An amazing Whitepaper on "Prioritizing Stakeholders for Public Relations" by Brad L. Rawlins; Department of Communications, Brigham Young University Member.
For acquiring a copy you may write to me!
Friday, July 25, 2008
Prioritizing Stakeholders for Public Relations
An amazing Whitepaper on "Prioritizing Stakeholders for Public Relations" 
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Solar powered mobile networks on the way...Rural areas can now have mobile chat too
Monday, July 7, 2008
Measuring the Value of Communications
It's an amazing report by Tuck School of Business,Dartmouth.
A must read. You may write to me for the PDF version.
Friday, June 6, 2008
J. K .Rowling's speech on Harvard University Commencement Day
Wanted to share this brilliant read with you - J. K .Rowling's speech on Harvard University Commencement Day. It is a MUST READ!!!
http://www.news. harvard.edu/ gazette/2008/ 06.05/99- rowlingspeech. html
http://www.news. harvard.edu/ gazette/2008/ 06.05/99- rowlingspeech. html
Wanna be a contented manager? Get dynamic
Usually, spirituality is considered synonymous with inactivity. Surprisingly most of the so-called learned ones, the scriptural pundits, have often quoted – Santosha (contentment)– as being satisfied with whatever you have. It has been seen that most of the people who are in a state of drudgery and sluggishness, miles away from taking initiative for any kind of action, have justified their inaction with this word. Furthermore, under the shield of this word, the sluggards have also tried to discourage others from making sincere efforts or taking any kind of initiative. In one of the preliminary texts (Tattwa Bodha) of the great World Teacher, Adi Shankara, this term – Santosha is defined as Chittasya Ekaagrataa, i.e. single pointedness of the mind. It is important to understand that nowhere has the spiritual path or any of the ancient scriptures of the human civilisation has ever discouraged spirited action and initiative to evolve in ones’ performance. For that matter, Krishna, Muhammad, Jesus Christ, Buddha, Adi Shankara and all other Seers have been absolute perfectionists in their actions. Incorrect interpretations to suite one’s lethargy have been justified in the name of austerities.
If analysed objectively, this single pointedness of mind results from either a passionate involvement in the task at hand or a tremendous degree of disciplining of the mind. Just as a child building a castle with sand on the sea shore is thoroughly one with its project, though it surely doesn’t last for long. Therefore the science of disciplining of the mind has a very important role in enhancing our performance as it leaves a lot of wastage of energy in the form of emotional outbursts that keep happening from extremely meaningless and petty events. But it is not an easy task and can be attained only if we make a sincere and continuing attempt in this direction for a long time without getting disillusioned with the lack of results. Imagine yourself sitting daily for an hour in the morning and evening, trying to keep the mind in your control, failing miserably moment after moment and still going strong. That’s called determination, which very few are naturally bestowed with.
Ignited Minds However, Maharshi Patanjali gives a very beautiful way of doing this. He says in the Yoga Sutras (Yoga Aphorisms) - When you are inspired by some great purpose, some extraordinary project, all your thoughts break their bounds; your mind transcends limitations, your consciousness expands in every direction, and you find yourself in a new, great and wonderful world. Dormant forces, faculties and talents become alive and you discover yourself to be a greater person by far than you ever dreamt yourself to be – (Interpretation taken from Ignited Minds by Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam). This surely can become a driving force to keep us going in our performance. There would be moments in our performance when we might touch a low ebb, yet the dedication to the cause is surely the sole way to keep ourselves ignited in the spirit to perform. While it is true that at moments or in circumstances when we do what we want to do, we might get the vigour that lasts us through the entire project. But what do we do when things go out of our control? One thing we must accept, life is the most beautiful blend of all kind of situations, some of which are nice and inspiring while quite a lot of moments we encounter are the ones which either we dislike and are also beyond our control. Can we stop performing? Surely non performance can never be justified.
