Modelo de gestión para la tienda universitaria. Universidad Distrital Francisco José de Caldas

Abstract

The Francisco José de Caldas District University, founded in 1948 as the Municipal University of Bogotá, has historically been an institution committed to public higher education, especially for low-income youth. Throughout its evolution, it has responded to social, political, and educational changes in the country, establishing itself as an academic benchmark in Bogotá. However, it faces a persistent problem related to its community's sense of belonging, evidenced by the lack of care for its spaces, the low value placed on institutional symbols, and a weak emotional connection to the university's identity. In light of this situation, the creation of a University Store is proposed as a strategy to strengthen the bond between the university and its members. This store will not only offer products personalized with the institution's name, but will also serve as a channel to promote respect for public property, sustainability, and commitment to higher education. Each item sold will be conceived as a symbol of institutional identity, seeking to foster a sense of belonging and project a coherent and solid image of the District University to society. The proposed management model for the store is based on optimizing available resources, from product selection to operational processes, with the aim of offering an efficient and meaningful shopping experience. To learn about the preferences of the university community, an online survey was conducted with a sample of 383 people, including students, faculty, administrators, alumni, and staff. The results revealed that the majority of the target audience are young people between the ages of 18 and 25, with a preference for online shopping, digital payment methods, and a high regard for value for money. In addition, the need to unify the market for institutional products, currently scattered across social networks and external stores offering personalized items bearing the university's name, was identified. The proposed model envisages an e-commerce platform with zero inventory, where the supplier is responsible for storage and shipping, allowing for more efficient operation. It is estimated that the platform will be able to serve up to 1,000 simultaneous users and process 200 transactions at the same time. The system consists of customers, suppliers, and the automated system, which communicate with each other because the customer makes the request, the bot informs the supplier, and the supplier is responsible for sending the product. The technological infrastructure will be supported by a server and e-commerce software. Operational processes will be defined using flowcharts to ensure efficiency in sales, orders, advertising, and suppliers. Finally, a CANVAS model was developed that identifies the key elements for the sustainability of the project, highlighting the university community, the management team, and digital channels as fundamental actors. Overall, automation was established using the Microsoft tool, Power Automate, to link communication with the website and suppliers, thus avoiding dependence on inventories or direct operational personnel.