Category: Business

SAP Business One Customizations and Integrations Programming With SDK Libraries

SAP B1 is friendly to Microsoft Visual Studio programmers via its so-called Software Development Kit. In the next version 9.0 expected in the fourth quarter of 2012 it is rebranded as ‘Business One Studio’. Let’s make short technical introduction and then try to talk about cases studies and get popular questions answered. Let’s begin with SDK categorization:

1. UI API. ‘The UI API provides programmatic access to windows, menus, and events in SAP Business One. The UI API allows you to create new windows, modify existing windows, add new business logic, add or modify application menus, and more.’ After introduction from ‘Help Center’ we would like to mention that user interface modification might be vulnerable to such future projects as upgrades. We would rather recommend you to concentrate on integration type of projects and see next paragraph

2. DI API. ‘The DI API provides a programmatic interface to SAP Business One through a set of fully functional business objects. The DI API provides access to the business logic and data-access layers of SAP Business One.’ It is much easier to review integration code and recompile it with new release DLL set

3. DI Server. ‘The DI Server is an extension of the DI API and supports all its objects. It is intended for high-volume data integration, where numerous client connections must be managed simultaneously and optimized for speed. It is also suitable where Web-services architecture is preferred.’ Here you should think about maximum performance

4. Code samples are available in C# and VB. This is one of the reasons for you to consider coding in these languages. However if you are comfortable to translate to your favorite.Net compliant language feel free to deploy it

5. Table structure. Here you have to combine client interface and SDK. Login B1 and in menu View->System Information mark it. Open the form where you need to know the table and place cursor over and read field and table name on the bottom left corner. Write down table name and in Help Center search it. Try the following exercise. Open Sales Order form and place cursor over Customer field. And you should see the field Name CardCode and table ORDR. Then review this table in Help Center Search. If you are comfortable to find the table on your own directly in Kit then go to Customization Tools -> Database Table Reference

6. Integrations. It is recommended first to create user defined tables in client application and then use them as staging objects. You can import records to such table directly via SQL insert statement as it doesn’t participate in core business logic. Next step is DI API programming in Visual Studio where you read records from staging table and create AR Invoices, Purchase Orders, etc.

7. Integration with Linux and PHP. This is frequent request due to the fact that custom ecommerce portal are often hosted in MySQL on Linux platform. Good recommendation is to consider SOAP XML Web Service with SDK libraries. Web service is computer platform neutral and could be called from Linux

A New Breed of Web and Email Hosting Services

What comes to mind when you hear about web hosting or email hosting? Most likely you will associate that with your website or the email services that you are currently using. If those are the only two services that you are currently using or you have come across, it is time to get yourself updated with the new breed of web and email hosting services.

The latest breed of web and email hosting includes back office applications such as your corporate bulletin or forum, web-based meeting/chat room, calendar sharing with webSMS reminder, online storage with secure file management, and Internet scheduled backup service. These are services that you normally need to pay separately to use on your domain; now, however, they are all available within the latest breed of web and email hosting.

The user basically will login through a login page which is linked from your company homepage. Once the user login, he or she will have access to the web mail and all these applications, depending on whether the admin of the back office has put them in the group with access rights granted. For example, the topics on the bulletin board are accessible by different groups based on the access rights given by the admin. There could be a financial forum which can only be accessed by the people under the group of say ‘Financial’. Other groups like ‘Sales’ or ‘Marketing’ might not be granted the access to the financial forum.

The admin also has the right to create or delete as many users as required besides granting the access rights to different groups and assigning the disk space for each user. With the owner of the business being the admin, he or she can easily add or remove a user to or off the company portal and control the access rights of the staff for the company’s applications and information.

The access control is particularly useful when it comes to the online storage and the secure file management system as it only allows groups with required access rights to see certain folders, read the content or change the files within the folder. The user can also save attachment from the webmail to the online storage. The online storage is accessible from anywhere with Internet access via a web browser. It also makes file sharing so much easier within the company or with customers and vendors, especially when the size of the file is huge, or the number of files to share is big.

Along with the online storage is the Internet backup service, which is essential to your personal or office data protection and disaster recovery. Data loss has always been one of the most critical factors that affect business continuity, and therefore data protection should not be taken lightly.

Indian Credit Card Industry – On the Path of Unbound Growth

Soon you won’t have to carry your plastic money for your payment purposes as your mobile number will act as the credit card number. Recently, Reserve Bank of India (RBI) in its annual policy statement informed that it was in the process of formulating the guidelines for a payment system using mobile phones. RBI is discussing with both public and private sector Banks, service providers and industry bodies to develop the payment system. RBI said the draft guidelines would be placed on its official website by June 15, 2008.

In India the usage of mobile is growing rapidly. There are about 250 million mobile phone connections in the country, whereas credit card holders are far lower as compared to number of mobile phone users. Hence, mobile for payments is being considered for quite some time as a progressive step forward.

As reported by The Times of India, RBI said in the policy statement “The rapid expansion of this mode of communication and transaction have thrown up a new delivery channel for banks.” RBI further states, “This channel will definitely facilitate small value payments to merchants, utility service providers and the likes and money transferred at a low cost.”

The credit card market is going to witness some more progressive changes in this year. A joint venture between Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC) and GE Money is likely to launch its first product by the end of 2008. As reported by Business Standard, the venture is now on cards. But we have sorted out those issues (conflict of interest). Currently, we are looking at human resources-related issues. The two financial giants are planning to launch the card by the end of the calendar year.