Whether we like it or not, but surely we have to be consistent in our effort towards our performance; and to this there is no better judge then our own conscience. This alone will bear the fruits, whether today or a few decades later, we don’t know, but we don’t have the right to quit performing to the best of our ability. This is very beautifully reflected in the life of our President, Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, (when one reads the famous book – Wings of Fire) where he says that after severe failures and continuing efforts for almost two decades that he first experiences the taste of sweet success. It surely proves that the profession we chose shouldn’t be based on market requirements, but on our interest, such that we are able to pursue the profession even in the most difficult situations due to our passion and sincerity. Markets requirements are fluctuating, but our performance enhancement is possible only when we are committed to the subject and enjoy being in that stream. This can sustain our inner conviction to give hundred percent when things go wrong and surely action based on wisdom and sincerity will bear fruits, because our inner desire become strong for the results to occur.
In Swami Sivananda’s words, as quoted from ‘Wings of Fire’ – an autobiography of Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, “Desire, when it stems from the heart and spirit, when it is pure and intense, possesses awesome Energy. This Energy is released into the ether each night, as the mind falls into sleep state. Each morning it returns to the conscious state reinforced with the cosmic currents. That which has been imaged will surely and certainly be manifested. You can rely, young man, upon this ageless promise as surely as you can rely upon the eternally unbroken promise of sunrise...” This is the True essence of Santosha and also the essence of spiritual dynamism. May our lives get guided by this spirit.
If analysed objectively, this single pointedness of mind results from either a passionate involvement in the task at hand or a tremendous degree of disciplining of the mind. Just as a child building a castle with sand on the sea shore is thoroughly one with its project, though it surely doesn’t last for long. Therefore the science of disciplining of the mind has a very important role in enhancing our performance as it leaves a lot of wastage of energy in the form of emotional outbursts that keep happening from extremely meaningless and petty events. But it is not an easy task and can be attained only if we make a sincere and continuing attempt in this direction for a long time without getting disillusioned with the lack of results. Imagine yourself sitting daily for an hour in the morning and evening, trying to keep the mind in your control, failing miserably moment after moment and still going strong. That’s called determination, which very few are naturally bestowed with.
Ignited Minds However, Maharshi Patanjali gives a very beautiful way of doing this. He says in the Yoga Sutras (Yoga Aphorisms) - When you are inspired by some great purpose, some extraordinary project, all your thoughts break their bounds; your mind transcends limitations, your consciousness expands in every direction, and you find yourself in a new, great and wonderful world. Dormant forces, faculties and talents become alive and you discover yourself to be a greater person by far than you ever dreamt yourself to be – (Interpretation taken from Ignited Minds by Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam). This surely can become a driving force to keep us going in our performance. There would be moments in our performance when we might touch a low ebb, yet the dedication to the cause is surely the sole way to keep ourselves ignited in the spirit to perform. While it is true that at moments or in circumstances when we do what we want to do, we might get the vigour that lasts us through the entire project. But what do we do when things go out of our control? One thing we must accept, life is the most beautiful blend of all kind of situations, some of which are nice and inspiring while quite a lot of moments we encounter are the ones which either we dislike and are also beyond our control. Can we stop performing? Surely non performance can never be justified.
Whether we like it or not, but surely we have to be consistent in our effort towards our performance; and to this there is no better judge then our own conscience. This alone will bear the fruits, whether today or a few decades later, we don’t know, but we don’t have the right to quit performing to the best of our ability. This is very beautifully reflected in the life of our President, Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, (when one reads the famous book – Wings of Fire) where he says that after severe failures and continuing efforts for almost two decades that he first experiences the taste of sweet success. It surely proves that the profession we chose shouldn’t be based on market requirements, but on our interest, such that we are able to pursue the profession even in the most difficult situations due to our passion and sincerity. Markets requirements are fluctuating, but our performance enhancement is possible only when we are committed to the subject and enjoy being in that stream. This can sustain our inner conviction to give hundred percent when things go wrong and surely action based on wisdom and sincerity will bear fruits, because our inner desire become strong for the results to occur.
In Swami Sivananda’s words, as quoted from ‘Wings of Fire’ – an autobiography of Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, “Desire, when it stems from the heart and spirit, when it is pure and intense, possesses awesome Energy. This Energy is released into the ether each night, as the mind falls into sleep state. Each morning it returns to the conscious state reinforced with the cosmic currents. That which has been imaged will surely and certainly be manifested. You can rely, young man, upon this ageless promise as surely as you can rely upon the eternally unbroken promise of sunrise...” This is the True essence of Santosha and also the essence of spiritual dynamism. May our lives get guided by this spirit.
