A PROJECT REPORT ON
“Proposing a product mix and thorough study of the business and then proposing the promotional strategies”
SUMMER PROJECT REPORT UNDERTAKEN WITH
Jupiter2xlearning.com
( JUPITER ONLINE SERVICES PVT. LTD)
SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILMENT FOR DEGREE OF
MASTER OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION
TO
FACULTY OF MANAGEMENT STUDIES
Mohan Lal Sukhadia University, Udaipur (Raj.) 313001
SUBMITTED BY:
DHEERAJ JAIN
MASTER OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION* (2007-09)
SYNOPSIS
This project deals with the promotional strategies for an online tutoring company,
jupiter2xlearning.com and about the product mix for the same.
Today’s era is an era of Computers and its technologies and internet world. Now a
day we can not imagine our life without computer and its uses. Everyone is taking
advantage of its applications in his/her day to day life e.g. for trade (selling/buying
things), for matrimonial services, for documentation, for saving important and crucial
data, in medical field, for research work, for primary data collection, for education
purpose, for communication, for sharing personal details via communities/ blogging etc.
This project talks about its one of internet based service that is ONLINE
TUTORING. This concept of online tutoring is done with the leading edge technologies
of VOIP and whiteboard and some other relevant software. This has finished the way
back style of teaching in which students use to sit in front of teacher. Now there is a
whiteboard and headphone for whole session, and this sessions are completely students
driven so now they can decide what they want to learn from the tutors.
My project was on “proposing a product mix and promotional strategies for
Jupiter online services”, whose online project is jupiter2xlearning.com before going
through the project it was very necessary for me to understand this business so went for
hardcore searching for the industry and when understood completely I started working on
my project. It does not include a perfect pattern of the project as I am not well known to
project and all that, what I knew was to work for the company. Whenever I had
something for the betterment for the organization I immediately shared with the director.
This project includes the whole process through which I went while doing project.
For better understanding I went for the trip to New Delhi. It was not an easy
decision to go there. At first I was avoiding this as I never been outside of home town but
my boss insisted that learning would come only if I follow some hard steps in life.
Inspiring from this I contacted many of the competitors for the information but all refuses
to unveil their secrets to me. But constant pressure from my side made some of them little
bit softer. Finally three of them were ready to talk to me and its my luck that all were
from one place. ☺
I went there and saw their infrastructure and understood the processes of tutoring,
what they offer to the tutors, how the acquire the students, how they train to the tutors for
online tutoring, their future plans etc. it was really an amazing experience to go over
there. I missed two three things when contacted them but after realizing those I
immediately screw them up with efficiency. No special tool was used for this information
getting only the questionnaire I prepared was mandatory.
All I can say at last that it was extreme experience for me to explore my ideas in
the benefits to the organization in which I was working..
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I am highly obliged to work with Mr. Avinash Agrawal. I thank him for his
continuous support in the MBA summer program. He was always there to listen
and to give advice. He is responsible for involving me in this important project in
the first place.
Mr. Agrawal has been a motivator and mentor more importantly, he taught
me how to work hard and play hard, and how to ski to reduce stress! Without his
encouragement and constant guidance (and the Tender Loving Care for me), I
could not have finished this project. He was always there to help and talk about
my ideas. Mr. Agrawal has kept me in good spirits all the time. Mr. Pawan
Shanker Sharma gave insightful comments and reviewed my work on a very short
notice.
I thank Mr. Jim Coffis for and Mr. Pawan Shanker Sharma, with whom I
explored the ideas, organization, requirements and development process. Thanks
also to Mr. Sanjay Jain (at PIM) for guiding me marketing strategy, techniques
and how to do usability study and to Dr. Anil Kothari for his encouragement to do
this project. He agreed upon this project and support me to do this.
Also I want to extend my gratitude to my beloved parents, my sister Ms.
Ayushi and Ms. Aarti for giving moral support, guidance & motivation, for
listening and cooperating and also for believing in me.
LIST OF CONTENTS
1. Synopsis
2. Acknowledgement
3. Industry Profile
4. Organization Profile
5. Need for Study
6. Literature Survey
7. Objectives of Studies
8. Research Methodology
9. Analysis of the study
10. Findings
11. Suggestions and Recommendations
12. Bibliography
Industry Profile
Market share is owned by some big players in the online tutoring industry. These are
listed below: -
Tutorvista.com
Mathguru.com
Tutors.com
Transtutors.com
Sylvan-Online.net
Gomath.com
Smarthinking.com
Tutor.com
Atoztutoring.com
Educomp.com
Careerlauncher.com
Anytimetutor.com
SmarterKids.com
Homeworknow.com
Growingstars.com etc.
