The creative industry is currently growing very rapidly in developing countries. This is indicated by various government policies to increase the competitiveness of this industry. Value chains are needed to gain the competitive advantage within this industry at every additional step of the chain. However, there is no comprehensive research on the creative industry value chain in developing countries, such as Indonesia, especially in small and medium enterprises (SMEs). This study attempts to explore the concept of industrial chain values to narrow the gaps that exists in the literature. The research method used is a qualitative approach through semi-structured interviews and observations of 11 SMEs consisting of 5 creative business sub-sectors, namely the culinary, fashion, craft, photography, and visual communication design sectors. The results of this study indicate that, in creative industries, cocreation is the differentiator on the value chain activities, especially those that offer customization. Meanwhile, the use of social media is also considered as an important value chain activities that must be used to effectively communicate the value of the business. The results of this study can be used by stakeholders in Indonesian SMEs as a reference for formulating competitiveness strategies for this creative industry. AbstrakIndustri kreatif berkembang sangat pesat di Negara-negara berkembang. Hal ini ditandai dengan berbagai kebijakan pemerintah untuk menaikkan daya saing industri kreatif. Rantai nilai dibutuhkan untuk mendapatkan keunggulan kompetitif, dimana aktivitas penambahan nilai dilakukan pada setiap fase dalam rantai nilai. Namun, belum ada penelitian komprehensif terkait rantai nilai pada industri kreatif di negara-negara berkembang termasuk Indonesia, terutama penelitian pada usaha dengan skala kecil dan menengah (UKM). Penelitian ini mengeksplorasi konsep nilai rantai industri untuk mempersempit kesenjangan yang ada dalam literatur. Metode penelitian yang digunakan adalah pendekatan kualitatif melalui wawancara semi terstruktur dan observasi pada 11 UKM yang terdiri dari 5 subsektor dalam bisnis kreatif, yaitu kuliner, fesyen, kerajinan, fotografi, dan desain komunikasi visual. Hasil penelitian ini menunjukkan bahwa pada industri kreatif, co-creation ditemukan sebagai pembeda pada kegiatan rantai nilai, terutama pada bisnis yang menawarkan nilai customization. Penggunaan media sosial juga dinilai sebagai aktivitas penting pada rantai nilai untuk mengkomunikasikan nilai bisnis secara efektif. Hasil penelitian ini dapat digunakan sebagai referensi untuk merumuskan strategi daya saing bagi industri kreatif oleh para pemangku kepentingan yang terkait dengan UMKM di Indonesia.

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The DMAIC (Define, Measurement Analyze, Improve, Control) methodology of Six Sigma has been widely recognized as a breakthrough process improvement strategy for application among human resources that offers an impressive reduction in defects or errors in many business processes. Even though Six Sigma’s DMAIC was predominantly applied in the manufacturing industry, recent studies have revealed that it has been implemented effectively in the service industry as well. This article aims to explore the benefits and the fundamental challenges of DMAIC implementation as a student’s course project in five Indonesian service companies. An exploratory study was conducted to provide a clear understanding of DMAIC method implementation in service companies. A similar challenge, the lack of openness of the company, was found across cases. Several enhancements in company performance were identified, including improved customer satisfaction, reduction in delivery errors, and shorter waiting time. This research also highlighted the usage of some non-statistical tools and techniques that effectively contribute to each phase of the DMAIC method. Lastly, all five companies reported that these improvement projects offer positive benefits, including increased revenue and cost reduction.

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