendor with information about the consumer's subscription, and the provider, like the consumer, decides whether to accept it or not. In addition, payment for the use of goods is often made through the platform. As such, the platform operators are playing a role in ensuring trust in each other while significantly reducing the costs of mutual exploration of the parties by connecting the parties to each other.
Its role as the centerpiece of the platform operator is not just the status of the introduction. The platform operator is the only one of the three players in the shared economy who is in a position to sanction other players. Only the platform operator can impose certain obligations, such as making the other two members of its platform services as members and having them agree to the terms and conditions upon membership. The use of a reputation system may also require unqualified suppliers or consumers with low ratings to be disadvantaged in service use. Of course, it is also true that the platform operator's operations are also impossible if either supplier or consumer does not exist. The shared economy is a two-sided market, because the network externalities between suppliers and consumers determine the success of the market. However, the relative importance of the platform operator is still maintained in that only the platform operator can be a central axis in its superior position. These platform service providers' status also plays an important role in regulating the shared economy, as shown in Chapter 3, with many countries using the platform service provider as the main beneficiary of the regulation, and also introducing self-regulation of suppliers.
Thanks to the presence of the platform operator, the provider can easily navigate to a trusted consumer who wants to do business with it. This is because the problem of transaction costs and information asymmetry can be handed over to the platform operator. The cost-reduction shift has brought a new phenomenon to the shared economy: even nonprofessional suppliers have begun to engage in commodity trading. In fact, the survey on the reasons for supplying goods to lodging-sharing found that 36.4 percent of the suppliers said they were participating in the shared economy out of curiosity for new services, with a significant proportion of unprofessional suppliers among the suppliers. This phenomenon is symbolic of the uniqueness of the shared economy. This is because economic activities by individuals who own and share goods, not merchants who specialize in producing and selling goods, are the essence of a shared economy. Non-professional suppliers are also groups that enable the implementation of long-tail market in a shared economy. While demanders generally want a good product with a good price-to-performance value, modern demanders want a new service and cultural experience as well. A group of nonprofessional suppliers is a good supplier for them. In the case of Airbnb, for example, guests who wanted to stay in the past were forced to stay in formal accommodation such as hotels and motels. At Airbnb, however, consumers have access to accommodation with various interiors and structures that reflect the characteristics of the home owner. In other words, through accommodation sharing, consumers can opt out of their regular accommodation and choose accommodation that suits their taste. It is more appropriate for these unprofessional suppliers to be regarded as fragmented individuals than as homogeneous groups of operators doing the same business. Some of them may be doing the work of supplying resources in a shared economic system, but some may just be a hobby, one-off. These features make it quite difficult to regulate the suppliers of shared economies. This is because they are a homogeneous group. For example, it is possible to grant a package of obligations for taxi drivers to participate in education on traffic-related laws, etc. However, some suppliers may intend to supply goods for business, but others do not, so it is difficult to impose direct and horizontal regulations such as granting such a blanket obligation to participate in education. Thus, regulatory measures that take into account nonprofessional suppliers are required.