MIT LIFT Lab

Supply Chain Management has commonly been focused on large firms, and little attention has received micro and small enterprises, which represent ~99% of all businesses in the world.

The MIT Low Income Firms Transformation (LIFT) Lab project focuses on contributing to the survival and growth of small businesses by improving their operations and supply chain management decisions. MIT LIFT Lab, founded in 2022, grew out of the MIT GeneSys project, which began in 2016 with the aim of contributing to small business growth specifically in developing countries.

By using descriptive and inferential statistical analysis, utilizing standard methods as well as sophisticated machine learning techniques, our projects are based on empirical research with real data from MSEs, including large-scale analysis and field interventions. The information used for our studies is based on primary data collected via immersion, shadowing and observation, which significantly increases the quality and impact of the analysis. We aim to develop a comprehensive model-based theory grounded in the data and the context, so the findings can be used in the future when conditions change.

MIT LIFT Lab grew out of the MIT GeneSys project, which began in 2016 with the aim of contributing to small business growth specifically in developing countries. The objective of the project is to provide a framework for managerial insights for micro and small firms by answering the following research questions:

(*) What is the level of adoption of general business practices, supply chain practices, and lean practices?
(*) How much time does the decision maker spend in conducting different supply chain activities and how does he organize his time?
(*) What are the factors that may influence the level of adoption of the aforementioned practices (firm size, the gender of manager, type of firm, service vs. manufacturing, general manager educational level, general manager years of experience, time-management habits, among others)?