“No child left behind Act”, the recent law passed by the American government in
the year 2002, has been a propelling force towards the direction of boosting online
tutoring. According to this law the schools (public as well as private), which “failed” to
provide quality education to the teenagers, are required to hire private tutors to enhance
the student’s performance. Since then the schools that were lagging behind have
tightened their belts. Due to this many American families have started enrolling their kids
to these online tutoring centers rather than sending them to private tutors. The private
tutors or tutorial companies in US charged $ 50 to $ 100 per hour and that helped a lot in
boosting the business for these online tutorials companies as they charge as low as $ 15
per hour!
Many Indian based companies like TransWebTutors (transwebtutors.com),
BrainFuse, TransTutors and Tutor vista have come up with some very exciting offers.
They are providing preparation for standardized tests like TOEFL, SAT, GRE, GMAT
etc. Apart from this TransWebTutors (transwebtutors.com), a New Delhi based company
is offering an unlimited online tutoring for $ 99 per month. Isn’t that mind blowing?
These online tutorial companies have got a pool of teachers specialized in subjects like
Mathematics, Science, English etc.
Online Tutoring industry has risen up very much and is growing day by day.
Online tutoring is a key to success for American teenagers and serve as a tremendous
weapon for their growth and success in the coming future. It's the outsourcing of
education. Just like manufacturing or service jobs, borders no longer limit the task of
teaching America’s youth!
Online tutoring is proving to be a boon for quality education starved students
especially in developing countries where tutoring charges are very high. Online tutoring
is the best way for such students to get extra help in perusing their study smoothly. Just
with a click of mouse, you get access to professionals and tutorials of desired subjects.
In US itself, online tutoring costs 30-40% less than traditional tutoring. Apart
from monetary concerns, students save a lot of time and energy as in this case the scope
of commuting is out of question. Students can avail online tutoring anywhere, be it
public library, school, home, cyber café or a friend’s place. Online tutoring facilitates the
students to chart out their program according to their own preferences. Flexibility of
timings in online tutoring doesn’t force the students to cancel or postpone their other
important engagements. Students can avail online tutoring anytime, be it early hours or
late night without disturbing their regular study hours and tasks.
No Child Left Behind (NCLB) act of America worked as a catalyst in the growth
of online tutoring industry. Outsourced tutors are being used to fulfill the supplementary
education requirements of knowledge starved American students. Indian companies like
TransWebTutors, Tutorvista, and Transtutors are providing online tutoring services with
utmost perfection. These companies work hard to train and to make their tutors familiar
with American curriculums. Tutors of these companies easily assess the capability of
students and match the pace of tutoring according to individual capability of students.
The statistics of success in US, UK, Canada, Australia and other developed countries,
confirm the quality entrepreneurship, perfection and excellence of management people
and employed tutors of these companies in online tutoring.
*India is fast emerging as the global online tutoring hub by delivering top-notch
teaching services at down-to-earth rates.
With a large number of dedicated post-graduates well-versed in English language, India
has the greatest potential to grow in the online tutoring industry, say industry insiders.
Indian teachers provide tutoring services at a fraction of the amount charged by their
counterparts in the United States, United Kingdom and other European countries.
"When it costs $40-100 per hour in the US, Indian teachers charge three to four times
less," says V Rameshwar, Chief Quality Officer of Chennai-based Tutors World Wide (I)
Pvt Ltd.
Going a step further, Bangalore-based Tutorvista provides unlimited tutoring for a month
for USD 100, says its Chairman and Founder, K Ganesh.
Within a short span of two years, ever since supplementary education through internet
attained an industry status in India, the growth rate is 100-150 per cent, says Rameshwar.
The company, which was started in 2004, now has 400 teachers in its pay-roll and around
5,000 students across the globe.
According to Ganesh, 18 months back, Tutorvista started with one teacher and one
student and now has 500 teachers and over 2,000 students.
India now earns around 15 million USD per year from online tutoring --10 per cent of the
total market share. "This is expected to swell to 2.4 billion USD within three years", says
Ganesh.
Tutorvista has students in 12 countries, including Australia, Turkey, Denmark,
Singapore, the Middle East and Canada. But majority of the students are from the US and
the UK.
Organizational Profile
Jupiter2xLearning.com is an on-line learning community designed to
share knowledge, with students in the most convenient, efficient and affordable manner
possible. We provide on demand, real time, professional tutoring services to elementary,
middle and high school age students around the world with committed, professional,
highly trained educators. We utilize individualized learning methods, personal one to one
interaction, voice and text communication in a virtual classroom complete with
interactive whiteboard, image and file sharing capabilities and much more.
Our goal is to promote and facilitate the sharing of knowledge. We aim to
create a global learning collaborative dedicated to the advancement of education for
all. We invite you to join with us.
Jupiter2xLearning.com is an on-line learning community offering tutoring in the
most convenient, efficient and affordable manner possible. We integrate 21st century
learning technologies including voice, text chat and interactive whiteboard, with instant,
any time access via the internet to provide personal, one on one, on demand, real time,
and professional tutoring services for elementary, middle, high school and college age
students.
