Assignment:

Choose a particular sector / company and identify usage of ICT in marketing and sales along with the discussion of advantages and disadvantages

NAME - ANKIT JAIN COURSE MBA(IB) FORM NO - 1338384

Information and Communications Technology - or technologies (ICT) is an umbrella term that includes all technologies for the communication of information. It encompasses: any medium to record information (whether paper, pen, magnetic disk/ tape, optical disks CD/DVD, flash memory etc. etc.); any technology for communicating through voice and sound or images- microphone, camera, loudspeaker, telephone to cellular phones and also technologies for broadcasting information - radio, television. At present, it appears to be culminating with the advent of information technology that is based on Personal Computers (PCs) to computers networked through the Internet using satellite systems or intercontinental cables. Ever since information technology (IT) has become a kind of a hub for communicating information, most often using computers, it has apparently become a dominant medium for communicating information. But, with an expanding fraction of population getting interested in sharing information it may not continue to be so. Till a decade ago, the Internet that was a vehicle to disseminate information from a selected few to the rather affluent sections of the society was mistakenly viewed as the technology for the future of communication. But in the last few years the indicators point to changes that may yet again revolutionize communication.

ICT
ICT till a decade ago was largely limited to either for peer to peer communication or expert to audience communication. Peer to peer communication includes exchanging information electronically, say e-mail. Mass communication, dissemination through books, newspapers, magazines and websites whether maintained by commercial establishments, government agencies or educational institutions was dominated by the so called experts in the field. The information transfer by this mode is largely one-way, from the expert to the targeted audience. The targeted audience has had no choice but to accept the information as it is presented, and the venues to express one's doubts or comments were indeed very limited. Most of the time the common man had little opportunity to express opinions or participate in adding information, one wanted to. Thus, it was often very difficult to get a book published, simply because no publisher thought it worthwhile publishing. It was not very effective mainly because the person(s) responsible for creating information was often not totally aware of the capabilities, likes, limitations of the targeted audience; for example, a fraction of the targeted population may not really be comfortable with language in

which the information is presented. Even if the targeted person may know a particular language s/he may be hampered by the dialect. The information was usually presented only as text; even though a fraction of the target is not always comfortable in reading text. In short, the technologies often fell short of the real requirements of information recipient.

There is, therefore, a huge potential for the developing ICTs that will suit the pockets, tastes and real requirements of a burgeoning population of information seekers especially in the context of populations that are part of emerging economies like India. Thus even though a significant part of Indian population may be English language literate, the comfort level of a large fraction of this population to read textual information in a mainstream newspaper or on a website whose content has been authored by a foreign citizen has been very low. Same holds true about the affordability of devices through which content on websites may be accessed. Even today a simputer linked to the Internet through a broadband connection is often beyond the reach of many people, while a mobile phone is fast emerging as a affordable option for information transfer. Also, it is not only in the interest of consumer of the information that it is useful information tailored for his need, the professional information providers are equally keen to know the developing trends in the populations seeking information so that they may be able to serve them better. The growing popularity of interactive TV and FM radio programs is an open testimony of this trend. In these programs a few members of the audience send their queries to the anchor person of the program through telephon. However, a tv or radio has its limitations in terms of the time slot, consequently only a fraction of the possible queries can be addressed through these media.

The Internet is free from this limitation, and not surprisingly the interactive segment of interactive content on the Internet is growing steadily. In fact, a new term describing this trend has been coined. Thus, while the technology for the information transfer say about a decade back can be dubbed as Web 1.0 technology; the technology that is now fast emerging is the Web 2.0 technology.

ICT
Today, Web 2.0 is the trend in World Wide Web technology. It is recognized as the second generation of web-based ICT. It enables development of communities and hosted services such as social-networking sites, wikis, blogs, and e-forums which aim to facilitate creativity,

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reply to questions raised by other members. Members can add UR s of other sites in support of their argument or attach an image or link to it. The discussions on a e-forum can last months even years and the responses of all the members remain in the memory to be retrieved by any member. The most post popular software used for e-forum include VBulletein and phpBB (a software that is totally free of cost and allows administrators of the site to develop and add modifications as per their requirements.

