A group of lecturers from Warmadewa University carried out Community Service (PKM) in a bamboo weaving craftsman business group in Landih Village, Bangli Regency on Friday (5/14/2021). The activity entitled "Empowerment of Bamboo Weaving Craft Business by the Sari Murni Mothers Business Group in Landih Village, Buayang Hamlet-Bangli" involved lecturers from multi-disciplinary fields including the Accounting, Management, Economics, Development Studies Study Programs and practitioners in the field of Information Technology. The purpose of implementing this Community Partnership Program is to empower and maintain the existence of bamboo weaving craft products, especially sokasi, considering that Landih Village, especially Buayang Hamlet, is one of the centers of bamboo weaving crafts in Bangli Regency. The forms of community service programs implemented include the provision of supporting facilities and infrastructure for production, training related to digitalized bookkeeping and transaction recording, and electronic-based product marketing ( e-marketing ). This program is a form of response to the era of the industrial revolution 4.0 which emphasizes the concept of combining information and communication technology in the industrial sector. The craftsmen of the sokasi woven craft business in Landih Village-Buayang Hamlet come from mothers, especially those who are classified as economically disadvantaged. The purpose of forming a community of sokasi woven craftsmen is to empower mothers, especially those who have odd jobs so that they can improve their standard of living. The business group that is a partner in the 2021 community service program is called the "Sari Murni" Sokasi Craftsmen Empowerment Group, chaired by Ketut Hasil. This group was formed in 2007 and has 14 members. The advantage of the sokasi products produced by this group is the final result which is neater and smoother because it is done by housewives so that the work process is more painstaking. In addition, the use of two-segment bamboo makes the sokasi products produced have good quality. To increase the aesthetic value and selling value of the product, this group of craftsmen tries to be creative and innovative by producing sokasi models in various sizes and also various motifs such as swastika motifs, butterfly sari motifs, name motifs, and sun motifs. The Sari Murni Group produces once a week (usually on Wednesdays) and is able to produce four pieces of sokasi woven crafts. The selling price of sokasi also varies from IDR 50,000 to IDR 300,000 depending on the type of motif variant and size. The results of these sales are then managed by the group, and the profits from the sales will be distributed to members every six months (coinciding with Galungan Day).
The agenda of this community service activity is the provision of materials by a group of lecturers from Warmadewa University, especially lecturers from the Faculty of Economics and Business, Accounting, Management, Development Studies Economics Study Program, and a practitioner in the field of Information Technology. The partner of this PKM program is the Sokasi Craftsmen Empowerment Group "Sari Murni". The socialization process involves all members of the craftsmen group while still following health protocols. However, this does not reduce the enthusiasm of all participants who take part in this program, considering the great benefits received. The chief executive of this community service program, I Gst. B Ngr. P. Putra, SE., M.Sc., Ak, CA, said that the urgency of this Community Service program is to overcome the problems faced by community service partners in developing their businesses. The sokasi woven craft business run by the group of mothers in Landih Village is classified as a Micro, Small and Medium Enterprise on a home industry scale. In its journey, businesses with a small scope such as the sokasi woven craft business of the Sari Murni Group often experience ups and downs in business due to several problems faced. There are 3 (three) priority problems that are crucial to overcome, namely production problems, limited understanding of recording financial transactions and bookkeeping which is still done manually, and conventional marketing and promotion models.
The first program that we do is the provision of supporting production facilities and infrastructure. From the survey process that has been carried out, we found that the capital conditions of partners are very limited, so they often experience difficulties in providing bamboo raw materials and auxiliary materials to make sokasi craft products, such as paint dyes and brushes. This condition causes the production process to be hampered, thus affecting the quantity of products produced. This condition encourages us to provide assistance in the form of assistance in providing supporting production facilities and infrastructure such as the provision of bamboo raw materials, and auxiliary materials for paint dyes and brushes. The service team also provides assistance in the form of new equipment such as saws and knives to replace equipment whose economic life has expired.
The second program we provide is financial transaction recording training. By providing knowledge related to simple financial recording, it is expected to help partners to know the outflow and inflow of funds that occur. The community service team also introduced and provided training related to the use of a third-party digitalized bookkeeping application called the "Buku Kas" application. Through the use of this application, it is expected to have a positive impact, namely increasing the efficiency and effectiveness of the bookkeeping process. The Buku Kas application provides a complete menu related to business financial recording. The community service team introduces and teaches partners starting from inputting sales transactions, cost of goods sold, inputting expenses, recording suppliers or customers. Partners can also record debts and receivables, and set reminders for their due dates. The system in the application will provide reminder information for partners regarding the names of customers or suppliers along with the nominal debts or receivables. This application also provides a menu related to debt payments and receivables settlements. No less important is that partners can download debt or receivables reports and simple financial reports according to the desired time period.
The third program that we provide is the provision of a website as a form of electronic marketing strategy and online promotion strategy training via Facebook apps and Instagram apps . The initial stage is to create a website by providing a product catalog accompanied by product type variants, prices, and sizes and equipped with a link that is directly connected to the WhatsApp application so that it will make it easier for consumers when making purchase orders. The next stage is to present information at a glance about the typical sokasi woven craft products of Landih Village. We also provide additional information that this product is the work of a community of poor mothers in Landih Village. This aims to educate the public that by purchasing this sokasi woven craft product, it will help this business continue to exist and help improve the standard of living of the group of craftsmen mothers. This information is considered very important so we will include it in the website description column . The next stage is the implementation of online promotion methods via Facebook apps and Instagram apps . This type of promotion method is a form of adjustment to the characteristics of consumers and society in general, the majority of whom use Facebook and Instagram social media . Utilizing advances in digital technology in the era of globalization is a form of marketing relevance in efforts to market products, especially to reach a wider audience by focusing more on photos or images. The service team members are chaired by I Gst. B Ngr. P. Putra, SE, M.Sc., Ak., CA, assisted by three members, namely Anak Agung Ketut Jayawarsa, SE., M.Sc., Ida Ayu Dinda Priyanka Maharani, SE., MM, and Putu Ary Setiyawan, S.Ti. The results of this activity are the overcoming of difficulties in terms of fulfilling the need for bamboo raw materials and auxiliary materials such as paint, brushes, saws, and knives. Second, there is an increase in understanding, efficiency and effectiveness of the financial transaction recording process. Then the third result is an increase in sales results through the implementation of e-marketing strategies .