Every student is individually assessed and assigned a personal tutor and academic
counselor. Individual sessions are scheduled by the student and parent at their
convenience. Every school night tutors are available on demand to provide help via
instant messaging, text chat and email.
PERSONAL TUTORING
Our one student to one tutor programs takes place on-line, from the convenience
of your home, school or library on a schedule of your choosing. Every session is
conducted in a virtual classroom with full interactive voice, text chat and whiteboard
complete with file sharing, image uploading and remote access to a growing collection of
web resources. Sessions are private and secure and each is fully recorded and saved for
review and monitoring by students parents and approved mentors.
The student and parent determine a schedule for each personal one on one
tutoring session that best meets their needs. Tutors can be scheduled anytime, literally
24/7. And you’re not locked into the same time and day if you don’t want to be.
At the scheduled time the student is prompted to go to their personal learning site,
where their individualized plan, previous sessions and other learning tools are
maintained. Once the secure connection is established the teacher and learner proceed as
if they were sitting next to each other over an assignment.
Each student chooses an on-line persona for security purposes and tutors may not
request or inquire about personal identification.
No special equipment or software is required just a computer (Mac or PC) with an
Internet connection.
Study after study has proven that one to one interaction is the most efficient
and effective method of providing
high quality instruction.
OUR TUTORS
We are not a tutor match site or marketplace. Our tutors are recruited, vetted,
trained and become employees of Jupiter. They all have classroom experience and at
least a Bachelors degree – many have post graduate degrees or coursework. We provide
training in local and state curriculum and on-line learning technologies. We constantly
monitor and assess their performance and every tutor agrees to abide by a strict code of
ethics.
COMPARE US
Jupiter Private Tutors Learning Centers
One to One ���� ���� �
Personal Tutor ���� ���� �
On Demand
Service
���� � �
Free Assessment ���� � �
Flexible 24/7
Schedule
���� � �
Recorded
Sessions
���� � �
On Line ���� � �
Affordable Under $20 per hour $30-$50 per hour and up $50 and up per hour, Long
Term Contracts and Fees
ON DEMAND
Our on demand tutoring service is unique. Every school night, our tutors are
available and waiting to help students via instant messaging, text chat and email.
On-line learning assistance is a rapidly growing business worldwide. There are a
number of very large companies who have entered the field in the last few years offering
24/7 on demand services subsidized by taxpayers through public libraries and school
districts. These companies try to respond to thousands of students every day.
At Jupiter our on demand service is available only to our enrolled students, which
ensures we can always maintain a proper ratio of students to tutors. This also ensures a
quicker response time and the ability for our tutors to devote the time necessary to
accurately and adequately provide the assistance requested.
Since every Jupiter student has their own personal learning site, our tutors can
quickly determine their level of understanding and the best approach to provide
assistance.
Like our personal tutoring sessions, every on demand inquiry is recorded, saved
and is accessible by the student and parent. No other service can provide that level of
safety and security.
On demand learning assistance is a growing trend throughout the U.S.
particularly among public library systems
where the service is billed as “homework
help” or “on-line reference”.
HOW IT WORKS?
Our one student to one tutor programs takes place on-line, from the convenience
of your home, school or library (wherever you have a computer with an internet
connection) on a schedule of your choosing.
Every session is conducted in a virtual classroom with full interactive voice, text
chat and whiteboard complete with file sharing, image uploading and remote access to a
growing collection of web resources. Sessions are private and secure and each is fully
recorded and saved for review and monitoring by students parents and approved mentors.
The environment is fun and completely familiar to the vast majority of internet
using children who now spend as much or more time on-line as they do in a classroom.
After submitting a free enrollment application on-line, parents and students can
schedule a free personal assessment and consultation with an academic counselor. The
student and the parent then choose from among our core programs the one best suited to
the child’s age and academic level or they may design a completely custom program.
The student and parent determine a schedule for each personal one on one tutoring
session that best meets their needs. Tutors can be scheduled anytime, literally. And
you’re not locked into the same time and day if you don’t want to be.
At the scheduled time the student will be prompted to go to their individual
learning site to meet with their personal tutor. Once the secure connection is established
the teacher and learner proceed as if they were sitting next to each other over an
assignment.
The one on one tutoring session is only a part of our service. We provide each
student with their own personal learning site that they can access 24/7 to organize their
schoolwork and store their on-going projects and lessons for review. Additionally every
student has access to a treasure chest of age-appropriate web learning resources selected
specifically for them. The personal learning site also protects each child’s identity and
personal contact information by providing them an on-line persona.
Our on demand service is also unique. Every school night, tutors are available
and waiting to help students instantly via instant messaging, or email. On demand
learning assistance is a growing trend throughout the U.S. particularly among public
library systems where the service is billed as “homework help” or “on-line reference”.
