Echoupal

eChoupal

Template for Case Discussion

1. Lead: Discuss and provide facts related to case background (ITC, India, farming, etc.).

2. Class: Analyze problems with status quo. Identify key inefficiencies in pre-eChoupal business (from perspective of ITC and farmers), and explain their fundamental causes.

o Mandi was the only way for farmers to do their business

o Govt. red tape – transactions outside Mandi were prohibited

o Lack of transparency in pricing – no access to best price discovery.

3. Lead: Describe eChoupal - technology infrastructure, features, information, access etc.

4. Class: How did eChoupal create value to farmers? What were the payoffs to ITC?

o Better supply chain to farmers

o Better markets for their produce – quality and price

o Access to vital information about – pricing, crop cycles, weather, other agri products and vital information for farmers.

o Payoffs to ITC – Quality agricultural products, establishing their own predictable supply chain, marketing channel, customer trust & loyalty and paving way to sell other ITC products.

5. Class: What was the transformational role of eChoupal, and how did this impact value creation?

o Before eChoupal farmers were ripped off their profits - One stop shop for farmers?

6. Lead: Present details of eChoupal development and deployment - socio-cultural aspects (to what extent did it build on, and depart from, existing norms?) and rollout sequence.

7. Class: Analyze tradeoffs between developing eChoupal within existing socio-cultural norms (including, e.g., co-opting corrupt middlemen) or making a clean break.

o Making a clean break would be detrimental to ITC's success with Echoupal.

8. Class: Analyze tradeoffs between incremental and "big-bang" rollout.

o Benefits of Big-bang -

o Benefits of incremental -

9. Class: Discuss key barriers to eChoupal success, and critical factors in overcoming barriers.

o Barriers-

o Factors that helped overcome those barriers -

10. Lead: Present ITCs choices after initial eChoupal - bootstrap to other crops and products, extended value chain.

11. Class: is