Once the credit card is launched it would be offered only to LIC customers and policy holders in the first year. GE Money has a 30 per cent stake in the card venture, while LIC Housing Finance Company, LIC Mutual Fund and Corporation Bank have 5 per cent each in this venture. LIC will have 40 per cent in the company, which is capitalized at near about Rs.150 crore. LIC is yet to take a decision about the remaining 15 per cent stake of the total investment. In another positive development, ABN AMRO with India’s travel portal MakeMyTrip.com launched a distinctive co-branded credit card, ‘Go Card’ recently. The card offers special reward benefits and good range of travel-related promotions and packages.

Corporate Social Responsibility of Private Companies in Natural Disasters

1. INTRODUCTION:

1.1. THE ABC of CSR:

History is the sole witness to the phenomenon of shift in priorities in Business. There was a sudden lateral shift, wherein the focus drastically shifted from profit maximization to welfare of the society. This in terms of various management Gurus was the era of ‘Corporate Social Responsibility.’ CSR can be defined as ‘bringing corporate behaviour up to a level where it is congruent with the prevailing social norms, values, and expectations of performance.’

By Indian Companies Act, 1956, Section(3) (1) a company means a company registered under companies act, like any juristic person company is a legal entity. By this act it acquires a legal status muta mutandis to that of a person, one who is capable of having his own Rights and duties. CSR is nothing but a way to accomplish the fundamental duties prescribed in the constitution of India which a normal legal person is suppose to follow.

According to Berle ‘Company’ is not merely a legal institution rather a device for attainment of socio economic end. In layman’s term Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is an obligation rather a mandate that a corporation needs to abide to in order to maintain a perfect equilibrium between the 3Ps i.e. Profit maximization, people’s right, and the planet. Nothing in this world comes for free, CSR is the opportunity cost that the company has to pay in order to exist in this society.

Archie B. Carrol (1979) defines social responsibility as a four step scale. He feels the company apart from economic and legal responsibilities also has ethical responsibilities. Several scholars tried to develop an integrated model to define the perfect structure of CSR, however no one has successfully propounded one.

Modern business organisation is nothing but a hub of socially conscious people who constantly make an effort to align their profitable opportunities and ventures with their social industries and values intact. CSR provides a skeleton of boundary for free market to operate in a responsible manner. It is an undisputed fact that the legal framework of India has empowered the companies to the heights of zenith, but one must never forget with great power comes great responsibility.

To conclude this section, It may be noted that CSR is not a modern discovery and certainly not a discovery that can be accredited to the economically developed nations around the globe. Altogether CSR has travelled a long way, from the lines of philanthropy to a legal mandate; it has incorporated several changes in itself. Hopefully the noble concept of CSR doesn’t disappear midst the urban blight.

1.2. CSR and Natural Disasters: A brief idea

There has been a rapid growth in the facet of CSR for disaster management and combating techniques. India has been customarily susceptible disasters on account of its unique geographical dimension. In view of India’s high vulnerability profile, the recurrent phenomena of a range of geophysical as well as hydro-meteorological hazards impact millions across the country leaving behind a trail of heavy loss of lives, property and livelihoods. Many Areas tend to lose their development gains due to these draconian events. The economic and social losses caused by natural disasters continue to scale year after year as disasters occur with unswerving regularity encircling every possible segment of the nation including the industrial and corporate sector.

Comprehensive risk management activities is an inalienable part of Corporate Social Responsibility. Corporate Sector in order to comply with this obligation has started exploring its precious mine of knowledge in order to obtain paradigms to avoid disasters. The Research and Development team of several companies have actively tried to adopt measures which would mitigate the risk of the disasters. In addition to this, the corporate sector can be a precious source of technical knowledge, as for example in the case of identification and research on technological solutions to prepare for and respond to natural disasters. On the whole, corporate sector has the prospective for fortification of its own safety and protection against natural cataclysm as well as in assisting the community in reducing its vulnerability to the disasters.

2. DISASTER MANAGEMENT AND PARTICIPATION OF THE BUSINESS HOUSES:

2.1. Brief Idea:

Despite of all the debates in the society it is an undisputed fact that Business houses can prove to be of immense significance in disaster management. After all the root of proper business development lies in the well-being of the society. A disaster doesn’t spare any strata of the society. When a disaster strikes, the first thoughts those race to all our mind is the – what is government doing? Where are the NGO? Where are the social support organisations? Business houses take a backseat and come to mind only as a source for fund raising. Unlike what we think and believe There is a lot more to Disaster Management (DM) than just providing monetary support. Many of the business needs like “Proactive support” is applicable in the areas of disaster management also. While government has responsibilities on one side the business also has equal responsibilities if not more to the society in such situations of dire needs. After all the business happens only due to existence of such societies and business needs shoulder its share of responsibilities.

Can business houses contribute more to disaster management that just provide money? Can there be a better proactive role that business houses in India can play in such disaster management situations? A vaccine is nothing but a proactive measure taken to avoid possible damage due to onset of a disease (when disease itself cannot be stopped). This is precisely what each business is trained for and focuses to do – to avoid future pitfalls and protect itself against future uncertainties.

2.2. The Indian Perspective And Role of Companies:

The companies in India have closely weaved philanthropy in their business schedule and most importantly, they never tried shying away from the moral and ethical obligation they have as responsible part of the country. ‘N’ number of example can be quoted from our day to day life where such mega mammoths have come up for help, times when they were needed the most. Gandhi described large business as ‘trusts’ of the ‘wealth of the people’ and thus emphasized on the larger social purpose that industrial wealth should serve in India. Following the same ideology a number of companies have taken the front seat and tried mitigating risk at large. The Companies that have taken a lead are:

• The Birla Group: Birlas have opened the Aditya Birla Centre for Community Initiatives and Rural Development with focus areas of sustainable livelihoods and environmental sustainability. Specific projects include developing and building capacity through Self-help groups, SGSY – dairy, readymade garments, jute project, basket making, aggarbatti (incense sticks) making, bee keeping, durries making, check dam, irrigation, land development, Soil and water conservation, Pasture development, Social forestry/ plantation activities/ nursery, Horticulture, Farmer training etc. The foundation also stresses on infrastructure development by focusing on creation and maintenance of Roads, Dams, Community centers, water channels and culverts.