A wi i (from the Hawaiian for "quick") is a web site that allows users to be a part of a group interested in sharing information about a particular subject. Information on a wiki site can be edited directly on the web. Wikis provides a way for sharing knowledge about almost all subjects under the Sun. When someone contributes to a wiki, that is edits or submits an entry, one joins a community of people knowledgeable in the topic. Unlike reviews where each persons opinion appears separately, a Wiki is a single file that is edited by many people. It is, therefore, becoming popular day by day. Writing is a skillful art, that requires honing. Wiki's provide an opportunity to learn this art or showcase their abilities. Probably the best known Wiki website is the Wikipedia, a substantial and growing multilingual encyclopedia which is being built collaboratively. If someone thinks that an entry in the Wikipedia could be improved, then s/he only need to click the edit link and make the necessary changes. People can add content which would otherwise be missing in any commercially published encyclopedia and since it is accessible to anyone on the Net, any person reading the content can edit or add to it. Often, people collate pieces of information in their spare time, which is not accessible to anyone else, because the writer is not ready to take the pain of getting it published and it is not really a blog either. Such pieces of information lies dormant on the hard disks of their PC. In the emerging ICT it is possible to publish such documents on the Web without the intervention of any other person; one simply has to upload the document to a website like scribd.com. Unlike wiki's the author has full control over the access to the document and hold traditional copyright too. Similarly it is now possible for anyone to share video clips, photographs music compositions through websites like You Tube, Fliker etc. It is almost like free access to a publisher or a broadcasting station.

ICT tomorrow
Information communication technologies of yester-years have penetrated deep into our society and hence are often very cost effective. Teachers in most schools and colleges often use no more than a blackboard and chalk to pass on information about any subject to the students. Printed papers whether in the form of books, magazines or newspapers have become a part of daily routine of any educated citizen. Even the photocopying machine is widely used by students to access information from expensive books. The cost of a PC connected to the Internet is often prohibitive for most Indians. Even for those who can afford it a PC in the present form is not a very viable option due to its size vis a vis the space available in a common household. Routein maintenance, virus protection etc., is yet another factor that is not easily manageable by the first generation computer users. Thus even though there is a huge potential for the currently developing technologies for disseminating information to the masses the challenges are equally daunting.

The main limitation of the PC-Internet based ICT are: T bandwidth

The time taken to access a particular piece of information on the Internet depends on the bandwidth available to the user at that time. Often, it takes several minutes, using an economical connection, to download a piece of information. Thus a user may have to spend substantial time before s/he finds the information she seeks. This is mainly because the search engines on the Internet are largely integrated globally, the larger the number of users using a limited resource the greater is the time required.

The language At present most of the information available on the Internet is in English, which is still not the language most people are comfortable reading. In fact a substantial fraction of population is not even English literate, leave alone the various kinds of English used in different parts of the world.

Text or voi e Many people are more comfortable listening to some one speaking rather than reading on a screen. Most of the information available on the Internet is textual in nature. Even though software exist that can convert text into voice, they are still largely limited to the English or

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on t t in developing count ies TV and Radio are still far

more commonl used to access information rat er t an t e Internet is largel due to t is factor.

Disruptive software An innocent PC Internet user is suscepti le to lots of pain because t e PC s/ e uses is susceptible to computer viruses t at abound on t e Internet t e soft are t at can beof some help in preventing such attacks is often prohibitivel priced. Thin client Intranet technology, like the Nova net PC being offered by MTNL can possibly be useful in this context. But, it has so far not penetrated deep so far.

Possible avenues for development In the opinion of the author, ICT can become a revolutionary vehicle in countries like India, only if technological innovations emerge on the following lines.

Use of ICT in Agri Business: Prospects and Challenges

FLOW OF PRE ENTATION INTRODUCTION CHA ENGES ICT PROSPECTS ICT CASE STUDY ON ECHOUPA CONC USION CHALLENGE ICT 1. INFRASTRUCTURE POWER -1 lac villages yet receive power - existing ones receive for only a few hrs BANDWIDTH -100 kbps required to reduce any fatigue MAINTAINANCE -Adverse conditions -Resource required for timely action 2. DEMOGRAPHY ANGUAGE - Barely any input company has a vernacular website USAGE SKI S - Excessive training required 3. Business Viability SUSTAINABI ITY - half hearted approaches SCA ABI ITY - Should provide a substantial impact` for further adoption PROSPECTS - ICT MOA = BUYING M: Motivation O: Opportunity A: Ability Focus on increasing ability required PROSPECTS ICT AGRI EXTENSION INTERACTIVE MARKETING AGRIFINANCE/INSURANCE

