Digital Transformation, a Question of Survival? : Exploring the Possibility for a Swedish Car Rental Company to Digitally Transform into a Mobility Service Provider

Abstract: Background: Due to arising shifts in customers’ digital expectations, businesses need to adapt current strategies to dynamic environments in order to stay competitive in today’s digital era. These shifts, which are to set new directions for entire industries, is also known as a digital transformation. To digitally transform a firm entails both opportunities to thrive and challenges to face. The technological advances create a need for new roles and skills to be mastered. In addition, the rise of the sharing economy has led to the need for certain industries to adapt accordingly, including the car rental industry. Purpose: The purpose of this thesis is to contribute to the identification of necessary internal and external factors that firms need to consider in order to digitally transform their services. Further, this study aims to provide guidelines for firms aspiring to transform their service to become a MSP. Methodology: This study has adopted a qualitative research strategy and the design of a single case study of a car rental company. In order to collect empirical data, semi- structured interviews were conducted within related fields. Conclusion: The authors of this study have identified prominent internal and external factors within the fields of digital transformation and MaaS. In addition, the authors have come to the conclusion that the identified factors possess different levels of impact within each perspective, which is illustrated through a constructed analysis model. To conclude, this study has contributed with guidelines regarding possible strategies a traditional car rental company could implement in order to transform its business to become a MSP.