Technology used as a weapon to fight informality: the success of the SCOP

Abstract

Learning outcomes

The learning outcomes are as follows: to understand the problem of informality and how it develops, taking advantage of the control flaws of public and private institutions and its growth by the legitimacy of society; to analyze the role of the regulatory body in its fight against informality from the area of its influence, which is the energy sector; to analyze the economic and social impact of a solution like the one proposed in the case; to analyze the impact at the level of public policies of solutions such as the one proposed in the case; and to review the strategy of the hand of technology that can achieve the development of original solutions to fight against informality.

Case overview/synopsis

The case study was written on the basis of a real success story that explains the development of a technological solution that allowed the Supervisory Agency of Energy and Mining of Peru to effectively deal with informality in the commercialization of fuels, which became a reference in the region. The story begins by recreating the system that existed for the commercialization of fuels and how the shortcomings of this system itself encouraged the appearance of informal merchants who benefited from the situation. It also explains how the regulatory authority decides to deal with this problem by creating a special unit that confronts this issue and how, after some failures, an original strategy was able to be designed with the help of technology to control informality.

Complexity academic level

Business schools, where different aspects can be analyzed, such as the strategy used in the supply chain of informal or formal commerce. It is also recommended for use in master’s programs in specific sectors, such as public management or energy management. Finally, it can also be used in entrepreneurship, given that informal entrepreneurship is considered as a new line of research in this field.

Supplementary materials

Teaching Notes are available for educators only. Please contact your library to gain login details or email support@emeraldinsight.com to request teaching notes.

Subject code

CSS 11: Strategy.

Citation

Amesquita, F.E. and Morales, O. (2019), "Technology used as a weapon to fight informality: the success of the SCOP", , Vol. 9 No. 4. https://doi.org/10.1108/EEMCS-07-2019-0197