PhD student in Information Systems and Innovation
Biography
Luis Emilio Lastra-Gil is pursuing a PhD in Information Systems and Innovation within the Department of Management. He holds a BSc in Finance and Accounting and an MSc in Management from Tecnológico de Monterrey (ITESM) in Mexico, an MBA from the University of Bath, an MSc in Economic History (Research) from LSE, and a Diploma in English History and Literature from The University of Oxford.
Emilio has more than 15 years of experience in telecommunications in roles that include Quality & Business Strategy, Project Management, Bids and Proposals, and more recently Business Modelling and Business Analysis for Bell Labs Consulting. He has worked on a wide range of projects in European, Latin American, Middle East and African markets covering a number of service providers with an emphasis on broadband access network, wireless and services. He has examined the business network ecosystem, identified economic benefits in the addressable market, forecast demand, and built high-level value proposition business cases for operators, telecommunication carriers and Bell Labs Research.
Research interests
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ICT4D
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Telecommunications
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Internet of Things
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Big Data
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Artificial Intelligence
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Entrepreneurship
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Distribution Channels and e-Marketplaces
Thesis Title: The effect of ICTs on Agricultural Distribution Channels in Mexico
Abstract: Traditional family-based production and management is still the main form of agriculture around the world. More than 95% of Mexico’s 5.5m farms are smallholdings of <50 hectares. A farm’s capability depends on its typology. Smallholdings follow traditional patterns of communication, which are usually associated with social connections, reciprocity and trust. They tend to lack the structured business processes and specializations that permit efficient identification and management of distribution channels. I will argue that stakeholders in any industry need information and agriculture is no exception. Information is used according to an individual’s needs and capabilities. Farmers, like all decision makers, are information processors with limited capabilities. Every phase in the agricultural business process requires a degree of specialization. The distribution phase requires knowledge of the market and relationships, entrepreneurial skill and specialization in negotiation and trading. Family farms often lack the appropriate specialization or knowledge, focusing instead on planning and production. They are unlikely to successfully compete for new distribution channels. Capital – time and effort – must be invested to build knowledge and appropriate networks, or farmers can defer to professional managers (intermediaries) or coordinate efforts with other farmers in a cooperative or marketplace, or with customers via a collaborative supply chain network. ICT can establish new links between farmers, markets and end consumers, optimizing distribution channels and reducing transaction costs. This research adopts an embedded longitudinal case study strategy and it is using an inductive qualitative approach with careful consideration of contextual conditions. This research is grounded in a combined transaction cost theory and dynamic capabilities approach. Under what circumstances does technology change people’s lives in rural areas? Under what contexts can ICT services bring benefits to people’s lives? ICT is more than mobile telephony or broadband access, more than simply connectivity: it provides information, communication and services.
Supervisors