CHAPTER -1

INDUSTRY ANALYSIS

o Introduction

o Competition in the industry

o Bargaining Power of Suppliers

o Bargaining Power of Buyers

o Threat of New Entrants

o Threat of Substitutes

o Rivalry among Existing Firms














INTRODUCTION

Practo Technologies is an IT company headquartered in Bangalore that creates software
products for the healthcare industry. From allowing patients to search for doctors and
conveniently book appointments online to providing doctors with efficient practice
management solutions, the company focuses on making medical information digitally
accessible to patients and doctors. Overall it aims to create the most efficient healthcare
experience for people around the world.

Practo Technologies, an Indian IT startup catering to the healthcare industry, represented
itself at the 35th International Dental Show in Germany last week. Having been in the
healthcare sector for the last 5 years, the company has reached out to doctors across borders
through its growing suite of practice management products. All focusing on one aim, to
improve healthcare for patients with better practice management for doctors.

This event marks the companys first official presence in Germany to introduce their flagship
product, Practo Ray to the European market. Practo Ray is the largest practice management
software for doctors in India. It is a cloud based web application that works on computers
and is optimised for tablets. Alongside they sport dedicated Android and iOS apps as well.
Given their aggressive sales team efforts, Practo Ray has already established a user base of
35,000 doctors who are managing 3 million+ patient records online

From 12th to 16th March, Shashank ND, CEO Practo Technologies, along with his team at
IDS 2013, demonstrated Practo Ray and highlighted the customization for dentists, such as
incorporated FDI tooth charts and EMRs. Shashank comments,


The companys priority for the last few months was to make Practo Ray ready for release in
international markets. Shashank adds,

Were always excited about pushing our boundaries. Our latest Practo Ray product update is
inspired by the feedback weve received from doctors currently using our system along with
requirements of larger medical setups. The new features have super-charged Practo Ray to
solve problems of bigger medical centres in India. This in turn empowers us to tap the
potential in international markets.

About IDS: The International Dental Show (IDS) is held in Cologne every two years. At IDS
more than 1,950 exhibitors from over 55 countries present the newest innovations, products,
procedures and services from the dental sector to about 118,000 visitors. It is organized by
the GFDI the Society for the Promotion of the Dental Industry, the commercial enterprise
of the Association of German Dental Manufacturers (VDDI) and staged by Koelnmesse
GmbH, Cologne.





COMPETITION IN THE INDUSTRY

In healthy competition, relentless improvements in processes and methods drive down costs.
Product and service quality rise steadily. Innovation leads to new and better approaches,
which diffuse widely and rapidly. Uncompetitive providers are restructured or go out of
business. Value-adjusted prices fall, and the market expands. This is the trajectory common
to all well-functioning industriescomputers, mobile communications, banking, and many
others.
Health care could not be more different. Costs are high and rising, despite efforts to reduce
them, and these rising costs cannot be explained by improvements in quality. Quite the
opposite: Medical services are restricted or rationed, many patients receive care that lags
currently accepted procedures or standards, and high rates of preventable medical error
persist. There are wide and inexplicable differences in costs and quality among providers and
across geographic areas. Moreover, the differences in quality of care last for long periods
because the diffusion of best practices is extraordinarily slow. Basically Indian software
industry has following competitive spheres:-

India's IT industry can be divided into five main components, viz. Software Products, IT
services, Engineering and R&D services, ITES/BPO (IT-enabled services/Business Process
Outsourcing) and Hardware. Export revenues primarily on project based IT Services continue
to drive growth with IT Services accounting for 59% of total revenues followed by BPO and
Engineering services at 22% and Software Products at 19%. Multi-year annuity based
outsourcing agreements are expected to increase going forward. In terms of total export and
domestic revenues, Application Development and Maintenance (ADM)still continues to be
the bread and butter for Indian IT companies contributing to roughly 60% of their total
revenues.
Labour arbitrage has been the competitive edge of the Indian software sector over the last
few years. However, this seems to be threatened now by MNCs who are replicating the
Indian outsourcing model and setting up bases in the country. Going forward, the advantage
of low employee costs could peter out and the sector could get commoditised.
Increasing competition, pressure on billing rates and increasing commoditization of lower-
end ADM services are among the key reasons forcing the Indian software industry to make a
fast move up the software value chain by providing higher value-added services like
consulting, product development, R&D, mobile, cloud computing and end-to-end turnkey
solutions.
Competition is global in nature and stretches across boundaries and geographies. It is
expected to intensify due to the attempted replication of the Indian offshoring model by
MNC IT majors as well as small startups.











Potential of new entrants into industry
New entrants into a market bring new production capacity, the desire to gain a foothold in the
market, and sometimes, substantial resources with which to compete. These new competitors
may come from several sources: market areas or segments you currently do not serve,
indirect competitors with competing products, customers and suppliers. The potential for the
entrance of new competitors into a market principally depends on barriers to entry and the
expected reaction of the incumbent firms. Barriers to market entry include: economies of
scale, brand preferences and customer loyalty, capital requirements and government policies,
such as tariffs and trade restrictions and regulatory policies. Whether these barriers are
judged as high or low depends, in part, on the resources and competencies of the potential
new entrants. The IT industry was voted second behind the legal profession when judged on
career prospects in a survey of more than 1,000 teenagers commissioned by the government's
Foundation De-grees. IT was also voted as one of the top three sectors for those young
people who dream of becoming the boss, but 68% of UK teens did not feel they had an
adequate understanding of the range of jobs available in the IT industry. The survey also
found that the IT profession has an image problem among young women, where 21% of
female respondents said IT was a male-dominated field. On a more positive note, the IT
industry was judged the second most "aspirational" sector to work in by teenagers. Nearly
90% said they were prepared to work long hours to advance their careers and 58% said they
would not be deterred by extra study.
Threat of new entrants to an industry
If new entrants move into an industry they will gain market share & rivalry will
intensify
The position of existing firms is stronger if there are barriers to entering the market
If barriers to entry are low then the threat of new entrants will be high, and vice versa
Barriers to entry are, therefore, very important in determining the threat of new entrants. An
industry can have one or more barriers. The following are common examples of successful
barriers:
Barrier Notes
Investment cost High cost will deter entry
High capital requirements might mean that only large
businesses can compete
Economies of scale
available to existing firms
Lower unit costs make it difficult for smaller newcomers to
break into the market and compete effectively
Regulatory and legal
restrictions
Each restriction can act as a barrier to entry
E.g. patents provide the patent holder with protection, at least
in the short run
Product differentiation
(including branding)
Existing products with strong USPs and/or brand increase
customer loyalty and make it difficult for newcomers to gain
market share
Access to suppliers and
distribution channels
A lack of access will make it difficult for newcomers to enter
the market
Retaliation by established
products
E.g. the threat of price war will act to discourage new entrants
But note that competition law outlaws actions like predatory
pricing
What makes an industry easy or difficult to enter? The following table helps summarise the
issues you should consider:
Easy to Enter Difficult to Enter
Common technology
Access to distribution channels
Low capital requirements
No need to have high capacity and output
Patented or proprietary know-how
Well-established brands
Restricted distribution channels
High capital requirements
Absence of strong brands and customer
loyalty
Need to achieve economies of scale for
acceptable unit costs

Power of suppliers
If a IT firms suppliers have bargaining power they will:
Exercise that power
Sell their products at a higher price
Squeeze industry profits
If the supplier forces up the price paid for inputs, profits will be reduced. It follows that the
more powerful the customer (buyer), the lower the price that can be achieved by buying from
them.
Suppliers find themselves in a powerful position when:
There are only a few large suppliers
The resource they supply is scarce
The cost of switching to an alternative supplier is high
The product is easy to distinguish and loyal customers are reluctant to switch
The supplier can threaten to integrate vertically
The customer is small and unimportant
There are no or few substitute resources available
Just how much power the supplier has is determined by factors such as:
Factor Note
Uniqueness of the input
supplied
If the resource is essential to the buying firm and no close
substitutes are available, suppliers are in a powerful position
Number and size of firms
supplying the resources
A few large suppliers can exert more power over market
prices that many smaller suppliers each with a small market
share
Competition for the input
from other industries
If there is great competition, the supplier will be in a
stronger position
Cost of switching to
alternative sources
A business may be locked in to using inputs from
particular suppliers e.g. if certain components or raw
materials are designed into their production processes. To
change the supplier may mean changing a significant part of
production





