Entrepreneurship

Project Report on EntrepreneurshipA Business Plan to Start New Company
Table of Contents
1. WHAT IS ENTREPRENEURSHIP? ................................................................................................. 1 2. WHY ENTREPRENEURSHIP? ........................................................................................................ 7 3. ENTREPRENEURSHIP AS A CONCEPT ....................................................................................... 9 4. AN ENTREPRENEURIAL CAREER.............................................................................................. 13 5. WHO IS AN ENTREPRENEUR?.................................................................................................... 15 6. ENTREPRENEUR A CONCEPT TO REALITY ......................................................................... 17 6.1 e-Learning Evolutions ...................................................................................................17 6.2 How to drive e-Learning concept operationally successful .........................................21 6.3 EFORCE Technology Online Learning and Certification..............................................25 6.3.1 Business Proposal: ......................................................................................................... 25 6.3.2 From Learning to Certification................................................................................... 25 6.3.3 Fact File ............................................................................................................................. 26 6.3.4 Our Leadership ................................................................................................................ 26 6.3.5 Boardroom........................................................................................................................ 28 6.3.6 Leveraging value through strategic handshakes ....................................................... 28 6.4 Business Plan................................................................................................................30 6.4.1 Vision................................................................................................................................. 30 6.4.2 Mission .............................................................................................................................. 30 6.4.3 Our Values ........................................................................................................................ 30 6.4.4 Strategy............................................................................................................................. 30 6.4.5 Goals ................................................................................................................................. 30 6.4.6 Company Locations and Facilities............................................................................... 30 6.5 Introduction to the Product ...........................................................................................31 6.5.1 Background Information:............................................................................................... 31 6.5.2 Products Details: ............................................................................................................. 33 6.5.3 Product Technology ....................................................................................................... 38 6.5.4 Content Delivery System ............................................................................................... 38 6.5.5 System Architecture ....................................................................................................... 38 6.5.6 Course Enrollment Options........................................................................................... 39 6.5.7 Tracking and Reporting System ................................................................................... 39 6.5.8 Course Tutoring .............................................................................................................. 39 6.5.9 Collaboration Tools ........................................................................................................ 39 6.5.10 Testing and Assessment ............................................................................................. 40 6.5.11 Full Integration with Corporate Infrastructures ....................................................... 40 6.5.12 Scalable Architecture ................................................................................................... 40 6.5.13 High-Availability Systems ........................................................................................... 40 6.5.14 Future Products............................................................................................................. 41 6.5.15 Other Product revenues are derived from:............................................................... 41 6.6 Introduction to the Industry Scenario ...........................................................................42 6.6.1 How big is the e-learning market in India? ................................................................. 42 6.6.2 How does the Brand India compare to rest of the e-learning countries? ............. 42 6.6.3 What are the innovations taking place in the e-learning space?............................ 42 6.6.4 Views on m-learning ....................................................................................................... 43 6.6.5 E-Learning playing a significant role in enterprise ................................................... 43 6.6.6 Trends in E-Learning industry ...................................................................................... 43 6.6.7 The driving force behind outsourcing decision ........................................................ 44 6.6.8 Indias role in the e-learning market ............................................................................ 44 6.6.9 Advantages of e-learning............................................................................................... 46 6.6.10 NASSCOM Projections: ............................................................................................... 51
Submitted by, Girish Chandra Sahoo, MFM, Sem V, Roll No. 31, 2006-09 Thakur Institute of Management Studies & Research.

6.7 Opportunities.................................................................................................................52 6.7.1 Global Opportunities ...................................................................................................... 52 6.7.2 Indian Opportunities ....................................................................................................... 52 6.8 Our Business Model - Software-as-a-service (SaaS) ....................................................53 6.8.1 What Is Software as a Service? .................................................................................... 53 6.8.2 Advantages of SAAS approach: ................................................................................... 55 6.8.3 SAAS compare to other ways of delivering software solutions: ............................ 57 6.8.4 Who "Owns" the Product / What is the Cost of Acquisition? ................................. 58 6.8.5 Transferring IT Responsibilities ................................................................................... 58 6.8.6 Leveraging Economy of Scale ...................................................................................... 60 6.8.7 Monitoring ........................................................................................................................ 61 6.8.8 Monitoring for Availability ............................................................................................. 61 6.8.9 Monitoring for Performance .......................................................................................... 62 6.8.10 SAAS Conclusion.......................................................................................................... 62 6.9 Why the Model can be more successful .......................................................................64 6.10 Competitor Analysis ....................................................................................................65 6.10.1 Estimated Size of Market ............................................................................................. 69 6.11 Our Best Marketing Strategy & Practices ...................................................................71 6.12 Financials.....................................................................................................................73 6.12.1 Projected Investments Details .................................................................................... 73 6.13 Funding ........................................................................................................................75 6.13.1 Venture capital (VC) ...................................................................................................... 75 6.13.2 What does the VC look at beyond the Numbers? ................................................... 75 6.13.3 Why VC should fund this venture? ............................................................................ 76 6.14 Sales Forecast .............................................................................................................77 7. LAUNCH OF NEW BUSINESS...................................................................................................... 80 8. CONCLUSION ................................................................................................................................. 83 9. BIBLIOGRAPHY ............................................................................................................................. 84

1. What Is Entrepreneurship? Overview: Entrepreneur is actually a French word that means undertake. The English understanding of this term is someone who wants to start a business or enterprise.
Entrepreneurs are sometimes seen as people of very high aptitude who pioneer change. However, a basic definition is that anyone wanting to work for him or herself is an entrepreneur.
Websters defines Entrepreneur as One who organizes, operates and assumes the risk in a business venture in expectation of gaining the profit.
It is common to differentiate between an entrepreneur and a small business owner. Entrepreneurs usually use innovation to generate higher profits during a shorter period of time by assuming more risk. Small business owners may found businesses or organizations that grow more slowly but more stable rate.
Entrepreneurship can be described as the search for new products, new production methods, new markets and new forms of an organization). It is based on innovation and the desire for change. (Austrian economist Joseph Schumpteters definition,
according to Quick MBA)
Entrepreneurship is looking at the world the way you want it to be, rather than the way it is.
Entrepreneurs may be responsible for founding many different types of organizations: For-profit: A for-profit or commercial venture is created and remains viable due to the desire to sell something for a profit. This product may be a good or a service, described below.

Non-profit: A non-profit venture is created and remains viable as a result of a desire to improve the quality of life for a group. A person founding a non-profit may be considered a social entrepreneur, since he or she is motivated by the desire to have an impact on society instead of earning money. Non-profits often dedicate themselves to social issues such as environmental concerns, animal rights, unemployment, health care, and advocacy for underserved groups such as Latinos, senior citizens and women. Large scale and small scale: Entrepreneurial activity may take place within a large company or within the home, school, church or local community organization. Service production and goods production: Entrepreneurs can be at work providing a service such as delivering food, mowing lawns, developing a technology or they can be at work producing and selling a product such as hockey sticks, software, tires, or advertising brochures. Local/national/international: Activity can take place at home, in school, in the state, within the country, or internationally.
The most important quality of an entrepreneur or an entrepreneurial activity is the ability to see an opportunity.
What is an opportunity? Its a desired future that is different from the present. It is a belief that achieving this is possible. Opportunity depends on the person, the environment, access to resources and timing. Entrepreneurship = 1) Identifying an opportunity 2) Pursuing that opportunity beyond your current resources 3) Believing that the opportunity can be achieved. Entrepreneurship is about creativity. Entrepreneurs use innovation and hard work to overcome obstacles to their success.

Entrepreneurship is about fun. Nothing feels better than focused effort and accomplishment.
Entrepreneurship is about freedom. Few things in life are as empowering as being able to determine what work you will do, when, where and with whom you will do it.
Entrepreneurship is about responsibility. We may not report directly to bosses, but we do have lenders, investors, family and the ever-present laws of profitability. Most of all, we answer to ourselves. Entrepreneurship is about hard work and dedication.
Entrepreneurship is about being true to our visions and our passions. As entrepreneurs we design the business we love and work hard to provide our customers, employees and community with the best we have to offer. Entrepreneurship is about diversity. Anyone can become an entrepreneur if they have a keen curiosity to learn and a desire to overcome the challenges inherent in learning new and exciting things.

2. Why Entrepreneurship? The goal of entrepreneurial education is to teach young people to see opportunities and act on them. Many people choose to leave problem solving and innovation to others. Entrepreneurs do not. There is more than money involved in entrepreneurship there are new ideas, approaches, methods and styles that can be tested. Students should understand that entrepreneurial education and spirit applies to everyone regardless of what position, occupation or profession an individual selects.
