Abstract:
The Sharing Economy has been a constantly growing field for the last several years and
its expansion has reached numerous countries around the world, as notable from the
records of its leading companies, AirBnB and Uber. Moreover, the collaboration of
traditional companies with Sharing Economy ones (such as BMW and Just Park)
demonstrates the impact and relevance that the Sharing Economy has accomplished and
the grounded presence it will most likely maintain. However, due to the unique nature of
the Sharing Economy, its internationalization success and acceptance in emerging
markets may vary due to several variables, many of which are related to culture,
economic level, and other deciding factors. Furthermore, the literature under this topic is
lacking and calls for more research. Thus, given the promising compatibility of the
Lebanese market with the sharing economy model and the benefits it provides, this
exploratory research was undergone to shed some light on the internationalization of the
Sharing Economy in Lebanon and the willingness of the Lebanese youth to be part of it,
while studying several other factors that could possibly affect this willingness. The
research was done by exploring the Liability of Newness of the car-hailing apps Uber
and Careem, and its relationship with the willingness of the Lebanese youth to use such
apps. Furthermore, the relationship between this willingness and the four constructs of
Online Trust, Consumer Innovativeness, Online Social Platform Habits, and Price Willingness was explored. Results show that there is a strong relationship between price
willingness and willingness to use the service, a considerable relationship between
Liability of Newness and willingness to use the service, a slight relationship between
Online Sharing Habits and willingness to use the service, and weak relationships
between each of Online Trust and Consumer Innovativeness with willingness to use the
service. The results of the individual constructs Liability of Newness and willingness to
use the service bode well for the future of the car-hailing apps in Lebanon.