Power of customers
Powerful customers are able to exert pressure to drive down prices, or increase the required
quality for the same price, and therefore reduce profits in an industry.
A great example in the UK currently is the dominant grocery supermarkets which are able
exert great power over supply firms.
Several factors determine the bargaining power of customers, including:
Factor Note
Number of customers The smaller the number of customers, the greater their
power
Their size of their orders The larger the volume, the greater the bargaining power of
customers
Number of firms supplying
the product
The smaller the number of alternative suppliers, the less
opportunity customers have for shopping around
The threat of integrating
backwards
If customers pose a threat of integrating backwards they will
enjoy increased power
The cost of switching Customers that are tied into using a suppliers products (e.g.
key components) are less likely to switch because there
would be costs involved
Customers tend to enjoy strong bargaining power when:
There are only a few of them
The customer purchases a significant proportion of output of an industry
They possess a credible backward integration threat that is they threaten to buy the
producing firm or its rivals
They can choose from a wide range of supply firms
They find it easy and inexpensive to switch to alternative suppliers
Threat of substitute products
A substitute product can be regarded as something that meets the same need
Substitute products are produced in a different industry but crucially satisfy the same
customer need. If there are many credible substitutes to a firms product, they will limit the
price that can be charged and will reduce industry profits.
As an example, consider the many substitutes that consumers now have to buying a software
for browsing the internet:


The extent of the threat depends upon
The extent to which the price and performance of the substitute can match the
industrys product
The willingness of customers to switch
Customer loyalty and switching costs
If there is a threat from a rival product the firm will have to improve the performance of their
products by reducing costs and therefore prices and by differentiation.








CHAPTER -2

COMPANY ANALYSIS
Industry Profile
Product Profile
Mission,Vission,Value,Principles
Functional Department
Organizational Structure
Environment
Swot


About the company
Practo is a technology company that provides innovative IT products for the healthcare
industry. Practo Technologies Private Limited (Practo) is the author and publisher of the
software Practo Ray, and all variants, editions, add-ons, and ancillary products or services of
Practo Ray (including all files and images contained in or generated by the software, and
accompanying data, together the Software). Practo also operates the internet
resource www.practo.com (Website) on world wide web which is used to access Practo
Software. Practo Software is used at healthcare practices (Practices) by healthcare
providers (Practitioners, which term shall also include designated associates of the
healthcare providers who work in the same Practice), and clients of the healthcare providers
(Patients, which term shall also include members of public who search for doctors on the
Website) to find, manage and organise information including but not limited to personal or
non-personal information, practice information, appointments, prescriptions, medical records,
billing, inventory and accounting details. All users of the Practo Software - the Practitioners,
Patients, and the visitors of Website are together termed as Users.

Description
Practo is a technology company that provides innovative IT products for the healthcare
industry. From enabling ease of booking appointments online, to providing doctors with an
efficient practice management solution, the company focuses on making medical data more
accessible to patients as well as doctors. 3.1 Practo provides Software through the Website, a
practice management solutions as a Software as a Solution (SaaS) model. The details of the
Software are provided here www.practo.com/ray and www.practo.com/hello. Practo is not
responsible for and does not deal with any of Practitioners client or patient managed by User
through the Website and only provides Services to User through the Website. Use of the
Website may require the User to use Software provided by or operated from the Website, and
on occasion Practo may make certain software available to User from the Website. To the
extent User uses such software or downloads such software from the Website, the
software, will be deemed to be licensed to User by Practo, for providing Services to User and
enabling User to use those Services only. Practo does not transfer either the title or the
intellectual property rights to the Software, and Practo (or its licensors) retain full and
complete title to the Software as well as all intellectual property rights therein. User agrees to
use the Website and the materials provided therein only for purposes that are permitted by:
(a) this Agreement; and (b) any applicable law, regulation or generally accepted practices or
guidelines in the relevant jurisdictions.
3.2 Practo also offers a free trial offer of Services. During the trial period User will get to
experience all the features of the Services. Users of the Services during the trial period are
bound by the terms of this Agreement. Any data User enters into the Services, and any
customizations made to the Services by or for User, during Users 3 day free trial will be
permanently lost unless the User upgrades his/her/its subscription to one of the User Plans,
available at www.practo.com/ray andwww.practo.com/hello. Practo does not provide any
warranty as mentioned in this Agreement during the trial period, including our uptime.
3.3 User shall not access the Services if the User is Practos direct competitor, except with
Practos prior written consent. In addition, the User shall not access the Services for purposes
of monitoring their availability, performance or functionality, or for any other benchmarking
or competitive purposes.
3.4 Practo will provide to the User basic support for the Services at no additional charge,
and/or upgraded support if purchased separately and will use commercially reasonable efforts
to make the Services available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, except for (i) planned
downtime (of which Practo shall give at least 8 hours notice via the Services and which
Practo shall schedule to the extent practicable during the weekend hours from 6:00 p.m.
Indian Standard Time (IST) Friday to 6:00 a.m. Indian Standard Time (IST) Monday), or (ii)
any unavailability caused by circumstances beyond Practos reasonable control, including
without limitation, acts of God, acts of government, flood, fire, earthquakes, civil unrest, acts
of terror, strikes or other labor problems, or internet service provider failures or delays.
Practo will provide the Services only in accordance with applicable laws and government
regulations.
3.5 The Services may be subject to certain limitations, such as, limits on disk storage space,
on the number of calls Users are permitted to make against Practos application programming
interface, and, other limitations dependent on the User Plan, for example, number of
SMS, number of appointments, number of users or accounts, validity of subscription. Any
such limitations are specified in the User Plans. The Services provide real-time information
to enable User to monitor such Users compliance with such limitations.
3.6 Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained herein, Practitioner alone shall be
liable for Practitioners dealings and interaction with Patients contacted or managed through
the Services and Practo shall have no liability or responsibility in this regard. Practo does not
guarantee or make any representation with respect to the correctness, completeness or
accuracy of the information or detail provided by Patients or any third party through
the Services. The Services should not be used for emergency appointment purposes.
3.7 Practo may, at its sole discretion, suspend Users ability to use or access the Website at
any time while Practo investigates complaints or alleged violations of this Agreement, or for
any other reason.
3.8 Practo reserves the right to curate Practitioner information available in its Website to
improve the quality of information and to make them more suitable for Patients who use
the the Website to search for a Practitioner. In case Users find any wrong information on the
Website in relation to themselves, they can rectify it themselves or contact Practo
immediately for rectifications. Practo shall have no liability or responsibility in this regard.
3.9 Practo automatically lists Practitioners information on its Website for every Doctor
information added to a Practice using its Software. The Practitioner information listed on
Website is displayed when Patients search for doctors on Website, and the Practitioner
information listed on Website is used by Patients to request for doctor appointments. The
Practitioners information on Website continues to appear even after the Practice removes the
Doctor information from its Practice information as stored in Software or the Practice
ceases to be a paying subscriber or the Practice terminates its subscription. Practo, on its
own, does not list any Personally Sensitive Information of such Practitioners. In case a
Practitioner wishes to change his or her information as listed and displayed on Website, or
disable appointment requests from Website the registered Practitioners can do so himself or
herself by using options available on the Website and the unregistered Practitioners can do so
by contacting Practo at support@practo.com. In case a Practitioner wishes to remove his or
her information as listed and displayed on Website they can do so by contacting Practo at
support@practo.com.
3.10 The Website accepts online appointment requests for all practitioners listed and
displayed on its Website. Practo takes all essential steps to duly inform Practices via phone
and email for appointment requests made on Website. However, it is possible that some
appointment requests do not reach the Practices at all or in a timely manner due to technical
or operational reasons including but not limited to cases when Practices do not respond to
phone calls made by Practo or when Practices do not read emails sent by Practo in timely
manner. Practo shall have no liability or responsibility in this regard.
3.11 While Practo makes every feasible effort to ensure a confirmed appointment for a
Patient who requested an appointment on Website, Practo does not guarantee that it will get a
confirmed appointment. Further, Practo has no liability if such appointment is confirmed but
later cancelled by Practices or Practitioners, or the Practitioners are not available as per the
given appointment time.
3.12 Certain Services (including ancillary products or services) may be subject to additional
limitations, restrictions, terms and/or conditions specific to such Services or Software
(Specific Terms). In such cases, the applicable Specific Terms will be made available to
you and your access to and use of the relevant Services or Software will be contingent upon
your acceptance of and compliance with such Specific Terms.
3.13 Practo reserves the right to add new functionality, remove existing functionality, and
modify existing functionality to its Services as and when it deems fit, and make any such
changes available in newer versions of its Software or Website or both at its discretion. All
Users of its Services will be duly notified upon release of such newer versions and Practo
reserves the right to automatically upgrade all Users to the latest version of its Services as
and when it deems fit.
3.14 Payment, Fees and Taxes:
i. The User agrees to pay all subscription fees, consulting fees and other fees applicable
to Users use of Services and the User shall not circumvent the fee structure. The fee
is dependent on the User Plan that User purchases and not on actual usage of the
Services. The subscription fee is non-refundable.
ii. Each User / member is solely responsible for payment of all taxes, legal compliances,
statutory registrations and reporting. Practo is in no way responsible for any of the
taxes except for its own income tax.
iii. The fees could be paid online through the facility made on the Website. Third parties
support and services are required to process online fee payment. Practo is not
responsible for any loss or damage caused to User during this process as these third
parties are beyond the control of Practo.
iv. The fees could also be paid offline and be either collected personally from the User or
required to be mailed to Practo at the following address: Practo Technologies Private
Limited, 4th Floor, Abhaya Heights, Bannerghatta Road, Near Jayadeva Flyover,
Bangalore, India - 560 078.
v. All fees are exclusive of taxes. Service Tax of 12.3% is levied on every purchase.
vi. The payment process would be considered to be complete only on receipt of the
amount to Practo's designated bank account.
vii. Fees not received within the specified due dates attract late charges of 18% per
annum from the due-date of payment, which may be levied at Practo's sole discretion.
viii. Practo reserves the right to modify the fee structure by providing a 30 (thirty) days
prior notice, either by notice on the Website or through email to the authorized User,
which shall be considered as valid and agreed communication.
ix. In order to process the payments, Practo might require details of Users bank account,
credit card number etc. Please check our privacy policy www.practo.com/privacy on
how Practo uses the confidential information provided by Users.
x. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained herein, in case the payments are
made by a User through credit card, invoice for subsequent subscription
period/renewals shall be generated 10 (ten) days prior to the expiry of the existing
subscription period and an email will be sent to the email id of such User registered
with Practo intimating such User about expiration of the current subscription period
and that the credit card of such User registered with Practo will be charged
automatically against payment of subscription fee for subsequent subscription period,
along with a copy of the invoice for the subsequent subscription period/renewal.
Subject to the provisions of section 8.2 below, if a User is not willing to continue or
renew the subscription of Services, the same shall be communicated to Practo
within 5 (five) days of receipt of such intimation from Practo. In the absence of such
intimation to discontinue the subscription, Practo shall be entitled to charge the credit
card of the User registered with Practo on the day thecurrent subscription period
expires.
xi. Practo shall send an intimation of receipt of fee from the Users through an email
within 3 (three) working days of receipt of fee from such User.
xii. In case of non-payment of any fee beyond the date a payment becomes overdue
(overdue date), Practo reserves the right to take all of the following actions as it
deems appropriate
1. Reduce all service credits in Users Services account to 0 (zero) anytime after 7
(seven) days from the overdue date, including but not limited to SMS and Call
credits.
2. Discontinue the Services to the User anytime after 30 (thirty) days from the overdue
date.
3. Delete all information in Users account anytime after 90 (ninety) days from the
overdue date.