The differences between Jupiter and the mass market providers is we are focused on the
individual. As a registered Jupiter student your learning plan and notes from your
personal tutor are accessible by all or our tutors so if a student comes on-line in between
scheduled sessions with specific assistance requirements our tutors can quickly determine
the level of understanding and the best approach to provide assistance. Since we do not
provide unlimited access to entire populations of cities and states we can maintain a
proper ratio of tutors to students during these access periods to ensure not only a quick
response but the time necessary to really respond properly.
WHAT WE OFFER
Jupiter2XLearning.com Price Sheet - Fall 2008
Age Level Program On
DemandAccess Sessions
Per
Mos
Per
Semester
Elementary Study Buddy Basic Yes 4* $89.99 $239.99
Elementary
Study Buddy
Accelerated Yes 6* $109.99 $295.99
Elementary Study Buddy Intensive Yes 8* $189.99 $349.99
Elementary
Extra One on One
Sessions 1 $9.99
High
School College Prep Yes 4* $129.99 $349.99
High
School College Prep Yes 6* $159.99 $429.99
High
School College Prep Yes 8* $189.99 $509.99
High
School
Extra One on One
Sessions 1 $14.99
High
School Scholar Yes 4* $169.99 $456.99
High
School Scholar Yes 6* $209.99 $564.99
High
School Scholar Yes 8* $249.99 $672.99
Special Services
Elementary One on One No 4 $59.99 $162.99
Elementary Single Sessions No 1 $14.99
High
School One on One No 4 $79.96 $214.99
High
School Single Sessions No 1 $19.99
All Ages Language Yes 4* $129.99 $349.99
All Ages Language Yes 6* $159.99 $429.99
All Ages Language Yes 8* $189.99 $509.99
All Ages Language One on One No 4 $59.99 $159.99
All Ages
Language Single
Sessions No 1 $14.99
High
School ACT/SAT Test Prep Yes 12 $179.99
High
School A/P Test Prep Yes 6 $89.99
Need for Study
Every business needs growth and for that it needs continuous efforts and
new technologies. For that the researchers has always been trying hard to explore new
ideas and ways to satisfy the customer’s need.
Customers are also very intelligent now a day, they know the market very well
and because of the highly competitive market they have more options to choose from. He
always looks for his profit as well as the services associated with the relevant products. In
our organization also there is an intellectual group of customer who know what they are
getting and at what cost. They are not bothered by the price they paying with respect to
the quality. We have the quality and the best price in the tutoring world but what we are
lacking in is our promotion, as being at initial stage we are targeting students from US
only. So our current task was to promote our business, it could be in any way either
through website or surveys or campaign or road shows or presentations or some
educational programs or through some email marketing concepts or by sending mailers
etc. these are so many….
So to reach to the targeted customers we needed heavy promotions and different
packages. Our main target were the students from K-1 to K-12 for academic subjects and
for the languages we were targeting only those who wanted to learn new languages and
children of NRIs who were willing to learn the Hindi language.
These were the main criterion for the study this project.
Literature Survey
Article: - Point, Click and Learn: Indian Online Tutoring Companies Find Their
Global Markets
Published: May 15, 2008 in India Knowledge@Wharton
When Biju Mathew moved to the United States in 2000 to work as a software
engineer in a Silicon Valley start-up, he hit an unexpected roadblock in his personal life:
finding tutors for his school-age children. His kids had been used to tutoring in India and
wanted to continue with it in their new environment. Mathew, however, found tutoring in
the United States , both traditional and online, very expensive. At anywhere between $40
and $100 per hour, the kind of daily tutoring that his children were used to was
unaffordable.
Mathew looked for some way to connect his children to their tutors back in India . He
also realized that, like him, many other parents in the United States would want high-
quality tutoring for their children at affordable prices. Spotting a business opportunity,
Mathew found a seed investor, Saji Philip. He then hired three software engineers in his
hometown in Kochi in southern India to work on the software required for e-tutoring. In
January 2004, with the technology in place and three tutors on board, he set up Growing
Stars and offered math tutoring at $25 per hour.
Over the last few years, online tutoring from India for students across the globe has taken
on the contours of an industry. Along with other services in the burgeoning person-to-
person offshoring (PPO) space, it has tremendous growth potential: In the U.S. market
alone, revenues for Indian tutoring companies are estimated by some to be at $20 million
today, and industry players expect the total to reach $2 billion in three to five years.
Demand for online tutoring from India is driven by its large talent pool of teachers and
lower costs. This is similar to the demand for the well-established Indian software and
services and business process outsourcing industries. Then there is the advantage of sheer
convenience. In most of these companies, online tutors are available 24 hours a day for
one-on-one help. Students can log in at their convenience and assignments can be
discussed through online chat sessions and voice. A virtual whiteboard allows the use of
charts, graphs and diagrams.