• The Bajaj Group: JBGVS, a Registered Society and a Trust, is an apolitical and secular organisation which aims to act as a catalyst for rural and urban development. It assists the resident community of the selected villages and areas, in integrated development, making their villages and areas into models of excellence for others to emulate. JBGVS works with the participating rural community in the selected villages to improve their quality of life. Stress is laid on alleviation of poverty, health care, education, empowerment of women & gender justice. JBGVS relies on a participatory approach in implementing all its projects and also that of the local elected bodies like the Gram Panchayat (village council), Co-operative Societies, Self Help Groups, Women and Youth Clubs in decision making. JBGVS works at the grassroots level in 33 villages and hamlets of Khed and Maval Talukas of Pune District and 11 villages of Aurangabad district, Maharashtra. The integrated development activities under implementation include women empowerment, income generation, health programmes, agricultural extension, animal husbandry, watershed development, drinking water schemes, sanitation and education. 5600 families comprising a rural population of about 30,000 people are co-partners in these development activities. An HIV/AIDS Awareness, Prevention and Care Programme called ‘Project JEEVAN’ was launched in September 2004, with the aim of generating awareness about HIV/AIDS, thereby, arrest further spread of disease and help those affected to lead a comfortable life. It covers 33 villages in Pune District and slums of Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) area.

JBGVS has been implementing Drought Prone Area Development Project of Zilla Parishad in 7 villages of Pune District since 2003. The overall project cost is Rs.2.10 crores and it includes watershed development work over 3,500 ha. 22 farm ponds, 3 diversion bunds, 4 soil nala bunds and 3 cement check dams have been constructed till April 2008. The activities carried out under this programme helps increase water table in non irrigated area, wells and thereby increase crop yield.

• The Reliance Group: The Reliance Rural Development Trust (RRDT) works to improve the rural infrastructure under the Government of Gujarat’s rural development plans. RRDT created 760 facilities in the rural areas at a cost of Rs. 24.07 crore. The facilities included 247 concrete roads, 465 anganwadis, 38 drinking water facilities, 1 panchayat office, 2 community halls, 5 check-dams and 2 other amenities in the rural areas of the State of Gujarat. RRDT has turned out to be an exemplary corporate NGO implementing government’s developmental plans for rural areas of Gujarat. It is a unique synergy between a corporate giant like Reliance Industries Limited and the Government of Gujarat, formed to carry out rural development projects in private public partnership.

• The TATA Group: The Tata Group instituted the Tata Council for Community Initiatives (TCCI) to work out a comprehensive plan for its social and community initiatives. TCCI acts as a facilitator for the entire group’s social initiatives. It is the umbrella agency that guides and supports Tata Group companies with their community development initiatives. Reinforcing the implicit beliefs the Group brings to its mission of sustainable development with an explicit set of structures, TCCI has a charter that embraces social development, environmental management, biodiversity restoration and employee volunteering. The Tata culture in this critical segment of the overall corporate sustainability matrix – inclusive of working for the benefit of the communities in which they operate, of building India’s capabilities in science and technology, of supporting art and sport – springs from an ingrained sense of giving back to society. In collaboration with the United Nations Development Programme (India), TCCI has crafted the Tata Index for Sustainable Human Development, a pioneering effort aimed at directing, measuring and enhancing the community work that Group enterprises undertake. The Index provides guidelines for Tata companies looking to fulfil their social responsibilities, and is built around the Tata Business Excellence Model (TBEM), an open-ended framework that drives business excellence in Tata companies.

• Infosys: Infosys Foundation has made significant contributions in disaster relief and rehabilitation. It has worked in the tsunami-affected areas of Tamil Nadu and the Andaman Islands, earthquake-affected areas of Kutch, cyclone-devastated areas of Orissa, tribal areas of Kalahandi in Orissa and drought-hit areas of Andhra Pradesh. After the Indian Ocean Tsunami, the Foundation helped victims in Tamil Nadu and the Andamans at various stages.

• The Oil & Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC): The corporation organizes health and community welfare programs in the neighbourhood. Major emphasis has been given for promotion of education, health and community development and in times of natural calamities such as floods, cyclones, earthquakes, landslides, etc. Priority is given to areas around the projects with the following themes:

Education, Promotion of literacy and higher education, Grant of scholarship & assistance to deserving young pupils of weaker sections of society, Facilities for constructing schools, renovation of school buildings, other infrastructure, Healthcare & Family Welfare, Medical camps, Mobile dispensaries, Supplementing the efforts of already existing health centers in the rural areas, Health care for women, children and disabled.

• ICICI Bank Ltd: Its work is focused on four distinct areas:

Sustainable development: To provide the poorest of India’s households access to technology and services that improve livelihoods while conserving natural resources and protecting ecosystems.

Climate change:To promote investments, policies and research that reduce the impact of harmful climate change, improve India’s ability to adapt to climate change and explore linkages between poverty and climate impacting behaviours

Responsible Investment:To encourage policy makers, financial institutions, corporations and individuals to incorporate long term thinking on environmental impacts into investment decisions and to measure quality in green investments.

Accountability:To engage in research and policy advocacy to improve environmental governance and encourage accountability for environmental degradation.

Apart from these there are several others who have effectively tried evolving ways to mitigate disasters and their effects. Others that follow closely behind are Mahindra and Mahindra, Eicher, DCM Shriram etc. A glimpse of such an unending list gives us a feeling that we do reside in a nation where not only people but also the corporations keep their schedule in line with philanthropy and ethics.

