E-Commerce Platform Design for Producer and Consumer Connection

This article describes the importance of the establishment of a “producers and consumers connection (referred to as P-C connection ) electronic commerce (e-commerce) platform. I will discuss the design and implementation issues for such platform, and finally propose paradigms for its success running

Product Service Systems and Sustainability: Opportunities for Sustainable Solutions

Given that the concept of PSS is beginning to 'catch on' and gain attention, it is time for UNEP to contribute to, and influence the progress of PSS, to ensure that in concept and application it incorporates the idea of sustainability. In this context its potential is not generally understood by the public and private sectors or civil society. This booklet is intended to contribute to the dissemination and the discussion of the PSS concept as a promising approach to sustainability. The ultimate goal must be to achieve Sustainable Product-Service Systems. This UNEP publication is targeted at industry and government, academia and civil society to explain PSS – their potential benefits and limitations – in the sustainability context – using real company examples. To prepare this booklet, UNEP has drawn on the knowledge and experience of PSS experts to flesh out the concept of a sustainable PSS, to collect case studies of PSS in practice, to begin to document both its benefits and the hurdles which need to be overcome in its application, and to suggest ways forward in its development

Head and hands in the cloud: cooperative models for global trade to be found in traditional crafts

Abstract: Until recent times, the standard globalization model has been to maximize profit by moving manufacture to locations where wages are low, and there are fewer obstacles, such as environmental standards. This model has been supported by a form of branding which elides the means of production, separating consumer from producer. The emergence of online trading platforms promises to bridge this gap. Both eBay and Amazon have recently created virtual stores for connecting ethical consumers with poor craft producers. Meanwhile, alternative platforms seek a similar connection in a cooperative framework, such as a Non-Government Organization (NGO), Just Change, in Bangalore. This paper compares the corporate and the cooperative models for ethical trade. From this review, it proposes a model emerging from the three-year Sangam Project that seeks to give market value to the relational practices involved in the design, production and sale of handmade craft products. The aim is to find a place for traditional craft practices otherwise displaced by globalization and urbanization. The platform presumes a three–way partnership between craftspersons, designers and consumers. Though limited primarily to gift products, it is proposed as a model for other trading practices. This paper was presented at People and the Planet 2013 at RMIT in July 201

An Architecture for Information Commerce Systems

The increasing use of the Internet in business and commerce has created a number of new business opportunities and the need for supporting models and platforms. One of these opportunities is information commerce (i-commerce), a special case of ecommerce focused on the purchase and sale of information as a commodity. In this paper we present an architecture for i-commerce systems using OPELIX (Open Personalized Electronic Information Commerce System) [11] as an example. OPELIX provides an open information commerce platform that enables enterprises to produce, sell, deliver, and manage information products and related services over the Internet. We focus on the notion of information marketplace, a virtual location that enables i-commerce, describe the business and domain model for an information marketplace, and discuss the role of intermediaries in this environment. The domain model is used as the basis for the software architecture of the OPELIX system. We discuss the characteristics of the OPELIX architecture and compare our approach to related work in the field

E-COMMERCE IN AGRICULTURE: DEVELOPMENT, STRATEGY, AND MARKET IMPLICATIONS

Marketing,

Think Local-Act Local: Is It Time to Slow Down the Accelerated Move to Global Marketing?

In view of the accelerated move of great corporations towards global marketing, the strategic changes of such companies raise interesting questions. Is marketing globalization reaching its limits after years of implementation? Is it time for companies to rethink their strategies and move back, like Coca-Cola, to a multi-domestic marketing approach?Global Marketing, Multi-Domestic Marketing Approach, Brand Equity, Drawbacks of Marketing Globalization, Coca-Cola

Innovation in Marketing Channels

In more recent years, the context of globalization in which market channel structures and strategies are developing is bringing to a more complex concept of marketing channels, with disintermediation or reintermediation, multichanneling and new roles/specializations that are emerging as new issues.In this context, innovation in marketing channels becomes a complex, multiorganizational, multidisciplinary activity that requires collaboration and interactions across various entities within the supply chain network. In recent years, the innovation processes in marketing channels have occurred with high intensity and speed, especially following the changes spurred by technology that allowed the adoption of more efficient organizational solutions.Retail; Channel Structure; Innovation in Marketing Channels; Retail Technological Innovation; Global Markets