ALICE SCHMIDT CONSULTING
  • Home
  • About
    • Vision
    • Testimonials
    • Team
  • Consulting
    • Projects
  • Speaking
  • Publications
  • Contact

A sustainable world
Enjoy. Comment. Share.

Low Tech is Beautiful: the best ICT solutions for MSMEs also benefit large companies

3/19/2019

2 Comments

 
Picture
There is a lot of buzz around high tech solutions for doing business in low-income and emerging markets right now. There are some exciting unicorn examples of emerging market business models which use artificial intelligence, blockchain technology or drones to make supply chains more efficient. However, for many businesses in these markets the potential of low tech solutions is much more exiting right now.
 
These relatively simple solutions, such as online platforms facilitating business links, SMS information services for agribusiness and mobile apps to track logistics, are widely available in Africa, Asia and Latin America. Nevertheless, they remain largely underutilized. This is a missed opportunity in making value chains more effective and more inclusive, thus creating win-wins for small businesses and their multinational business clients, as well as the individuals and communities they serve.
 
In our new research we focused on IT solutions for micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs), including smallholder farmers. For enterprises in emerging markets challenges range from accessing market insights and gaining skills to accessing finance. While larger companies have the means to overcome many of these challenges, MSMEs typically face bigger constraints, and generally find it more difficult to succeed.
 
“The biggest leap for MSMEs comes from low-tech IT solutions that improve access to information, transparency and traceability in value chains, and those that facilitate access to finance and basic services, such as healthcare services and access to energy.“
 
Together with Fundes, Endeva has scanned available IT solutions that enable MSMEs to grow and become more productive. As production networks span ever more widely across multiple countries, the opportunities to better integrate MSMEs from emerging markets in global value chains are vast. Suppliers, distributors and customers who had previously been isolated can now be accessed relatively easily with the help of these IT solutions.
 
Click here for an overview IT solutions that make MSMEs more effective and thus facilitate their incorporation in large companies’ value chains.


2 Comments
    Alice Schmidt sustainability speaker

    This blog

    This Blog discusses a range of topics from social development to sustainable business. I get inspired in all sorts of settings: when working with women in rural areas of Africa on demanding better healthcare from the authorities; when working with large multinationals on measuring their social impact; when teaching students from around the globe on sustainable business and management for the future; when writing reports about politics and happiness; or when discussing my own work-life balance with family and friends. I also discuss selected photos. Please enjoy, share and comment - THANK YOU!

    Get in touch
    e: [email protected]
    in: www.linkedin.com/in/aliceschmidt

    Archives

    November 2021
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    March 2019
    December 2017
    July 2017
    November 2016
    January 2016
    October 2015
    September 2015
    July 2015

    Categories

    All

    RSS Feed

Untangling sustainability to create triple wins for people, planet and the economy.

 Contact

e: [email protected]
in: www.linkedin.com/in/aliceschmidt

Check out our books

w: www.sustainability-puzzle.org
© COPYRIGHT 2015. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.