Term paper

Course Code: GED 1104

Course Name: Computational Thoughts in Business

Submitted by:
Qazi Maheen Murad
Roll: 2025171091
Session: 2019-20
Section: A
Department of Marketing
Faculty of Business Studies
Bangladesh University of Professionals

Submitted to:
Abu Naser Mohammad Saif
Assistant Professor
Department of Management Information System
Faculty of Business Studies
University of Dhaka

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 LETTER OF SUBMISSION

30th April,2020
To,
Abu Naser Mohammad Saif (Assistant Professor),
Department of Management Information System,
Faculty of Business Studies,
University of Dhaka.

Subject: Submission of Term Paper

Dear Sir,
Respectfully I want to inform you that I have completed my term paper “Role of ICT in
Poverty Alleviation: Bangladesh Perspective” to fulfilling the requirements of the course
Computational thoughts in business for first semester of BBA in Marketing program. The
information and data used in the paper are relevant which are the results of my study and
research. This paper is original and never submitted elsewhere.
I hope you will be kind enough to consider the term paper for satisfying the requirements of the
respectable course and oblige thereby.

Qazi Maheen Murad

Roll: 2025171063
Section: A
Session: 2019-20

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 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

I want to start in the name of the Almighty and ever Graceful Allah (SWT) Who gave us all
privilege, created this beautiful world and blessed us.

I would like to convey my deep and sincere gratitude to our respectable course teacher Abu
Naser Mohammad Saif, for giving us the opportunity to research and giving valuable guidance
throughout the research and present them as clearly as possible. I am grateful to him for what he
has offered me. His dynamism, vision, sincerity and motivation has deeply inspired me. It was a
great privilege to study under his guidance. I would also like to thank him for his great sense of
humor. I pray to the Almighty for your good health and long happy life.

I have tried my hard and soul to gather all relevant documents regarding the topic. I do not know
how far I am able to do it. Furthermore, I do not claim all the information in this term paper is
included perfectly. There maybe shortcoming, factual error, mistaken opinion which are all mine
and I alone am responsible for those but I will try to give better volume in future.

Thank you
Qazi Maheen Murad

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 TABLE OF CONTENT

Chapter One-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------5
Introduction---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------5
Report Organization-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------6

Chapter Two-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------7
Telecommunication------------------------------------------------------------------------------------7

Chapter Three-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------8
Internet---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------8

Chapter Four------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------9
Initiatives to serve rural community-----------------------------------------------------------------9

Chapter Five-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------11
Development of Literature----------------------------------------------------------------------------11

Chapter Six--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------12
Increasing Job Opportunities-------------------------------------------------------------------------12

Chapter Seven-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------13
Conclusion----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------13

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CHAPTER 1:

INTRODUCTION

Bangladesh, a country with an area of 1,47,610 square kilometers and a population over 165
million has just earned its status as a mid developed country. It is the 7 th most populous country
in the world. Bangladesh has been ranked 41st among the world's largest economies in 2019,
moving up two notches from last year's. The country has the second biggest economy in South
Asia, according to an analysis by a London-based think-tank. The population growth rate has
declined but still stands around 1% annually. In Bangladesh, the population living below the
national poverty line dropped to 24.3% in 2016 from 31.5% in 2010 which was a major progress.
In Bangladesh, the proportion of employed population below $1.90 purchasing power parity a
day dropped from 73.5% in 2010 to 14.8% in 2016 (ADB 2016). Poverty is multidimensional. It
has many causes like lack of resource, productivity and skill etc. One of the main reasons of
poverty is a lack of access to information. If the poor people are not provided with appropriate
information they can not overcome poverty. At present day, mainstream definition of poverty
goes beyond a quantitative and one dimensional approach. A multidimensional concept of
poverty based on the situation of the people living under poverty line has emerged. Poverty is
considered to be a curse. It is considered to be opposite of well-being. Thus, apart from the
inability of the poor people to meet their basic needs, such as nutrition, clothing and shelter, the
concept of poverty also refers to phenomena such as disadvantages in access to land, credit and
services (e.g. health and education), vulnerability (to violence, external economic shocks,
national disasters), powerlessness and social exclusion. Income gap remains one of the core
issues in the reduction of poverty. Lack of asset and resource is both a cause and an outcome of
that. Lack of assets and less income are co-related. There are powerful complementarities across
assets. The benefits of one resource can depend significantly on one another. In partial terms,
assets include a variety of physical and intangible objects like land, infrastructure and services.
The denial of access to resources leads to a lack of productivity, missed opportunities, weak
health conditions and a lack of skills. Regarding ICT this means, access to tech equipment and
structures such as phone lines or computers as well as to markets. Vulnerability denotes not only
external shocks. But also internal conflicts. It includes the risk of being vulnerable to physical
violence because of low social status, gender or ethnic identity. The world bank report those
beyond the view of income levels in its definitions of poverty, suggesting that poverty includes
powerlessness, lack of vocal, vulnerability and being afraid. The assertion that a knowledge gap
is an important determinant of persistent poverty, combined with the notion that developed
countries already process the knowledge required to assure a universally adequate standard of
living, suggest the need of policies which encourage greater communication and information
flows both within and between countries. One of the best possible ways to achieve the greater
interaction is through the uses of ICTs.