Reasons for entrepreneurship education may be: To improve backwardness of the people. Economic development of the region. To analysis resource utilization. Proper utilization of human potentiality. Special attention to take up new activities. To create self-employment and generation of employment opportunity. Eradication of regional imbalances. Better economic gain. To find solutions to problems or needs; to accept and respond to change; to adjust to an increasingly global, competitive economy aspects of tradition and the past may be left behind); to find new ways to solve social problems; to improve performance; to stimulate new business and the economy (new jobs and employment opportunities); to inspire and enhance opportunities for women, youth, elderly, minority groups; to move to an information society where the strategic resources are information, knowledge, and creativity;

to help workers shift to a service industry base from a
manufacturing/industrial base; to help reduce the number of failed business ventures.

3. Entrepreneurship as a Concept A theory of evolution of economic activities. A continuous process of economic development. An ingredient to economic development. Essentially a creative activity or an innovative function. A risk taking factor which is responsible for an end result. Usually understood with reference to individual business. The name given to the factor of production, which performs the functions of enterprise. Creates awareness among people about economic activity. Generates Self-employment and additional employment
The early history of entrepreneurship in India reflects from the culture, customs and tradition of the India people. The Baliyatra Festival of Cuttack, Orissa reminiscence of past glory of International trade. In the ancient days the Sadhavas (Sea Traders) used to sail off to distance islands like Java, Sumatra, Borneo etc, for their trade by their huge boars Boita To process of entrepreneurship therefore passed through the potential roots of the society and all those who accepted entrepreneurial role had the cultural heritage of trade and business. Occupational pursuits opted by the individual under the caste system received different meaning of value attached to entrepreneurship. This is based on social sanctions. Vaishyas are considered to venture in to business pursuits. As society grew and the process of business occupation depended and the value work tended towards change and the various occupational role interchanged with non-role group and sub-groups. People from different castes and status also entered into the entrepreneurial role. The emergence of entrepreneurship in this part of the country got localized and spread effect, took its own time. The concept of growth theory seems to be closely related in explaining the theory of entrepreneurship development as well.

After the Second World War entrepreneurship received new meaning for attaining economic development within the shortest possible time. But in the process they were seriously handicapped by the rigid institutional setup, political instability, marketing imperfection and traditional value system.
Britishers for their own ulterior motive destabilized the then self sufficient Indian economy. England flourished and India had to pay for that. In the process India suffered heavy industrial loss. Development of business eateries is a complex phenomenon influenced by both the internal and external factors. Internal factor originates in policies and attitude of the entrepreneur themselves.
In controlling the business itself. External factors are beyond the control of the business entrepreneur. They alone account for unpredictability of returns and risks assumed by the entrepreneur. A steady growth can be observed on the business of long cherished history of entrepreneurial development in the country is certainly promised or the environment to be created by the state and its agencies.
The entrepreneurial motivation is one of the most important factors which accelerates the pace of economic development by bringing the people to undertake risk bearing activities. In many of the developing countries a lot of attention is being paid to the development of entrepreneurship because it is not the proprietary quality of any caste and community. The entrepreneurship is usually understood with reference to individual business. Entrepreneurship has rightly been identified with the individual, as success of enterprise depends upon imagination, vision, innovativeness and risk taking. The production is possible due to the cooperation of the various factors of production, popularly known as land, labour, capital, market, management and of course entrepreneurship. The entrepreneurship is a risk taking factor, which is
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responsible for the end result in the form of profit or loss.
According to A Schumpeter The entrepreneurship is essentially a creative activity or it is an innovative function.
The economic activity with a profit motive can only be generated by promoting an attitude towards entrepreneurship. The renewed interest in the development of entrepreneurship to take up new venture should emphasize on the integrated approach. The developments of entrepreneurship will optimize the use of the unexploited resources, generate self-employment and a self sufficient economy.
The young entrepreneur should be motivated to come out with determination to do something of their own and also to contribute to the national income and wealth in the economy. If the country wants to achieve the growth at the grass root level, through social justice and the crimination of poverty, it will have to provide institutional support and structural changes in organization of financial institutions to promote entrepreneurship development. Industrial development in any region is the outcome of purposeful human activity and entrepreneurial thrust.
David Melelland emphasized
the importance of achievement motivation as the
basis of entrepreneurial personality and a cause of economic and social development through entrepreneurship by fulfilling the following needs such as 1) Need for power 2) Need for affiliation and 3) Need for achievement.
Another school of thought says entrepreneurship is a function of several factors i.e. individual socio cultural environment and support system. Entrepreneurship is vibrant assertion of the facts that individual can be developed, then outlook can be changed and their ideas can be converted into action though on organized and systematic program for entrepreneurs. It was also felt that
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systematic training can be given a better output and attracting people for taking up business venture can change economic scenario.
Basic objective in developing entrepreneurship and multiplying them in the society has been to enable the society to generate productive human resource, mobilize and sustain the same in subsequent process of development. The spontaneity and continuity of the process would depend on the kind of people that can be prompted and groomed in the entrepreneurial career.
Socilogists, Psychologists and economists have all attempted to give a clear picture of the entrepreneur. Sociologists analyze the characteristic of
entrepreneurs in terms of caste, family, social value and migration.
Psychologists on the other hand attempt to isolate entrepreneurs from general population on various personality trials such as need for achievement, creativity, propensity to take risk, independence leadership etc.
Economists lighted situational characteristics such as occupational backgrounds access to capital business and technological experience and managerial skills with economic gains considered as characteristic of entrepreneur.
As entrepreneur by implication is one who ventures out, who prefers change as a means of growth and in the process is prepared to take a calculated risk while taking risks he is aware of the possibilities, success as well as the consequence of failure.
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4. An Entrepreneurial Career Entrepreneurship plays an important role in the economic growth and development of nation. It is a purposeful activity includes in initiation, promotion and distribution of wealth and service. An entrepreneur is a critical factor in economic development and an integral part of the socio-economic transformation. It is a risk taking activity and challenging tasks, needs utmost devotion, total commitment and greater sincerity with fullest involvement for his personal growth and personality. The entrepreneurial career is not a one day job nor it is bed of roses. Prosperity and success never come easily. It takes time and needs hard work. Systematic planning and business acumen to be successful entrepreneur.
Therefore, before choosing this path one should be very careful in knowing about his own self. This introspection process helps him in knowing about himself. Every person has his own potentiality and resource. How he looks in to this aspect. If the person can understand or identify his inner traits then it helps him choosing the right path for which he should look into his beliefs, faith values etc. For an entrepreneur it is of great importance to know about himself on the basis of above mentioned individual consideration. These consideration give him ample scope to face his own self by asking the question Who I am? If he can give meaning answer to this complex question with exemplary courage and utter personal disregard to being exposed, then it helps him in getting a fair idea about himself. On the whole it helps him to making the right decision in choosing the right path for getting involved for deciding the future course of action. This is nothing but a self-identification process. After having being proper identified his strength, weakness and ability, he can make a decision of his choice, whether he will take up entrepreneurship as a career or not. If yes, then in which entrepreneurial area.
Choosing entrepreneurial career is like choosing a life partner. The person has to be there in the job forever and may have to continue in that chosen line for generations to generation and grows in this process if it is matching; if it
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mismatches it goes the other way round.
Considering this aspect he should always be governed by three basic qualitative instincts to serve in the world of uncertainty. These are - (1) Will, (2) Zeal, and (3) Skill.
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5. Who is an Entrepreneur? He is a person who develops and owns his own enterprise He is a moderate risk taker and works under uncertainty for achieving the goal. He is innovative He peruses the deviant pursuits Reflects strong urge to be independent. Persistently tries to do something better. Dissatisfied with routine activities. Prepared to withstand the hard life. Determined but patient Exhibits sense of leadership Also exhibits sense of competitiveness Takes personals responsibility Oriented towards the future. Tends to persist in the face to adversity Convert a situation into opportunity.
The characteristics of an unique entrepreneur are: Organization Motivation Honesty Perseverance Vision Adaptability Competitiveness Risk Taking Confidence Persuasiveness
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Entrepreneurship is not the proprietary quality of any caste or community. Many may possess the qualities, but are baffled with too many questions why, what and how to get about starting new venture.
One needs to answer his / her own-self before becoming an Entrepreneur
1. Are you prepared to put in hard work for achieving your goal? 2. Do you possess a strong will power to face and overcome the difficulties and setbacks and make the enterprise successful? 3. Is your family environment congenial to leaving the traditional family occupation and undertaking a new venture? 4. Are you prepared to wait if it takes time to set the results of your efforts?
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6. Entrepreneur A Concept to Reality
6.1 e-Learning Evolutions In The Beginning, There Was CBT: Remember the good old typing tutors that were to be found on every alternate machine running DOS or Basic. In a way, these tutors were the grandpas of e-learning, technically known as asynchronous learning, wherein the user can dictate the pace of learning. They created a veritable buzz in the market; people were amazed at the new learning mechanism. From there on, there were scores and scores of CBTs available on CD-ROMs, be it on FoxPro program or even soft skills like people management. While CBT was always there, the term e-learning was coined sometime in 1995 to encompass the different modes of delivering, be it Internet, Intranet, CD-ROMs, etc. says Subrat Mohanty, CEO, Hurix Systems.
