Patch Worked Digital Infrastructure in the Maritime Industry.
H. Z. Hendrikssen (Copenhagen Business School)
Stefan Henningsson (Copenhagen Business School)
Boriana Rukanova (TU Delft - Information and Communication Technology)
Yao-hua Tan (TU Delft - Information and Communication Technology)
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Abstract
Transportation of horticultural products from Africa to Europe entails numerous challenges. This study of a large European importer of perishable goods in The Netherlands presents complexities of the physical flows of the goods along with information flows related to the goods. Throughout the journey of horticultural products public and private stakeholders in different countries contribute to the production and exchange of data, information, and heavy load. Based on data from a longitudinal research project focusing on global supply-chains the paper aims at providing a mapping of the numerous actors which contribute to the journey of the goods as well as the production of information travelling with the goods. The objective of the mapping is to illustrate the complexity of the infrastructure including the potentially overlapping and competing digital infrastructures of private and public actors. The mapping serves as a tool for highlighting aspects which challenge the forming of governance structures for information infrastructures in international trade where transparency of processes are crucial for a successful outcome of the transactions. The study suggests that at present international transporting of horticultural products from the grower to the consumer is dependent of a patch worked digital infrastructure.