3. RECOMMENDATIONS:

Companies should concentrate on disaster mitigation, i.e., minimizing the potential risks by developing disaster early warning strategies, preparing and implementing developmental plans to provide resilience to such disasters, mobilizing resources including communication and tele-medicinal services, helping rehabilitation and post-disaster reduction.

There are three main ways in which corporate sector contributes to the process of disaster risk reduction:

• Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) in supporting relief, rehabilitation and risk reduction activities;

• Redefining the business continuity plan to factor in hazards, risks and vulnerabilities;

• New business opportunities created in disaster reduction due to the increase in emphasis on risk reduction.

In many countries, big business houses have their own non-profit organizations which run range of social projects on education, health, community development and entrepreneurship development etc which reduce disasters in the long run. Smaller business houses mainly contribute to projects run by NGOs. Government can create an enabling environment for greater corporate sector investment in disaster risk reduction activities through innovative partnership.

Take 10 Minutes to Get Started With Car Insurance Premium Calculator [Top 10 List]

What is Car Insurance Premium Calculator?

Car insurance premium calculator is a dynamic tool provided, online, by car insurance companies. Get started with top 10 car insurance premium calculator online.

  • Almost every reputed motor insurance company has an car insurance premium calculator on their official portal.
  • With the help of the car insurance premium calculator, customers can get a quote for their car insurance policy and the premium amount they need to pay for the same.
  • You have to visit the ‘car insurance calculator’ page and fill in some basic information about yourself like the policyholder’s name, contact details and address, followed by some standard details about the insured/to be insured car. These details are – car manufacturer’s name, model number of the car, manufacturing year, car sub-type (if any), fuel type and registration date.
  • Some companies also give you an option of selecting if you want to insure the accessories installed inside the car.
  • After you have filled the details correctly, just click on the ‘calculate premium’ button and you will immediately get the quote.
  • After this, you also get an option to get more information and payment option to buy car insurance of your choice.

What are the benefits of a Car Insurance Premium Calculator?

Now that we know what a car insurance premium calculator is, let us find out why it is worth a try:

  • Using a car insurance calculator helps you evaluate your insurance needs, which makes it easy to select the best policy that covers all the requirements.
  • It is an easy and efficient way to compare premium rates of a variety of plans with various features for your vehicle.
  • The process of purchasing a policy becomes unbiased as you don’t have to be under the influence of an agent/broker, and are free to make your own choice.
  • By using a car insurance calculator, You get accurate information about the premium amount you’ll be paying for a particular policy.
  • You can also understand the way premium rates change with a change in variables.

How to use Car Insurance Premium Calculator?

Any online car insurance calculator will ask you for basic details of your car such as the make and model, registration number, manufacture date etc to calculate the premium.

However, you also need to know about the following factors that affect the premium value:

  1. Insured Declared Value or IDV of the Vehicle

    This is one of the most important factors that has an impact on the premium for your car. IDV is the sum insured for the vehicle that is finalized by the insurer. In simple terms, it the current value of the vehicle as per market.

  2. Cubic Capacity (CC) of the Vehicle

    The engine power of your vehicle is directly proportional to your car insurance premium.

  3. No Claim bonus (NCB)

    You can save up to 50% on the Own Damage premium if you have a No Claim Bonus feature in your car policy.

  4. Additional Discounts

    Installing anti-theft devices in your car or becoming a member of the Automobile Association of India (AAI) can considerably reduce your automobile insurance premium too.

  5. Car Accessories

    Any modifications to the vehicle will add an extra amount to your insurance premium.

So you have understood very well, What is car insurance premium calculator? and the benefits to use car insurance premium calculator, so take 10 Minutes to Get Started With car insurance premium calculator[Top 10 List].

1. Bajaj Allianz General Insurance Company Limited

Bajaj Allianz General Insurance Company Limited is a joint venture between Bajaj Finserv Limited (recently demerged from Bajaj Auto Limited) and Allianz SE. Both enjoy a reputation of expertise, stability and strength.

Bajaj Allianz received the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority (IRDA) certificate of Registration on 2nd May, 2001 to conduct various businesses (including Health Insurance business) in India. The Company has an authorized and paid up capital of Rs 110 crores. Bajaj Finserv Limited holds 74% and the remaining 26% is held by Allianz, SE.

As on 31st March 2017, Bajaj Allianz continues to be one of the most financially robust insurers in the industry by maintaining its growth as well as profitability. The company has made a profit before tax of Rs. 1,078 crore and emerged as the most profitable insurer recording a profit after tax of Rs. 728 crore. The company reported a GWP of Rs. 7,687 crore, which has grown by 30.3% compared to the last fiscal year.

Car Insurance Premium Calculator.

Click Here

2.HDFC ERGO General Insurance Company Limited

HDFC ERGO General Insurance Company is a 51:49 joint venture between the Housing Development Finance Corporation Ltd. (HDFC), India’s premier Housing Finance Institution, and ERGO International AG the primary insurance entity of the Munich Re Group of Germany. The Company marked the first merger in the General Insurance sector in August 2017, with IRDAI’s approval for the merger of HDFC ERGO General Insurance Co. Ltd. with HDFC General Insurance Ltd. (formerly Known as L&T General Insurance Co. Ltd.), and the merged entity, known as HDFC ERGO General Insurance Co. Ltd., is the third largest General Insurance provider in the private sector.

HDFC ERGO offers products like Motor, Health, Travel, Home and Personal Accident Insurance in the retail space and customized products like Property, Marine and Liability Insurance in the corporate space through its vast network of 122 branches which is spread across 106 cities and a wide distribution network.