E-learning scores over traditional forms of learning in many ways. The principal reasons for the spread of e-learning are uniformity, easily update ability, cost effectiveness, etc. Harish Joshy, vice president, Lionbridge, adds to the list, The most basic benefit is self-paced learning or anytime learning. Also, in an elearning environment, one can have inputs from different experts, which is not possible in the typical classroom scenario.
It is also a well-researched fact that people grasp information more readily in the audio-video format. Does that mean e-learning will herald the end of classroom learning? Disagrees Harish, he adds, E-learning in a way complements classroom learning, reduces its role. E-learning and classroom learning together can bring about holistic learning.
The Big Bang: Things changed dramatically at the turn of the millennium; with the near ubiquitous reach of Internet and ever increasing bandwidth, it was possible
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to deliver high definition media rich content. E-learning embraced Internet like none other. Courses were developed that could be dispensed from the Internet. It lead to John Chambers, president and CEO, Cisco, dub e-learning in the year 2000 as the next big killer application, he went on to add, Education over the Internet is going to be so big it is going to make email usage look like a rounding error. It has just been 5 years since John prophesized the success of e-learning. Five years is too less a time for this prophecy to come true, email is still the second best thing people do on the Internet (searching for information is the first). The change is happening though, byte-by-byte the education market is changing, and India is leading this charge.
Like any other cost-cutting measure, companies in the U.S.A. and U.K. were outsourcing their project to Indian companies. India had two distinct advantages, language skills and technical proficiency. English is the de facto lingua franca in India, and the accomplishments in IT are too many to be repeated. Steadily over the last decade India has become a force to reckon with in the e-learning space. Jay Sitaram, founder, Praxis Technologies says, In E-learning, I really don't think there is any other brand except India. If the work is not being done in the U.S. or the U.K., it is being done in India. In the IT space, there is competition for India's dominance, but in E-learning it is just us.
India Awakes: How big is the e-learning pie? No one seems to have a clear answer, the guesstimates range from so many hundred millions to many billions of dollars.
According to International Data Corporation (IDC) forecasts, the E-learning market, which was about $6.5 billion in 2003, will increase to more than $22 billion by second quarter ended june 2008. The global market for corporate E-learning will grow nearly 27% compounded annually over the next four years (Source: New IDC Report August 5, 2008.)
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But one thing is certain; the party is big enough to accommodate quite many players. There are scores of Indian companies operating out of Mumbai, Pune, Chennai and other cities. The bigger Indian players are Tata Interactive System, Hurix, NIIT, Maximize Learning, Brainvisa, Praxis Technologies, etc. Lionbridge has also become a big player in the marketplace after acquiring an Indian elearning firm Mentorix in 2003. Foreign players like Accenture, Element K also have established their development centers in India. Not only that, IT companies like Wipro, Sify and IBM are also jumping into the fray and are ramping up their facilities in a big way.
The projects coming to India can be categorized under two heads, educational ones and corporate training. Big time publishers like McGraw-Hill and Thomson Netg are biggest and most sought after clients (their projects running into millions). On the corporate side, every second MNC is in some ways or the other using e-learning.
The Next Wave: Currently most of the courses in the E-learning market are based on Macromedia Flash, which provides a rich multimedia platform for development. The acquisition of Macromedia by Adobe has also raised the hopes of a slew of products being introduced in the industry. Software tools like Captivate and Breeze are very popular in the industry. On the emerging trends Albert Lewis, Head (Product/Technology Strategy & Business Excellence), Tata Interactive Systems, says, It would be interesting to see how Microsoft's Acrylic will substitute the traditional Flash world. Macromedia's Flex is also in early deployment but the mandate on it is not yet out.
All the companies unequivocally express their support for mobile learning or mlearning as it is called. Many of these companies are currently working on pilot projects for m-learning. With the introduction of Flash Lite by Macromedia, now
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high-end multimedia work is also possible on hand-held devices.
Adds Albert, Estimates from a Brandon-Hall 2003 Research Report suggest a $250 million market size for m-learning in 2003 growing to $5 billion by 2007. Mlearning applications can vary, some instances are: mobile assessments on handheld to complement classroom training, hand-held 'reference-ware' applications and more recently performance support/knowledge reinforcement learning objects on hand-held.
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6.2 How to drive e-Learning concept operationally successful All materials presented in a classroom setting are not appropriate or cost effective for online learning. The advantages of online learning must outweigh the disadvantages for both the learner and the developer to make the conversion process cost effective.
Travel for learners, costs from loss of productivity, training location fees and instructor costs must be weighed against the cost of redesigning the course into an interactive experience that engages the learners. Consider the amount of faceto-face interaction that is critical in the course and whether this can be accomplished through online collaborative meetings and activities. If an online course can provide a rich and engaging experience for the learner and will have repeated uses (with updates) by a distributed audience, the conversion endeavor is an investment worth doing.
Essential factors to consider are, (1) The live interaction requirement, (2) Cost factors, (3) Skilled e-learning staff/consultants and (4) Re-education of learners to online learning.
Course conversion, however, does not make a complete e-learning program. Custom-developed and off-the-shelf courses combined with some traditional classroom-based courses along with the conversion courses make up a blended e-learning solution.
A training that requires a lot of give and take among learners, such as a negotiation or facilitation class may not be the best candidate for conversion. If the course is built around the interaction of the learners, a face-to-face classroom course is more appropriate. However, background material in preparation for the
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classroom course may be done online. This online preparation allows the face-toface instruction to begin on a level playing field.
Because of the elimination of travel and associated costs, online courses save money. However, for the first year to 18 months after startup, the technology purchases, staff hires and development costs are substantial and, therefore, immediate savings will not be realized. Most businesses need an enterprise-wide "blended" learning program. This includes classroom courses, custom-produced and off-the-shelf courses that are asynchronous or synchronous in their approach, and such a complete program takes time and money to build.
Course conversion costs are about $25,000 and up for a two-hour course, depending on the kind of interaction needed. The costs are in the design and the technology needed for an effective program. A new course of similar length costs more than $65,000. However, once produced, except for occasional updates, the reusability of the courses with additional groups of learners is where the savings happen. Online instruction is also faster than classroom instruction, due to the nature of the medium and also the fact that learners can move through the course at their own pace.
Another online course cost is the purchase of a learning management system (LMS). An LMS manages the launching, assessment and record keeping of the elearning solution. These range from $200,000 to $1 million depending on the functionality desired. Additionally, off-the-shelf courses complement the custom developed courses and costs range from a few dollars to $200 and up depending on the number of learners. There are substantial breaks for high learner volume. The average number of off-the-self courses an employee takes during a year is two to three.
A traditional training department most likely will not have staff with the skills
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necessary to do the online conversion or design new online content. Such work requires the expertise of an instructional designer and a producer who understands e-learning. The other option is to outsource the conversion process to a company who specializes in this work. The traditional trainer can learn to facilitate online learning, as well as develop online training sessions some make the transition easily and others are best to remain in the classroom role.
Online learning requires employees to learn at a computer, be self-motivated and be willing to learn independently. This is a dramatic shift from the classroom style of learning. Even those who are involved in a technology industry have seldom used technology for formal learning. Employees need an introduction with quality courses and support as they make the adjustment. Support groups within the organization help with this transition. As e-learning becomes more common in the workplace and integrated with employees work responsibilities it will grow to be an accepted part of the culture. The cost of activities to help prepare employees for this online learning through hands-on training, marketing and public relations (PR) activities is often overlooked.
If conversion of courses seems appropriate, be aware of these potential problems: Replicating the classroom in an online format: In online learning, the learner chooses when to learn, does so at his/her own pace and is in control of the learning. Therefore, the traditional linear approach with extensive reading of text and numerous slides of information are generally unsuccessful. Since the classroom dynamics are not present, the online approach must engage the learners, have them respond to questions, scenarios and make decisions as they are learning the content. Special links to Web sites or supplementary material make for an enriching experience. Doing too much too quickly: Convert one course at a time and put a lot of
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planning into the course. At the same time, introduce the concept of online learning and get employees ready for this new learning experience. Relying on course templates: It is a false belief that with course content templates all that is needed is to pour in the content and have a finished product in a few hours. These become the page-turner courses that turn learners off to online learning.
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6.3 EFORCE Technology Online Learning and Certification 6.3.1 Business Proposal: We are starting a new B2B venture of Online Learning Solutions for the IT/ITeS and academic markets nationally & internationally. Our solutions address key challenges - to train, assess, certify and retain precious human talent. We deliver focused learning curricula and other content to a Learner's Desktop. Backed by a full 360 degree view of learning, we support our customers with the necessary training, mentoring and customer care services in order to ensure adoption of online learning, thus delivering measurable ROI.