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
As India grows prosperous, inflation starts spiraling
Inflation in India remains much lower than in many other developing countries. But prices are rising more than twice as fast as in China, India's chief rival for foreign investment and economic leadership among emerging markets. Prices are also increasing considerably faster than in industrialized countries.
A very interesting read. So, thought of sharing with you guys!
Check it out: http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/02/09/business/rupee.php
A very interesting read. So, thought of sharing with you guys!
Check it out: http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/02/09/business/rupee.php
Thursday, May 22, 2008
Global Warming & India-Creating a new conciousness
A policy consequence of Green Accounting may be a gradual increase in budgetary allocations towards improvements in education, public health and environmental conservation. All of these are key elements & are needed to secure India’s long-term future.
You may write to me to get hold of an amazing prezo by GIST on "Global Warming & India-Creating a new conciousness".
You may write to me to get hold of an amazing prezo by GIST on "Global Warming & India-Creating a new conciousness".
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Monday, April 28, 2008
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
Article on Corporate Sociology
An interesting article captioned "Emotionally Correct" published in the Businessworld (14 April 2008 issue). I am sure, you will find this interesting & useful.
Monday, April 21, 2008
Thursday, April 10, 2008
US Economy: Deepening Recession
Information on US Economy: Deepening recession, thought of sharing it with the group.
http://cib.bnpparibas.com/d-arvisenet-editorial-us-economy-deepening-recession
http://cib.bnpparibas.com/d-arvisenet-editorial-us-economy-deepening-recession
Wednesday, April 9, 2008
Some business reasons for blogs:
-Establish expertise. Many consultants effectively use blogs to raise their visibility with their
target market.
-Create alternative media. A number of publishers have built viable media outlets with loyal
followings, as have companies that produce sponsored blogs, such as Gawker Media.
-Extend corporate communications. Blogs enable companies to present a human face and voice
to the public. The most notably example is Microsoft's Robert Scoble.
-Build community. Use blogs to grow groups around a technology, cause, political issue, or hobby
related to your product.
target market.
-Create alternative media. A number of publishers have built viable media outlets with loyal
followings, as have companies that produce sponsored blogs, such as Gawker Media.
-Extend corporate communications. Blogs enable companies to present a human face and voice
to the public. The most notably example is Microsoft's Robert Scoble.
-Build community. Use blogs to grow groups around a technology, cause, political issue, or hobby
related to your product.
Monday, March 17, 2008
My Word vs.Your World
Hi Guys! This is what i wrote for the EPC Age for March 2008 issue. Plz do share your thoughts on it.
Friday, March 7, 2008
Corporate Communications turns Hot Job now !!!
A very good read for all corp comm professionals...
In case if the link doesn't open you may send in a request to me for a PDF Version.
http://www.financialexpress.com/news/Corporate-communications-turns-hot-job-now/277997/
In case if the link doesn't open you may send in a request to me for a PDF Version.
http://www.financialexpress.com/news/Corporate-communications-turns-hot-job-now/277997/
Monday, February 25, 2008
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
Creating an Emotionally Intelligent Organization
A good Prezo on "Creating an Emotionally Intelligent Organization".For acquiring a copy of the prezo in PDF you may write to me.
Wednesday, February 6, 2008
A study of the effect of pride in the organizations by Interbrand
A must have study document. You may write to me for a copy if you wish.Happy Reading!
Monday, January 28, 2008
International Business Report 2007 (India) by Grant Thornton.
To acquire the report pdf you may write to me.
CRM Process Flow for Telecom
A good Prezo on "CRM Process Flow for Telecom".For acquiring a copy of the prezo in PDF you may write to me. It's an informative one.
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
Some thoughts for the one's who have watched "Thank you for Smoking"
As i finished watching this movie...something shook me but before it began i knew it would settle down in a while...(as described in various reports/researches about using all senses on a particular topic fixes frames in the mind for a while). Anyways...i'm not looking for answers but questions...Is this what communicators are supposed to do??? Not that i'm provoked / going to lead a revolution...Should i acknowledge the fact that Human beings are thinking for a living?
Or should i make a start to do my work diligently & bring about a freshness in my work routine to forget it / change it/ or stay in a nascent stage?