While there are no firm numbers about the industry's size, estimates suggest that well
over 100 players fill the space. They range in size from the venture-fund backed
TutorVista.com, which has 600 tutors and 10,000 students, to Tutors Worldwide India, a
fully-owned subsidiary of the U.S. company Socratic Learning, with 250 tutors. There are
also mom-and-pop outfits with five tutors or fewer. Science, mathematics and English are
usually taught. Offerings include homework help, regular grade tutoring, and preparation
for the SAT, ACT and other exams. In many cases, tutors work from their homes.
Though prices vary, they are much lower than those at U.S. tutoring firms, in some cases
as low as $10 an hour. TutorVista.com, which charges $99.99 per month for unlimited
tutoring, aims to make its service part of a family's monthly budget, like a health club
membership.
A Wealth of End Consumers
A report by Alok Aggarwal of Evalueserve, a global research and analytics services firm,
puts online tutoring from India as one of the PPO services to watch out for. Others with
strong growth potential are website development, graphic design, and editorial and
writing services, according to the report. Aggarwal says that with technology advances
and the growth of the Internet, small offices, home businesses and individuals can utilize
PPO services. Individually taken, each contract is often of low value, usually between
$100 and $5,000. "But since the number of end consumers and small businesses is
enormous, the total addressable market in the United States alone easily exceeds $20
billion," the report says.
Evalueserve's research shows that from April 2006 through March 2007, revenues from
the PPO sector were more than $250 million. Aggarwal says that India 's share was $35
million to $40 million, and that online tutoring from India would have been around $12
million to $14 million. He expects the PPO market to grow to more than $2 billion by
2015.
Indian players are far more bullish. They estimate revenues from tutoring from India to
the United States at $20 million, and expect the total to reach $2 billion in three to five
years. According to K. Ganesh, founder of TutorVista, "This is like the market for
computers or the market for cell phones in India . It is completely dependent upon how
disruptive the model is and the price point." Technology, both by way of advancement
and penetration, will play a key role, Ganesh adds.
For Aditya Singhal, founder of TransTutors.com, the figures are immaterial. "It really
doesn't matter what the numbers are," he says. "We have not even touched the tip of the
iceberg and the growth is going to be exponential. The market is simply too huge."
Indian e-tutoring companies haven't forayed only into the United States . They are also
reaching out to students in the United Kingdom , Canada , Australia , China and West
Asia . But it is the U.S. online tutoring market, currently estimated at $200 million and
which some players say represents more than half the global market, that excites them
most. TutorVista, for instance, has students in 13 countries, but more than 90% of its
revenues come from the United States .
Indian companies -- those already in the education business and start-ups -- have
been quick to spot these opportunities and are trying out different business models. Some,
like Educomp Solutions and TransTutors, have tied up with U.S. e-tutoring firms and get
work subcontracted from them. As the back-end vendors for the U.S. firms, these Indian
companies put up the infrastructure and hire and train tutors in India . In most cases, the
course content is provided by the U.S. company, which also performs the marketing,
brand building and student acquisition.
For the U.S. firms, outsourcing some of their work to India for as little as $6 an
hour -- compared with the $10 to $15 per hour that they pay to tutors in the United States
-- is a steal. Their success in outsourcing IT services and business processes to India
makes it an even more compelling proposition. When students in the United States log on
to the U.S. service provider's website, more often than not they have no idea that their
tutor may be in India .
Another business model that companies, including TutorVista, have adopted is the
direct-to-consumer route. Along with the back-end operations, these companies develop
course content and reach out to students directly. Some companies, such as Career
Launcher, started their e-tutoring operations as back-end providers, learned the ropes,
then branched out to the retail segment. Others are keeping both options open, a strategy
they obviously prefer to keep under wraps for fear of upsetting their U.S. partners.
Each of these business models has its own opportunities and challenges. While the
subcontracting model has a low gestation period, it is also very competitive. With an eye
toward getting the work, Indian companies tend to undercut each other. The result is low
margins, around 10%. On the other hand, the direct-to-consumer model offers much
higher margins, around 25% to 30%. But it requires large up-front investments for brand
building and customer acquisition.
A Potential Game-Changer
Meanwhile, one player that has introduced a potentially game-changing move is
the Bangalore-based TutorVista. Started by Ganesh in November 2005, TutorVista has
flat pricing of $99.99 per month for unlimited hours of tutoring. "At half the price of U.S.
companies, one can create a certain demand, but the demand cannot explode," Ganesh
says. "What we have done is to introduce disruptive pricing."
TutorVista has also focused on developing proprietary software and building its brand.
Over the last two years, it has invested 50 man-years and $2 million to develop its own e-
commerce platform. "Our teachers and students have around 200,000 sessions per month.
To manage this is a nightmare and can be done only by automation," Ganesh says.
He sees brand building as TutorVista's biggest challenge for now. He points out that
certain consumer businesses by nature are successful either as extremely small or very
large set-ups. Online tutoring, he says, is one such business. "If you want to scale up, you
have to be at a completely different level. There can be no in-betweens. The customer
acquisition costs alone will kill you. It requires a huge amount of money, and this is what
most companies fail to realize," Ganesh says. "It was only when we raised $2 million
from Sequoia Capital in June 2006 that our business really started."
