Assignment On Concepts of Information and Communication Technology

Submitted byKuhoo Chauhan Form No-1170621 MBA-IB

ICTs

stand for information and communication technologies and are defined, as a diverse set of technological tools and resources used to communicate, and to create, disseminate, store, and manage information. These technologies include computers, the Internet, broadcasting technologies (radio and television), and telephony. In recent years there has been a groundswell of interest in how computers and the Internet can best be harnessed to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of education at all levels and in both formal and non-formal settings. But ICTs are more than just these technologies; older technologies such as the telephone, radio and television, although now given less attention, have a longer and richer history as instructional tools. For instance, radio and television have for over forty years been used for open and distance learning, although print remains the cheapest, most accessible and therefore most dominant delivery mechanism in both developed and developing countries. The use of computers and the Internet is still in its infancy in developing countries, if these are used at all, due to limited infrastructure and the attendant high costs of access. The Open University of the United Kingdom (UKOU), established in 1969 as the firs educational institution in the world wholly dedicated to open and distance learning, still relies heavily on print-based materials supplemented by radio, television and, in recent years, online programming. Similarly, the Indira Gandhi National Open University in India combines the use of print, recorded audio and video, broadcast radio and television, and audio conferencing technologies.

ICT Strategies
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 penny 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:

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, 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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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 called direct marketing or direct response marketing, is a marketing technique in which the seller sends marketing messages directly to the buyer. Direct mail includes catalogs or other product literature with ordering opportunities; sales letters; and sales letters with brochures. Advantages

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

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. Tele-marketing

Telephonic sales, or telemarketing, is an effective system for introducing a company to a prospect and setting up appointments. Advantages

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

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. Specialty Advertising

This kind of advertising entails the use of imprinted, useful, or decorative products called advertising specialties, such as key chains, computer mouse, mugs, etc. These articles are distributed for free; recipients need not purchase or make a contribution to receive these items. Advantages

Flexibility of use High selectivity factor as these items can be distributed only to the target market. If done well, target audience may decide to keep the items, hence promoting long retention and constant exposure Availability of wide range of inexpensive items that can be purchased at a low price. They can create instant awareness. They can generate goodwill in receiver The items can be used to supplement other promotional efforts and media (e.g. distributed during trade shows).

Disadvantages

Targeting your market is difficult. This can be an inappropriate medium for some businesses. It is difficult to find items that are appropriate for certain businesses Longer lead time in developing the message and promotional product Possibility of saturation in some items and audiences Wrong choice of product or poor creative may cheapen the image of advertiser

An Overview of Advantages & Disadvantages of Using ICT

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. Market Expansion 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 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. Cost BarrierAnother 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. Unemployment While information technology may have streamlined the business process it has also created job redundancies, downsizing and outsourcing. This means that a lot of lower and middle level jobs have been done away with causing more people to become unemployed. Dominant culture While information technology may have made the world a global village, it has also contributed to one culture dominating another weaker one. For example it is now argued that US influences how most young teenagers all over the world now act, dress and behave. Languages too have become overshadowed, with English becoming the primary mode of communication for business and everything else.

 Privacy Though information technology may have made communication quicker, easier and more convenient, it has also bought along privacy issues. From cell phone signal interceptions to email hacking, people are now worried about their once private information becoming public knowledge. Lack of job security Industry experts believe that the internet has made job security a big issue as since technology keeps on changing with each day. This means that one has to be in a constant learning mode, if he or she wishes for their job to be secure.

ICT in Hindustan Lever Ltd.

One of India's leading consumer companies, Hindustan Lever Ltd. (HLL), produces a diverse range of products, from personal care to household goods. One of the earliest TNCs to set up shop in India, HLL had net sales of $2 million (Rs 80,000 million) in 1997 and has more than 60 factories, 90 warehouses and 13 branches manufacturing and marketing an array of toiletries, cosmetics and home-care products. Integrating these units to ensure smooth flows of information and to satisfy changing customer needs is a daunting task. HLL has addressed this problem through extensive computerization, but has not gone in for total automation. HLL has massively distributed resources, such as depots and factories, and the flow, processing and presentation of information to these is affected by a combination of manual, data processing, mail and automatic transfer systems. The functions of HLL that are computerized include manufacturing, purchasing, production reporting, material resources planning, distribution, dispatch planning and financial accounting. Although HLL uses a readymade software package, it has customized its applications to meet local requirements. The company has about 50 professionals in ICT at its headquarters, and another 30 onsite specialists in other branches and factories The communications infrastructure of HLL is massive. The company is one of the largest users of VSATs in the private sector. Nearly 210 VSATs link its corporate office, regional offices and manufacturing facilities. The company also has 70 LANs in different locations, all linked by VSATs for efficient communication. Inter- and intra-office communication is carried out through cc: Mail.

HLL was previously using stand-alone software packages, which meant additional data entry and a longer turnaround time on documentation. Now all functions are integrated using one software package. HLL has realized several benefits from this use of ICT. On the distribution front, a daily replenishment system demands that all warehouses transfer their stock, sales and receipt data to buffer depots, which compute the next day's requirements and generate loading slips accordingly. The VSAT network is utilized to carry out this function. Similarly, all inter-unit reconciliation is done automatically with the systems "talking" to each other. This has reduced the time taken for the month-end reconciliation exercise from four days to just one day. Likewise, where factories took four to six days to close their accounts, they are now capable of doing this in just two days. In the area of financial accounting, consolidation of nearly 100 accounting units is achieved in a record time of eight to 10 days. Fresh investment is being planned in the area of communications to utilize the new ICT infrastructure available in the country. For example, HLL plans to link its regional stockiest to HLL systems to monitor pipeline stocks and demand, which is expected to improve service and the predictability of supply.