Not that i have any answers / are expecting any from you...But you may put forward your thoughts for all of us to Rethink our thinking for a living...
For starters...
I am a strong beliver that one shapes one's destiny through choices & it's only fair on my part to believe that divine help does exist (though...a little confused on reading 'The God & the New Physics'by Paul Davis & 'The Little Prince' by Antoine de Saint Exupéry)...
Forget it... i never said that...tell me your thoughts...people!
A must watch for all CC/PR Professionals
"Thank You for Smoking" is a darn good satire - one of the best I've seen since "Election".Thank You for Smoking is a 2006, Golden Globe Award-nominated film satire directed by Jason Reitman and produced by David O. Sacks. It is based on the novel of the same name by Christopher Buckley. The title is based on the popular saying "Thank You for Not Smoking," and the cover of the DVD case is modeled on the Lucky Strike cigarette box.The film was released in a limited run on March 17, 2006, and had a wide release on April 14. As of 2007, the film has grossed a total of more than US$ 39 million worldwide.[1] On November 24, 2006, NBC announced that it is developing a television pilot based on the film.[2] The film was released on DVD in the US on October 3, 2006, and in the UK on January 8, 2007. http://www.foxsearchlight.com/thankyouforsmoking/
Passive Telecom Infrastructure Sharing
What is Passive Telecom Infrastructure Sharing?Passive telecom infrastructure mainly consists of sharing of towers and physical sites by various telecom companies. Infrastructure sharing helps in reducing the cost of providing service by reducing the capital and operational costs.
For a telecom company, infrastructure including the towers and backhaul connectivity account for about 60 percent of the cost of doing business. This indeed is a big investment to be made much before the services are rolled out. . Analysts predict tower sharing can reduce cost of ownership by 16-23%.
Infrastructure sharing may be new to India, but it’s a standard practice, globally. Though tower sharing has not been very successful in most European and Asian countries, it has been a success in USA which like India also has multiple operators.
While telecom companies are hiving off their tower infrastructure to cut capex and opex in the wake of declining average revenues per user, third-party companies like Quipo, are setting up independent tower companies to support the stupendous growth of telecom sector in the country.
What is its scope in the Indian scenario?
According to data released by TRAI the exponential growth in wireless telecom services calls for massive investment in infrastructure particularly passive, active and backhaul components. The country would require approximately 3,30,000 towers by 2010 against the present number of approximately 1,00,000 towers. Erecting each tower calls for an investment of approximately Rs. 20-30 crores. Apart from huge investments needed the time taken in roll out could be a major bottleneck in the achievement of 500 million subscribers by 2010. Even if the target is achieved it will only be about 50% of the tele-density with major gaps in the rural areas.
This clearly outlines the urgency and need for passive infrastructure sharing both in terms of investment and time.
Even the telecom companies are recognizing the importance and relevance of sharing the infrastructure. For large players who have a pan-India footprint, it means a new source of revenue, while for those expanding nationwide, it means lower capex and opex, as well as faster rollout of services.
Monday, January 21, 2008
Saturday, January 19, 2008
Out-executing the competition (Creating a High Performance Ethic)
A good Prezo on "Out-executing the competition" through Creating a High Performance Ethic.For acquiring a copy of the prezo in PDF you may write to me. It's a good read.
Friday, January 18, 2008
What is the Matrix? (of Corp Comm)
On discussing with my "good friend" on this blog i was encouraged to ask everyone to share their experiences for working on various Corporate Communication projects. I agreed & felt it would enhance the quality of interaction & will give us a chance to discuss & learn from each others mistakes & success stories. Hence, i would invite all of you to feel free to post your thoughts & experiences. (The one's that i don't like would be deleted...just kidding!!! Remember we are the keepers of Freedom of Speech...So BE It!)...So go ahead… what are you waiting for people???
Here's mine...
One of the heartaches for all corp comm professionals are the fact of being a support function. Hence, sometimes one feels left out in terms of being a part of the Business Growth of the Company. The feeling arises that my scope is limited.
And the question pops up in your mind “What is the Matrix?”
Think Again!!!
I did make some changes & they worked.
I started improving my scope of work as a personal effort to understand the company’s business better. Not only this… I went a step further to understand the larger dynamics of the industry that my company was a part of.
