Reducing Food Waste in Food Supply Chain Based on E-Commerce Platform Model
Date Issued
2016
Date
2016
Author(s)
Dai-Shiuan, Wu
Abstract
The study concentrates on the food waste problem and the pollution problem coming after. These problems are increasingly significant. The study starts with understanding all the segment activities in the food supply chain in order to find out the causes of food waste. After that, the study then comes out with a solution based on E-Commerce platform. For developing an E-Commerce platform to solve the food waste problem that have existed for a long time, internet, Cloud and database are necessary. The followings are key elements of the platform: 1)Build up an E-Commerce platform: To improve the the inefficiency of information transfer and to solve the problem of information asymmetry in the food supply chain, the study suggests that to build up an E-Commerce platform connecting suppliers, consumers and shipping carriers. The strong connections can help decrease transaction costs and insure that the food resources are much better consumed, that is, less food waste since then. Furthermore, there is a specific area for high-ticket products, for those suppliers who provide both high value-added and high price products to be able to gain access to their target customers. A separated area for these high-ticket-product providers can also avoid the unnecessary and inappropriate competition tension between high-ticket-product providers and common-product providers. The separation of two different markets can extend the whole market size of food industry and so to foster the improvement of it. 2)Build up a customer relationship management system: The customer relationship management system can be beneficial to the platform itself, the suppliers and the consumers. First, for the platform and the suppliers, the responses from consumers which are gathered through the customer relationship management system make them understand their strengths and weaknesses and if they fully match the consumers’ needs. Then, the platform and the suppliers can fix the problems based on the responses and more precisely target at the real target customers. This can help the platform and the suppliers strengthen their competitive competences. Second, the more the consumers’ needs fulfilled because of the keep improving process of the platform and the suppliers, the less time-consuming will be for the consumers to find the products they really want. 3)Transform the big data into business intelligence: The motivation of building an E-Commerce platform with internet, cloud and database is to enhance the smoothness of information flow and thus enhance the collaboration between all players in the food supply chain. Besides, tracking the transaction processes and accumulate all the data on cloud based on the E-Commerce platform can create big data. Then, big data can be transformed into business analysis through appropriate analysis. Thus, not only will the platform itself but also the suppliers will make use of the big data. The E-Commerce platform is willing to share the big data with the suppliers on the platform to help them keep improving themselves. The study believes that if the platform and the suppliers co-work and prosper, it may create a positive value creation cycle.
Subjects
Food Waste
E-Commerce Platform
Cloud Database
Customer Relationship Management
Food Donation
Big Data
SDGs
Type
thesis