HDFC ERGO has launched several technologically innovative solutions, offering customers an enhanced service experience, like the Insurance Portfolio Organiser (IPO) App, the IPO App on the Apple Watch, the Overnight Vehicle Repairs service, Motor Self-Inspection App and the HDFC ERGO Community – https://community.hdfcergo.com/. With a paradigm shift in customer engagement because of new technology innovations, the Company has enabled newer platforms for customers to engage and interact with the company like DIA, the AI-enabled chatbot service made available on the Company’s website, Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant.

HDFC ERGO has left no stone unturned in providing customer service, as the Company follows a 30 minute turn-around-time (TAT) for the processing of pre-authorised cashless Health Insurance Claims and a 15 minute TAT to process pre-authorised cashless Motor Insurance claims.

Car Insurance Premium Calculator

Click Here

3. Coverfox

Coverfox is an IRDAI authorised insurance broking firm. We started as a website back in 2013, with an aim to make insurance simple.

If you want to buy insurance – you would want to compare features and prices of an insurance policy and buy the best policy that you deserve. Then you would expect some help if ever you want to make a claim or renew the policy.

Car Insurance Premium Calculator

Click Here

4. Reliance General Insurance

We feel proud to be one of the leading general insurance companies of India. We have a huge customer base which includes individuals like you, corporates and SMEs.

With our 139 offices and more than 26,587 intermediaries across India, you can now reach out to us and enjoy our services at your own convenience. Moreover, with online & telecalling services, we have become even more accessible.

What do we have for you?

You can look up to us for many of your insurance solutions with respect to motor, health, home, travel, marine, etc. Through our products and services, we try to meet every customer’s individual needs by offering customized plans. In our endeavor to delight our customers, we strive to come up with innovative products like India’s first Over-The-Counter health & home insurance policies.

Vision

We want to score perfectly for world standard services & products, and want to be your first choice in domestic as well as global markets.

Mission

• Satisfy your need of insurance cover in that crucial hour

• Offer incomparable customer service

• Provide innovative products

• Better reach through presence across India and abroad

Goals

• Make affordable insurance accessible to all

• Keeping you, our customers, as focal point in all our operations

• Protect policy holders’ interests

• Be the most innovative in product development

Car Insurance Premium Calculator

Click Here

5. PolicyX

At PolicyX it’s all about you, so we make sure you get the maximum by paying the minimum for your insurance. Having insurance is having a financial security in times of death, declining health, maternity, business loss, accidents, diseases and various situations. We understand and stand by you at each step as your own by helping you cover the financial losses in times of need. We have seen and have been appalled by how many times agents play in such sensitive situations by way of cheating, fraud and mis selling. To eliminate such practices in India, we bring PolicyX to you where we believe that our customers should be provided with the best personalized policies at lower premium costs by delivering the satisfaction and sense of fulfillment that you are covered in times of emergency. We connect with our customers emotionally as we understand and respect the importance of you and your family in every aspect of life.

With our motto of Search > Choose > Buy, we get you instant quotes, help you select right quote and secure coverage right away with our technologically advanced system. We run complex algorithms to find plans that fit your requirements and return you features and quotes within seconds. Therefore, PolicyX has got you covered for your every insurance need. Why not get started? Get your first quote now!

Car Insurance Premium Calculator.

Click here

6. Bharti AXA General Insurance Company Ltd

Bharti AXA General Insurance Company Ltd is a joint venture between Bharti Enterprises, a leading Indian business group and AXA, a world leader in financial protection. Our firm commenced national operations in August 2008. We are licensed with IRDAI (Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India). With our comprehensive and innovative insurance solutions, we make sure you find the right match for your insurance need. We offer insurance coverage across various categories – Motor,Health,Travel, Home and more. You can easily purchase and renew policies from us online.

Car Insurance Premium Calculator.

Click Here

7. Bankbazaarinsurance.com

Bankbazaarinsurance.com is an online destination for insurance comparison for customers seeking both life and general insurance products. We aim to provide customers end to end solution for their Insurance needs and build a one stop shop destination for Insurance requirements, viz. Ease and Convenience; Ease of understanding; Customized offers; Compare multiple options.

Meet the Founders:

Adhil Shetty

An engineering graduate from Anna University and holder of a Master’s degree in International Relations from Columbia University, Adhil held decisive positions at Deloitte Touche Tomahatsu’s US East Alliance and Cisco Systems before he dived headlong into scripting the BankBazaar story, the flagship brand of the group

Arjun Shetty

Arjun has a Master’s degree in Operations Research from Georgia Institute of Technology and an Engineering degree from Anna University.

Rati Shetty

Rati completed her BBA degree from the University of Madras. Rati imbibed some rich qualities from Toblerone in Brazil and Milka in the US while managing the launch and go-to market operations of many of Kraft Food’s brands in export markets across the world while working for Kraft in the US and Taiwan.

Car Insurance Premium Calculator

Click Here

8. Easy Insurance India

Easyinsuranceindia.com is another successful initiative of the professionals who founded ICM Computer Consultants and ICM Solutions in 1989 and 2001. These professionals were educated in the U. S. and possess a combined international experience of more than 40 years in the USA and India in the areas of corporate management and IT solution services. Over the past decade, ICM has helped more than 500 customers achieve their goals by providing effective custom solutions that combines software, hardware and other services.

We believe we are successful today because our management focuses on customer satisfaction and customer growth which permeates through the rest of the organization.

We constantly strive to make our operations more efficient, such as reengineering our processes, usage of latest technology, and many more such initiatives, which allow us to provide the customers better service and value for money.

The insurance industry is becoming more and more competitive offering wide variety of choices to customers. This is a welcome change for the customers. However, due to the complexity involved, it has become extremely cumbersome for customers to do comparative shopping for insurance.