MISSION

To enhance healthcare experience for people around the world. It is working towards
transforming the way people find doctors online, the way they interact over phone and help
doctors manage their practice with ease.


PRODUCTS

Practo Ray, is a comprehensive practice management solution which helps doctors to
schedule appointments, send SMS/email reminders to their patients, access patients medical
records, and conduct billing and accounting.

It comes along with a cloud telephony solution that gives doctors a single contact number,
allowing patients to book appointments 24/7 and reach out to doctors during a medical
emergency.

Practo Search is an online platform for patients to find doctors online and book instant
confirmed appointments with them.

Contact Info
Websit
e
http://www.practo.com
Founded May 2008











DETAILS OF VARIOUS DEPARTMENTS

MARKETING
Behind the corporate objectives, which in themselves offer the main context for the
marketing plan, will lie the "corporate mission," which in turn provides the context for these
corporate objectives. In a sales-oriented organization, the marketing planning function
designs incentive pay plans to not only motivate and reward frontline staff fairly but also to
align marketing activities with corporate mission. The marketing plan basically aims to make
the business provide the solution with the awareness with the expected customers.
Marketing in practo are a bunch of passionate, young (average age 25), creative, quirky,
curious people working out of our offices at Chennai, Bangalore, Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata,
Hyderabad and Pune. They stick by our ethics and dont shy away from being bold. The
culture comes from our people. It is to get things done. Marketers don't crib or cry over why
things don't happen they make them happen. They are the doers. They work nights at a
stretch. We cant procrastinate. They dont compromise. They create new. They ideate. They
have no respect for status quo .They are powered by our people, who are carefully selected
from diverse backgrounds, each with a distinctive quirk quotient.
Roles of Marketing Department
For most businesses, there are several different organisational approaches to marketing. The
duty may lie with a single member of the team, or it could be a group responsibility. The
great thing about a small team is the ability to quickly instill a marketing led ethos which can
become the operational soul of your business. Larger companies may require more work!
Depending on budget availability and the skills of the team, you may choose to outsource
certain elements of the marketing process (such as market research) or decide to do these
jobs in-house. Key responsibilities of the marketing manager / director vary according to the
business but can include:
Instilling a marketing led ethos throughout the business
Researching and reporting on external opportunities
Understanding current and potential customers
Managing the customer journey (customer relationship management)
Developing the marketing strategy and plan
Management of the marketing mix
Managing agencies
Measuring success
Managing budgets
Ensuring timely delivery
Writing copy
Approving images
Developing guidelines
Making customer focused decisions
The marketing role can be diverse or focused but now we'll elaborate further on some key
aspects which should be at the heart of the job.
Market Research
Marketing managers need to have a good knowledge of the customer. This means building
up an accurate picture using the resources that are available. It is important to take personal
opinion out of as many decisions as possible you probably don't think in the same way as a
typical customer. Information can be gathered from questionnaires, focus groups, the
internet, interviews, buying habits and many more sources, but it's important that the
information is examined in a scientific way using proper statistical methods. Gut feel can
only take your business so far.
Development 0f Marketing Strategy And Plan
Marketing planning should be at the core to any business and is usually presented in the form
of a written marketing plan. A consultant called Paul Smith first developed a process known
as SOSTA which is a useful model used to structure a marketing plan. SOSTAC is an
acronym for the following elements of the plan:
The marketing plan should provide direction for all relevant members of the organization and
should be referred to and updated throughout the year. The main reason for the marketing
plan is that it provides a structured approach that forces the marketing manager to consider
all the relevant elements of the planning process which might be missed if a more rushed
approach is adopted.
Management of The Marketing Mix
The marketing mix includes all tangible elements that allow you to market your product. This
includes facilities, your employees, the product itself, the cost strategy, the process of selling,
and how you promote and advertise. The extent to which the marketing manager gets
involved in these elements depends on how marketing focused your business is. A product
focused organization will probably start with an ides for a new product, then try and
determine who is likely to buy it. A marketing focused business starts with the consumer and
tried to figure out what they want to buy. Some product focused businesses are very
successful but it is generally accepted that a marketing focus provides a greater chance of
success.
Customer Relationship Management (CRM)
Customer relationship management is the process of communicating with customers
throughout the various stages of the purchasing process, and this includes people who have
already bought from you. It is significantly easier to hold on to an existing customer than it is
to find new ones, but doing this requires all elements of the marketing mix to be run well. For
example, it's no use sending out a beautifully produced customer magazine if your customer
service is dreadful or the product breaks easily.

