SAMVAD: International Journal of Management

G. Venkatesh ¹, George Easaw ²

Affiliations
1 Presidency College, IN
2 Alliance University, IN

Abstract

The taxi aggregator services (also called as ride sourcing services) have become popular in the last few years in India. The companies managing these services call themselves as technology companies. This excludes them from the purview of transport regulations that a typical transport operator has to adhere to. One of the major reasons for the success of Ola and Uber, the two ride sourcing services in India, is their ability to digitally match supply and demand by successful deployment of technology. Technology has enabled the right information to be available to the right persons at the right time. The business model of taxi aggregators has intelligently woven solutions to address the gaps in the present call taxi system - namely driver behavior, lack of focus on performance, uncertainty of demand, difficulty in matching capacity with demand, increase in prices etc. With technology comprising of software algorithms enabling accurate matching of demand and supply, the wait time is reduced for the customer and for the drivers, the idle time is reduced. The other benefit for the consumer is that travel using ride sourcing services is at an affordable cost due to the volume of the operations. This has created a win-win-win situation for all - the taxi aggregator gets his commission, the driver gets assurance of demand and the consumer has to wait less and pay reasonable charges for availing the taxi services. The pricing structure is also very dynamic. This paper attempts to study the technique by which performance of these aggregator services can be measured. The paper has identified the criteria and measures of performance that can help ta xi aggregator services to improve customer satisfaction and quality of service. The paper has also suggested possible ways in which these services can use an innovation strategy to drive the business agenda.

Keywords

Innovation, Technology, Ola, Ride Sourcing, Services, Service Supply Chain, Spokes Model, Taxi Aggregator, Transportation Network Companies, Uber.

Full Text

   

G. Venkatesh ¹

Affiliations
1 Associate Professor (Marketing), Presidency Business School, Hebbal-Kempapura, Bangalore - 560024, Karnataka, IN

Abstract

The insurance sector has been less agile to adapt to rapid changes sweeping the external economic environment. However, massive advances in technology have now necessitated the insurance sector to relook at their business processes, archaic legacy systems and IT infrastructure to explore ways and means to serve the customers better. Block chain innovations in insurance are disruptive. Advent of block chain can mean simpler processes, lower premiums, greater transparency, increased accountability, increased efficiency and possibility of niche coverages. Block chain also enables smaller firms to cover risks that were earlier covered only by large insurance firms. However, there are limitations to implementing this technology due to the heavy investments involved in implementing block chain and due to change management challenges. There is scope for strategic alliances between insurance sector and insur-tech entrepreneurs to derive the maximum value out of block chain technology.

Keywords

Block Chain, Digital Ledger, Insurance, Innovations, Micro Insurance, Smart Contract

Full Text