March 4, 2012 To: Bobby Hajjaj (BHj) Faculty, School of Business North South University From: Esha Das

ID # 081 733 030 BUS 498: Internship

Subject: Request to conduct the research on- The Effectiveness of the Churn Back (Reactivation) Campaigns of Grameenphone in comparison with Airtel and Banglalink based on Consumer Preferences & Value Perception. Introduction: Grameenphone widely known as GP is the leading telecommunications service provider in Bangladesh. With more than 32 million subscribers (as of June 2011), Grameenphone is the largest cellular operator in the country. It is a joint venture enterprise between Telenor and Grameen Telecom Corporation, a non-profit sister concern of the internationally acclaimed microfinance organization and community development bank Grameen Bank. Telenor, the largest telecommunications company in Norway, owns 55.8% shares of Grameenphone; Grameen Telecom owns 34.2% and the remaining 10% is publicly held. Grameenphone was the first company to introduce GSM technology in Bangladesh. It also established the first 24-hour Call Center to support its subscribers. With the slogan Stay Close, stated goal of Grameenphone is to provide affordable telephony to the entire population of Bangladesh. At present, the whole scenario of telecom industry is now changing and majority of the people now have two or more SIMs (same or other operators) and they are called Multi-Simmers according to the telecom industry. As a result, Grameenphone is now facing some problems regarding subscribers switching or deactivating their MSISDNs (SIMs) and to attract those subscribers they have to launch churn back campaigns at a regular basis. However, in reality, subscribers are not getting attracted to these offers, and even if they activate their SIMs, after the offer expires they again deactivate their respective SIMs. It is actually happening to all the other players in the Telecom industry. Therefore, Grameenphone needs to find out the effective way to retain their previous subscribers and also to sustain them. Realizing the problem of Grameenphone Ltd., I intend to do my internship report to analyze the effectiveness of the churn back campaigns (Reactivation) offers that Grameenphone, Banglalink and Airtel are now giving to the subscribers based on consumer preferences & value perception and also try to find out the preferences towards service bundling offers.

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Objectives: Broad Objectives: The main objective of conducting the research is- To find out the effectiveness of the Churn Back (Reactivation) Campaigns of Grameenphone in comparison with Airtel and Banglalink based on consumer preferences & value perception. Specific Objectives: In order to attain the broad objective, a step-by-step process is required to be followed. Hence, I have broken down my main objective into smaller objectives and assigned specific objectives for each step of my research work. They are as followed: To find out the reasons that are working behind the deactivation of their respective MSISDNs (SIMs) To find out an effective way of bundling service offers that will attract the subscribers, who have already deactivated their SIMs. To find out how the consumer/subscribers preferences and value perception of the Multi-Simmers vary among different telecom operators in terms of Churn-Back Campaign. To find out the decision aspects that varies by user segments depending on demographics.

Significance of the Study: Although Grameenphone are continuously trying to attract the subscribers to activate their SIMs but it is not actually working as per their strategy. What actually happens is that subscribers reactivate their MSISDNs as long their campaign is on process. By this study, Grameenphone will get to know about the market dynamics and the direction and conditions about the current market and the subscribers. In addition, they will get to know the effective ways to make their service bundling more attractive to the subscribers. Through this research, GP will get to know how to maximize the value of the service and will be able to provide right bundle to the right subscriber. Expected Findings or Hypothesis: There will be several hypotheses for this research that I want to prove through my research work. Prepaid subscribers are more prone to deactivate their SIMs and switch to other operators than Post-paid subscribers because for prepaid subscribers tariff is working as one of the most important factors. Subscribers prefer midterm or long-term offers more rather than short-term campaign offers to reactivate their MSISDNs. Long-term/ mid-term campaigns are most effective to

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lure the subscribers to reactivate their respective SIMs again and it is an effectual way to sustain them in the long run.

Research Methodology: The research work will include both primary and secondary research. Types of Data: To conduct my research work, I will use both primary and secondary data. The secondary data will have both qualitative and quantitative parts. Data Collection Procedure: Secondary Data: The source for secondary research will include exploring any sources of information already available relevant to my research problem. Secondary sources will include journals, recent newspaper articles, online articles, websites, blog posts, recent reports provided by GP etc. Also I will use the information that will derive from www.grameenphone.com. Primary Data: I will conduct my primary research through sample survey questionnaires and through unstructured interview. In my unstructured interview, I will talk with 5 Multi-Simmers to get the initial findings of my above hypotheses. Then I will proceed with survey questionnaires to test my hypotheses. Sample Design: Sampling Techniques: For sample procedure, a non-probability sample will be chosen from the population. More specifically, a convenience sampling will be followed here. The questionnaire will be designed to extract appropriate data relevant to my research problem and objectives. The statistical data analysis and findings will enable me to answer the research questions and judge the validity of related hypotheses. The primary research will be mainly based on sample survey questionnaires with a sample size of n=120

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Sample Size: The primary research will be conducted in two phase. For unstructured interview the sample size will be n=5. The other phase which will be mainly based on sample survey questionnaires with a sample size of n=120. Sample Location: The sample survey will be conducted only within Dhaka Metropolitan City. Statistical Analysis & Presentation: Various statistical tools will be used for the analysis of the research questions incorporated in the survey questionnaire. The statistical tools may include frequency test, percentage, t-test, z-test, ANOVA, correlation, and regression analysis, according to the requirement of the study. The finding obtained and interpretations will be presented through flowchart, graphs, pie chart, bardiagrams and tables as appropriate.

Limitations of the Study: There are several constraints related to my research paper. First of all, time is a major constraint as I have to submit my research paper one week before my completion of my internship at Grameenphone. Second of all, I cannot conduct the research at rural areas, so I will not be able to find out what the rural people think about this issue. Moreover, for sample & financial constraints, I may not be able to get the actual scenarios of telecom industry. Budget of the Study: Financial Budget: I do not have any source of funding of this study. Therefore, I will manage by myself all sorts of financial requirement for my report. Time Budget: I have started working on the project on March 1, 2012 and expecting to complete the final paper on April 6, 2012. It is expected within a total of 35 days. Following is the allocation of time to different phases of my research work.

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Day

Research Proposal

Desk Research (Secondary Data)

Preparation of sample Survey Questionnaire

Conducting Survey (Primary Data)

Analysis of Primary Data

Preparation of Final Report

Submission of Report

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Request for Approval: I request your permission to write my paper on the above topic. I will welcome any suggestions you have about my selection of topic, my organizing my paper on it, and my identification of research materials and resource.
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