Phew!!! It did take effort & perseverance as it was not a part of my subject / my job (i.e. the official version of my job as described on my appointment letter).
But, it did work wonders… as I started understanding the perspective of my colleagues, the management & my bosses not to miss the industry associates better. It did lead to improvisation of the Quality & Quantity of PR that I could extend towards my company…For the first time I got enlightened to a true in spirit “Integrated Communication Plan”…
Finally it helped me in my career both in terms of quality & pay hike.
I feel a step closer to understanding the Matrix…Are You???
The Matrix is looking for you…Beep! Beep! Beep! Blackout…
Investor Relations Practice
Investor Relations Defined :“Investor Relations is a strategic management responsibility that integrates finance, communication, marketing and securities law compliance to enable the most effective two-way communication between a company, the financial community, and other constituencies, which ultimately contributes to a company's securities achieving fair valuation."- NIRI, USA
IR Objectives:
• To keep co-owners informed
• A corporate marketing activity
• Creates information level playing field
• Good corporate citizenship
• Unlocks Value
IR Strategy:
• Defining and prioritizing the target audience
• Developing key messages
• Developing communication policies
• Modes and frequency of communication
IR Collaterals:
• Quarterly and Annual result releases and Investor updates
• Updates on important corporate and industry developments
• Concall transcripts
• Dissemination of reactions on major policy and industry issues affecting the company
• MDA in Annual Report
Active Dialogue:
• Financial media briefings
• Analyst meets
• Conference calls
• Facility visits
• One-to-one meetings / Road shows
• Regular feedback
Perception Research:
• To know the level of market interest and current perception amongst influencers,
investors and the entire financial community
• In-depth interviews through structured questionnaire
• Research portfolio – mix of select buy side/sell side analysts and fund managers
• Findings reveal market concerns, information gap and valuation drivers and help
evaluate the communication strategy
Key to Success in IR:
• Top management’s commitment and involvement
• Consistent and credible flow of information and communication
• Clearly articulated, credible business strategies
• Open discussion of financial results / expectations
• Regular contact with investment community
• Availability of spokespersons
Spectrum of IR Activities:
Identify Target Audience
• Sell-side Analysts
• Buy-side Analysts
• Fund Managers / Portfolio Managers
• Brokers & opinion makers
• Financial Media (Wires / Business Papers / Magazines / Electronic Media /
Financial Portals)
• Shareholder Groups
Establish IR Processes
• Prepare calendar of events
• Create communication collaterals
• Identify spokespersons for different constituencies i.e. media and financial community
• Establish standard IR operating procedures
• Enhance corporate website for better investor interface
• Constantly update sector analysts, heads of research, VPs, etc of brokerages and
funds with company information and developments
Direct efforts towards…
• Enhancing analyst coverage
• Bringing the company on the radar of analysts and fund managers tracking the sector
• Getting company’s participation in investor conferences and roadshows
• Getting the stock actively commented in the financial media
• Perception study at regular intervals
Carry on sustained IR activities
• Monitor shareholding and movement of institutional shareholders
• Target institutions that are more likely to own the company’s stock and hold it for
a longer duration
• Aim at having balanced investor base, by not ignoring retail investors
Spectrum of IR activities
• IR Counsel & Planning
• Feedback research
• IR Kit, brochures
• Fact sheet
• FAQs
• IR Updates
• Earnings Releases
• IR content for the Website
• Advise on Annual Report
• Perception Research
• Media Training
• Executive counseling
• Road shows
• Investor Presentations
• Earnings calls
• Media Relations
• Focused Targeting
• Crisis communication
Thursday, January 17, 2008
Advantages of Out of Home Advertising
Out of Home Advertising
1. Why Out of Home advertising?
· Clean eye popping exposure 24 x 7
· Clutter free messages in a uniquely customized environment
· Desirable coverage filling gaps left by other media
· Reaching consumers on-the-go with Transit Media Options.
2. Relevance of Airport Advertising
· Specific to the target audience
· Controlled Environment e.g. security hold area, private departure area.
· Adds credibility, prestige and status to the product
· Ensures higher image value in an exclusive market segment
3. Campaign Objective : Corporate image building
4. Target Audience : Top Executives
5. Town : Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkatta, Chennai, Bangalore / could be any as per requirement.