Our solutions ensure that individual Learners are connected to custom learning plans that are designed to address their needs. Since assessment is online, learners obtain instant feedback. Our association with Prometric allows us to complete the cycle. Learners can optionally schedule certification exams and get certified across India.
Our solutions are focused on distinct market segments: o CorpSuite Retail and Corporate Markets o eTeacher Academia | Government | Non-Profits
6.3.2 From Learning to Certification We combine our highly advance Learning Platform with world-class content from our partners to provide just the right learning solution. By being online, Learner's can benefit by learning at their own pace, and as their schedule allows them. We recognize the fact that learning is only the means and not the destination. Demonstrating measurable returns on learning is the key. We help companies put together project teams with specific skills or assist Learners obtain industry-recognized certification. In either case, the goal is to prove that the learning was effective - without a doubt.
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6.3.3 Fact File Focus: - Learning Solutions for Academia - Learning Solutions for Corporate Markets Solutions: - eTeacher, CorpSuite
Value-added alliance: - Safari Books Online in India & other South Asia markets Our target Customers: - To start with we are targeting - SUN Microsystems, Infosys Technologies, Satyam Computer Services, Visvesvaraya Technological University, Mumbai
University, Utkal University, Bhubaneswar. Market base: - Academia and Corporate Markets in high growth markets 6.3.4 Our Leadership EFORCE leadership brings together a unique symbiosis of executive, technical and sales functions. Deep business insights and relevant industrial experience help provide a substantial edge and vision to the products developed by this small community of innovators.
Chira U. Shah Founder & CEO, EFORCE Chirag has been instrumental in shaping EFORCE corporate strategy and technology agenda. He believes there is no sequel to 'hands on learning', and ensures that this thought forms the core of innovations at EFORCE. Chirag also oversees EFORCE national and global sales, marketing and customer care functions. integrations of IT with business strategy, where he held senior technical and business positions. Chirag also contributes his time as a featured speaker and thought leader across several platforms of learning. Chirag in qualification a Chartered Accountant.
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Girish Chandr Sahoo CFO, EFORCE Girish Chandra Sahoo is a founder member of EFORCE responsible for
Financial,Accounting,legal & Strategic activities and handle the critical factor of translating ideas from product & technology definition to deployable, fully functional solutions. Girish started the his career with Glodyne Technoserve Ltd as an Accounts Executive and has lot of ideas in working with lot of young qualified persons.
With over 10 years of experience in the software industry Girish has led the development software products in domains ranging from Accounts & HR modules of ERP. Girish has graduated from Utkal University and hold a
Masters Digree in Finance from Thakur Institute of Management & Research Studies, Mumbai, India.
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6.3.5 Boardroom EFORCE is receiving its first round of investment from Milestone Capital Ventures. The investors and Board of Directors brought global insights into the founding early phases of growth and continue to be active participants. Since inception, EFORCE has planned to maintained strict corporate governance through regular board meetings, financial disclosures to stakeholders and independent audit processes. EFORCE has projected a steady growth and willing to enter the next phase of the Technology Adoption Life Cycle (TALC) in recent months. Board of Directors Chirag U. Shah, Founder & CEO, EFORCE Girish Chandra Sahoo, Co-founder & CFO, EFORCE
6.3.6 Leveraging value through strategic handshakes EFORCE learning platforms are built on plug-and-play infrastructure by aggregating content, courses and certification from diverse partnerships and through strategic alliances. Each stakeholder brings to the platform valuable content (courseware and books) and certification. Safari Books Online This strategic partnership with Safari Books Online, the e-reference resource for IT, programming, business and academia helps us deliver compelling value, because of the attractive price points specific to emerging economies. EFORCE is the exclusive Value-Added Reseller for Safari - specifically for the corporate markets in India and China.
SkillSoft SkillSoft's large pool of industry-leading courses are most suitable for learning.
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With SkillSoft's acquisition of Thomson NETg they are the undisputed leader in courseware content globally.
Prometric Prometric is the leading global provider of comprehensive testing and assessment services. Being an Authorized Prometric Testing Center, we are in a position to offer industry-recognized certifications to our customers.
Edurite Technologies Edurite partners with EFORCE to offer its large repositories of IT-based and as well as custom- made learning product-base linked to curriculum across CBSE and ICSE boards and engineering subjects. Its in-house library known as Reusable Learning Objects has over 3000 animations, 200 hours of video and more than 10,000 diagrams.
We will continue to form key strategic and business associations with companies whose offerings align with our solutions and thought process. Partners on the anvil include e-learning companies, publishers, training institutes, business and technology schools and content providers. Alliances with reputed players and specialists in their domain, help us maintain the neutrality of our platform and stay current with best practices and emerging learning ware.
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6.4 Business Plan A formal written business plan serves as an invaluable, positive purpose for a new venture. The dream of an entrepreneur is the vision. Vision needs to be captured with Mission, Strategy and Goals while preparing the Business Plan. 6.4.1 Vision To be the global first choice in e-learning. 6.4.2 Mission To provide unique educational experience on the web through continuous innovation and change the way the world learns. 6.4.3 Our Values We go deep. We spark each other. We never give up.
6.4.4 Strategy Political, Economical, Social & Technological environments also to be considered along with the internal resources like Men, Machines, Money while defining the strategy
6.4.5 Goals The Entrepreneur is supposed to convert the vision into Goals through Communication.
6.4.6 Company Locations and Facilities The company has its corporate and main operating office in Mumbai, India. Its Development Center and Data Center infrastructure is located at Masjid Bunder, Mumbai.
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6.5 Introduction to the Product The choice of E-learning solutions in the educational industry is majorly for its highest potential driven by innovation, inclusion and strategic alliances
Our products objective: Accelerated Learning Radically Competitive Pricing High-value Partnerships
Driven by the O.P.E.N (Observe. Practice. Evaluate. Network) learning pattern, our solutions eTeacher and CorpSuite - is powered by the companys awardwinning, patent-pending learning tool - CodeMaker When integrated into existing e-Learning architectures, students get to actually run almost any code in a secure, sand-boxed environment. CodeMaker runs across 26 of the commonly used programming languages, and supports authoring of labs and exercises by course creators and faculty. The uniqueness of our learning platforms for both the academic and corporate markets is driven by CodeMaker.
System Requirements is
Sun Java Runtime Environment (JRE) v 1.4.1
6.5.1 Background Information: E-learning refers to the systematic use of networked Information and Communications Technology (ICT) in teaching and learning. It can be said that emergence of e-learning is directly linked to the development of and access to information and communications technology (ICT) infrastructure. The e-learning makes use of various technologies (ICT) to enhance or transform a learning process, educational value and reaching a larger and more diverse learner population with minimal expenditure. To make use of most of the opportunities that these technologies offer foremost attention need to be paid to the pedagogy of the learning and teaching transactions. This includes the changing nature of
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student learning from one of being Teacher-directed to being Student-directed or Student-centered. It is therefore, obvious that the e-learning environment offer more flexibility, as the electronic access provides variety of multimedia based material at doorstep of the learner at a time and a place suitable and convenient to the learner or of learners choice.
The pedagogies i.e. Teaching Methodologies are shifting and refined with increase in learners population and understanding the importance of quality of education / learning. Better avenues for education are created and recent technologies are being utilized to maintain the quality of education with the increase in students / learners population.
In view of above, E-learning is yet to be fully utilized to effectively integrate elearning methodology and approach to the conventional classroom system to spread e-learning from teaching IT related subjects to other subjects of school curricula.
The DOEACC Society - An autonomous body has been supported by DIT, M/o, Communications and Information Technology, New Delhi to carry out training programmes on e-learning for the benefit of teachers from different regions. The project was implemented by DOEACC Centre, Aurangabad, (Maharashtra) for the benefit of teachers from western region. The main objective of the programme is to enhance the ability of In-service school, College & University teachers in using ICT as a tool, as a subject and as an educational resource. To meet this objective, a training program titled Training of Teachers in elearning of 200 hours duration has been designed. Practicals (80 Hrs) and Project work (80 Hrs) on content development in the respective area of specialization of the teachers has been emphasized to develop skills. Participants are provided with training kit containing course material, CD of utility software, so that they can continue post training lesson /content development
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To propagate the knowledge on e-learning and its applications among teachers to integrate e-learning methodology and approach with conventional teaching and learning for improvement in educational methodologies (pedagogies).
