Faced with the impact of globalization upon business productivity and the consumer’s expectations and demands in current-day Morocco, Moroccan small scale artisans are struggling to compete and earn income to survive. This new phenomenon is due to a smaller interest in the handicraft sector both by the state and by the young consumers, whereas until today, the most basic infrastructural needs for successful business such as affordable transportation and affordable means of publicity are absent in remote villages such as Azrou. The reduced interest in the handicraft sector from the upcoming generation is also a result of globalization and threatens to lead this sector to extinction. Thankfully, the state has come to realize these emerging phenomena and has began an effort to improve the handicraft sector and keep it alive since this last has represented a major source of income for Morocco in the past. Our general approach was to study the small scale artisans specifically in Azrou in order to acquire a deep understanding of the problem, and through studied successful cases, propose solutions and recommendations for the artisans in Azrou as an alternative to the state’s strategy for the improvement of the artisanal sector in Morocco. The results of our research show that there are ways for the small-scale artisans to improve their businesses with the means they currently have, and these include the use of e-commerce, taking advantage of ethical tourism to publicize and help their businesses grow. The implementation of these recommended solutions will surely aid these artisans, but it is the task of the state to improve or develop the infrastructure needed to ease access to e-commerce and the tourist sector, ultimately ensuring the long-term prosperity of the small-scale artisan business and, ultimately, their quality of life.

• This report represents the work of one or more WPI undergraduate students submitted to the faculty as evidence of completion of a degree requirement. WPI routinely publishes these reports on its website without editorial or peer review.

Creator

• Bellamine, Wadii
• Afiri, Marouane

Publisher

• Worcester Polytechnic Institute

Identifier

• E-project-010908-142849

Advisor

• Addison, W. A. Bland
• El-Korchi, Tahar

Year

• 2008

Center

• Rabat, Morocco Project Center - IQP

Date created

• 2008-01-09

Resource type

• Interactive Qualifying Project

Source

• E-project-010908-142849

Rights statement

• In Copyright

License

• Creative Commons BY Attribution 4.0 International

Last modified

• 2024-02-02