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Creating a Blue Ocean for Family-Owned SMEs: Value Innovation, Digital Transformation, and Sustainability in the Case of Ivan Color Paint Center

作者

  • Ramon George Atento First Asia Institute of Technology and the Humanities ##default.groups.name.author## https://orcid.org/0009-0001-7598-1443
  • Gay Marie Teodosio First Asia Institute of Technology and the Humanities ##default.groups.name.author##
  • Renier Ashley Boa First Asia Institute of Technology and the Humanities ##default.groups.name.author##
  • Alaina Malijan First Asia Institute of Technology and the Humanities ##default.groups.name.author##
  • Quiana Ashley Malolos First Asia Institute of Technology and the Humanities ##default.groups.name.author##
  • Precious Anne Merciales First Asia Institute of Technology and the Humanities ##default.groups.name.author##
  • Princess Jane Ricablanca First Asia Institute of Technology and the Humanities ##default.groups.name.author##

##doi.readerDisplayName##:

https://doi.org/10.65166/x4kqee91

关键词:

Value Innovation, Family-Owned SMEs, Digital Transformation, Sustainability, Customer-Centric Strategy, Philippines, family business, micro and small enterprises, qualitative case study, strategy canvas, buyer utility map

摘要

This paper examines how a provincial, family-owned micro–small enterprise in the Philippines can apply Blue Ocean Strategy (BOS) tools to redesign value creation beyond price-based competition. Using a qualitative descriptive, document-based case approach, the study analyzes the strategic transition of Ivan Color Paint Center (Tanauan City, Batangas) toward “Ivan Color Studio & Solutions Hub,” a more customer-centric and digitally supported service model. The analysis follows the BOS sequence of (1) Eliminate–Reduce–Raise–Create (ERRC) Grid to restructure operational and service priorities, (2) Strategy Canvas to benchmark the enterprise against two locally relevant competitors, and (3) Buyer Utility Map to identify customer-experience stages where additional utility can be created through consultative service, digital access, and eco-oriented options. To complement strategic mapping, a descriptive cost structure and break-even assessment is used to assess feasibility and pricing alignment for an “affordable-premium” positioning. Across the tools, the case suggests that the proposed blue-ocean shift is expressed through streamlined low-value activities, strengthened color-consultation expertise, improved experiential service delivery, and expanded digital engagement, while integrating sustainability-oriented practices as a differentiating element. As an analytic case, the study offers a context-specific illustration of BOS operationalization in a provincial Philippine SME and identifies documentation and measurement details needed to improve auditability in future applications.

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已出版

2025-12-25

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期次

卷 1 期 2 (2025): December 2025: International Journal of Health & Business Analytics

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