6. Why OOH?
· Airport Branding: Since, the target audience is Top Executives and these are the people who are always on move, Airport Branding provides an effective medium for Corporate Image Building.
· Conventional Advertising: Impactful sites enroute to the airport captures the attention of the target audience even before they step into the airport. When they see the same brand inside and outside the airport, it helps in building the brand connect and recall value
7. Strategy
· Identification of important areas inside the airport, which gives the maximum coverage. For e.g. Private Departure, Security Hold Area where the waiting time is more and the message has enough time to reach the target audience.
· Identification of high impact sites enroute to the airport
8. Approach
· Have identified the most impactful media options inside the airports like Translites, Revolving Display, and Hoardings.
· To cater to the traffic enroute to the airport, have looked at large formats which are strategically located and have also looked at new impactful innovations coming up in the city. Eg. Corridor signages
Top of the league corporates that have employed Airport Branding in the past :
Mercedes
General Motors
Hyundai
IOC
Airtel
ITC Hotels
Indian Airlines
Samsung
Crisis Management & Communications
A good read for all Corporate Communicators.You may send me a mail request for the PDF version of this Report.Happy Reading!Finally Rural India has a chance for connectivity
India, the largest democracy and the second most populous country in the world, is predominantly rural in nature. Of the 1.027 billion-strong Indian populace, 741 million live in 638,365 villages scattered across the diverse terrain of India.
The economic liberalization policies of the Government of India have resulted in developing the services industry by leaps and bounds. However, an urban populace, with increased purchasing power and an array of goods and services to choose from mostly enjoy the fruits of this growth. This has encouraged the migration of the rural populace, which largely got left behind in this economic revival.
The same is in the case of telecom boom, which swept through the Indian telecom industry & is predominantly urban in nature. There is a huge discrepancy in the subscriber density of rural areas as compared to urban India ranging from 44 subscribers per sq km in urban areas to less than 3 in remote rural areas.
Recent times have seen a change in the trend, with rural telephony becoming the focus of Indian Government and the efforts to bridge the wide “Digital Divide” gaining momentum. Saturation of the urban markets has also added fuel to the fire and the private operators, in their search of newer markets, have started looking up to rural India as a plum opportunity.
But the ride to rural telephony is not very smooth and the service providers are face-to-face with hurdles like high cost of telecom infrastructure, the diverse terrain, low affordability levels of the rural masses. So, what are the solutions…technologies that are cost-effective, easy to deploy, applications and services that are appropriate, business models that are scalable and a regulatory environment that is rural in nature.
Wireless technologies fast gaining prominence in the Indian telecom scenario. These technologies have reformatted the entire urban telecommunication network but also look promising for the rural areas. Various wireless broadband access technologies like WiMAX are proving to be cost-effective and can help bring down barriers for entering rural markets.
These technologies will not only help merge the urban and rural fabric together but will also bring about revolutionary changes in the fields of Education, health and livelihood for the rural populace. For education in rural areas, though the schools do exist in most parts, the quality of teachers & of the education imparted and infrastructure is questionable. ICT can become an important tool in plugging these gaps. Apart from this the other benefits would be Telemedicine through video-conferencing between urban doctors and rural patients.
However, above all, ICT can definitely provide chances to rural people to enhance their livelihood. The demand for ICT and services can be sustained in the long run only by generating rural wealth. The primary wealth creators in this context are agriculture and agri-processing, animal husbandry, small-scale handicrafts, food processing and often, even IT enabled services.
Rural India is at a critical stage. It is large in size; problems are aplenty, the challenges are daunting and thus can present a scary picture to an outsider. But if enabled, it has the potential to transform itself quickly. The future seems to be more fruitful as the advancements are actually moving ahead with IT implementations. In the near future we will see more examples coming to reality, and they will be achieved through IT advancements. PC and Internet penetration may remain in assisted mode for some more time. However, IT penetration at the back-end of the government and business processes is going to change the Indian scenario in a big way.
The economic liberalization policies of the Government of India have resulted in developing the services industry by leaps and bounds. However, an urban populace, with increased purchasing power and an array of goods and services to choose from mostly enjoy the fruits of this growth. This has encouraged the migration of the rural populace, which largely got left behind in this economic revival.