6.5.2 Products Details: EFORCE offers a steadily increasing mix of two lines of e-learning and content products. We are planning to launch of two Educational E learning products in Software as a Service / Solution Model 1. eTeacher: (Converting Job Seekers to Job Holders) Strategic Learning revolutionizes the way we learn. In fact, students need to learn, work and perform at the highest level, by associating their synergies with current learning practices. Technology no longer sits on the periphery. It is very much an essential today! eTeacher helps facilitate learning at affordable costs. Around $ 20 - $ 30 per student, per year, thats as attractive as it can get! The idea is to create learning opportunities for every student in the high-growth markets of India, China, Sri Lanka and other countries in the Asia Pacific by enabling learners to access content, courses, certification and
collaboration. Key Objectives Establishment of eTeacher as an online resource pool for smart, strategic learning: To provide a plug-and-play platform, which could serve as a convergence of providers for Content | Courses | Certification | Collaboration. Help facilitate an architecture, where the transfer of best practices, smart skills and technical expertise contributes towards the
transformation of individual, institution and community.
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To expand the platform to ensure strategic reach across Tier 2 and Tier 3 towns and remote villages eTeacher has four different versions for different target segments:
a). eTeacherSchool: True to its name, eTeacher or Knowledge for Generation Next begins right at Class iii. Learning needs to be fun. It needs to be inspired by real-time experiences. eTeacher brings you eTeacherSchool tied to curriculum across the two boards ICSE and CBSE for schools in India. Across eTeacherSchool, students can find ways to make lessons come alive and transform classroom learning. Enjoy the wide range of content across all subjects.
b). eTeacherCollege: From elementary education to universities, the learning environment needs to facilitate an interchange of ideas and resources. Partnering with Fortune 500 publishers of courseware and books for regular Undergraduate Programmes, Graduate Programmes in Education, in service Teaching Programmes or Masters in Computer Applications, eTeacher demonstrates the ability to offer learning and certification along with a commitment towards quality education. c). eTeacherTech: Globalization and the shift in the balance of power towards high growth, higher-skilled knowledge intensive economies have put the spotlight on India, China and other countries in the Asia Pac region. In a global sourcing economy today, the industry cannot really predict what it needs on a long-term basis. The volatile situation demands specific and focused skill sets, fuelled by the high growth economies of today. Therefore, turning out a well-skilled, well-rounded IT professional is a business imperative for the volatile geographies of today. Todays
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generation looks at technology as an empowering arm. eTeacherTech is an affordable, flexible and convenient way to learn programming by actual doing.
d). eTeacherCertification: Straight from institutes of higher education, eTeacherCertification offer courses and certification a sure way to help even the working professional attain certification. With a career topmost on the mind of most students, its important for them to achieve what they want. Students have diverse interest. And the environment today contributes to this. Be it courses in technology or clinical data management, eTeacher brings you the best of breed from reputed institutes of learning. 2. CorpSuite: (Connecting Profiles to Roles) In a multi-sourcing environment, human capital and the expertise it brings to the core, forms the key engine of the business itself. Expertise depends on the context. Thats why connecting profiles to roles has become mission critical! EFORCE adopts a carefully crafted approach to make sure that its learning platform CorpSuite - is aligned to industry needs. More importantly, it is customized to company requirements and individual skill sets of employees. CorpSuite empowers companies to recruit, conduct online tests, hire and re-skill the knowledge workforce all under one hood.
We call this approach Total Resource Management! We believe its Learning to Sail!
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CorpSuites three modules each different from the other, form part of the same platform. So, be it learning, assessment or pre-processing resumes, we have something for the corporate customer. We understand the learning requirements and to complexities with of an
organizations.
CorpSuite
connects learning
business
unwavering focus on customer requirements. Economic value comes from connecting learning to business applications. The LIVE (Learn and Integrate in a Virtual Environment) experience cuts through the noise, the myriad of help lines, FAQs, reading, referencing and says: Learn by actual doing!
a). Corporate Learning: This storehouse of courses, books and certification has been crafted to add value to companies and help employees during induction. The idea is to help trainees move quickly from boot camp to base camp. No fence sitters, no bench squatters! Thats CorpSuites mandate. Helping CorpSuite live up to its reputation on being a global platform is of course unquestionable content - courseware drawn from Thomson Learnings resource pool and books from some of the largest publishers. And, helping learners look beyond the last mile is the process that empowers the platform qualifies for its stamp of meritocracy Certification! b). Corporate Assessment: Companies today are challenged to deploy ROI-based learning to sustain quality. The goals for a knowledge worker are often complex. On one hand they need to meet rigorous industry standards, and on the other side, make data-driven decisions, develop advanced technical skills and become efficient leaders for the twenty first century. The Assessment module at CorpSuite encourages students to evaluate themselves and get assessed to determine their skill levels. The platform comprises questions and skills-testing cases from our partners,
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for instance KenPeople (a job board with a benchmarked database of job seekers and over 200 different types of tests) and Thomson Learning, a leading global provider of integrated information-based solutions to business and professional customers. c). Corporate Match: Deep dive into an ocean of resumes across both structured and unstructured formats! Fish out the right resume; match it to the right role awaiting the nod. And, you have an efficient agent that connects the right profile to the role. By criss-crossing rapidly across unstructured resumes either on a file system or within a database [in fact anywhere in your network], it throws up the right match for the right role.
EFORCE develops and deploys on a remotely hosted (onsite / offsite) Internet distribution platform from its data center in Mumbai. In joint venture with academic and corporate partners, it has the ability to create proprietary academic and training courses and/or accredited courses in days instead of months and deliver revenue sharing marketing partnerships, with a revenue stream in under two weeks. This generates revenues for its partner - clients, helps it penetrate the market and creates barriers to entry.
EFORCE develops, manages and hosts Internet-based training and education for corporations, government agencies and academic institutions. The Company offers its online courseware primarily through its Software as Service model, a full-service, centrally hosted, scalable distance education platform. It allows for the registration, enrollment, teaching, testing, grading and certification of distance learners. Our solution is accessible by virtually any Internet-ready PC. Enrolled students can access the courseware online, typically via a PC connected to the Internet or
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a corporate intranet. Once a student has completed a course, he or she receives credit or certification, as appropriate. EFORCE platform allows the Company to offer replicating course portals, turnkey Universities and Virtual Campuses through Churches (Clergy) Physicians, and Hospitals. It also allows offering private label and customizable training courses for Multi-Level-Marketing (MLM) Trainers as well as traditional media, including on-site and classroom training, diskette, CD-ROM and printed formats.
6.5.3 Product Technology EFORCEs e-learning environment consists of technologies that will take over 1000 man month to develop and are provided to it at favorable conditions by three strategic technology partners - SUN, Oracle & Microsoft. They have been designed and created to function as an integrated solution. By employing standard Internet technologies and a hosted content delivery model, EFORCE is able to provide customers with a high quality, efficient means to educate their extended enterprise. 6.5.4 Content Delivery System EFORCE hosts the e-learning environments of its customers. By centralizing all infrastructure and hosting requirements, its customers derive significant benefits, such as the avoidance of hardware, software, content and technology installation and/or updates, and 24/7 access from anywhere there is a PC and an Internet connection.
6.5.5 System Architecture EFORCE e-learning architecture is designed to scale rapidly to provide large student populations with tutor supported e-learning content. Content delivery system uses standard Internet technologies such as Java and HTML, facilitating the delivery of content to customers' Web browsers.
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6.5.6 Course Enrollment Options There are several different methods for participants to access EFORCEs
courses. Enrollments can be managed by authorized personnel using its corporate administration system. Alternatively, participants can self-enroll using an intranet or Internet e-commerce option. EFORCEs system can also be integrated with thirdparty enterprise software applications to allow automated enrollments using a learning management or other data base administration system. 6.5.7 Tracking and Reporting System Each participant's learning activities are fully tracked in EFORCEs database. The tracking ability allows a participant to start a course at work, and continue at home or while traveling. Regardless of their location, EFORCEs system recognizes each participant, tracks their course progress and records their performance. Using only a standard Web browser, managers can run both standardized and custom reports on participant enrollments and progress, gaining visibility into the learning status of their extended enterprise. 6.5.8 Course Tutoring EFORCEs technology allows increasing the efficiency and scalability of tutoring resources. The ability of tutors worldwide to interact with participants through standard Internet communication methodologies significantly increases the
pool of tutor candidates that can be recruited. In addition multiple tutors will be allowed to support the same course as grading and exercise submissions can be accessed and responded to by any tutor. Duplication of tutor work is prevented by message queuing technology.
6.5.9 Collaboration Tools EFORCE hosts and makes available to customers proprietary and third-party collaboration tools, which currently include instant messaging software, e-mail
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solutions, chat rooms and discussion boards. These collaboration tools are designed to create a learning environment that fosters collaboration between peers and a high degree of interaction between participants and tutors.
6.5.10 Testing and Assessment EFORCEs system offers comprehensive testing and assessment capabilities, which can be customized for specific learning solutions and customers. Assessment and testing capabilities include the full range of testing techniques (multiple choice, multiple answer quizzes with randomized question sets, tutorscored and commented exercises, etc.).
