PRELIMINARY CONSIDERATION

Villages, communes and small towns (VCST) are the “pillar” of the Enlarged Europe and the best contributors for the development of the new economy based on knowledge.

The environment is fresh and fertile, not polluted by the old economy bureaucratic restrictions and artificial barriers.

More then 50% of the EEC and SEE countries’ population is living in the villages, communes and small towns (VCSM), preserving the traditions of a “small is beautiful” economy, simple and ingenious.
Why this important part of the new economy was forgotten?
Why the Europeans’ common problem continue to be the lack of dynamism or slowness in innovation and making Europe less competitive as US and Japan.

Because the “City-Centralized-Bureaucratic-Structures” still continue to multiply themselves, corrupting and harming the decentralization process, “taking-and-not giving” founds/grants to the lowest levels such as the local communities of VCSTs as well as to the youth Net Generation.

For the old structures the new digital economy is perceived as threatening, because they push them into the disintegration process, together with their more and more archaic, anachronic and desuete tools and practices. Their reintegration asks efforts and sacrifices, loss of power.

Bureaucratic Control Decision System slows down the Digital Economy, putting on the brake the globalization and international growth, jeopardizing the development of the Information Society for All.

How global strategy affects local autonomy?

The “classic tension model”  becomes inoperative as long as the information and knowledge touches and penetrates to the lowest levels. The reaction is immediate when the information and knowledge erupt from the lowest levels and propagate as an earthquake, a volcano on horizontal new structures and vertical old relic. Hierarchies become more and more flat and the locomotive effect” is much more needed, because it creates easier the satisfaction and adds value.

e-Rural Economy is the base of e-Europe Economy.

Why such a big market to be kept “to-the-fridge”? . What can we do? A: PENETRATE-ERUPT-CAPTURE (PEC)!

PENETRATE first the actual old structures and stimulate ERUPTION on the lowest level of the local communities (VCST) and individuals. CAPTURE then the local resources for add value activities.

“Think global-act local” is based on the creative market strategy reflecting both “local potential globally” and ”global potential locally”. The process of peasant digitalization interacts: (1) global-to-local, (2) local-to-local, (3) local-to-global, (4) global-to-global.

This process must be combined with from traditional national centralized structures – to - global decentralized network structure.

Decentralizing and supporting in the same time this huge market offered by the “digital peasant”, we shall speed the implementation of the Competitive Knowledge Economy in the Enlarged Europe. 

What mechanisms easy-to-put-inplug can PEC (penetrate-erupt-capture) in the VCST?

My first proposal is: Rural Business Centers (RBC) linked into a local-global network.

1- The e-paisant/teleworker handicraftsman:

The basic commodities are coming from the micro-economy of the VCST. They are: wood and furniture, textiles and garments, ceramic and glass, food and mineral water, agro-tourism products and services. But the highest add value products and services are coming from: (1)-folklore ENTERTAINMENT: music, dance, sculpture, painting and (2)-the valorification of the natural ENVIRONMENT.

The people from VCSTs could be more mobile thinking and acting. They can adopt any of the three e-work styles: (1) telecommuting (fix office but m-equipment to work off-office hours); (2) mobile teleworking (m-devices connected to office are used all the time out of the office); (3) home-office.

Do you know why?  Because most of the VCST people do-not-have-office and do-not-need-an-office. They spend their time to their office-in-field and home-workshop.

How do we transform a peasant or handicraftsman into a teleworker? Simple. Just giving him/her an acceptable price for wireless m-devices, easy-to-work and ready connected to the v-RBC network. Anyway, he/her have just now the freedom to choose where and when, what and how to work, but which increase the efficiency and competitivity of the activity. With the wireless m-device into the pocket of the e-peasant/handicraftsmen, the transformation is done. 

Working flexible and comfortable means life quality. Imagine millions of digital peasants chatting day-to-day about UMTS or digital TV or 3D application... what a creative universe is opened. Imagine millions of  hands-free-peasants understanding that the b-web is not optional and starting to create millions of digital customers for their add value products and services. 

The Information Society For All is based on the competitive Knowledge Economy:  all-KNOW-all.
 

2.  WHAT  is  a RBC – Rural Business Center?

RBC-Rural Business Center is an NGO\NPO created by the local community of the village, commune or small town (VCST) for economic growth.

How many active members need an RBC for functioning. I suggest minimum 5 and maximum 100. Other actors can associate to the organization as temporary observers or guests.

The main objectives of an RBC are:
     - development of the local economy to go global using ICT;
     - high degree of valorification of the traditional environment, human and all the local renounces;
     - strengthening the social cohesion and integration into the Enlarged European Structures;
     - assuring sustainable competitiveness of the local community and the EU growth; 
     - networking local, regional and global, every community member.

Europe’s COMPETITIVENES to close the gap with its competitors - USA and Japan - depends on the VCST’s competitiveness and their sustainable growth. Localization of the decision will accelerate the decentralization and internationalization process.