The same is in the case of telecom boom, which swept through the Indian telecom industry & is predominantly urban in nature. There is a huge discrepancy in the subscriber density of rural areas as compared to urban India ranging from 44 subscribers per sq km in urban areas to less than 3 in remote rural areas.
Recent times have seen a change in the trend, with rural telephony becoming the focus of Indian Government and the efforts to bridge the wide “Digital Divide” gaining momentum. Saturation of the urban markets has also added fuel to the fire and the private operators, in their search of newer markets, have started looking up to rural India as a plum opportunity.
But the ride to rural telephony is not very smooth and the service providers are face-to-face with hurdles like high cost of telecom infrastructure, the diverse terrain, low affordability levels of the rural masses. So, what are the solutions…technologies that are cost-effective, easy to deploy, applications and services that are appropriate, business models that are scalable and a regulatory environment that is rural in nature.
Wireless technologies fast gaining prominence in the Indian telecom scenario. These technologies have reformatted the entire urban telecommunication network but also look promising for the rural areas. Various wireless broadband access technologies like WiMAX are proving to be cost-effective and can help bring down barriers for entering rural markets.
These technologies will not only help merge the urban and rural fabric together but will also bring about revolutionary changes in the fields of Education, health and livelihood for the rural populace. For education in rural areas, though the schools do exist in most parts, the quality of teachers & of the education imparted and infrastructure is questionable. ICT can become an important tool in plugging these gaps. Apart from this the other benefits would be Telemedicine through video-conferencing between urban doctors and rural patients.
However, above all, ICT can definitely provide chances to rural people to enhance their livelihood. The demand for ICT and services can be sustained in the long run only by generating rural wealth. The primary wealth creators in this context are agriculture and agri-processing, animal husbandry, small-scale handicrafts, food processing and often, even IT enabled services.
Rural India is at a critical stage. It is large in size; problems are aplenty, the challenges are daunting and thus can present a scary picture to an outsider. But if enabled, it has the potential to transform itself quickly. The future seems to be more fruitful as the advancements are actually moving ahead with IT implementations. In the near future we will see more examples coming to reality, and they will be achieved through IT advancements. PC and Internet penetration may remain in assisted mode for some more time. However, IT penetration at the back-end of the government and business processes is going to change the Indian scenario in a big way.
Brands & Countries-A wonderful Prezo by Anderson Analytics.
A wonderful Prezo by Anderson Analytics. Quite explicit on the Brand Misidentification & Quality Product Perception.If you want a copy of complete prezo in PDF you may write to me.Hope you all find it useful...
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
making change happen … influencing tomorrow’s decisions today.
POLICOMM for Research, Communication Management, Key Contacts and PR Tools
http://policomm.info/
http://policomm.info/
Understanding and Capitalizing on PR Trends for 2007-2008
Video Leadership Seminar Will Provide Public Relations Executives with Essential Information about Understanding and Capitalizing on PR Trends
http://www.forbes.com/businesswire/feeds/businesswire/2008/01/15/businesswire20080115005650r1.html
http://www.forbes.com/businesswire/feeds/businesswire/2008/01/15/businesswire20080115005650r1.html
News For all Media Bloggers
About The Media Bloggers Association:
The Media Bloggers Association is a nonpartisan organization dedicated to promoting, protecting and educating its members; supporting the development of "blogging" or "citizen journalism" as a distinct form of media; and helping to extend the power of the press, with all the rights and responsibilities that entails, to every citizen.MBA Members support the freewheeling expression of ideas and strong personal opinions inherent to blogging but are equally committed to commonly accepted journalistic standards of fairness, accuracy, transparency and accountability in expressing those ideas and opinions.Read more about the MBA here : http://www.mediabloggers.org/
The Media Bloggers Association is a nonpartisan organization dedicated to promoting, protecting and educating its members; supporting the development of "blogging" or "citizen journalism" as a distinct form of media; and helping to extend the power of the press, with all the rights and responsibilities that entails, to every citizen.MBA Members support the freewheeling expression of ideas and strong personal opinions inherent to blogging but are equally committed to commonly accepted journalistic standards of fairness, accuracy, transparency and accountability in expressing those ideas and opinions.Read more about the MBA here : http://www.mediabloggers.org/
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