Identify Potential Markets
Marketing managers identify potential markets for their companies. In this field, you
accomplish this by determining which customers are most likely to use your products and
services. These customer clusters are known as target markets and are best identified through
demographics -- genders, incomes and education levels -- and specific behaviors, according
to the Association of Fundraising professionals. After you identify your target audience, you
decide whether to sell your products on a regional or national basis, and help determine the
advertising media that will best reach these consumers.
Oversee New Product Introductions
A marketing manager oversees new product introductions, especially when a company
doesn't have designated product managers. During this process, you might coordinate focus
groups through the marketing research department. Focus groups are in-depth interviews
with consumers through moderators, or interviewers. You introduce the concept of the
product -- features, uses and price range -- through the moderator and determine how well
consumers like it. Company managers usually observe consumers' responses behind one-way
mirrors. If consumers indicate interest in the product in focus groups, you might conduct
national surveys to better quantify how likely people are to buy the product. Subsequently,
you introduce the product to the market.
Develop Pricing Strategies
Pricing strategy development is another marketing manager responsibility. During this
process, you start by studying prices competitors charge for like products or services. You
might then conduct surveys to determine price elasticity among consumers. Price elasticity
studies determine how sensitive consumers are to price changes. For example, people might
not be as sensitive to prices when new technologies, such as cell phones or computer
software, are introduced to the market. Marketing managers also determine prices by
calculating raw material and production costs, and then adding the percent markups they
desire. In this role, you might also price products relatively low to gain market share, or use
higher prices to quickly recover production costs.
Supervise People
Some marketing managers are responsible for supervising employees, such as assistant
marketing managers, marketing coordinators or clerical workers. As a marketing manager,
you hire and train these professionals and conduct their annual performance reviews. You are
also responsible for assigning them various marketing projects or tasks, and ensuring they
meet important deadlines.

CUSTOMERS
customers of this company are the doctors,hospitals and common people who searches
doctors online for fixing the appointments with them with lowest possible cost and best
services.customer satisfaction is the main motto of the company.
Competitor
The main competitor website of practo are-www.docsuggest.com, mocdoc.in,
www.meetmydoctor.in,www.hyddoctors.com, www.hyddoctors.com, www.hyddoctors.com.
Nevertheless practo has prove itself as best among these in terms of no of doctors, services
and customer support.
JUST DIAL
Indias local search service provider Just Dial has raised Rs 327 crore from private equity
investors Sequoia Capital and SAP Ventures, the company announced on Wednesday.
While Sequoia Capital brought in Rs 305 crore, SAP Ventures invested Rs 22 crore in this
latest round of funding. With this, Sequoia now owns around 19% in Just Dial, while other
investors in the company such as Saif Partners and Tiger Global together own close to a 60%
stake in the company that has raised Rs 580 crore so far.
Founded in 1996, Just Dial allows people to search for local information using the internet,
phone, WAP and text messages. This fundraising would delay Just Dials awaited IPO,
which is expected to be one of the largest public issue by an Indian company in the consumer
Internet business.
We got extraordinary response for our IPO roadshow. We got over 40 investor interest from
Singapore, Hong Kong, USA as well as India. When we were back, our existing investors
Sequoia and SAP wanted to put in fresh money rather than diluting their stakes, Just Dial
founder and CEO VSS Mani told VCCircle.
He further added that the company is now looking at an IPO in the first quarter of 2013 and
would refile its DRHP with market regulator SEBI to go ahead with the IPO.
We believe Just Dial enjoys an unassailable market position in local search, developed
through many years, added Shailendra Singh, managing director of Sequoia Capital.
The money from the new round of investment , according to Just Dial, will be used to expand
and upgrade technology.

CITRUS
Sequoia Capital has just invested an undisclosed amount in Mumbai-based online payments
solutions company Citrus Payment Solutions Private Limited.
Mohit Bhatnagar, Managing Director of Sequoia has joined the board of the company, as a
part of this deal.
Founded in 2011 by Jitendra Gupta, a former employee of ICICI bank, Citrus offers online
payments and e-mail invoicing solutions to leading Internet retailers in India. The company
has teamed up various banks such as HDFC Bank, SBI, Axis Bank, ICICI Bank, Union Bank
of India, Yes Bank, Deutsche Bank, Citibank, Federal Bank, MasterCard and Visa to offer its
services.
Some of Citruss clients include Riya.travel, Yebhi.com, SkoolShop, BeStylish.com,
TicketNew.com, ManoramaOnline.com, HealthKart.com, HostIndia.net, and Indiatimes
Shopping.
Last August, Sequoia Capital invested $8Mn in Chennai-based Prizm Payment Services Pvt
Ltd, that provides secure payments services to retailers, financial institutions, and other
service providers. Sequoia has also invested $1 Mn in a Delhi based online payments
company, Zaakpay.
ZANSAAR:-
Zansaar.com, a Bangalore-based e-commerce company for home dcor products,
has raised $6 million funding from Accel Partners and Tiger Global, two active investors in
the Indian e-commerce space.
Launched last month, Zansaar.com was co-founded by Jawad Ayaz and Vinod
Chandran(who previously started e-commerce portal 20north.com selling international
products.
We dont know what the competition has to offer. But, we will differentiate ourselves by
offering a comprehensive range of products sourced from all over the world and not just from
India, Ayaz told techcircle.in.
Speaking about the investment, Subrata Mitra, Partner at Accel Partners, said, We think
very highly of the Zansaar team and are confident that they are well-aligned to execute in a
rather complex category. We expect very healthy growth, and are proud and confident to
associate with and assist in Zansaars growth.
At present, Zansaar is a 55-people company and it is looking to double its staff strength in the
next 3-4 months, with the new investment. The money from the investment will be used by
Zansaar for meeting working capital requirements, supporting organic growth, maintaining
inventory and meeting marketing expenses.