Through easyinsuranceindia.com, we empower the customer with a powerful tool where the customers can compare the products offered by various insurance companies in one shot, thus enable the customers to decide on the best insurance cover for them.

Our Mission

ICM Insurance Brokers Private Limited (ICM) is to cover the risks of people and businesses of modern economy who seek easy, transparent, complete, and cost effective insurance solutions on demand coupled with hassle-free claim settlement.

Our Vision

ICM to be the most preferred way to purchase insurance products through easyinsuranceindia.com, its most intuitive ecommerce solutions coupled with superior customer service – during purchase and during claim.

Car Insurance Premium Calculator.

Click Here

9.IFFCO-Tokio General Insurance

IFFCO-Tokio General Insurance was incorporated on 4th December 2000 with a vision of being industry leader by building customer satisfaction through fairness, transparency, and quick response. It is a joint venture between the Indian Farmers Fertilizer Co-operative (IFFCO) and its associates and Tokio Marine and Nichido Fire Group which is also the largest listed insurance group in Japan.

Car Insurance Premium Calculator

Click Here

10. Kotak General Insurance

A 100% subsidiary of India’s fastest growing bank, Kotak Mahindra Bank Ltd., Kotak Mahindra General Insurance was established to service the growing non-life insurance segment in India. At Kotak Mahindra General Insurance, we value customer service, quality and innovation above everything else.

The company aims to cater to a wide range of customer segment & geographies offering an array of non-life insurance products like Motor, Health, etc.

Kotak General Insurance has a national footprint of 13 branches spread across India (as on 31st Dec 2017) and an employee base of 354 professionals. (as of 31st Dec 2017)

As a practice, the company seeks to provide a differentiated value proposition through customized products & services leveraging state of art technology & digital infrastructure.

Car Insurance Premium Calculator.

Click here

Bottom Line

Insurance has become a prime necessity of life these days and car insurance is mandatory, you can calculate insurance by above given topmost car insurance premium calculator.

The e-Marketing Plan – Brief Overview and Working Scheme

I. Summary of a marketing plan

The marketing planning (concretized in the marketing plan) is an essential organizational activity, considering the hostile and complex competitive business environment. Our ability and skills to perform profitable sales are affected by hundreds of internal and external factors that interact in a difficult way to evaluate. A marketing manager must understand and build an image upon these variables and their interactions, and must take rational decisions.

Let us see what do we call a “marketing plan”? It is the result of the planning activity, a document that includes a review of the organization’s place in the market, an analysis of the STEP factors as well as a SWOT analysis. A complete plan would also formulate some presumptions on why we think the past marketing strategy was successful or not. The next phase shall present the objectives we set, together with the strategies to achieve these objectives. In a logical sequence, we will further need to evaluate the results and formulate alternative plans of action. A plan would consist in details of responsibilities, costs, sales prognosis and budgeting issues.

In the end, we should not forget to specify how the plan (or plans) will be controlled, by what means we will measure its results.

We will see how to build the marketing plan, what is its structure: after we will see how to build the traditional marketing plan, we will take a look at the e-marketing plan and see how the unique features of the internet will require some changes in the approach of writing a marketing plan.

But, before we continue, we must understand and accept that steps of the marketing plan are universal. It is a logical approach of the planning activity, no matter where we apply it. The differences you meet from a plan to another consist in the degree of formality accorded to each phase, depending on the size and nature of the organization involved. For example, a small and not diversified company would adopt less formal procedures, because the managers in these cases have more experience and functional knowledge than the subordinates, and they are able to achieve direct control upon most factors. On the other hand, in a company with diversified activity, it is less likely that top managers have functional information in a higher degree than the subordinate managers. Therefore, the planning process must be formulated to ensure a strict discipline for everyone involved in the decisional chain.

II. The general marketing plan

The classical marketing plan would follow the following scheme of 8 stages:

1. Declaring the mission: this is the planning stage when we establish the organizational orientations and intentions, thus providing a sense of direction. In most cases, this is a general presentation of the company’s intentions and almost has a philosophic character.

2. Establishing current objectives: it is essential for the organization to try to determine with preciseness the objectives to be reached. These objectives, in order to be viable, must be SMART. SMART is an acronym and stands for “Specific”, “Measurable”, “Attainable”, “Realistic” and “Timed”. The objectives must also convey the general organizational mission.

3. Gathering information: this stage is based on the concept of marketing audit. After performing the audit of the macro-environment by analyzing the STEP factors (social, technologic, economic and politic), we should turn the focus upon the immediate extern environment (the micro-environment) and analyze the competitive environment, the costs and the market. Finally, we will conclude with the SWOT analysis, by this way we will have a general view upon the internal environment compared to the external one. The SWOT analysis combine the two perspectives, from the inside and from the outside, because the Strengths and the Weaknesses are internal issues of an organization, while the Opportunities and Threads come from the outside.

4. Re-formulating objectives: after the close examination of data gathered in the previous stage, sometimes it is needed to re-formulate the initial objectives, in order to address all the issues that might have come up from the previous stage. The distance between the initial objective and the re-formulated objective will be covered by appropriate strategies. We must ensure the re-formulated objective is SMART as well.

5. Establishing strategies: several strategies are to be formulated, in order to cover the distance between what we want to achieve and what is possible to achieve, with the resources at our disposal. As we would usually have several options, we should analyze them and chose the one with more chances to achieve the marketing objectives.

6. Plan of actions: consists in a very detailed description of the procedures and means to implement the actions we want to take. For example, if the strategy implies a raise in advertising volume, the plan of actions should establish where the advertisements will be placed, the dates and frequency of the advertising campaigns, a set of procedures to evaluate their effectiveness. The actions we plan to take must be clearly formulated, measurable, and the results must be monitored and evaluated.

