Creating Joint Efficiencies: Web-Enabled Supply Chain Services for Rural Communities

Currently, about half the population of the world lives in rural areas, and they are disadvantaged regarding access to the basic technical knowledge to exploit the expanding Internet infrastructure. They lack readily available supportive tools, methodologies, and the capability to take advantage of the newly developed technologies to integrate their supply chains. This paper identifies the need for support environments in the development of web-enabled supply chain services for rural areas, based on the concept of a so-called design studio, which uses simulation models and collaboration technology to facilitate the design. The practical applicability of the concept in creating joint efficiencies is discussed before concluding that the conceptual model presented may provide a much-needed solution to some of the failures and problems faced when trying to put supply chains in rural areas onto the web. Exploratory cases are being carried out to prove and validate the applicability of the concept.