FORUS
Forus Health Pvt. Ltd, a Bangalore-based startup that offers affordable medical technology
solutions, has raised $5 million in Series A funding from Accel Partners and IDG Ventures
India.
Founded by K. Chandrasekhar and Shyam V. Rao, both former employees of Philips, Foruss
flagship product is 3nethra, a low-cost, non-invasive pre-screening ophthalmology device,
which can be used to detect cataract, glaucoma, diabetic retina, refraction and cornea
problems. 3nethra is simple to use and can be operated by a minimally trained technician and
deployed to remote areas. The device costs one sixth the price of the other devices used to
detect eye disorders.
Chandrasekhar further added that India has got the largest number of blind people in the
world and 3nethra device is addressing the problem well.
Of the 39 million blind people worldwide, 12 million are in India and 80% of it is avoidable
blindness, if they would have got their eyes screened on time. This means the
ophthalmologist to patient ratio is approximately 1:60,000 in the country, he said.
The company plans to use the investment to drive manufacturing and sales of 3nethra, scale
up technology, hire talent, and market its products in different markets such as India, Africa
and Latin America.
Technology can help us rethink healthcare delivery, and perhaps technology can transform
healthcare from being cure-centric to prevention-centric and hence have a deeper impact in
peoples lives. We will focus on developing technologies for early screening which will help
the doctors to focus on needy patients only, said Shyam Vasudeva Rao, president & CTO of
Forus.
This is IDG Ventures India and Accel Partnerss second investment in the Healthcare sector.
Back in 2007, the two venture capital firms had invested $3.5 million in Perfint Healthcare
Pvt Ltd, a Chennai-based medical equipment company. Perfint then went on to raise $7.2
million in Series B round led by Norwest Venture Partners with participation from its
existing investors Accel Partners and IDG Ventures in July 2010.
We are always interested in platform technologies that can deliver healthcare cost
effectively. The pre-screening technology developed by Forus holds tremendous potential
and will help address issues relating to avoidable blindness globally, said Ranjith Menon,
vice president of IDG Ventures India

Human Resources
The company has a talented bunch of hr managers and team working in various locations of
the country and abroad to assure the hiring of best talent along with other hr activities such as
training, scheduling, performance appraisal, selection and motivation, etc. With the extensive
support of hr professionals in the team the company has able to achieve the milestone in
terms of selling that no company has done before in this country in concerned business.




Function of human resource department

A typical Human Resource Department is carries out the following functions:

Manpower Planning

It involves the planning for the future and finding out how many employees will be needed in
the future by the business and what types of
skills
should they possess.
It depends on the following factors
The number of people leaving the job
The projected growth in sales of the business
Technological changes
Productivity level of the workers

Job Analysis and Job Description

HR Department is also involved in designing the Job analysis and Job description for the
prospective vacancies.
A job analysis is the process used to collect information about the duties, responsibilities,
necessary skills, outcomes, and work environment of a particular job.
Job descriptions are written statements that describe the:
duties,
responsibilities,
most important contributions and outcomes needed from a position,
required qualifications of candidates, and
reporting relationship and co-workers of a particular job.



Determining Wages and Salaries
HR Department is also involved in conducting market surveys and determining the wages
and salaries for different position in an organization. These decision may be taken in
consultation with top management and the Finance department.

Recruitment and Selection

One of the most important jobs HR department is to recruit the best people for the
organization. This is of crucial importance as the success of any organization depend on the
quality of its workforce.

Performance Apprasial

Once the employees are recruited, the HR Department has to review their performance on a
regular basis through proper performance appraisals.
Performance appraisal is the process of obtaining, analyzing and recording information about
the relative worth of an employee. The focus of the performance appraisal is measuring and
improving the actual performance of the employee and also the future potential of the
employee. Its aim is to measure what an employee does.
On the basis of performance appraisal the HR Department will set up an action plan for each
employee. If the employees needs any training then he provided that.

Training and Development

HR department is constantly keeping a watch over the employees of the organisation. In
order to improve the efficiency level of the
employees
have go undergo regular trainings and development programmes. All trainings and
development needs are carried out by this department. Training might include on the job or
off the job training. Find more information on training.

Employee Welfare And Motivation

Happy employees mean a healthy organization. HR Department conducts various employee
welfare activities which might include employees get together, annual staff parties etc. HR
department also reviews organizational policies and its impact on the motivation of the
employees.

Addressing Employee Grievances

HR department is the link between the workers and the management. Employees grievances
related work environment are usually entertained and resolved by the HR Department.

Labor Management Relations

For the smooth operation of any organization, it is crucial to have good labour management
relations. HR department has to ensure that
these relations are cordial. In case of any
labor-management conflict the HR Department will play a vital role in bringing both
management parties to the negotiation table and resolving the issue.

Implementing organizational policies
HR Department has to coordinate with line manager and see that the organizational policies
are being implemented in a proper manner. Disciplinary action can be initiated against
employees who are not following organizational rules and regulations. All these actions are
conceived and implemented by the HR department.

Dismissal and redundancy
HR Department has to take firm actions against employees who are not following the
organizational code of conduct, rules and regulations. This can result in the dismissal of the
employee.
Sometimes, an organization may no more require the services of an employee. The employee
may be made redundant. HR Department has to see that organizational and government
regulations are being followed in this process.


4. FINANCE DEPARTMENT
The activities expected from a finance department cover a wide range from basic
bookkeeping to providing information to assisting managers in making strategic
decisions. What to expect from your finance department will depend largely on factors such
as how much involvement the owner/manager has in the organization.
At the base level, your finance department will be responsible for all the day to day
transactional accounting for the business. This will include the tracking of all transactions
and the management of any government reporting. In very small owner-managed businesses
this role is often filled by a family member with accounting experience. An outside
accounting firm is usually used for annual financial statements and returns. In larger
organizations this role will extend right through to preparing the financial statements with an
external auditor engaged for assurance purposes.
The finance department is also responsible for management of the organizations cashflow
and ensuring there are enough funds available to meet the day to day payments. This area
also encompasses the credit and collections policies for the companys customers, to ensure
the organization is paid on time, and that there is a payment policy for the companys
suppliers. In most organizations there will be some form of forecast prepared on a regular
basis to systematically calculate the ongoing cash needs.
Where there are cash needs beyond the day to day working capital, the finance department is
responsible for advising and sourcing longer term financing. Financing may be obtained
though bank or private lender debt or, in applicable firms, share issues to private investors. If
the organization is ready to target angel investors or venture capitalists the finance
department will be key in preparing the documents required for these presentations and may
work with outside consultants on a company valuation. In larger firms considering public
share offerings the finance department will assist with the preparation of the offering
documents but will likely also use outside consultants to advise on this complicated process.
With the must-dos taken care of, the finance department can now start to contribute to the
management and improvement of the operations by measuring and reporting regularly on key
numbers crucial to the success of the organization. Management accounting information is
information that managers can use to monitor the operations and decide where further
attention may be required. It will likely include some non-financial information and should
be communicated to managers in a way that is easy to understand. In smaller owner-
managed businesses this resource, though extremely important, is often overlooked or
ignored.
Looking forward, the finance department will work with managers to prepare the
organizations budgets and forecasts, and to report back on the progress against these
throughout the year. This information can be used to plan staffing levels, asset purchases and
expansions and cash needs, before they become necessary. Some organizations often plan
by the seat of their pants, while organizations know it is important to have some idea of
where you want to go before you start going there.
Finally, the finance department should be called upon to provide information to assist
managers in making key strategic decisions, such as which markets or projects to pursue or
the payback periods for large capital purchases. The finance department can often contribute
an objective perspective based on special financial assessment techniques.
In summary, some organizations know the finance department should be considered a
resource to assist managers in the running of the business. With the growing popularity of
outsourced finance departments, it is possible for even small businesses to have access to all
of the benefits of a full finance department, through part time professionals, at a fraction of
the cost of employing a full time finance department.
Functions of finance department are
Purchase Accounting
Material issue
Distribution and Selling
Branch Accounting
Auditing


5. QUALITY CONTROL DEPARTMENT
PepsiCo follows one quality standard across the globe. PepsiCos soft drinks meet the local
Indian standards (Health Ministry Standards for carbonated beverages notified July 15, 2004
Which compare to the best-in-class and most stringent international standards being followed
anywhere in the world. PepsiCo products comply with the Prevention of Food Adulteration
Act (PFA)directive on the use of water in the preparation of soft drinks. PepsiCo also comply
withBureau of Indian Standards (BIS) for packaged drinking water. PepsiCo use a six-
stagewater purification process to deliver this standard consistently. PepsiCo products carry
aquality assurance seal on them. The One Quality Worldwide assurance seal appears onthe
entire range of PepsiCos beverages.
6. PURCHASE DEPARTMENT
Purchasing refers to a business or organization attempting to acquire goods or services to
accomplish the goals of the enterprise. Though there are several organizationsthat attempt to
set standards in the purchasing process, processes can vary greatly between organizations.