TutorVista, which turned profitable in January, has received $18 million in venture
funding. A big chunk of the money is going toward building the brand. The mandate for
TutorVista's marketing vice president, Anu Bhave, who is based in the United States, is
to build partnerships with school districts, schools, libraries and education software
companies. "The strategy is to get access to a large number of students at one go," Bhave
says.
Other companies, too, have been busy with their growth strategies. Educomp, for
instance, has acquired a 76% stake in Three Brix e-services, the promoter of tutoring
website Learninghour.com. It is now looking to address the U.S. market in a big way.
Career Launcher has entered into a joint venture with POWERMath, which has both an
online and offline presence in the United States . Stepsedu.com recently introduced a
"zero investment" affiliate program to expand its reach with students in the Unites States
and Canada . Says Stepsedu founder Kamal Wadhera: "Our affiliates don't have to deliver
the service on our behalf. They only have to enroll the students for us."
TransTutors is in talks with U.S. firms for both investment and possible partnerships.
Another company, TransWebTutors, is preparing to launch is own technology platform in
the next three to four months and is talking to investors for $5 million to $10 million in
funding to take the company to the next level. "Until now we have been focused on
getting our back-end operations in place and on customer retention," founder Nishant
Sinha says. "We are now ready to grow exponentially. The funding will be for marketing
and building our brand."
Fraught with Challenges
For all the opportunity, however, the business is fraught with challenges, both
external and internal. For one, while students and parents may relish access to affordable,
high-quality tutoring, the noise is growing in the United States about outsourcing of
services of any kind to India . When it comes to education of their young and
impressionable, the noise is only expected to get louder.
According to S. Sadagopan, director of the International Institute of Information
Technology in Bangalore , it will be "imperative" that online tutoring companies from
India "set standards in place and also build strong assurance mechanisms. Building
credibility with quality is the key to the success of this industry."
To be a player of any reckoning, scale is also a must. This means companies need to
invest significantly in technology for a complex e-commerce platform and back-end
infrastructure. More important, getting the right tutors and training them is a daunting
task. It is not only about voice and accent and tutoring over a machine. It is also about
two inherently different attitudes toward learning and teaching. Unlike Indian education,
which is structured, formal and often by rote, the U.S. system is more interactive and
informal. Then there is the entire business of building the brand and the value
proposition.
Growing Stars, for instance, has not been able to build on its early-mover
advantage. More than four years after it started operations, it has 60 tutors and 450
students. TutorNext, started by Bhave, now with TutorVista, closed shop within a year
for sheer lack of marketing funds. Industry players acknowledge that for every firm that
is up and running, many have fallen by the wayside.
Kiran Karnik, former president of the National Association of Software and Service
Companies, cautions that companies will not succeed if they remain too focused on
keeping costs down. "There is a huge potential waiting to be tapped. Indian companies
should not short-change themselves by cutting corners."
India is fast emerging as the global online tutoring hub by delivering top-notch
teaching services at down-to-earth rates. Within a short span of two years, ever since
supplementary education through internet attained an industry status in India, the growth
rate is 100-150 per cent, says Rameshwar.
The company, which was started in 2004, now has 400 teachers in its pay-roll and
around 5,000 students across the globe.
According to Ganesh, 18 months back, Tutorvista started with one teacher and
one student and now has 500 teachers and over 2,000 students.
India now earns around 15 million USD per year from online tutoring --10 per
cent of the total market share. "This is expected to swell to 2.4 billion USD within three
years", says Ganesh.
Tutorvista has students in 12 countries, including Australia, Turkey, Denmark,
Singapore, the Middle East and Canada. But majority of the students are from the US and
the UK.
Among the other developing countries which have ventured into the "eBay of
education", such as Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Malaysia, India has an edge, says Ganesh.
India has a large number of post-graduates with sufficient computer know-how compared
to these countries, he says.
They deal directly with the parents and the students. There is no other brand or
company intermediating in the B2B (Business to Business) model, he points out.
Tutoring through letters and couriers had been a mode of supplementary education in
sparsely populated countries like Australia for long.
But, with the advent of voice technology on the internet, "real-time voice-based
online education" has become accessible to everyone across the globe
Surprise No. 1: America's public schools are actually improving, average scores inching
upward despite increased numbers of immigrant and often poorly prepared children.
But we're still losing — failing to inspire and fully prepare — roughly half our children.
Most are bright and curious, and can be taught. Just check how many, even from the
poorest neighborhoods, are "digital natives."
Surprise No. 2: The school system as we know it — 20 to 30 children in a classroom,
sitting mostly passively through instruction, moving grade-to-grade with preset courses in
rigid sequence — is toast.
