NESTA Crime Online - University of Brighton Repository

actors, which are increasingly distributed globally. This idea recognises economic
activities as global, and its central concern is to unpack the relationships between the
actors involved in the range of activities that lead to producing a good or service.
While value chains were intended to describe production of legitimate activities, 126 the
similarities between the dynamics of cybercrime and those of private business mean that
value chains can be easily applicable to the cybercrime ‘industry’. Moreover, value chain
analysis allows us to grasp the big picture and give perspective to individual anecdotes
and isolated data.
Value chain analysis is a powerful and useful tool for both analytical and policy purposes.
First, it locates particular actors within the value chain and shows how they change
position over time. Second, it maps the common flow of activities required for the
production of good and services. Third, it identifies the linkages between the various
activities in the chain. Fourth, it helps us to see who gains along the supply chain and
identify the strong and weak links. In other words, it identifies who plays an important
role in its success, or how it is governed. Finally, it highlights the importance of
upgrading and improvement. This latter aspect is particularly useful for understanding
how criminals are improving their attacks, as well as for law enforcement to identify the
core competences of cybercriminals.
The main goal of value chain analysis is to provide useful advice to legitimate firms on
how to improve their ability to compete in the global economy. However, it may also
help (a) unfold the structure of the cybercrime industry, and (b) identify major relevant
areas for prevention of cybercrime, priority of action and alternatives for intervention.
126 Much of the original thinking on value chains came from Porter M (1990), “Competitive Advantage” Free
Press, London. However, the approach adopted in this report owes more to Kaplinsky R., and Morris M.,
(2001), A Handbook for Value Chain Research. International Development Research Centre: Ottawa and to H
Schmitz (2005), Value Chain Analysis for Policy Makers and Practitioners”, ILO, Geneva. More recently the UK
Department for Business Enterprise & Regulatory Reform has employed the concept of Global Value Chains in
their analysis of the electronics and automotive sectors in Berr (2009) ‘Globalisation of value chains and
industrial transformation n the UK’, February.
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