 EMP OYMENT MARKET RESEARCH

ECHOUPA

ITC e-Choupal

Introduction
Why? And Some Challenges Dependence on monsoon rains = High Risk Weak infrastructure = Few Alternatives Physical, Social & Institutional Some Constraints Small farms = Weak bargaining power Dispersed habitations = Expensive to deliver information Heterogeneous circumstances = Difficult to customise

Introduction

Introduction How does this manifest at transaction level? Output Sales: Price information is available only when the farmer is ready to transact. By then he has already traveled 30 KM out of his village. Sunk costs put pressure to sell, whatever the price is Middlemen extract high transaction fee, since there is no other option for the farmer. Input Purchase: Exactly the reverse of the above situation, but again to farmers disadvantage. Information and Knowledge not available when he wants to transact. What did ITC come up with echoupal An ICT based Solution What is eChoupal ? The echoupal Infrastructure Tier 1: An ICT kiosk with Internet Access In the house of a trained farmer Sanchalak Within walking distance of target farmers Additional investments in Solar Power & VSATs to overcome weak Infrastructure

What is eChoupal ? The eChoupal Services Relevant & Real-time Information Commodity prices, ocal Weather, News Customised Knowledge Farm Management, Risk Management Direct Marketing Channel for Farm Produce ower Transaction Costs, Better Value through Traceability Supply Chain for Farm Inputs Screened for Quality, Demand Aggregation for Competitive Prices & Efficient ogistics Education Financial services ife,General, Health & Crop Insurance How is eChoupal different? 1. Freedom of Information Information & Knowledge is free of cost No initial investment of the Sanchalak Not subsidized- Govt does not pay , the shareholders look for a competitive return. 2. Freedom of Transaction Farmers are free to sell their produce anywhere 3. Entrepreneurship No salary paid to Sanchalaks a commission based model Whats in it for ITC? Better supply chain for ITCs Food & Agri Businesses

 Costs, Quality, Traceability Access to the Underserved Rural Markets Through a Virtuous Cycle created by arger Incomes , and founded on Trust that is built New ITES Business Opportunities Health, Education, Entertainment Shareholder Value through Serving Society Also, the infrastructure serves as a reliable delivery mechanism for resource development initiatives (e.g. water,animal management) Whats in it for the farmer? Bottom line for the farmer Increased yields Improved Quality Reduction in Transaction costs Power of Scale to the Small Farmer Customized Knowledge despite Heterogeneity Real time information despite Distance. The eChoupal Value Proposition ow Cost ast Mile Distribution at ow cost Wide reach in Rural India High Credibility Increased product penetration Right prices to consumers Continuous visibility/ availability Intelligent First Mile: Sharply Targeted Consumers Product endorsement Education on product usage and benefits Brand building at low cost Superior understanding of rural consumers Footfall to Business One stop shop at a tractor-able distance High Quality of Products and Services Right Prices

Usage Of ICT In different terms.. If you are ready to get the word out about your business, one of the steps that you need to do is to select the right media where you will advertise and promote your business. For a small business, every dollar is precious. Small businesses do not advertise for the sake of advertising. Instead, they want to get the most return for their investment. Your advertising campaign should translate to greater sales, more profits and healthier bottom line. While there are a number of venues where you can promote your business, you need to ask three important questions:

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Where are my target buyers? What is the best medium to reach them? Can I afford to launch an effective campaign using this medium?

An important step to developing your sales and marketing plan is to select the right media to send out your message. There are no hard-and-fast rules as to which media is better. The right media for one business may be wrong for another. Based on an excellent small business reference book "How to Start and Operate a Successful Small Business: Winning the Entrepreneurial Game" by David E. Rye, as well as contributions from our staffers, below are the relative advantages and disadvantages of the advertising media most frequently used by small businesses: Newspapers Newspapers are one of the traditional mediums used by businesses, both big and small alike, to advertise their businesses. Advantages
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Allows you to reach a huge number of people in a given geographic area You have the flexibility in deciding the ad size and placement within the newspaper Your ad can be as large as necessary to communicate as much of a story as you care to tell Exposure to your ad is not limited; readers can go back to your message again and again if so desired. Free help in creating and producing ad copy is usually available Quick turn-around helps your ad reflect the changing market conditions. The ad you decide to run today can be in your customers' hands in one to two days.

