TradeCraft: Co-creating an Interactive Viability Roadmap for Small Maker Enterprises

该项目旨在创建一个互动式在线工具，以互动式可行性路线图的形式提高小型制造企业的可行性。该工具将通过个性化的、基于设计的方法，为产品开发、流程改进和促销有效性提供量身定制的战略，为小型制造企业的未来生存能力做出贡献。该工具将协助企业就符合其价值观和优先事项以及可持续性原则的未来战略作出决定。所有建议给单个企业的策略都将基于a）企业提供的信息和B）成功的“真实的世界”例子。该工具可视化的数据还将为区域经济发展和政策咨询组织（如各党派议会手工艺小组）提供有关小型制造企业价值观和优先事项的汇总信息，以便经济和其他形式的支持以及政策制定决策能够更好地与其需求保持一致。人们对我们消费的产品的来源重新产生了兴趣。这包括从超市里的食品到餐厅菜单的配料，从当地的精酿啤酒到手工制作的物品。本项目的研究基础是有形货物，但这一概念可以扩展到包括其他种类的货物。然而，尽管兴趣重燃，但生产这类商品的企业的生存能力往往不稳定-正如联合王国的拉德克利夫濒危工艺品红色名录和国际层面的联合国教科文组织非物质文化遗产计划所表明的那样，这两项计划都旨在支持这些文化习俗，并提高人们对其重要性和价值的认识。虽然英国目前没有加入联合国教科文组织的非物质文化遗产计划，但中国在国家、地区和市级层面都积极支持这一计划。我们在美国也看到了这方面的大量工作。因此，这是一个全球性问题，拟议的互动可行性路线图的潜在用途和影响是国际性的，有证据表明，需要更好地了解小型制造企业如何通过尊重其价值观并往往具有深厚文化根源的有效支持，为充满活力的创意经济作出贡献。该项目以两种方式解决这一问题。首先，它使个别企业能够采取与其宣布的价值观和优先事项以及可持续原则相一致的新战略。第二，它使区域经济发展和政策咨询组织能够确保支持和政策考虑到小型制造企业所有者普遍存在的价值观和优先事项，以确保适当的供应，TradeCraft将为企业所有者和其他利益攸关方带来好处，包括在该领域工作的设计师，工艺理事会，设计理事会，西北工艺网络，传统工艺协会，这些组织包括：地方经济合作伙伴关系等区域经济发展组织;工艺品跨党派议会小组等政策咨询小组;以及在这一领域工作的研究人员。此外，这项工作将引起国际团体的兴趣，如澳大利亚Craft-ACT，圣达菲国际民间艺术博物馆和中国社会科学院北京。COVID-19对文化产业和旅游业的长期负面影响还为时过早。然而，无论是规划恢复还是以全新的方式评估和确保小型制造企业的复原力，这一互动式可行性路线图将使企业和经济发展及政策咨询组织能够就适当的战略和支持活动做出更明智的决定。

This project aims to create an interactive online tool to enhance the viability of small maker enterprises in the form of an Interactive Viability Roadmap. This tool will contribute the future viability of small maker enterprises through a personalised, design-based approach that provides tailored strategies for product development, process improvement and promotion effectiveness. The tool will assist enterprises in making decisions about future strategies that are in line with their values and priorities and also with the principles of sustainability. All the strategies suggested to an individual enterprise will be based on a) information supplied by the enterprise and b) successful 'real world' examples. The data visualised by this tool will also provide regional economic development and policy advisory organizations, such as the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Craft, with aggregate information about the values and priorities of small maker enterprises so that economic and other forms of support, and policy development decisions, can be better aligned with their needs.In recent times, there has been renewed interest in the provenance of the products we consume. This ranges from the foods available in supermarkets to the ingredients of restaurant menus, and from local craft beers to handmade objects. The research base for this present project was tangible goods, but the concept can be extended to include other kinds of goods. Notwithstanding the renewed interest, however, the viability of enterprises that produce these kinds of goods is often precarious - as indicated by the UK's Radcliffe Red List of Endangered Crafts and, at the international level, UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) Programme, both of which aim to support these cultural practices and raise awareness of their importance and value. While the UK presently does not subscribe to the UNESCO ICH Programme, it has been enthusiastically embraced in China at the national, regional and municipal levels. We have also seen considerable work in this area in the USA. Hence, this is a global issue and the potential use and impact of the proposed Interactive Viability Roadmap is international.Evidence demonstrates that there is a need for better understanding of how small maker enterprises can contribute to a vibrant creative economy through effective support that is respectful of their values and often has deep cultural roots. This project addresses this issue in two ways. First, it allows individual enterprises to adopt new strategies that are aligned with their declared values and priorities and with sustainable principles. Second, it enables regional economic development and policy advisory organizations to ensure that support and policy take into account the values and priorities prevalent among small maker enterprise owners, to ensure appropriate provision.TradeCraft will generate benefits for enterprise owners and other stakeholders, including designers working in the field, Craft Council, Design Council, North West Craft Network, Heritage Crafts Association, and regional tourist organizations; regional economic development organizations such as Local Economic Partnerships; policy advisory groups such as the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Craft; and researchers working in this field. In addition, the work will be of interest to groups internationally, such as Craft-ACT, Australia, the International Folk Arts Museum, Santa Fe, and the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, Beijing.The extent to which COVID-19 will have a long-term negative effect on the cultural industries and tourism is too early to say. However, whether planning for resumption or for entirely new ways of appreciating and ensuring the resilience of small maker enterprises, this Interactive Viability Roadmap will allow enterprises and economic development and policy advisory organizations to make better-informed decisions about appropriate strategies and support activities.