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Figure 21: Behavioural flow and influence on Careless behaviour.

Having defined the similarities and differences between behavioural determinants of users that behave carefully and carelessly. The next chapter will discuss the findings, after that, the research question will be answered.

38 Firstly, by providing and improving a model (from Figure 4 to Figure 19) which incorporates three mayor behavioural theories, this study theoretically contributes to the studies into behavioural models. More specifically, PSSs in a sustainability context. By identifying determinants from theory, and testing these with customers, an updated behavioural model is formed (Figure 19). This improvement of the model is beneficial, as it is easier for researchers to use the model in future research. This study also gained understanding of the connections within these behavioural models.

By updating the model, and replacing the determinants after the analysis, a more accurate prediction of the reasoning behind use behaviour can be formed.

Secondly, this research contributes to the growing research on access-based services, not by looking at the possible design improvements of the product, but rather the way the user handles the product. Therefore expanding current understandings of the nature of access-based consumption. As mentioned in the introduction, Bardhi and Eckhardt (2012) discuss the relevance of customer misbehaviour in access-based services. While some relevant factors are previously presented by Schaefers et al. (2016), who quantitatively analysed the adoption of pre-selected barriers. This study takes a rather open approach. It qualitatively explores important behavioural aspects of PSSs users.

This research looks at the motives of a person to behave in a certain way, and discovers determinants that need extra focus when improving customer use behaviour in PSSs.

Thirdly, Tukker (2004) describes that the key problem with use-oriented PSS lies in the difficulty of coming to an agreement on a set of performance standards with the user, and the lack of ability to foresee or affect the user's behaviour. This study tries to provide insight into the reasoning behind customer use behaviour, thus describing use behaviour to be able to predict it.

Finally, this research also looks at important determinants of careful behaviour, signals to investigate the processes underlying customer misbehaviour have been made (e.g. Fisk et al. 2010;

Harris and Reynolds, 2003). To the best of our knowledge, important determinants of careful behaviour have not been identified yet.

6.2 Limitations

The aim of this research was to analyse use behaviour in PSSs and discover the most influential determinants of careful and careless behaviour. The first limitation is linked to human behaviour, and the social desirability bias. This research is conducted via semi-structured interviews, the interviewees needed to sign up to this research via the social media of the researcher. Therefore only respondents in a small circle of the researcher are addressed, as the interviewees are first or second degree acquaintances. Moreover, respondents that wanted to talk about their behaviour reached out. This may have resulted in a disturbed sample group, as only people who are willing to talk about their

39 behaviour were interviewed. Additionally, people tend to exalt when talking about their own behaviour as they might be ashamed of their ‘real’ behaviour. Therefore they might choose to give answers which they believe are more socially desirable or acceptable, rather than answering true to their thoughts and feelings. This is known as the social desirability bias (Grimm, 2010). Moreover, the researcher did not want to ask guiding questions since the research was about behaviour, therefore questions asked could be not discrete enough, nor clear to understand for interviewees.

The second limitation of this research is the fact that three different type of PSS are examined.

This is a limitation as two of the PSSs are relatively the same, Swapfiets and OV-bike, and the other one is different in many ways. As shared scooters are only used for a very short amount of time (maximum of 30 minutes) and there is little to no intervention with the between the company and customer. Despite the fact that this resulted in some interesting findings about customer satisfaction and connection, it made the research less rigid, as it was a different kind of customer service compared to the other type of PSSs investigated.

Thirdly, this study used multiple theories that are often used in quantitative research, where in this research, it has been used qualitatively. This is tried to be minimized by integrating questions from Ajzen (2006) where he describes how to construct a questionnaire in a qualitative manner.

6.3 Practical implications

By composing the cases Chapter 5.2 and finding the most important determinants of careful and careless behaviour, companies that are active as PSSs such as Swapfiets, OV-bike and shared scooter, now know which opportunities to focus on when improving their current business model. For example, increasing their customer connection could heavily increase careful customer use behaviour.

Additionally, it is interesting for these companies to know which behavioural aspects result in careless and careful behaviour. By improving or minimizing these aspects, they might be able to improve the lifespan of a product, have a higher contribution to the CE, and gain profit. The most important determinants of behaviour that should be focussed on by these companies are; the subjective norm, PBC, and its corresponding emotions.

Interviewees have a stronger urge to behave carefully when they feel a stronger connection with the company. This corresponds with the results of Schaefers et al. (2015), where they suggest that access-based service providers should establish a more personal relationship with the customer.

Swapfiets could text their customer with questions that could improve the relationship. Helping them figure out the condition of the product, or tips that are useful for the user. For example: “have you checked your tires today? It is easier to bike on hard tires”.

40 Within the PBC, the condition of the product is often mentioned. A product that is in a good condition is often handled carefully, and one that is in a worse condition is handled carelessly. Here the PSS companies should invest in providing a product that is in perfect shape, so the customers feel the urge to behave carefully.

To respond to the emotions of users, PSS companies should invest in more direct (or face to face) encounters. OV-bike could check the bike together with the customer after usage. To respond to the feeling of guilt that arises towards the company when handling the product carelessly. Moreover, these results could be transferred to other (mobility related) PSSs. However this might be difficult as customers in other PSSs might have other standards, this leads to the next chapter, suggestions for further research.

6.4 Suggestions for further research

For further research this study stresses three main points. First it is important to develop more theoretical insights with the updated integral model within different mobility focussed PSSs, to be able to get a comprehensive view towards important determinants of use behaviour. It is advised doing this one PSS at a time, as mentioned in the limitations, by focussing on a number of PSSs the results were less rigid.

Secondly, it might be interesting to put this model into the context of other type of PSSs, to be able to explore and compare behaviour in these kind of systems. By doing this, similarities and differences in behaviour in different PSSs can be mapped, and possibilities in a bigger context can be explored.

Thirdly, this research questioned interviewees about their behaviour directly, therefore it might be interesting to observe their behaviour and see how people actually behave in certain situations. Taking into account the flow and determinants from the updated model.