Disadvantages
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Ad space can be expensive Your ad has to compete against the clutter of other advertisers, including the giants ads run by supermarkets and department stores as well as the ads of your competitors Poor photo reproduction limits creativity Newspapers are a price-oriented medium; most ads are for sales Expect your ad to have a short shelf life, as newspapers are usually read once and then discarded. You may be paying to send your message to a lot of people who will probably never be in the market to buy from you. Newspapers are a highly visible medium, so your competitors can quickly react to your prices With the increasing popularity of the Internet, newspapers face declining readership and market penetration. A growing number of readers now skip the print version of the newspaper (and hence the print ads) and instead read the online version of the publication.

Magazines Magazines are a more focused, albeit more expensive, alternative to newspaper advertising. This medium allows you to reach highly targeted audiences. Advantages
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Allows for better targeting of audience, as you can choose magazine publications that cater to your specific audience or whose editorial content specializes in topics of interest to your audience. High reader involvement means that more attention will be paid to your advertisement Better quality paper permits better color reproduction and full-color ads The smaller page (generally 8 by 11 inches) permits even small ads to stand out

Disadvantages
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Long lead times mean that you have to make plans weeks or months in advance The slower lead time heightens the risk of your ad getting overtaken by events There is limited flexibility in terms of ad placement and format. Space and ad layout costs are higher

Yellow Pages There are several forms of Yellow Pages that you can use to promote and advertise your business. Aside from the traditional Yellow Pages supplied by phone companies, you can also check out specialized directories targeted to specific markets (e.g. Hispanic Yellow Pages, Blacks, etc.); interactive or consumer search databases; Audiotex or talking yellow pages; Internet directories containing national, local and regional listings; and other services classified as Yellow Pages. Advantages
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Wide availability, as mostly everyone uses the Yellow Pages Non-intrusive Action-oriented, as the audience is actually looking for the ads Ads are reasonably inexpensive Responses are easily tracked and measured Frequency

Disadvantages
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Pages can look cluttered, and your ad can easily get lost in the clutter Your ad is placed together with all your competitors Limited creativity in the ads, given the need to follow a pre-determined format Ads slow to reflect market changes

Radio Advantages
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Radio is a universal medium enjoyed by people at one time or another during the day, at home, at work, and even in the car. The vast array of radio program formats offers to efficiently target your advertising dollars to narrowly defined segments of consumers most likely to respond to your offer. Gives your business personality through the creation of campaigns using sounds and voices Free creative help is often available Rates can generally be negotiated During the past ten years, radio rates have seen less inflation than those for other media

Disadvantages
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Because radio listeners are spread over many stations, you may have to advertise simultaneously on several stations to reach your target audience Listeners cannot go back to your ads to go over important points Ads are an interruption in the entertainment. Because of this, a radio ad may require multiple exposure to break through the listener's "tune-out" factor and ensure message retention Radio is a background medium. Most listeners are doing something else while listening, which means that your ad has to work hard to get their attention

Television Advantages
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Television permits you to reach large numbers of people on a national or regional level in a short period of time Independent stations and cable offer new opportunities to pinpoint local audiences Television being an image-building and visual medium, it offers the ability to convey your message with sight, sound and motion

Disadvantages
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Message is temporary, and may require multiple exposure for the ad to rise above the clutter Ads on network affiliates are concentrated in local news broadcasts and station breaks Preferred ad times are often sold out far in advance Limited length of exposure, as most ads are only thirty seconds long or less, which limits the amount of information you can communicate Relatively expensive in terms of creative, production and airtime costs

Direct Mail Direct mail, often calleddirect marketing or direct response marketing, is a marketing technique in which the seller sends marketingmessages directly to the buyer. Directmail include catalogs or other product literature with ordering opportunities; sales letters; and sales letters with brochures. Advantages
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Your advertising message is targeted to those most likely to buy your product or service. Marketing message can be personalized, thus helping increase positive response. Your message can be as long as is necessary to fully tell your story. Effectiveness of response to the campaign can be easily measured. You have total control over the presentation of your advertising message. Your ad campaign is hidden from your competitors until it's too late for them to react Active involvement - the act of opening the mail and reading it -- can be elicited from the target market.

Disadvantages
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Some people do not like receiving offers in their mail, and throw them immediately without even opening the mail. Resources need to be allocated in the maintenance of lists, as the success of this kind of promotional campaign depends on the quality of your mailing list. Long lead times are required for creative printing and mailing Producing direct mail materials entail the expense of using various professionals copywriter, artists, photographers, printers, etc. Can be expensive, depending on your target market, quality of your list and size of the campaign.

