Development of novel resource flow model towards a digital transformation framework for the Sri Lankan Handicraft supply chain

Despite the fact that the global handicraft business has enormous growth potential, Sri Lankan handicraft artisans are unable to benefit from it. Though there are numerous state and private actors in Sri Lanka's handicraft ecosystem, a fundamental issue that has led to this predicament is a lack of communication and collaboration among these organizations and stakeholders. More specifically, a lack of communication and collaboration among ecosystem actors impairs the ecosystem's resource flow, resulting in inefficiencies in crucial industry processes. To overcome current inefficiencies and make the craft ecosystem more productive and sustainable, digitalization has been recognized as a major option. This research was carried out with the goal of identifying inefficiencies in the Sri Lankan handicraft industry's supply chain and developing a resource flow model that could be used as the foundation during the process of digitalization of industry processes. Following a thorough study of the literature, data was gathered through interviews and surveys with key stakeholders. These unique data were analyzed to identify interconnections and resource flows, and a model reflecting the handicraft supply chain's information, knowledge, financial, products, and material resource transactions was developed with relevant validation procedures. This resource flow model might serve as the cornerstone for future digital transformation, allowing all actors in the handicraft ecosystem to connect digitally and eliminate inefficiencies through improved communication and collaboration.