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For lack of access to information poor people are facing problems in different ways as if the poor
people are not aware of where the employment opportunities are not available they cannot get
employed. The study explains how the poor people are getting information from the different
media, and they are helping them in their efforts at poverty alleviation. medias are becoming a
model for other entrepreneurs and NGOs because of their reliability for provision of services in
the rural areas through ICT tools and state of the art channels. The Government of Bangladesh
recognizes that ICT can make an important development impact, because it has the capabilities
to overcome barriers of social, economic and geographical isolation, increase access to
information and education, and enable the poor people to participate in most of the decisions that
affect their lives. However only a few studies have been conducted on the impact of different
NGOs and medias on rural poverty alleviation. In this context the present study on the “Role of
ICT in poverty alleviation” has been taken up to contribute to the understanding of the role of
ICT in poverty alleviation.

The main objective of this study will be to find out how the poor people are getting information
from different media, and how they are helping them in their efforts at poverty alleviation. The
specific objectives of the research will include to identify the different services provided through
ICT, service mechanism, cost of service delivery and impact of ICT on rural and urban poverty
alleviation.

The study is expected to generate the following outputs: a) the study will contribute to the
poverty alleviation; b) the study will help NGOs and young skilled knowledgeable people to set
up such centers in their areas to reduce poverty.

The present study has certain limitations that need to be taken into account when considering its
findings. Further literature on the study area and ICT was not available adequately.

THE REPORT ORGANIZATION

There are few chapters in this paper. They are:

a) Chapter 1: Introduction,
b) Chapter 2: Telecommunication,

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c) Chapter 3: Internet,
d) Chapter 4: Initiatives to Serve Rural Community,
e) Chapter 5: Development of Literature,
f) Chapter 6: Increasing Job Opportunities,
g) Chapter 7: Conclusion.

CHAPTER 2: TELECOMMUNICATION

Telecommunication is the exchange of signs, signals, messages, words, writings, images and
sounds or information of any nature by wire, radio, optical or other electromagnetic systems. For
better connectivity, importance of development of Telecommunication infrastructure has been
emphasized and deemed as development to support the growing demands of the ICT sector both
in public and private sector. Initiatives are also underway to attract private sector investors in the
telecommunication sector. The Bangladesh Telegraph and Telephone Board (BTTB) is the
monopoly carrier opened by the state. The new name of it is BTCL. BTCL has a mandate to
provide basic telecommunication services throughout the country. At present, BTCL is providing
telephone service to about 1 million telephone subscribers down to Upazilla (thana) and growth
center level. Most of them can also use dial-up internet service. BTCL has the largest telecom
infrastructure comprising of copper cabling, microwave links, satellite links, optical fiber
networks etc. The call rates are cheaper than other operators. Using telecommunication, people
are exchanging information. That denotes to fulfilling of need of information which is playing
role in alleviating from poverty.

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Now there is a government organization under the ministry of Telecommunication called BTRC
or Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission. It was formed in 31 st January of
2002, under the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory act 2001. Its objective is to
encourage the development of telecommunication system which will help in welfare of the
country and efficiency is ensured. It is introducing newer forms of telecommunication system
day by day and creating a favourable condition for both local and foreign investors to invest and
progress our economic situation. It awarded license of 3G to four mobile operators in September
2013.

CHAPTER 3: INTERNET

While the Internet speed in Bangladesh may not be among the fastest in the world, it has
significantly improved in the recent past. As of July 2015, Bangladesh ranked 90th out of 198
countries on the Household Download Index by Net Index. Specially, the completion of the
Kuakata submarine cable (Regional Submarine Telecommunications Project, Bangladesh) of
BSCCL has added significant amount of transmission capacity (through SEA-ME-WE 5 Cable)
and provided redundancy and low-latency with PoP to PoP connectivity.