Surprise No. 3: A fascinating "disruptive technology" has started to displace big chunks
of schooling. It's called student-centric learning — individualized instruction, or better
put, students progressing at their own pace, guided by computer programs tailored to
their learning levels and personal learning strengths. A process in which teachers instruct
less, coach more.
Prediction: In 10 years, computer-based, student-centric learning will account for 50
percent of the "seat miles" in U.S. schools. By 2024, roughly 80 percent of courses will
be taught this way.
A similar disruption is now hitting America's public schools with their century-
old standardized grade levels and assumption that courses can be put in rigid sequence,
taught to all kids of a similar age at the same time and speed. Like the industrialized
factory on which they were modeled, the schools and their row-upon-row classrooms are
rapidly being undermined by flexible new models designed to accommodate kids'
learning differences.
For evidence, check the number of home-schooled children — up from 850,000 in
1999 to more than 2 million today. Add to that the rapid rise of charter schools with their
experimental, more flexible formats. And computer-based courses created by private
firms. The computer-learning programs have skyrocketed from 45,000 in 2000 to roughly
1 million today, and they're quickly improving with enhanced video, audio and
interactive elements, including formats to reach different types of learners. More than 25
states now have supplementary virtual schools.
Objectives of Study
New world is full of strong and cut-throat competition and it very heard to make
customers brand loyal. As nowadays customer has many alternatives of a single product
and they have internet power from which they can go for further classification and
information Objective of study were: -
1. To identify the ways of promotional strategies and new emerging about a product.
2. To suggest a product mix
3. Spectrum of Expansion in phases
4. To suggest the promotional strategies
5. Website and SEO (search Engine Optimization)
Our company was in initial stage so it was very necessary to differentiate our self
from other competition so our main target was to promote our web side using SE (search
engines). It was the phase of promotional strategy and other parts was to propose a
product mix.
SWOT analysis
To gauge the status of the organization SWOT analysis was undertaken with view
that a proper strategies could be suggested for the betterment of the company.
STRENGTH - Inherent capacity which an organization an use to gain strategic
advantage over it competitors
WEAKNESS - Inherent limitations or constraint which creates a strategic disadvantage
OPPORTUNITY - a favorable condition in the organization’s environment which
enables it to consolidate and strengthen its position
THREAT - an unfavorable condition in organization’s environment which creates a risk
or causes damage to the organization
STRENGTHS
WEAKNESSES
* Devoted Team * De-motivating environment
* Highly Qualified Tutors * Fund limitation
* Proper Systems * Maximum classes for family members only
* Highly Qualified team * Website issues
* 24*7 Availability * Less manpower
* Database management * Availability of the tutors
* Infrastructure * Lack of communication sometime
* Flexibility in timings * Technical team
* International project * Lack of experts in respective field
* Competitive price * Tutoring place has no noise control system
* Receiving response from other countries * Customer acquisition was not enough
* Better CRM * Multi-directional, non-focus marketing Strategies
* Higher pay scale to the tutors
OPPORTUNITIES
THREATS
* Good business future in next 3-5years *
If got late in expansion, the idea can be
implemented by others
* Expansion in India. * Fear of hacking the website
* Expansion in Gulf Countries *
Wastage of lot of investment if promotion is not
proper
*
Promotion through newspaper in metro cities as NIBM &
IIPM do *
Summer vacations can create a problem for
acquiring students
* Promotion by using the contacts of existing students * No backup tutors if one tutor left the organization
* Advertisement in Foreign Universities *
If tutor leaves b'coz of dispute then he/she can
make infamous us
* If investment is higher, fruitful future is ahead *
Rainy season may result in absenteeism of the
tutors
* Capture the market of other small institutes
* Acquisition of small coaching institutions
* Tie-up with same
* Can test different strategies in summer vacation
Deductions: - There are many positives to take away but there are also many gray areas
which required immediate attention say for example fund management, proper marketing
strategy, and infrastructure.
There seems to be immediate need for organized and focused product mix
strategy to excel in competition. The need of hour is that a phased revamping of
processes is required which would streamline and organized the organizational operations
and thus would enhance productivity and profit.
Research Methodology
Problem: - The organization was not able to capture the market.
As being in introductory phase it was a greatest challenge for us to acquire the
customers. For that we had to attract the customers and as in US all customers are
internet savvy so our main concerning area was our website and some other promotional
strategies like mailers, mails, SEO and live presentations etc.
Promotion is a critical part of doing business but still very important part.
Potential consumers must get information that will positively influence what they think of
a business and convince them to use its services. Promotion is the tool to accomplish this
goal. What is promotion, and how can it be used in an effective manner? This bulletin
will answer these questions and give you a process for developing an effective
promotional strategy or plan.
Data Collection (Primary and Secondary)
In this research there was a great challenge collecting primary data. Because our
business is based on US customers and it was out of my reach to contact there in US
directly. So I directly went for the secondary data.