7. Implementation and control: consist in the series of activities that must be performed in order to run the marketing plan in accordance to the objectives set by the marketer. At this stage, it is critical to gain the support of all members if the organization, especially when the marketing plan is due to affect the organization from its grounds.

8. Performance measurement: constitutes the last but not the less important stage of the marketing plan, since we can achieve only what we can measure. In order to measure the performances achieved through the marketing plan, we need to constantly monitor each previous stage of the plan.

The marketing plan that has a feedback cycle, from 8th stage back to the 4th. That is because sometimes during the planning process, we might need to perform stages 4 to 8 several times before the final plan can be written.

III. The e-marketing plan

The e-marketing plan is built exactly on the same principles as the classical plan. There is no different approach, but there might be some formal differences given by the uniqueness of the internet environment. Many of these differences come from the necessity to ensure a high rate of responsiveness from the customers, since the e-world is moving faster and requires faster reaction from its companies, compared to the traditional offline marketplace.

Even though it is perfectly acceptable and is a common practice to use the 8-stage classic model for the e-marketing plan as well, you might want to consider the simplified version proposed by Chaffey, who identifies four major steps to build the e-marketing plan:

1. Strategic analysis: consists in continuous scanning of the macro- and micro-environment. The accent should fall on the consumers’ needs that change very rapidly in the online market, as well as on surveying the competitors’ actions and evaluating the opportunities offered by new technologies.

2. Defining strategic objectives: the organization must have a clear vision and establish if the media channels will complement the traditional ones, or will replace them. We must define specific objectives (don’t forget to check if they are SMART!) and we must also specify the contribution of the online activities to the organization’s turnover.

3. Formulating strategies – we do that by addressing the following essential issues:

– develop strategies towards the target markets;

– positioning and differentiating strategies;

– establish priorities of online activities;

– focus attention and efforts on CRM and financial control;

– formulate strategies for product development;

– develop business models with well-established strategies for new products or services, as well as pricing policies;

– necessity for some organizational restructuring;

– changes in the structure of communication channels.

4. Implementing strategies: includes careful execution of all necessary steps to achieve established objectives. It could refer re-launching of a website, promo campaigns for a new or rewritten site, monitoring website efficiency and many more.

Note: a common strategy to achieve e-marketing objectives is the communication strategy. The steps to built a coherent communication plan will be presented within a further article.

IV. The e-marketing plan (sample titles)

1. Executive Summary

a. overview upon present conjuncture;

b. key aspects of the strategic e-marketing plan.

2. Situational Analysis

a. characteristics of the e-market;

b. possible factors of success;

c. competitors’ analysis;

d. technological factors;

e. legal factors;

f. social factors;

g. possible problems and opportunities.

3. The e-Marketing Objectives

a. product profile;

b. target market;

c. sales objectives.

4. The e-Marketing Strategies

a. product strategies;

b. price strategies;

c. promotion strategies;

d. distribution strategies.

5. Technical Issues

a. website content;

b. website “searcheability”;

c. logging security (for customers and staff);

d. customer registration procedure;

e. multimedia;

f. autoresponders;

g. order forms and feedback forms;

h. access levels to online resources;

i. credit card transactions;

j. website hosting;

k. website publishing;

l. technical staff (size, requirements)

6. Appendix

7. Bibliography

Why Ecommerce Website Is the Need of the Hour for Your Retail Business?

From new companies to expansive ventures with well-known brands, relatively every organization is picking up an advantage from their eCommerce site where they can offer their particular items or services. In the present focused society, buyers never again search for adventures on the high boulevards to purchase merchandise or items; instead, they use online assets for their shopping accommodation.

“According to Statista report, in 2017 eCommerce was responsible for around $2.3 trillion in sales and is expected to reach $4.5 trillion in 2021.”

This is the place internet business sites gain ubiquity in the market. Numerous retailers are favoring this choice to offer their items on the web. There are immense advantages of internet business sites and here are a few motivations to pick an eCommerce platform for your business:

Extends Your Brand

Consistently the number of online clients expanded by some rate and half of them invest energy in seeking and shopping of items. Thus, web-based business site can be a viable device to expand your brand image alongside internet showcasing services and eCommerce life utilities.

This will enable you to grow your items and administrations to a full degree while making your business famous in the online commercial center.

Comfort of shopping

Have you ever wish to go out shopping late at night or have required a few products on dire premise? Online business sites are accessible every minute of every day to buy products whenever and with quick coordination, it will be an additional favorable position.

Also, individuals don’t generally have much time to go out and look through the things they need to purchase, so they go online shopping for those things. This demonstrates the online retail business is exceptionally advantageous for shoppers since it has no time requirement.

Focus on a more extensive engagement of people

Web is a huge field where you can discover billions of clients web-based, hunting down something, or creating something applicable to them. A large number of clients may look for merchandise and ventures for their benefit. Ecommerce development can take your business to them and achieve a vast amount of online clients.

Subsequently, you can focus on a substantial number of engagement of people through your web-based business and satisfy their necessities with your items and administrations. At the point when clients discover your site essential and helpful, the movement will increment and draw in more groups of onlookers.

Displays launching of services or products

There are a wide variety of internet advertising devices and practices that can be used to make your site prevalent among online clients. Internet business is where you can get best-promoting open doors that can get quality movement on your website. Most conventional advertising systems are SEO and SMO, PPC, content showcasing and some more.

To set up an eCommerce website for your business, you will require certain things, for example, a group of best eCommerce business site designers, online advertising techniques, a god spending plan and some an opportunity to actualize your thought effectively. Internet business has everything that can make your image mainstream through online assets.