Since starting of the Cox's Bazar submarine cable (through the SEA-ME-WE 4 cable) in 2006,
the country has seen the Internet bandwidth price to drop significantly. In 2008, the Bangladesh

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Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) slashed wholesale Internet bandwidth
prices drastically, from BDT 80,000 (approximately US$1,125) per Mbit/s to BDT 18,000
(approximately US$250) per Mbit/s. In 2009, after complaints that retail prices were still too
high for slow, unreliable connections, the BTRC indicated that they were going to begin
monitoring ISPs to ensure that retail prices reflected the reduced wholesale prices. Inside the
capital city, the retail price has been reduced and quality of Internet has become standardized
significantly through the optical fiber internet providers. However, Internet connectivity with
acceptable quality and reliability is still relatively costly for outside of Dhaka.

The government sees information and communication technologies (ICTs) as a key driver of
socioeconomic development. This is reflected in the government's "Digital Bangladesh" plan as
well as the National Information and Communication Technology Policy. Bangladesh is slowly
moving up in the worldwide ICT rankings, rising from 130th in 2009 to 113th in 2012 in the
"networked readiness index". But, while its ITC ranking has improved, Bangladesh still lags
behind other low-income countries of its stature. Progress is limited due to deficiencies in the
regulatory framework and infrastructure development. And ICT leaders are concerned that the
annual budget does not support the government's ICT goals.

However Bangladesh Government has introduced 4G in February 2018 which is a big milestone
for the country. Through internet people of both rural and urban areas are getting important
information and developing skills in different fields to get employed and rising up their heads
from scarcity. Any information is easy to access through internet which is a big advantage
nowadays.

CHAPTER 4: INITIATIVES TO SERVE RURAL COMMUNITY

Rural development directly indicates the development of rural people and their livelihood. Most
rural areas remain largely inaccessible" unconnected" and are consequently unable to take
advantage of telecommunications. However, the country has recently witnessed an expansion of
its network in rural areas. Several initiatives are currently underway in Bangladesh to improve
ICT facilities to the rural areas.

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For example in agriculture. The Ministry of Agriculture established Management Information
system (MIS). The MIS collects and updates information of agriculture and agricultural products
from all districts. MIS provides crop information market information. Agri-business information,
literature, Market research, and link with other government portal for more information. The
Department of Agricultural Marketing (DAM) with the assistance of the Food and Agricultural
Organization of the United Nations (UN) under its Agricultural Market Information
Improvement project (AMII) is launched its website. It is the mandate of &AM to collect and
disseminate market data. With the aid of new technology it is notable to provide much more
timely information dissemination. This will enable all stakeholders to use the data optimally,
specific target groups are farmers, traders, policymakers and the media. AMII is a pilot project
and is currently running in ten of the 64 districts in Bangladesh namely; Dhaka, Chittagong,
Barisal, Rajshahi, Rangpur, Khulna, Comilla, Mymensingh, Jessore and Sylhet. In these districts
wholesale and retail prices are collected daily and assembly prices are collected weekly. The
same day that the prices are collected the data entry is done in a computer in the district and
emailed to DAM headquarters in Dhaka. At DAM headquarters the complete database is
compiled and reports are produced. The reports produced at DAM are then sent to all
stakeholders.

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CHAPTER 5: DEVELOPMENT OF LITERATURE

ICT is being applied as a tool for poverty alleviation in Bangladesh since few years ago. In this
chapter we will review the literature part only.
Studies show the importance of information from several perspectives such as government,
human rights, development etc. The ability to access ICT easily has opened a new door. ICT is
playing a vital role in spreading information. From this the citizens must know about the
government, the responsibilities of the governing body, rights of a citizen, availability of
government services and facilities and many more. The voices of people is to be strengthened
and they should be fostered to participate in the development process. The knowledge of rules
and laws which are made to protect citizens can stop the abuse of power in local level which can
force impact on poverty alleviation. ICT can provide information about import duties, tax
payment is used for extortion of the common tax payers. Our government has introduced fund
for getting legal redress for the poor citizens.

