Mobile financial service-enabled micro-businesses driving sustainable value creation in emerging markets

Abstract

Financial service innovations open avenues for the financial inclusion and empowerment of micro-businesses in emerging economies. While there is a growing debate about the impact of such information and communication technology-driven business model innovations, this has not been studied on a supply chain (SC) level. Accordingly, this paper adopts a case study approach to analyze how mobile financial services (MFSs) enable sustainable value creation in emerging economy SCs. Semi-structured interviews conducted in Pakistan and four selected countries in Sub-Saharan Africa show how MFSs impact local micro-businesses' information, financial, and physical SC flows. This research demonstrates that value creation processes are driven by mobile business transactions that address market, regulatory, and socio-cultural constraints faced by micro-entrepreneurs in emerging markets. Thereby, we strengthen the understanding of the interplay between local conditions and the application of technological innovations promoting sustainable value creation along SCs. Various challenges and hidden consequences threatening value creation were identified. Further, this study provides a theoretical framework that merges constructs from the field of technology-driven innovations, (sustainable) business models, and (sustainable) SC management. This allows analyzing with and for whom value is created from an SC perspective.