Innovation is a way of thinking and behaving. Innovation finds a fertile ground in the VCST as well as at youth Net Generation. Innovation process flourish everywhere “the old nostalgique structures” sub estimated the creative local potential or just forgot to penetrate there, with their  immobile practices.

Being free and volunteers, ad hoc organized and spontaneous, having the time and space on their side, the VCST people – digital peasant or  “hands-free-peasant” can easy learn to build or join an Alliance, the benefits of the e-networking and how to get out from isolation and its disfavourized zone.

Who are the target groups?
If we carefully examine the VCST people we find that they are:
      -  already using “flexible work time” and are mobile;
      -  are not “polluted-and-stressed” by the bureaucratic old system;
      -  can easily jump from past-to-future and are healthy in mind-and-body;
      -  are network oriented “best-for-all” and partnership opened “best-for-both”.

Women and youth  are much more sensitive to the e-RBC.

Who are the key actors for establishing the RBC?
   -  the dynamic open mind mayor;
   -  the successful business managers/owners;
   -  the village intellectuals (professor, doctor, engineers, economists…)
   -  the “commuters” peasants to proxy cities;
   -  the “emigrants” to long distance towns or other countries;
-  the “village’s sons” who never forget their roots and are ready to give help;
-  the “village’s business angeles” those who have a PC and mobile phone;
   -  the Net Generation the “engine” of the digital VCST micro –economy.

What are the needs of the VCST actors?

VCSTs’ people want to be better informed and to get more knowledge concerning: 
 

 3 - WHAT a RBC is doing for the VCST people and potential partners?

Rural Business Center-RBC both physical and virtual:
1-give information on local interest and global development;
2-promote eWork and ICT applications to the VCST;
3-encourage SMEs, family associations, farmers, co-operatives to go digital- go mobile, and to participate to e-economy;
4-stimulate and sustain invention-innovation process both persons and companies; 
5-develop win-win partnership and improve efficiency and quality.
6-improve skills and working conditions, sustain the reconversion of the labor force and reorientation to sustainable acuities;
7-give consulting services ”what-where-when-who” can assist the individuals and the companies;
8-give business links for partnership, funds/grants, technologies;
9-promote top class services and high quality local products;
10-teach the farmers/entrepreneurs:
        - to compete globally and to join or create networks, to think European and international;
        - to by the domain name of his company, family or village, to design the b-web, to work on-line and   benefit of the flexible working 
          hours;
        - to use CRM for identifying clients and quickly respond to the unique customer; how to act/react 
          one-to-one and increase customer satisfaction and profitability;
        - to create customers community and capture add value;
        - to use ICT for enabling end-to-end integration;
        - to connect himself and its company to the Add Value chain and the most performant network;
        -  to use ICT, especially the buy-and-play devices, easy-to-navigate and perform: in e-commerce, I-banking, e-bursa, e-procurement…;
        - to better understand entrepreneurship and competitiveness for creating new applications: easy-to-
          understands and easy-to-do;
11-stabilize labor force, reducing unemployment, eliminating the emigration pressure on the Western 
     countries;
12-descover and support local talents (artist, composers, singers, dancers, painters, sculptures, 
      handicraft)
13-increase the visibility of the local resources and the accessibility of the potential customers partners, 
      inverters;
14-present the natural ecological environment such as the mounting, rivers, lakes, woods, wild animals 
      and flora.
15-make known the wonderful sustainable local economy for growth.

4 -What e-Tools have the v-RBC?

The main e-tool of the RBC is the business web (b-web). RBC supports the creation of:
- e-web for each SME, family association, co-operative, farm, artisan, handicraftsmen, artist…
- e-web for the v-RBC and local community-cyber village/town;
- e-web for the v-RBC NETWORK;
- e-web for specific branches/guilds such as: wood and furniture, metal and handicraft, textile and clothes, form and commodities (grain, vegetables, fruits, meat, milk and diary), arts and craft (music and dance, sculpture and paintings), agro-tourism, architecture and construction.

The b-web is a digital capital sustaining the Digital Village Economy. It brings new capital in the VCST and satisfies the digital peasant’s needs.

The b-web creates visibility to VCST and more accessibility to the 3E -“traditional treasures”: the rural Entertainment values, the generous Environment and the native Efficiency of natural life. These 3E key factors of the VCST stimulate the innovation and invention, involving both creators and end-users in the add value process.

The b-web will help the “ hands-free-peasants “ to rich the digital customer and better capture partners and investors. The b-web of the VCST will create a competitive virtual community for multicultural tolerance and harmony.

Transylvania Business Center -CAT- http://e-cat.ro has a good experience in creating virtual business centers and multicultural cyber cities http://clujnapoca.ro as well as networks and b-web. CAT created the first e-bursa/on-line business links and transaction, the first virtual mayor, the first “po-jama people” as m-boss ( mobile boss ) into a multiethnic transition environment: from centralized - to market economy. This was possible in Transilvania and its “heart capital “ Cluj-Napoca.

