ICT Mediated Value Chain for Managing Weavers’ Livelihoods
Value chain practices focus on market orientation of products and services. Products and services highly rely on processes included in the supply chain in order to contribute to the value chain. Globalization, competition, and high cost of production influence the value chain imperatives. Thus, organizations involved in the value chain are challenged with creation of innovative designs and establishing lean production scenarios. This challenge is more serious in the cases of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs). The rugs industry in India is one example of such market behavior, and various SMEs are involved in this sector. Besides, the sector demands market orientation and customer retention for which continuous innovative practices are essential. Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) have played a crucial role in supporting these SMEs in India in rolling out innovative designs through customer engagements in the entire production life cycle. There are also efforts to use ICT as a tool to innovate processes, products, and services to harness better returns on investment and to sustain business. In this case, Jaipur Rugs Company (JRC) strives to manage innovation cycles to ensure development oriented value chain for the weavers and ICT applications have been intrinsic to realize these efforts.