ORGANIZATIONAL HIERARCHY-



ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE TYPES
Pre-bureaucratic structure
Pre-bureaucratic (entrepreneurial) structures lack standardization of tasks. This structure is
most common in smaller organizations and is best used to solve simple tasks. The structure is
totally centralized. The strategic leader makes all key decisions and most communication is
done by one on one conversations. It is particularly useful for new (entrepreneurial) business
as it enables the founder to control growth and development.
They are usually based on traditional domination or charismatic domination in the sense
of Max Weber's tripartite classification of authority
Bureaucratic structure
Weber gives the analogy that the fully developed bureaucratic mechanism compares with
other organizations exactly as does the machine compare with the non-mechanical modes of
production. Precision, speed, unambiguity,strict subordination, reduction of friction and of
material and personal costs- these are raised to the optimum point in the strictly bureaucratic
administration. Bureaucratic structures have a certain degree of standardization. They are
better suited for more complex or larger scale organizations, usually adopting a tall structure.
The tension between bureaucratic structures and non-bureaucratic is echoed in Burns and
Stalker's distinction between mechanistic and organic structures.
The Weberian characteristics of bureaucracy are:
Clear defined roles and responsibilities
A hierarchical structure
Respect for merit.
Post-bureaucratic
The term of post bureaucratic is used in two senses in the organizational literature: one
generic and one much more specific. In the generic sense the term post bureaucratic is often
used to describe a range of ideas developed since the 1980s that specifically contrast
themselves with Weber's ideal type bureaucracy. This may include total quality management,
culture management and matrix management, amongst others. None of these however has
left behind the core tenets of Bureaucracy. Hierarchies still exist, authority is still Weber's
rational, legal type, and the organization is still rule bound. Heckscher, arguing along these
lines, describes them as cleaned up bureaucracies, rather than a fundamental shift away from
bureaucracy. Gideon Kunda, in his classic study of culture management at 'Tech' argued that
'the essence of bureaucratic control - the formalisation, codification and enforcement of rules
and regulations - does not change in principle. it shifts focus from organizational structure to
the organization's culture'.
Another smaller group of theorists have developed the theory of the Post-Bureaucratic
Organization. provide a detailed discussion which attempts to describe an organization that is
fundamentally not bureaucratic. Charles Heckscher has developed an ideal type, the post-
bureaucratic organization, in which decisions are based on dialogue and consensus rather
than authority and command, the organization is a network rather than a hierarchy, open at
the boundaries (in direct contrast to culture management); there is an emphasis on meta-
decision making rules rather than decision making rules. This sort of horizontal decision
making by consensus model is often used in housing cooperatives, othercooperatives and
when running a non-profit or community organization. It is used in order to
encourage participation and help to empower people who normally experienceoppression in
groups.
Still other theorists are developing a resurgence of interest in complexity theory and
organizations, and have focused on how simple structures can be used to engender
organizational adaptations. For instance, Miner et al. (2000) studied how simple structures
could be used to generate improvisational outcomes in product development. Their study
makes links to simple structures and improviser learning. Other scholars such as Jan Rivkin
and Sigglekow, and Nelson Repenning revive an older interest in how structure and strategy
relate in dynamic environments.
Functional structure
Employees within the functional divisions of an organization tend to perform a specialized
set of tasks, for instance the engineering department would be staffed only with software
engineers. This leads to operational efficiencies within that group. However it could also lead
to a lack of communication between the functional groups within an organization, making the
organization slow and inflexible.
As a whole, a functional organization is best suited as a producer of standardized goods and
services at large volume and low cost. Coordination and specialization of tasks are
centralized in a functional structure, which makes producing a limited amount of products or
services efficient and predictable. Moreover, efficiencies can further be realized as functional
organizations integrate their activities vertically so that products are sold and distributed
quickly and at low cost.

For instance, a small business could make components used in
production of its products instead of buying them.
Divisional structure
Also called a "product structure", the divisional structure groups each organizational function
into a division. Each division within a divisional structure contains all the necessary
resources and functions within it. Divisions can be categorized from different points of view.
One might make distinctions on a geographical basis (a US division and an EU division, for
example) or on product/service basis (different products for different customers: households
or companies). In another example, an automobile company with a divisional structure might
have one division for SUVs, another division for subcompact cars, and another division for
sedans.
Each division may have its own sales, engineering and marketing departments.
Matrix structure
The matrix structure groups employees by both function and product. This structure can
combine the best of both separate structures. A matrix organization frequently uses teams of
employees to accomplish work, in order to take advantage of the strengths, as well as make
up for the weaknesses, of functional and decentralized forms. An example would be a
company that produces two products, "product a" and "product b". Using the matrix
structure, this company would organize functions within the company as follows: "product a"
sales department, "product a" customer service department, "product a" accounting, "product
b" sales department, "product b" customer service department, "product b" accounting
department. Matrix structure is amongst the purest of organizational structures, a simple
lattice emulating order and regularity demonstrated in nature.
Environment:- Environmental scanning is one component of the global environmental
analysis. Environmental monitoring, environmental forecasting and environmental
assessment complete the global environmental analysis. The global environment refers to the
macro environment which comprises industries, markets, companies, clients and competitors.
Consequently, there exist corresponding analyses on the micro-level. Suppliers, customers
and competitors representing the micro environment of a company are analyzed within the
industry analysis.
[1]

Environmental scanning can be defined as the study and interpretation of the political,
economic, social and technological events and trends which influence a business, an industry
or even a total market.
[2]
The factors which need to be considered for environmental
scanning are events, trends, issues and expectations of the different interest groups. Issues are
often forerunners of trend breaks. A trend break could be a value shift in society, a
technological innovation that might be permanent or a paradigm change. Issues are less deep-
seated and can be 'a temporary short-lived reaction to a social phenomenon'.
[3]
A trend can be
defined as an environmental phenomenon that has adopted a structural character
Macro environment
There are a number of common approaches how the external factors, which are mentioned in
the definition of Kroon and which describe the macro environment, can be identified and
examined. These factors indirectly affect the organization but cannot be controlled by it. One
approach could be the PEST analysis. PEST stands for political, economic, social and
technological. Two more factors, the environmental and legal factor, are defined within
the practo technologies.
The segmentation of the macro environment according to the six presented factors of the
PESTEL analysis is the starting point of the global environmental analysis.
Practo analysis
The six environmental factors of the PRACTO analysis are the following:
Political factors
Taxation Policy
Trade regulations
Governmental stability
Unemployment Policy, etc.
Economical factors
Inflation rate
Growth in spending power
Rate of people in a pensionable age
Recession or Boom
Customer liquidations
Socio-cultural
Age distribution
Education levels
Income level
Consumerism
Population growth
Life expectancies
Expectation of society from the business
Technological factors
Internet
E-commerce
Social Media
Electronic Media
Environmental factors
Competitive advantage
Waste disposal
Energy consumption
Pollution monitoring, etc.
Legal factors
Unemployment law
Health and safety
Product safety
Advertising regulations
Product labeling
labor laws etc


Micro (internal) environment - small forces within the company that affect its ability to
serve its customers . Meso environment the industry in which a company operates and the
industrys market(s). Macro (national) environment - larger societal forces that affect the
micro environment.