The rural e-web can accelerate much more the transition to the global world and knowledge society for all. Paisants need-to-know how to “go-digital” and compete on the v-market. To become a digital peasant, he needs to know how to create his own b-web, how to Internet work with his farm/workshop/house/enterprise. The “digital peasant” has to know to bring the customer inside value chain and to touch all the feelings and satisfactions. Then to e-sell to the customer:
- sound:     local music and rhythm;
- image:     pictures, movies, landscape paintings, sceneries;
- taste:       food, mineral water;
- tactile:     handicraft, sculpture, textiles;
- smell:       fresh air, flowers perfume;
- mobility:  motion, dance, travel;
- health and happy hours.

Entertainment & Environment are the best products offered by the VCSTs. How can they quickly be integrated into the new economy, knowing that they are a source of never ending add value. They offer comfort, satisfaction and easy-to-sell, because:
-  entertainment means: music, dance, painting, sculpture, handicraft;
-  environment means: natural and clean view, fresh air and flowers perfume, motion and health, history and traditions, travel and happy hours.

5 - The market: b-web and digital peasant

The largest b-web market will erupt soon in the villages, communes and small towns-VCST, where more then 50% of the people are living. 

FP6 of European Commission has to take into consideration this important aspect and to foresee special provisions. The key words for FP6 are: digital peasant, b-web, v-RBC network. Considering these 3 words-of-power, FP6 will contribute to global harmonization. Not ignoring them and supporting the 2-3 years projects destined to the most simple and ingenious, but largest market -VCST, the FP6 will 
contribute to the strengthen of the IS e-mechanisms and the Enlarged European growth. Enlargement cannot be realized without VCST Communities. Special attention must be given to the multicultural virtual VCST and to the number one actor: the e-peasant/digital handicraftsmen.  HE or SHE is on the stage now and must run the e-show…

6 - What infrastructure needs the  RBC ?

The RBC do not need to much expensive efforts, but:
    - an adequate meeting space for members, guests and server (3-4 rooms of 30-40  sqm);
    -  connection to internet-telecom service provider, Internet Service Provider-ISP;
    -  mobile appliances supplier for m-devices, equipment;
    -  interface supplier for soft and b-web;
    -  application service provider-ASP. 

What equipment is needed for RBC start-up?
      -  2-3 PCS (one server), 3 Laptops, 5-7 mobile phones/communicator/palm;
      -  printer, copier, scanner, fax, CD-DVD writer;
      - 1 video digital camera, video player, projector, screen.

What staff is needed for RBC start-up
     -  2-3 administrators/project managers
     -  1 ITC specialist
     -  1-2  e-secretary

6 - How much costs to put-in-operation a RBC?
                                                                                   EURO
  -  staff training:  5 persons x 1000 Euro/per…….......…….5 000
  -  space needed (40 sqm x 5 Euro/sqm x 12 month)...........2 400
  -  equipment and furniture(ITC, decks, chairs, etc.)...........28 200
  -  consumables…………………………………….....…..1 200
  -  phone and Internet………………………....…………..1 200
  -  travel………………………………………...…….…..2 400
  -  registration, local tax……………………….......………1 500
  -  unforeseen expenditures………………....………….….2 000
                                                 TOTAL….....……….…..43 900

BEST PRACTICE

Transylvania Business Center-CAT organized field missions in the Salaj and Maramures Counties, well known for their authentic folklore a preserved environment. The area combines both agriculture-livestock traditions with industrial and tourism activities. Handicrafts are interwoven with art in: ceramic, glass, stone, wood, and textile. Painting, sculpture, music and dance accompany the beautiful landscape of the wild volcanic mountains. This universe gives you the back-to-nature impression, exactly what city-bureaucrat dreams to achieve some time … may be when retire…

The results of the first mission (May 2001) were the two reunions for General Assembly in Galgau (large commune) and Targu Lapus (small town) for establishment of the first Rural Business Centers -RBC in Europe.

The mayors of Galgau and Targu Lapus were the key factors of this successful stories, together with the local businessmen, handicrafts and farmers.

Both RBCs developed a site of the multicultural cyber village/small town: http://www.lapus.ro and started to support b-web at the micro level of the rural economy. The first digital peasants were created in Transylvania in summer 2001.

If you stay in the office and you are not mobile, you cannot get anything. That is why the second exploratory mission was organized in April 2002 in the North Transylvania: Crasna, Sighet, Sapanta, Viseu, Sangeorz, Nasaud. All of them are VCST. There were presented the digital economy and EU policies concerning Enlargement process and establishment of the Knowledge Society for All. Plenary meeting organized at City Halls were followed by visits to companies, to be identified the specific project ideas for trans-european co-operation. Over 40 project ideas were identified and CAT assisted 30 companies with Consulting Services delivered by EU-Dutch, German and Romanian experts (CATconsulting&experts Group and MMCP-Netherlands, SES-Germany assistant programs).

The successful stories penetrated all over the region and create eruptions in some of Transylvania cities and VCSTs. A lot of mayors asked for establishment of RBC in their locality.

The digitalization of Transylvania rural economy must continue with the support of the European Commission FP6. The initiator-Transylvania Business Center is ready to be the local partner of EU-Consortiums.

Dr. Radu-Adrian Mlesnita