6.5.11 Full Integration with Corporate Infrastructures EFORCEs e-learning solutions can be fully integrated with customers' corporate information technology systems, including their Web sites and
intranets. As a result, course participants do not necessarily realize that they are accessing content hosted from EFORCEs servers. Integration layer provides adapters for learning management systems. Course content is designed to be compatible with customer's security concerns and bandwidth limitations.
6.5.12 Scalable Architecture EFORCEs system has been designed to scale rapidly and to consistently deliver content to large numbers of participants. It uses extensive load testing to measure system capacity and identify potential bottlenecks. Constant improvements to the system architecture ensure increased system capacity well beyond current demands. 6.5.13 High-Availability Systems EFORCEs systems have been designed to maximize availability, with redundancy in the areas in which failures are most likely to occur (network connections to the Internet, Web server, storage arrays). Servers are hosted with
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a leading Web-hosting firm which provides backup power, constant monitoring, physical security, seismic resistance, fire suppression and climate control systems.
6.5.14 Future Products EFORCEs strategy for future development is to remain positioned with enough flexibility to quickly adapt to new technologies and courseware needs. to the changing environments within what is believed to be a positive market trend for EFORCEs products. 6.5.15 Other Product revenues are derived from: Development revenues for developing custom Portals based on its unique e-learning portals content; sale of computer-based training ("CBT") courses delivered through
traditional CBT format (e.g. CD-ROM - DVD) specially through Christian Missions with mass deployment programs; E-mail Marketing: Is charged per valid email address in email marketing campaigns done on behalf of clients.
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6.6 Introduction to the Industry Scenario
6.6.1 How big is the e-learning market in India? From an outsourcing perspective, the market is fairly large and growing at a healthy rate. International clients are outsourcing work to India, a lot of work, namely content conversion from one medium to another. Close to 80 per cent of work done by Indian companies is basically content conversion, i.e., turning an academic course to an e-learning one, etc. The whole market is driven by corporate, education and government sector keen to bring about uniformity in the internal training and save costs. There is a lot of scope for innovative and R&D projects. Praxis specializes in this space. We are into R&D, we want to build courses from scratch, and not be mere programmers. Tapping the intellectual power of the Indian mind is going to be the next big wave.
6.6.2 How does the Brand India compare to rest of the e-learning countries? Frankly speaking in e-learning, we really don't think there is any other brand. Ireland used to develop some courses for captive users, there is some flash programming work done in countries like Russia, Czech Republic, Poland, etc. But for most part in the learning market, if the work is not being done in the U.S. or the U.K., it is being done here. In the IT space, there is competition for India's dominance, but in e-learning we have a monopoly!
6.6.3 What are the innovations taking place in the e-learning space? Gaming is big, big thing. Learning through gaming can be a truly amazing experience for the user, for instance, if we can figure out a way to teach you Mathematics through cricket, then you will learn faster than the traditional classroom approach. The next great thing is going to be simulations-based learning.
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6.6.4 Views on m-learning It is a very interesting concept; it is already being used quite a bit in the medical field in the U.S For instance, doctors in the U.S., constantly use their mobiles for latest information while treating their patients. We are doing some gaming pilots for m-learning, all devices are converging on the mobile and hence m-learning has a lot of promise.
6.6.5 E-Learning playing a significant role in enterprise E-learning is net-enabled learning targeted to achieve business goals. The enterprise is a significant user of e-learning as a tool since it is faster, better and cheaper. Companies spend millions of dollars on training and e-learning reduces the overall training costs by 30 percent to 40 percent. It also reduces training time by as much as 50 percent on the same subject and decreases time-tomarket of new skills globally. More courseware is available at significantly less costs. It has been noticed there is a 25 percent to 50 percent higher retention of knowledge due to e-learning. 6.6.6 Trends in E-Learning industry E-learning as a solution did not exist before 1996. The term itself took root after 1997. By the year 1999, the global e-learning market touched $ 1.7 billion. Currently, it stands at $ 6.5 billion and IDC has predicted that market is likely to witness an exponential growth and touch the $ 28 billion mark by 2008. I firmly believe e-learning simulations are the next big thing in learning.
Over 50 percent of enterprises will be using e-learning simulations to teach vital skills to their sales and customer support professionals by 2006. Our partner in India Maximize is already doing some work in this area for Deloitte. Simulationbased learning is second nature to the new generation brought up on a diet of play stations, videogames and multimedia.
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6.6.7 The driving force behind outsourcing decision According to IBM/ASTD Learning Outsourcing Survey 2004, over 75 percent of organizations surveyed are expected to outsource e-Learning in the future. Over 67 percent organizations are looking to reduce operating costs and another 46 percent lack the internal capability. Around 43 percent organizations do have access to the best practices and talent and the improvement of quality and consistency of content is a major issue with 22 percent organizations. Therefore, outsourcing offers a wonderful option to such companies. 6.6.8 Indias role in the e-learning market India boasts of a huge highly educated workforce. It already has experience in technology and BPO support and is becoming home to a number of Fortune companies. India also has exposure in e-learning development and could do well to capitalize on these strengths. India stands a chance to seize a big portion of the $ 28 billion pie that e-learning will become by 2009.
Virtual universities Countries without university education can access universities in other countries via the Web, a solution much cheaper than building university infrastructure. In underdeveloped countries, e-learning can raise the level of education, literacy and economic development. This is especially true for countries where technical education is expensive, opportunities are limited, and economic disparities exist.
However, one of the problems with e-learning in India is the lack of course content, especially outside the mainstream focus areas of IT education, Englishlanguage content, and tutorial-like courses. There will be high demand for people who can develop multi-lingual courseware that addresses various topics. Gartner says that one of the top 10 positions among Global 1000 companies of the future will be that of an online learning designer.
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LionBridge has recognized two types of requirements for e-learningone is a catalogue for courses which is quite generic in nature and can be used by everyone; for example, a course on Microsoft Excel or PowerPoint. The second type is customized development such as product training for a specific customer.
A traditional learning structure does not guarantee the delivery of a consistent message, whereas consistency is assured in elearning. Albert Lewis Head Products, Strategy & Business Excellence Tata Interactive Services We wish to reach out to every computer user who wishes to create his own content, enhance it using multimedia, and share it with others. Gautam Goradia Managing Director Remittag Software
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6.6.9 Advantages of e-learning Nothing can replace traditional classroom teaching, but e-learning complements the process and can help reach out to the masses. Says Gautam Goradia, Managing Director of Remittag Software Company, There are several companies that are working towards e-learning in India. Our product focus is on providing simple, cost-effective e-learning tools for individuals. We wish to reach out to every computer user who wishes to create his own content, enhance it using multimedia, append to it as and when information changes, share it with others, and make effective use of the same for self-learning as well as to teach others.
The biggest advantage of e-learning lies in its ability to cover distances. For an organisation that is spread across multiple locations, traditional training becomes a constraint. All trainees need to come to a classroom to get trained. Additionally, the trainees learning pace is not addressed as all trainees are treated as having equal abilities and there is little flexibility in terms of timing and completion of the course.
The major advantage is the consistency that e-learning provides. e-learning is self-paced, and learning is done at the learners pace. The content can be repeated until it is understood by the trainee. It can be made compelling and interesting with multimedia, and the trainee can be given multiple learning paths depending on his or her needs, explains Joshy.
Albert Lewis, Head, Products, Strategy and Business Excellence, Tata Interactive Services (TIS), points out that A traditional learning structure does not guarantee the delivery of a consistent message, whereas consistency is assured in e-learning.
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Trends in e-learning Business-to-employee Companies will build B2E intranets or corporate
initiatives will address portals to conduct business with employees, and e-learning provide them self-service for access to benefits, forms and information. B2E capabilities will become
increasingly important tools for recruitment, retention, and employee-relationship management. e-learning will extend CRM initiatives might include customer education. to customers According to Gartner, companies can use e-learning to introduce new products, educate customers in selfservice techniques, and compare competitors
products and services. Simulation, gaming Research shows that student understanding and
and interactivity will retention improves when they learn by experience. enrich e-learning Technologies such as collaboration, interactivity, modeling, simulations, virtual reality interfaces and gaming will help students experience the skill while being taught. There will never be Along with technologies and business practices, some enough of the right skills are changing so quickly that theyre outdated skills within a few months of introduction. In addition, the number and range of skills required of the average employee is increasing.
Every person a creator In a market such as India where the concept is still new, one crucial element that will make a difference in generating a good response is marketing. This not only holds true for segments such as government and education, but for the corporate
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sector as well. Experts are of the view that there needs to be a mindset for the adoption of e-learning.
The other point is content. If content providers are giving off-the-shelf content, there should be scope for customization since each organization has its own needs.
Goradia believes that every individual must be treated as a potential creator of content. Each one of us must have specialized tools that would help us create well-structured content, allow us to append information, and not make us totally dependent on external sources for content. Bottomline: the Indian market is still young, but it will continue to adopt the concept of e-learning in order to meet its communication needs and seize business opportunities.