The micro environment refers to the forces that are close to the company and affect its ability
to serve its customers. It includes the company itself, its suppliers, marketing intermediaries,
customer markets and publics.
The company aspect of microenvironment refers to the internal environment of the company.
This includes all departments, such as management, finance, research and
development, purchasing, operations and accounting. Each of these departments has an
impact on marketing decisions. For example, research and development have input as to the
features a product can perform and accounting approves the financial side of marketing plans
and budgets.
The suppliers of a company are also an important aspect of the microenvironment because
even the slightest delay in receiving supplies can result in customer dissatisfaction.
Marketing managers must watch supply availability and other trends dealing with suppliers
to ensure that product will be delivered to customers in the time frame required in order to
maintain a strong customer relationship.
Marketing intermediaries refers to resellers, physical distribution firms, marketing services
agencies, and financial intermediaries. These are the people that help the company promote,
sell, and distribute its products to final buyers. Resellers are those that hold and sell the
companys product. They match the distribution to the customers and include places such
as Wal-Mart, Target, and Best Buy. Physical distribution firms are places such as warehouses
that store and transport the companys product from its origin to its destination. Marketing
services agencies are companies that offer services such as conducting marketing research,
advertising, and consulting. Financial intermediaries are institutions such as banks, credit
companies and insurance companies.
Another aspect of microenvironment is the customers. There are different types of customer
markets including consumer markets, business markets, government markets, international
markets, and reseller markets. The consumer market is made up of individuals who
buy goods and services for their own personal use or use in their household. Business
markets include those that buy goods and services for use in producing their own products to
sell.
Each classification has different characteristics and causes they find important. This can be
beneficial to a marketer as they can decide who their product would benefit most and tailor
their marketing plan to attract that segment. Demography covers many aspects that are
important to marketers including family dynamics, geographic shifts, work force changes,
and levels of diversity in any given area.
Another aspect of the macro environment is the economic environment. This refers to
the purchasing power of potential customers and the ways in which people spend their
money. Within this area are two different economies, subsistence and industrialized.
Subsistence economies are based more in agriculture and consume their own industrial
output. Industrial economies have markets that are diverse and carry many different types of
goods. Each is important to the marketer because each has a highly different spending pattern
as well as different distribution of wealth.
The natural environment is another important factor of the macro environment. This includes
the natural resources that a company uses as inputs that affects their marketing activities. The
concern in this area is the increased pollution, shortages of raw materials and increased
governmental intervention. As raw materials become increasingly scarcer, the ability to
create a companys product gets much harder. Also, pollution can go as far as negatively
affecting a companys reputation if they are known for damaging the environment. The last
concern, government intervention can make it increasingly harder for a company to fulfill
their goals as requirements get more stringent.
The technological environment is perhaps one of the fastest changing factors in the macro
environment. This includes all developments from antibiotics and surgery to nuclear
missiles and chemical weapons to automobiles and credit cards. As these markets develop it
can create new markets and new uses for products. It also requires a company to stay ahead
of others and update their own technology as it becomes outdated. They must stay informed
of trends so they can be part of the next big thing, rather than becoming outdated and
suffering the consequences financially.













SWOT Analysis-
Strength:
A well established leader among Indian
Offshore healthcare company. practo has
built a solid image by delivering quality
services and innovation.
Well defined service portfolio: In past years
it was able to build solid capability including
matured processes and team in all the key
vertical including online appointment booking
services,healthcare software and erp for
hospitals
Scale: It has huge number of full time
employees, strong presence in India and
number of delivery centre across globe.
Focus on Innovation: practo has dedicated to
support innovative ideas coming from
Mobility, cloud and Big data.
Less Risky: Good cash in hand, and
absolutely no debt. It will help make further
strategic acquisition in Europe and elsewhere.
Strong Relationship with Clients: maximum
percentage comes from existing
customers,trusted doctors and hospotals.
Weakness:
Lack of awarness:no matter how the
technology and internet has proved its
efficiency,the majority of people dont
consider internet to be ultimate solution for
healthcare needs.
Pricing Pressure: In order to generate
growth, practo has indicated that it may go
down in pricing that may not a good sign as it
will further impact margin.
Lower utilization: In healthcare business, a
lower utilization is big threat and causes a
good amount of pressure on business
development team. practo has delivered a
lower utilization and it appears that
management is comfortable about it.
Currency Volatility: Due to volatility in
Euro and pound against dollar It negatively
impacted income.
Opportunity:
Emerging Technology: Emerging
Technology such as Cloud, Big data are going
to get bigger and practo has taken concrete
steps to take advantage of that.
Significant opportunity in Product and
platform segment: Patients through Practo
Search can browse through more than 50K
detailed doctor profiles online and book
confirmed appointments without any hassles.
Strategic Acquisition: practo will continue to
acquire firms which can add to its top line.
Threat:
Other healthcare websites: practos major
threat is from existing and new healthcare
websites and software industry of same
context that are rapidely emerging in the
market.
Vendor Consolidation and High
Competition:high competition in the market
is the biggest threat for the healthcare it
company like practo.the major competitor like
meetmydoctor.com etc,have emerged as solid
threat to the company in terms of cost and
features.
































CHAPTER III

DISCUSSION ON TRAINING
Roles and Responsibilities
1) Collect and analyze data on source demographics, preferences, needs, and buying habits to
identify potential markets and factors affecting product demand.

2) Prepare reports of findings, illustrating data graphically and translating complex findings
into written text.

3) Measure and assess customer and employee satisfaction.

4) Forecast and track marketing and sales trends, analyzing collected data.

5) Seek and provide information to help companies determine their position in the
marketplace.

6) Measure the effectiveness of marketing, advertising, and communications programs and
strategies.
7) Conduct research on consumer opinions and marketing strategies, collaborating with
marketing professionals, statisticians, pollsters, and other professionals.

8) Attend staff conferences to provide management with information and proposals
concerning the promotion, distribution, design, and pricing of company products or services.

9) Gather data on competitors and analyze their prices, sales, and method of marketing and
distribution.
10) Monitor industry statistics and follow trends in trade literature.

11) Devise and evaluate methods and procedures for collecting data (such as surveys, opinion
polls, or questionnaires), or arrange to obtain existing data.

12) Develop and implement procedures for identifying advertising needs.

13) Direct trained survey interviewers.
Description of tasks handled and Contribution to the organization:-
Meet prospective clients, execute effective product demonstrations, emphasizing product
features and benefits with focus on the value of the solution
Consult with physician practices to understand practice workflow needs and expectations
Prospect, educate, qualify, and generate interest for Sales Opportunities
Develop and accomplish a lead generation plan including Outbound and Inbound prospect
management
Follow up with prospective clients and should be an expert in closing deals
Attending sales group meetings concerning sales targets, forecasts, and reporting on market
situation and competition
Participating in conferences, representing the company for brand awareness
Maintaining and expanding the database of prospects for the organization
Providing suggestions to improvise on sales and marketing strategies


CHAPTER -4
ANALYSIS OF TASK/RESEARCH UNDERTAKEN

1 Introduction and Background

During his college days Shashank, co-founder Practo, had his father undergoing an
orthopedic surgery on short notice. Since he couldnt find a place to search for doctors he
struggled to get a second opinion. Soon he jotted down a few contacts through family friends.
But when he just about got one abroad, he had a tough time getting the medical reports sent
across since they were on paper. A few snap shots on his camera mobile and few scans later
he just about send it across.
The solution to all this seemed ridiculously simple to Shashank and his partner, Abhinav. But
the most compelling fact was that no one in India had tried this before. Thus in May 2008
they went on to found Practo Technologies Pvt Ltd. An attempt to use emerging technologies
to rev-up clinics across India and thus enhance patient experience.