Telemarketing. Telephone sales, or telemarketing, is an effective system for introducing a company to a prospect and setting up appointments. Advantages
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Provides a venue where you can easily interact with the prospect, answering any questions or concerns they may have about your product or service. It's easy to prospect and find the right person to talk to. It's cost-effective compared to direct sales. Results are highly measurable. You can get a lot of information across if your script is properly structured. If outsourcing, set-up cost is minimal Increased efficiency since you can reach many more prospects by phone than you can with in-person sales calls. Great tool to improve relationship and maintain contact with existing customers, as well as to introduce new products to them Makes it easy to expand sales territory as the phone allows you to call local, national and even global prospects.

Disadvantages
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An increasing number of people have become averse to telemarketing. More people are using technology to screen out unwanted callers, particularly telemarketers Government is implementing tougher measures to curb unscrupulous telemarketers Lots of businesses use telemarketing. If hiring an outside firm to do telemarketing, there is lesser control in the process given that the people doing the calls are not your employees May need to hire a professional to prepare a well-crafted and effective script It can be extremely expensive, particularly if the telemarketing is outsourced to an outside firm It is most appropriate for high-ticket retail items or professional services.

The use of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) has become more integrated into aspects of life. In marketing, ICT means all forms of media used to handle and convey messages. Types of media include the Internet, cable television or a mobile phone. ICT continues to gain an edge over other non-computerized promotional materials such as brochures, posters or billboards because of some advantages it has in promotional messaging. 1. Market Expansion
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Using media such as the Internet allows businesses to break through geographical barriers and promote products and services faster. Advertising a product on a website can extend an offer to potential customers in any part of the world. However, this assumes the potential customer has access to the Internet. Using emails also is cost-effective. Sending emails to potential customers is faster and comes with minimal cost as opposed to having brochures printed and distributed through sales agents. Cost-effective

Online promotion is cost-effective. By sending emails to customers or suggesting a product to friends on social media platforms such as Facebook or Twitter, a business may end up spending far less than it would through conventional promotional approaches such as placing an ad in a newspaper, distributing brochures or bulk mailing to target consumers. Alternatively, a business also can save money by sending bulk short message service (SMS) and multimedia messaging service (MMS) data to customers. Target Audiences

ICT pathways such as the Internet, SMS and MMS enable a business to reach specific consumers. For example, an email promoting a product can be sent to thousands within a target audience at once. The focus can be greater than using billboards or newspapers where an audience that isn't targeted might see the message, but ignore it. A website also enables a business to reach out to a target audience through search engines. Search engines can guide interested consumers to the website to learn about products or services offered by a business. Extremely Interactive

The Internet and mobile phones are highly interactive promotional tools compared to advertising done with brochures or billboards. Advertising products on a website could allow consumers to comment and offer valuable reviews of products and services. Additionally,

emails, SMS and MMS allow businesses to send out custom-made multimedia messages or alerts to a target audience that can facilitate direct responses. Anytime, Anywhere Marketing
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The portability of ICT forms such as a mobile phone or laptop allows a business to promote products or services 24 hours a day from anywhere in the world. This means goods or services can be advertised when your target audience may not have the time to go through a newspaper or a brochure. Promotional messages also can be tailored to fit their needs of customers at particular locations. For example, when it rains during a soccer match, an entrepreneur could send bulk messages to promote rain gear that is for sale within that time and particular locale. Disadvantages of ICT One of the major barriers for the cause of ICT not reaching its full potential in the foundation stage is teachers attitude. According to Hara (2004), within the early years education attitudes towards ICT can vary considerably. Some see it as a potential tool to aid learning whereas others seem to disagree with the use of technology in early year settings. Blatchford and Whitebread (2003:16), suggests that the use of ICT in the foundation stage is unhealthy and hinders learning . Other early years educators who are opposed to offering ICT experiences within the educational settings take a less extreme view than this and suggest that ICT is fine, but there are other more vital experiences that young children will benefit from, (Blatchford and Whitebread, 2003). In theory some people may have the opinion that the teachers who had not experienced ICT throughout their learning tend to have a negative attitude towards it, as they may lack the training in that area of the curriculum. Another important drawback to using ICT in schools is the fact that computers are expensive. According to the IT learning exchange (2001), in most schools ICT will be the single largest curriculum budget cost. This may be seen as a good thing but on the other hand there will be little money left over for other significant costs.