The "UBER Case": Do protests against disruptive forces help?

The "UBER" app is revolutionizing the cab industry. Not everyone likes that.FROM CHRISTOPH OGGENFUSS*How far has the cab industry come in the past hundred years, when I can't get a yellow cab on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan on a Friday afternoon to take my heavy travel bag to Brooklyn? Insiders tell me that at this time downtown is the shift change and therefore no cab stops at Fifth Avenue to take me. So I drag my bag to Madison Avenue where the cars are going in the opposite direction. After a quarter of an hour a cab driver deigns to stop and ask where I want to go. When I say Brooklyn he waves me off - but I could still convince him to take me there. A few days later I'm standing again in Midtown at Fifth Avenue - the small difference to the gauntlet last Friday: I've downloaded the UBER app. I press the order button and realize that I will be picked up in 7 minutes. The driver's name is Akm and his picture is also included, he drives a Toyota Prius and I see him approaching my location on the map. I am greeted friendly, the suitcase is loaded and off we go to JFK Airport. The fixed price of my ride has already been displayed to me and the charge is made to my credit card - I receive the receipt electronically and can complete the driver evaluation at my leisure after checking in at the airport. Welcome to the digital world with a customer experience like I imagine in 2014.UBER as a disruptive innovationDisruptive innovations are, according to the definition of Harvard Professor Clayton Christensen, offers that are "accessible and affordable" compared to previous services - i.e. have easier access and are significantly cheaper. Such innovations are disruptive because they either generate massive growth or permanently change consumer habits. In the example of UBER, it is above all the intuitive app that has massively simplified access to the cab service. The lower price, clean vehicles and friendly drivers round off the positive picture and increase the explosive power of the offer. Interestingly, UBER drivers are for the most part not former cab drivers of the unionized providers.The UBER business modelUBER's business model is impressively simple. Drivers bring a car that is no more than ten years old, a clean criminal record and enjoy customer service. UBER takes care of the rest: providing the smartphone with the app, credit card processing, and compensating the employees, who are free to choose their hours of service and pay UBER 20% of the revenue. Flexible working hours, no cash in the vehicle, no administration - this stings and is attractive for UBER, for the driver and the customer. By the way, UBER is now active in 45 countries and in more than 200 cities.Protests of cab driversOn June 11, 2014, numerous cab drivers in Europe protested against UBER. From the cab drivers' point of view, this reaction is understandable - but does not change the massive, disruptive power of the new business model in the medium term. Too many cab drivers have become too comfortable in recent years, no longer cleaning their vehicles and depositing customer service at the checkroom. UBER is happy to take this flank - so the June protest in London was the best PR for UBER... the number of new registrations increased by 850% compared to the average!