Research Design
Statement of research problem:
In overall scenario of practo technologies pvt ltd,the followings are the problems:-
1.Sales generation.
2.convincing client .
Statement of research objectives:
Mapping of competitors of company
Sales performance in comparison to other competitors.
Generating clients for the websites
Creating awareness among doctors
Collecting information about doctos.
3 Research design and methodology:
Importance of service
Services are activities or benefits that one party offer to another that are essentially
intangible, inseparable, variable, perishable and do not result in ownership of any- thing.
Service sector dominates the Indian economy today, contributing more than half of our
national income.
Importance of online appointment with doctors
Doctor's appointments are missed each and every day by people who either forget to show up
or choose not to call and cancel their appointment. This article will look at some of the
reasons why it is important to try to and keep doctor's appointment and what to do if you
must cancel.
At my previous doctor's surgery (office) in the UK, the surgery would regularly post the
latest numbers of people who had not shown up for their doctor's appointments. I was
amazed at the staggering amount of people who failed to show up for their appointments. It
was not just a few individuals who did not show up. A large number of people regularly
missed their scheduled doctor's appointments.
If you are a receptionist it can be very frustrating to work under these conditions. You will
have to call patients when it is their turn to see the doctor and be left standing when no one
appears. Then you must inform the doctor that the patient did not show up.
One of the reasons why it is best to try and keep your doctor's appointment is because it is the
polite thing to do. Would you arrange a job interview with a company you were serious about
working for but then fail to show up? It is highly unlikely. Yet, members of the medical
profession routinely have to deal with patients who do not show up for their appointments.
It is also important to keep your appointment if you will be receiving the results of blood
tests, and other test results that will determine your medical condition. This in turn will help
doctors see what the next step should be in your course of treatment. If you miss the
appointment, you are not only wasting your doctor's time. You could also place your health
at risk if you do not start your treatment as quickly as possible.
Sometimes, it is just not possible to keep a doctor's appointment. It may clash with a business
meeting at work or your child's emergency visit to the dentist's. If you can, try to inform your
doctor's surgery of the cancellation 24 hours in advance. But if that is not possible, let them
know as soon as you can. That way, your appointment slot can be given to someone else who
may be in need of a last minute appointment. Keep in mind that breaking an appointment
without first calling to cancel can prevent someone else from being seen and it wastes the
time of doctors and the rest of the team.
Importance of marketing research
Market research allows you to identify threats and opportunities in the market place and
provides the information on which you can make informed decisions. The more accurate
the information - the better the decision. Market research therefore reduces the risk
involved in making these decisions. It also reduces the risk of not being able to make
decisions because you did not have the information at hand (for example, a change in the
market that catches you by surprise).
Market research helps you to:
Identify new products or services.
Spot or anticipate market trends or changes.
Determine if customers are satisfied, and if not, what is wrong.
Keep one step ahead of your competitors.
Spot trends or warning signals in your own business.
Decide which advertising medium works best for your business.
Keep up to date with new technology in your industry.
Tell you if a new idea is likely to be viable or not, and so on.
Market research is therefore the business tool that helps you reduce the risk that a new
idea will fail, and helps reduce the risk of being in business. In short, it helps you both
stay in business and build a more profitable business. However, in most businesses very
little research is conducted. This is because people are unsure how to perform such
market research properly.
Methodology
Under Research Methodology there are three types of methods for marketing research. They
are as follows:

The observation method
The experimental method
The survey method inclusive of panel method.

In observation method data are collected on the direct observation. No talks take place. By
observing the person the analysis makes the inventory as to product used by him at his home
or kept as retailers stocks. In experimental method it is based on the concept that small-scale
experiment is useful to indicate the expectations of large-scale experiment. The survey
method information is gathered directly from individuals by three ways:


Telephone

E-Mail

Personal

Interview

The survey method by route ride I usually went with Pepsi van also with salesman. I met the
retailers from outlets to outlets. This survey method helps me a lot to understand about the
distribution system and to understand the problem of retailers and other people.

.In addition to the personal interview by questionnaire technique. In this survey method I
saw that the respondent was shown the exhibit and advertisement to give his personal
opinion and attitude. In this method the direct interaction of occurred with the retailers
and I could collect the reliable information from them it has also cost disadvantage thats
why some were difficult to covered.


4. PERT(Program Evaluation And Review Technique)

PERT was developed primarily to simplify the planning and scheduling of large and complex
projects. It was developed for the U.S. Navy Special Projects Office in 1957 to support the
U.S. Navy's Polaris nuclear submarine project.
[2]
It was able to incorporate uncertainty by
making it possible to schedule a project while not knowing precisely the details and durations
of all the activities. It is more of an event-oriented technique rather than start- and
completion-oriented, and is used more in projects where time is the major factor rather than
cost. It is applied to very large-scale, one-time, complex, non-routine infrastructure and
Research and Development projects. An example of this was for the 1968 Winter
Olympics in Grenoble which applied PERT from 1965 until the opening of the 1968
Games.
[3]

This project model was the first of its kind, a revival for scientific management, founded by
Frederick Taylor ( Taylorism ) and later refined by Henry Ford (Fordism). DuPont's critical
path method was invented at roughly the same time as PERT.
The first step to scheduling the project is to determine the tasks that the project requires and
the order in which they must be completed. The order may be easy to record for some tasks
(e.g. When building a house, the land must be graded before the foundation can be laid)
while difficult for others (There are two areas that need to be graded, but there are only
enough bulldozers to do one). Additionally, the time estimates usually reflect the normal,
non-rushed time. Many times, the time required to execute the task can be reduced for an
additional cost or a reduction in the quality.
In the following example there are seven tasks, labeled A through G. Some tasks can be done
concurrently (A and B) while others cannot be done until their predecessor task is complete
(C cannot begin until A is complete). Additionally, each task has three time estimates: the
optimistic time estimate (O), the most likely or normal time estimate (M), and the pessimistic
time estimate (P). The expected time (T
E
) is computed using the formula (O + 4M + P) 6.
A network diagram can be created by hand or by using diagram software. There are
two types of network diagrams, activity on arrow (AOA) and activity on node
(AON). Activity on node diagrams are generally easier to create and interpret. To
create an AON diagram, it is recommended (but not required) to start with a node
named start. This "activity" has a duration of zero (0). Then you draw each activity
that does not have a predecessor activity (a and b in this example) and connect them
with an arrow from start to each node. Next, since both c and d list a as a predecessor
activity, their nodes are drawn with arrows coming from a. Activity e is listed
with b and c as predecessor activities, so node e is drawn with arrows coming from
both b and c, signifying that e cannot begin until both b and c have been completed.
Activity f has d as a predecessor activity, so an arrow is drawn connecting the
activities. Likewise, an arrow is drawn from e to g. Since there are no activities that
come after f or g, it is recommended (but again not required) to connect them to a
node labeled finish.

PERT chart explicitly defines and makes visible dependencies (precedence relationships)
between the work breakdown structure (commonly WBS) elements
PERT facilitates identification of the critical path and makes this visible
PERT facilitates identification of early start, late start, and slack for each activity,
PERT provides for potentially reduced project duration due to better understanding of
dependencies leading to improved overlapping of activities and tasks where feasible.
The large amount of project data can be organized & presented in diagram for use in
decision making.

5.Findings
Doctors dont want to give there detail(past and photos).
Rural area doctors dont want them to get engage in it.


6.Conclusion

This project work gave knowledge not only about retail business but also the
consumer behavior. It also gave lessons about how culture of the location
affects the organization working style. It showed the strategic and analytical
approach gives flying colors to the retail business.
The different trainings are necessary for all kinds of job. A manager needs to
know the entire work take place in the organization to motivate employee and
to groom with the organization. The survey work gave me a chance to consult
directly consumers and know their expectation with the company. The
analysis of active and non- active items taught me how a data can give
different angle to approach and make a full proof strategy to satisfy customer.
I have learnt about space management, basic needs of the consumer, employee
motivation, stock take, dealing with customer and many more grass root level
knowledge.
My internship gave me full exposure of an organization which will help me in
my future job. I have known the difficulties faced by a manager and learnt
how come up with more luster. I have faced an organization practically and I
am very much happy to apply my MBA knowledge during summer internship
program.