According to a recent survey from members of the Masie E-Learning Consortium, the development of a one-hour e-learning program can cost enterprises between $10,000 and $150,000. When reviewing estimates for e-learning development, sometimes the focus is on the authoring and programming components of the development process and not as much on the instructional design activities. Over the past couple of years, a lot of research has been conducted on the effectiveness of e-learning. One of the key themes is that high-quality, effective e-learning should be based on learning theories grounded in research and developed using solid instructional design principles.
Because most corporate universities do not have additional staff to develop company-specific e-learning content, they reach out to external vendors. An increased number of organizations outsource their e-learning design and development to companies based in India in order to save 40 percent to 70 percent in development costs. Although a growing number of Indian firms offer e-
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learning design and development capabilities, the results do not always live up to the promises.
E-learning design and development requires specific skills and capabilities. You cannot expect a Flash programmer to master those skills. Some of the required instructional design capabilities include conducting audience analyses, writing learning and performance objectives, structuring courses, designing and developing content, conceptualizing graphics, animations and interactivities, and creating assessments, as well as creating training manuals, lesson plans and learning presentations. E-learning design and development is a whole different profession from developing software.
A number of e-learning development firms have had little experience in designing different learning solutions for different industries and on different subjects. For example, there are significant differences in designing a leadership program, a new-hire orientation or a course to teach people how to use software.
A number of e-learning companies experience significant development-anddelivery challenges. E-learning content must be developed under a cohesive and shared environment, working with developers, writers, subject-matter experts, project managers, programmers and clients. E-learning content has to be constantly shared, reviewed, critiqued, amended and distributed. This
collaborative challenge is compounded when all these people are located across different countries and come from different backgrounds of expertise. Therefore, it is critical to have the following in place: proven e-learning design methodologies and tools, distributed and collaborative development platforms and effective project management and online workflow processes.
One can only project-manage an offshore e-learning development team with people who understand what it takes to design and develop e-learning. The
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quality of the deliverables is highly correlated to the quality of client input. Therefore, the clients project management and involvement is critical to success. E-learning development firms must show: Proven instructional design capabilities. Use of a proven e-learning design and development methodology. Experience in different kinds of solutions. Industry-specific expertise. Technology systems and workflow processes to manage development from different locations. Transparencies of development time for different deliverables. Language and cultural translation capabilities. At least three years of experience with e-learning design and development. Certified e-learning development processes. Embedded quality improvement approaches. Existence of sustainable client relationships.
There is a difference between firms that have made e-learning design and development their core business and firms that have launched e-learning capabilities as one of their services.
It is important to develop a long-term relationship with the vendor based on trust. There needs to be a desire from both ends to work through challenges and to focus on ongoing process improvements to reach the goal of creating the highest-quality e-learning courseware.
Nick Van Dam is chief learning officer for Deloitte and has held a variety of global learning and human resources development roles throughout his career in different countries. He is author of The E-Learning Fieldbook, published by McGraw-Hill.
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6.6.10 NASSCOM Projections: National Association of Software & Service Companies (NASSCOM): In Information Technology (IT), India has built up valuable brand equity in the global markets. In IT-enabled services (ITES), India has emerged as the most preferred designation for business process outsourcing, a key driver of growth for the software industry and the services sector.
Indian IT Software and Services industry recorded a growth of over 30% in FY06. According to the estimates of NASSCOM (National Association of Software and Service Companies), total revenues from software and services during FY06 were $29.5 Billion, an increase of 31% over total revenues of $22.6 Billion in FY05. IT services, which constitute nearly 60% of the software and services revenues recorded a growth of 30% over the previous year. Growth in the ITESBPO segment is estimated to be higher at 38% over FY05. Nearly 80% of the revenues come from export of Software and services. The industry expects to generate export revenues of $60 Billion by 2010. This would imply a compounded annual growth rate of 26.5% over the estimated export revenues of $23.4 Billion for the current fiscal. By 2010, the direct employment in the industry is expected to be over 2 Million people.
Indian Economy is growing in multifold. Its right time for the opportunities to be en-cashed.
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6.7 Opportunities 6.7.1 Global Opportunities Approximately 145,000 Secondary Schools in the US, 500 schools in Singapore Major funding through legislation such as No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) allocations amounting to a fed budget of $38.7bn in the US. Singapore government funding approximately S$5.2bn for education in 2005. Educational content market size $12bn worldwide Supplemental Education services (e-Tutoring) market size $3bn
6.7.2 Indian Opportunities Largest Education market in the world in terms of number of students - 220mn students accessing the education system and 100mn students out of the system Total 10,00,000 Schools 50,000 private schools of which < 2% are IT enabled Over 5mn teachers need training (both IT and pedagogy) Huge Government spend to bridge the digital divide Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan ICT @ School project Budget Spend more than Rs 12bn p.a. Contribution of Education Cess to education budget Rs 90 bn p.a
E-learning interventions are rapidly becoming organizations response to continuous learning and change in the new economy because knowledge and training become rapidly obsolete. Just-in-time training becomes a basic survival need and identification of cost-effective ways of reaching a diverse global workforce becomes critical. Therefore a need is felt for making quality education at affordable cost for Indian people because education is social commitment of the government, extending quality education to the remote parts of India to improve effective utilization of recent technologies i. e. ICT enhancement in imagination power.
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6.8 Our Business Model - Software-as-a-service (SaaS) The words are on everyone's lips. The pages of software industry publications are full of articles about software as a service (SaaS) -articles that use words like "revolution" and "horizon" (as in, "on the"). Everyone knows (or thinks they know) what it is, roughly, and everyone knows it's going to be big. Yet few people would say they can really define it, and even fewer know how to build it. So, if SaaS holds such promise for the future of application delivery, why isn't there more guidance available to help people actually achieve it? We believe that SaaS is going to have a major impact on the software industry, because software as a service will change the way people build, sell, buy, and use software. For this to happen, though, software vendors need resources and information about developing SaaS applications effectively. 6.8.1 What Is Software as a Service? Even today, the exact definition of software as a service (SaaS) is open to debate, and asking five people would probably result in five different definitions. Still, most experts would probably agree on a few fundamental principles that distinguish SaaS from traditional packaged software on the one hand, and simple websites on the other. Expressed most simply, software as a service can be characterized as follows: "Software deployed as a hosted service and accessed over the Internet." Short for Software as a Service, SaaS is a software delivery method that provides access to software and its functions remotely as a Web-based service. SaaS allows organizations to access business functionality at a cost typically less than paying for licensed applications since SaaS pricing is based on a monthly fee. Also, because the software is hosted under the ownership of the vendor, users don't need to invest in additional hardware. SaaS removes the need for organizations to handle the installation, set-up and often daily upkeep and
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maintenance. Software as a Service may also be referred to as simply hosted applications. Take a moment to consider the implications of this definition. It doesn't prescribe any specific application architecture; it doesn't say anything about specific technologies or protocols; it doesn't draw a distinction between business-oriented and consumer-oriented services, or require specific business models. According to this definition, the key distinguishing features of software as a service are where the application code resides, and how they are deployed and accessed.
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6.8.2 Advantages of SAAS approach: Yes - Software-As-A-Service applications provide a number of significant advantages. 1. Anytime, anywhere access Running the applications only requires access to a web browser and support software like the free version of Acrobat Reader. (We use Intacct for our own firm accounting and particularly like the freedom to access our data, approve expense reports, approve checks, and perform other tasks from locations other than our offices. 2. Subscription based You pay for the applications on a monthly subscription basis. There are no upfront software purchase fees. 3. Cost effective The applications do not require large systems expenditures for servers, server installation, or other hardware and software. You do not have to have hired an IT staff (or an IT Service Provider) to perform the many tasks associated with large in-house systems. The SAAS application provider takes care of all system upgrades, maintenance, backup, storage, and security. 4. Easy to maintain There are no additional maintenance costs and no maintenance upgrades for you to install. The software is automatically upgraded as needed with no effort on your part. 5. Automatic, off-site backups - We all know we should backup our critical data, but, too often, we do not do backups on a regular basis. Most SAAS applications perform a backup every day and store the backup data in the secure, remote datacenter. 6. Customizable The software is highly customizable so that each user has access only to the components which they need. 7. Sharable Data can be shared with staff and other Campuses. However, you control who has access to what data.