After everything, you need to decide, go for something which you can control in the future when your business will expand. Don’t be in a rush. You can check our blog on things to remember before developing a website.

Read more about Magento vs Shopify: Select the best platform for your eCommerce

Nigerian Scam

Although this scam has its root from Nigeria dated a decade back, nowadays, you receive similar scam letters from many African countries, notably, Nigeria, Benin, Togo and even South Africa.

The subject lines of these emails are pretty similar. Something like: Business relationship, Urgent Assistance needed, Soliciting for your assistance, A cry for help etc. Most of the emails from this scam begin in the same way. Here are two excerpts from most recent emails that we received:

“I am Engr Moses Ekpen a director in the budget and planning department of the Federal Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Resources (FMPNR), I had a seven man Tenders Board Committee in charge of contract award and Payment approvals. I came to know of you in my search for a reliable and reputable person to handle a very confidential transaction, which involves the transfer of a huge sum of money to a foreign account.”

Or

“I am Mrs. Mariam Abacha, the widow of Gen. Sani Abacha, The Late Nigerian Military Head of State. You were introduced to me through the Chamber of Commerce. I am presently in distress and under House arrest while my son Mohammed is undergoing trial in Lagos and Abuja. He is presently detained in prison custody. The government has frozen all the family account and auctioned all our properties.

To save the family from total bankruptcy I have managed to ship to Europe and Asia through a Shipping company, the sum of US20, 000,000.00 respectively kept by my late husband.”

The essence of these emails are also basically the same – the person although does not know you, thanks to your business reputation, has decided to contact you with a very confidential proposal to transfer a mind boggling amount of money from his country to any foreign land.

There could be numerous stories but the bottom line is they require your help to transfer the amount. For your service they will promise you something from 10 to 40% of the whole amount. There would be a telephone no or an email address to contact the person.

You may wonder how they swindle people.

There are various ways that the crooks rip off their victims. Some of the most commons ones of them are described below:

They will ask you to open a bank account under their name. On their second step, they will ask you to deposit a sum of say US$ 10000 to that account, explaining if the account does not have any decent amount, the officials those who are responsible for transferring the promised millions of dollars would become suspicious and won’t authorize the transaction. Once you deposited the asked sum, they simply withdraw it and disappear. Usually they choose a bank where they might have some connections. So you, after losing your money, do not get any help from the bank either.

They will ask you to send some merchandize or gifts for the officials they need to bribe in order to make the transactions of the assumed millions of dollars smoothly. Naturally, you never hear from them once you sent the requested gifts to their address.

We even heard stories like this one: A man was persuaded to come to Nigeria to look after the transaction by himself. Over there he was kept hostage until he shifted all his liquid assets to the thugs.

Looking at the increasing quantity of scam emails that we receive, this only convinces that many fall for this seemingly simple trap. According to FBI these swindlers have defrauded millions of dollars from gullible people.

There could be other variations of this scam, next time you read an email that feels suspicious, just delete it! There are other ways of making money!

Some words of cautions! Although most of these scams originate from African countries, please do not generalize and consider that all companies form these countries are bad. As usual a few people are responsible for tarnishing the reputation of a country.

Intranet Project Names – Some Ideas

“What’s in a name? That which we call a rose

By any other word would smell as sweet.”

In this famous quote from Act II of Romeo and Juliet, Juliet tells Romeo that a name is an artificial and meaningless convention, and the fact he is a Montague and she a Capulet (warring families) means nothing to their love.

However, there is some strong evidence from the UK’s Cranfield University – and elsewhere – that the name one gives a project does have a marked impact on the behaviour and motivation of the people involved. It may surprise you, but the name you give to your Intranet Project could well be the most important decision you make in the early stages of mobilisation!

The Direct Approach

There is an argument in faour of naming your Intranet Project the – wait for it – “Intranet Project”! Often, so-called “secret squirrel” names (where one has to ferret out from colleagues what Project Banana is all about) serve only to create an unnecessary air of mystique (fit only for secret M&A projects). They can also serve to be divisive, by separating ‘people in the know’ from people outside the immediate project audience.

The functional approach

A functional name focuses on what the intranet does (e.g. search, find, access). This enjoys the same benefits as the direct approach, but affords one a little more poetic license. What about names like “Project Connect” or “Project Gateway”, which serve to signal the core “must have” requirements for the project?

The conceptual approach

There is a problem with the direct or functional approaches; Research from Cranfield has demonstrated that people on projects tend to be very heavily influenced in their actions by the name of the project itself. If you call your project the Intranet project, it is a working intranet (i.e. the technology) that you will get. If your ambition was something much more visionary, such as a wholly new way of working for your people, you are likely to be disappointed!

The conceptual name targets what is achieved by the functionality, rather than the functionality itself. For example, if your company name was BigCo and your purpose was seeking to get everyone in the company working together, you could call the project “Project OneBigCo” or “Project Unity”. For the aforementioned new ways of working objective, you could use “Project Future Workplace”.

The abstract approach

The abstract approach deals with how the project makes people feel. For example, “Project Bliss” (for happiness), “Project Wizard” (for magic) or “Project Pulse” (for fast-pacedness). Although one world usually fails to capture all you are trying to achieve with an Intranet Portal, this approach can prove highly effective (particularly where counter-cultural).

If all else fails

Nothing grabbed you so far? Well there is no saving you, then! I suppose there are always the standard fallback options: names of greek or roman gods, names of planets, names of birds and names of dances. These have the added value that – if you spawn follow-on projects in a sequence – you have ready-made logical follow-on project titles. Incidentally, “Project Mercury” would be my recommendation for planets or gods (as Mercury was the roman god of communications).

For more ideas on project names, why not check out my presentation in chapter 10 of my (free to access) Intranet Portal Guide.

Exit mobile version