Dodge, Martin and Kitchin, Rob (2014) Barcodes and RFIDs. In: Globalization in Practice. Oxford University Press, pp. 268-271. ISBN 9780199212620

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Abstract

One of the key phenomena of the globalization of commerce has been the internationalisation of goods and brands. A set of diverse practices and processes, including the transformation of transport infrastructure and logistics and the virtualisation of money, have enabled both producers (e.g., goods manufacturers) and sellers (e.g., wholesalers, supermarkets) to massively extend supply chains, to globally expand their markets, and to increase their turnover and profits. A key technology in improving the efficiency and productivity of logistical organisation and operation has been development of sophisticated identification systems that overcome the anonymity of manufactured products by assigning unique numerical identifiers – digital thumbprints - to material products. These identification systems allow products to be effectively and unambiguously processed, shipped and traced through complex logistical networks, to monitor sales, aid account management, refine supply chains and inform marketing strategies. Conceptually they have two distinct components, first an agreed allocation of unique id code numbers and, second, an agreed media to physical store the code. The most obvious manifestation of this technology for product identification and tracking are the parallel black and white printed stripes of barcodes.

Item Type:	Book Section
Additional Information:	This is the preprint version of the published chapter.
Keywords:	Barcodes; RFIDs; globalisation; internationalisation; virtualisation;
Academic Unit:	Faculty of Social Sciences > Geography Faculty of Social Sciences > Research Institutes > National Institute for Regional and Spatial analysis, NIRSA
Item ID:	6022
Depositing User:	Prof. Rob Kitchin
Date Deposited:	13 Apr 2015 14:39
Publisher:	Oxford University Press
Refereed:	Yes
URI:
Use Licence:	This item is available under a Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial Share Alike Licence (CC BY-NC-SA). Details of this licence are available here

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