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8. Secure The applications are hosted off-site in limited access facilities - in the case of Intact, these are the same facilities used by Fortune 500 companies for their critical applications. As previously mentioned, frequent (daily) back-ups of your data are automatically performed at the off-site facility. Many SAAS application vendors use the same mission-critical security and privacy protections as those employed in online banking - a level of security generally far beyond what most small to medium businesses can afford to implement on their own. 9. Faster deployment Since there is no server setup and limited Internet access and desktop computer setup, an SAAS application can be up and running quickly. After initial sign-up, WJH will configure your system so it is compatible with the way your business functions today. We will setup users and permissions, upload legacy data, and train your staff. And, anytime you have a question our staff, as well as the SAAS supplier customer support team, is standing by to help. 10. Easier, more available training Web-based training sessions are
available along with the ability to communicate with a support person as needed. 11. Faster innovation The products are updated more quickly so you get the benefit of the latest innovations. For example, a typical desktop computer application may have a major release once a year (or less) with several "updates" between major releases. Each release requires the user to acquire and install new software. SAAS applications can have releases on a much more frequent basis (weekly is not unusual). The releases are performed at off-hours and require no action on the part of the user. Because the releases are more frequent, they are much smaller. This means they are easier to test and are less likely to have bugs that get through the testing system.
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6.8.3 SAAS compare to other ways of delivering software solutions: Comparison of conventional software applications which are purchased and installed on your desktop Vs Software-As-Services applications. Traditional Approach You pay for the complete Software-As-A-Service Approach software You pay only for the capabilities you use.
package.
You pay the entire costs upfront when you You pay the monthly subscription acquire the application. price.
You are responsible for installing andThe application is installed for you at setting up the application. the remote / client hosting site as a ownership of the vendor. Setup is
performed by the vendor or local support team (like WJH). You are responsible for backing up your The data and the application are data and the application and for making automatically backed up on a regular sure that a copy of the backup is in a safe(at least daily) basis at the secure offsite location. hosting site.
Technical support is generally available for Technical support is included in the an additional payment to the vendor subscription price. are included in the
You have to purchase and install anyUpgrades
upgrades to insure that the application issubscription price and are installed by applicable to your current needs. the provider.
As your business grows you have toGrowth is handled automatically by the purchase and install additional servers to provider. You support the growth. additional staff only and provide their your
browser
based desktop system.
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6.8.4 Who "Owns" the Product / What is the Cost of Acquisition? Most software continues to be sold in the same way it has been sold for decades. The customer buys a license to use the software, and installs it on hardware that belongs to the customer or that is otherwise under the customer's control, with the vendor providing support as directed by the terms of the license or a support agreement. In an honest, above-board software transaction, the notion of a "license" can seem like something of a technicality: legally, the customer is only purchasing the right to use a copy of the software, but for practical purposes, it's as though the customer "owns" the software and may use it as often and for as long as it wishes. With the software-as-a-product model providing the context for the software market, the idea of software as a service can feel somewhat alien: instead of "owning" important software outright, customers are told, they can pay for a subscription to software running on someone else's servers, software that goes away if they stop subscribing. It's therefore especially important that the prospective customer understand how SaaS provides a direct and quantifiable economic benefit over the traditional model. 6.8.5 Transferring IT Responsibilities In a typical organization, the information technology (IT) budget is spent in three broad areas: Software - The actual programs and data that the organization uses for computing and information processing. Hardware - The desktop computers, servers, networking components, and mobile devices that provide users with access to the software. Professional services - The people and institutions that ensure the continued operation and availability of the system, including technical support staff, consultants, and vendor representatives.
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Of these three, it is the software that is most directly involved in information management, which is the ultimate goal of any IT organization. Hardware and professional services, though vital and important components of the IT environment, are properly considered means to an end, in that they make it possible for the software to produce the desired end result of effective information management. (To put it another way, any organization would gladly add software functionality without extra hardware if it could do so effectively, but no organization would simply add hardware without an anticipated need to add software as well.) In an IT environment based around on-premise software, the majority of the budget is typically spent on hardware and professional services, leaving a minority of the budget available for software (see Figure 2).
Figure 2. Typical buget for an on-premise software environment In this model, the software budget is spent primarily on licensed copies of "shrink-wrapped" business software and customized line-of-business software. The hardware budget goes toward desktop and mobile computers for end users, servers to host data and applications, and components to network them together. The professional services budget pays for a support staff to deploy and support software and hardware, as well as consultants and development resources to help design and build custom systems.
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In an organization relying chiefly on SaaS, the IT budget allocation looks much different (see Figure 3).
Figure 3. Typical budget for a SaaS environment In this model, the SaaS vendor hosts critical applications and associated data on central servers at the vendor's location, and it supports the hardware and software with a dedicated support staff. This relieves the customer organization from the responsibility for supporting the hosted software, and for purchasing and maintaining server hardware for it. Moreover, applications delivered over the Web or through smart clients place significantly less demand on a desktop computer than traditional locally-installed applications, which enables the customer to extend the desktop technology lifecycle significantly. The end result is that a much larger percentage of the IT budget is available to spend on software, typically in the form of subscription fees to SaaS providers. 6.8.6 Leveraging Economy of Scale But isn't this result just an illusion? After all, a percentage of the subscription fees paid to SaaS vendors for "software" has to pay for hardware and professional services for the vendor. The answer lies in the economy of scale. A SaaS vendor with x number of customers subscribing to a single, centrally-hosted software service enables the vendor to serve all of its customers in a consolidated environment. For example, a line-of-business SaaS application installed in a
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load-balanced farm of five servers may be able to support 50 medium-sized customers, meaning that each customer would only be responsible for a tenth of the cost of a server. A similar application installed locally might require each customer to dedicate an entire server to the applicationperhaps more than one, if load balancing and high availability are concerns. This represents a substantial potential savings over the traditional model, and for SaaS applications that are built to scale well, the operating cost for each customer will continue to drop as more customers are added. As this is happening, the provider will develop multitenancy as a core competency, leading to higher-quality offerings at a lower cost. Therefore, even accounting for the hardware and professional services costs incurred by SaaS vendors, customers can still obtain significantly greater pure software functionality for the same IT budget. 6.8.7 Monitoring The SLAs that you enter into with your customers will quantify the operational standards that you are required to meet. SLAs are legally binding contracts, and failing to meet them can mean significant lost revenue and damage to your reputation. Monitoring your application architecture for any sign of trouble is therefore a vital tool for detecting problems, and fixing them before they result in significant outages or performance degradation. 6.8.8 Monitoring for Availability Assuring high availability should be one of the most important priorities for any SaaS vendor. An outage that affects a single server or data center could lead to significant data or productivity losses for a large percentage of your customers and maybe your entire customer base! For ISVs moving to SaaS from a background in traditional desktop or clientserver software development, the high-availability requirements of a net-centric application model can involve new and unfamiliar challenges. It is recommended that you build support for basic techniques, such as heartbeat monitoring and alert mechanisms, into your application, and that you pay special attention to potential weak links, such as a connection to a database at a remote site not under your control.
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Of course, technical mechanisms such as alerts are only a part of the process of ensuring high availabilityand if an alert goes off, but nobody responds, it can't really be said to be part of the process at all. Ensure that there are processes in place at your operations center that prescribe specific courses of action, and standards to achieve, in the event of a system failure. 6.8.9 Monitoring for Performance Your customers expect you to provide them with application access at an acceptable level of performance. To some extent, this expectation will be made explicit by the SLAs that you agree to honor as part of your contract with the customer. Beyond SLAs, however, if customers perceive your application to be slow or unresponsive, they will be more likely to terminate or decline to renew their subscriptions; disgruntled users may make their feelings known on websites and in the pages of industry publications, thus giving your application a negative reputation. Conversely, a fast, lean application that meets users' needs will please customers, andif they've moved to your software from a less responsive traditional software packageeven make them more receptive to SaaS as a category. To ensure a high level of performance, build support for performance counters into your application directly, if at all possible. Set performance thresholds for metrics such as CPU usage and application response times, and use alerts to notify the appropriate personnel when management events are raised. Establishing a baseline for performance is generally the most critical activity. With an established baseline, it is much easier to tell when something abnormal is happening, and where the problem is. 6.8.10 SAAS Conclusion There's plenty more to be said about each of the topics addressed in this paper, but hopefully, by this point, you've read enough to begin developing a conceptual framework for understanding SaaS, and how you and your customers may benefit from it. SaaS represents a new paradigm in software delivery, an
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architectural model built on the principles of multi-tenant efficiency, massive scalability, and metadata-driven configurability to deliver good software inexpensively to existing and potential customers. Adopting these principles now can help put you well on the path to transforming the way you capture the long tail business.
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6.9 Why the Model can be more successful The organization is confident about the success due to its unique business model, Competition being very limited vis--vis the gap in potential in the industry. The model being one of the unique Consistent Predictable Revenue year on year with good Bottom-lines. The customer ones gets attached remains the customer minimum Three to Five years of period. The product being from the Application Space.
Generally any Organization takes relatively short span of time to take Operational Expenditure decisions in comparison with the Capital Expenditure decisions. The sales cycle to sell the Software Product as Service reduces drastically.
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6.10 Competitor Analysis As per the competitors analysis done by www.elearning.typepad.com the list of e-Learning competitors in India is as follows:
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