It is well known that obstacles to access information in a effective way play a crucial role in
drawing the line between the haves and the have- nots. From a pure economic perspective, in a
market economy framework, access to information is crucial in terms of having access and
getting price advantage in the market. Unfortunately, there is no separate market for the poor and
rural producers of goods and services. To access to information may considerably change the
situation in favor of the poor producers within and for a country. On the other hand, access to
information related to market access is significant. It is also important to ensure access to
information related to better production of goods and services, appropriate technology,
information about self-employment related facilities, and wage employment for ensuring
alleviation of income poverty. For solving the non-income issues, the access to information
related to education, technology, affordable health care, legal and human rights are very crucial
for all citizens. In short, one can coin the gamut of information needs as “livelihood information
needs”. Lack of access to information is a critical source of disempowerment for the rural poor.
This makes them vulnerable to exploitation by the middlemen, leaves them exposed to
preventable diseases and accidents, deprives them of justice due to lack of availability of legal
aid services, and necessitates significant costs for finding simple information, among many other
consequences. It is important to understand that all information services may not necessarily be
disseminated by the government. NGOs. Media and Mobile operators may start providing some
of the information. For example, D Net experiments to provide livelihood information through
common access point. Furthermore, less fashionable and more spread of ICT like mobile phones
is being used for operating which is used for providing a variety of livelihood information to the
village people through the concept of Mobile Information Lady, who moves from door to door
for delivering information. As a result, people with disability, women with less mobility and
such disadvantaged people can access modem ICT to resolve their livelihood problems through
consultation with experts. As the generated income for such model is not adequate for financial

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viability, NGO-government, NGO donor collaboration model can be useful for making such
service spread across the country. Following the success of D Net's model Grameen Phone, the
largest telecom operator announced that it will provide help line services on health issues to the
village community. The last example may be bkash. It is a mobile banking system which makes
it easy to pay bills and transactions for common people all around the country.

CHAPTER 6: INCREASING JOB OPPORTUNITIES

ICT has developed a new sector of jobs for the people of Bangladesh. Anyone who has
developed certain skills of computer and other Information and Communication Technologies
are now utilizing their skills and using it as a way to earn.

For example of a new way of earning through ICT is Computer Shops, Cyber cafes etc. in the
computer shops computers and hardwares and its spare parts are sold. This is a nice way to earn.
They may also give certain services like maintaining and fixing old parts of a computer,
installing new softwares and selling other accessories. On the other hand, cyber cafes are places
where there are computers and internet connection which can be used for a certain time for a
certain amount of money. A person who does not have a suitable device to send an important
mail may go there to do so. Other services like online applications, formfillups, printing online

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pages may be there also.

Other than above works there are other jobs like IT sector jobs in both government and non
government organizations. As ICT is a compulsory subject in high school level, there are jobs of
teaching ICT. Other than that Computer Science Engineering, Information and Communication
Engineering are subjects to study in University level which has opened new job vacancies. There
are many more opportunities and ways of earning through ICT. Freelancing is an example also.
Nowadays, there are thousands of freelancers working online and earning big amounts and
gaining reputation worldwide as professionals. Jobs in programing sector, software developing,
technology, program support etc. are mentionable. More and more career opportunities are
initiating everyday in the field of ICT. With proper education, experience and skills, many
people can get employed and alleviate from poverty.

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CHAPTER 7: CONCLUSION

ICT has many possibilities. So does Bangladesh. Our country can prosper more rapidly and get
recognized as a developed country in the map of the world by utilizing its innovative ideas. ICT
is playing an important role in alleviating poverty in Bangladesh since past few years. In old
days people had to use letters to communicate. They used telephones which required wired
connection. Now through using Information and Communication Technology we can
communicate easily. This includes mobile network, internet, email, social media and so on.
Communication is done more efficiently with less cost now. We get information instantly by
searching on internet. This is a great step up for the common people as all can participate in the
progress of our nation. People living under the line of poverty can now get access to information,
education and their rights. Thus we are moving towards a developed, economically stable,
educated, conscious future. For ICT we can have benefits and compress our expenses in every
field. That is what elaborated in this paper. By getting access to information and benefits through
ICT, poor people can become financially stable and support their family and lead a happy life.
Basic knowledge about ICT and its technology can change ones life. For every work ICT is used
now. In banking we need internet in both mobile banking and ATM booth. We use ICT for
agriculture for information and courses. For education we need communication technology also
as computer is a basic and vital part of education. In medical sector doctors can help and attend
patient through telemedicine in rural areas. All basic rights can be ensured through application of
ICT. If all of the rights are ensured then people with scarcity can become self sufficient or even
more. Being productive is the key to our success in future and it will alleviate poverty. Anyone
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can know about anything. This technology is upgrading our country. We will see our dream
Bangladesh soon. The future is ahead and it is shining bright.

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