Policy responses

Promoting a shift from tighly controlled VCs to more flexible business models (BMs) with more digital/ecommerce/blockchain solutions: toward the retail-end, BMs that combine physical and digital solutions (farmer groups/shops/restaurants that can more easily switch between receiving customers to delivering to customers via online orders and payments) – there are existing digital marketing platforms which we can promote to both sellers and buyers….  Always adapt to the context, best practices in one place may not be appropriate in another.

Links and references

- Large scale: Tao Bao model in China (Contemporary Management Research Pages 121-142, Vol. 14, No. 2, June 2018). https://doi.org/10.7903/cmr.18285
- Small scale: use of phone-based direct marketing by smallholder farmer groups (e.g., the Agripar digital marketing platform in Kenya - background note available in pdf).
– Online to offline e-commerce: Online to offline food delivery situation and challenges in China 2014. http://dspace.unive.it/bitstream/handle/10579/13125/861115-1214085.pdf?sequence=2
- Walmart - Protocols to shift to emergency mode production have an Emergency Operations Center (EOC) that a hub to engage operations teams throughout the business and ensure that stores are prepared for a disruption.
- How Chinese Companies Have Responded to Coronavirus - by Martin Reeves , Lars Fæste , Cinthia Chen, Philipp Carlsson-Szlezak and Kevin Whitaker, March 10, 2020. https://hbr.org/2020/03/how-chinese-companies-have-responded-to-coronavirus
- The Global Auto Industry Responds to the Coronavirus FEBRUARY 12, 2020 By Brian Collie, Nikolaus Lang, Gang Xu, Justin Rose, Michael McAdoo, Nicholas Ge, and Diego Medicina. https://www.bcg.com/publications/2020/coronavirus-impact-automotive-industry.aspx

Pros -Allows households to access critical supplies such as food, especially for infected persons who are restricted from leaving their homes

Cons - Traditional retailers would end up laying off workers in favour of using delivery services -Employment Precarity for the ones who deliver (e.g. uberisation) - Often the jobs created in delivery hire more men than women whereas in more traditional retail there is more representation of women - As a basic minimum, many food delivery apps require access to a smart phone and internet

Minimum conditions - A working and affordable internet connection is required - In order to transport perishable goods such as food, a very efficient transport system is required including a reliable cold chain

Governance Government works with private sector, especially financial institutions, to make available special financial packages to critical businesses that would supply food to affected areas

Other Elements - Private sector companies would need to respond to the opportunity to provide affordable electronic devices for internet access