As it has to do with the distant customers we went for searching competitor’s
strategies and it was possible only through the websites of all the competitors. While
googling on the same I found many new strategies and promotion schemes and new
subjects which we could implement in our business also.
Elementary and Secondary Education
In fall 2008, a record 49.8 million students will attend public elementary and
secondary schools. Of these, 34.9 million will be in pre kindergarten through 8th grade
and 14.9 million in grades 9 through 12. An additional 6.2 million students are expected
to attend private schools this fall.
Public school systems will employ about 3.3 million teachers this fall, resulting in a
pupil/teacher ratio of 15.3, which is lower than in 2000, when the ratio was 16.0. An
additional 0.5 million teachers will be working in private schools this fall, where the
pupil/teacher ratio is estimated at 13.0.
There are about 14,200 public school districts containing about 97,000 public schools,
including about 4,000 charter schools. There were about 35,000 private schools offering
kindergarten or higher grades.
Current expenditures for public elementary and secondary schools will be about $519
billion for the 2008-09 school year. The national average current expenditure per student
is around $10,418, up from $9,154 in 2005-06.
Colleges and University Education
About 18.3 million students will attend the nation’s 2-year and 4-year colleges
and universities, an increase of about 3.0 million since fall 2000. College enrollment is
expected to continue increasing, reaching a projected 20.4 million in fall 2016.
Females are expected to comprise the majority of college students in fall 2008,
numbering about 10.6 million compared to 7.7 million males. Although the majority of
students attend full-time (an estimated 11.5 million for fall 2008), 6.8 million will attend
part-time. About 7.2 million students are expected to attend public 4-year colleges, 6.5
million public 2-year colleges, 4.3 million private 4-year colleges, and 0.3 million private
2-year colleges.
Increasing numbers and percentages of minority students are attending college.
Between 2000 and 2005, the percentage of Black college students rose from 11.3 to 12.7
percent, and the percent of Hispanic students rose from 9.5 to 10.8 percent.
The record college enrollments have been driven by both increases in the
traditional college age population and rising enrollment rates. Between 2000 and 2006,
the 18- to 24-year-old population rose from 27.3 million to 29.5 million and the
percentage of 18- to 24-year-olds enrolled in college also was higher in 2006 (37.3)
compared to 2000 (35.5 percent).
For the 2006-07 academic year, annual prices for undergraduate tuition, room,
and board were estimated to be $11,034 at public institutions and $28,384 at private
institutions.
During the 2008-09 school year, 714,000 associate's degrees; 1,585,000 bachelor's
degrees; 647,000 master's degrees; 91,000 first-professional degrees; and 55,800 doctor's
degrees are expected to be awarded.
Product Mix and Product Line
• The product mix is the set of all products offered for sale by a company.
• A product mix has two dimensions:
• Breadth - the number of product lines carried.
• Depth - the variety of sizes, colours, and models offered within each
product line.
• A product line is a broad group of products, intended for similar uses and having
similar characteristics.
Dividing the market into groups
An entire market rarely has the same tastes and preferences
Targeting is the actual selection of the segment you want to serve
the target market is the group of people or organizations whose needs a product is
specifically designed to satisfy
Positioning is the use of marketing to enable people to form a mental image of
your product in their minds (relative to other products)
Segmentation - Variables
Geographic Segmentation
• Most MNCs vary their products according to country
• special tires in the Middle East
User Status
• Non-Users Vs Current Users
• Credit Card Companies
• new card vs another card
• Blood Banks, entry level cars/bikes
Usage Rate
• Heavy Users Vs. Light Users
• The Beer Market is a classic example
Psychographic Segmentation
Evaluation of Segments
Having segmented the market, which one to choose?
What are the criteria?
Big Emerging Markets (BEMs)
China, India, Brazil etc
Potential Competition and Cost
Imagine going against Microsoft in the PC OS market for someone like Unix
Summary
• Consumers are very finicky and want to feel special
• From mass marketing to mass customization
• Segmenting is important
Products and Product Differentiation
Agenda
• Classification of products
• Levels of a product
• Product Differentiation
• Product Life Cycle
On the basis of nature of product
• Goods Vs Services
On the basis of type of consumer
• Tangible Vs. Intangible
• consumer Product Vs. Industrial (Business to Business Product) e.g. soap Vs.
Printing Press
Shopping Habits Classification
• Build the TOMA factor
• Inertia is there, and hence TOMA maybe important
• Sales promos and advertising important too
Core Benefit
• the need that is satisfied by the product
• Transportation
Expected Product
• the basic product alone is not enough
• consumers expect some features
Augmented Product
• Certain Features that go beyond customer expectations
• for example, high power and high mileage
• similar to customer delight
• today’s augmented product will become tomorrow’s expected product e.g.
airbags
Product Differentiation
• Creating a value package that is better/ different
than competition’s in a way that is meaningful to the customer
• how is your product different ?
• Consumers like to switch too
• Consumers like to be unique
• Novel stimuli are more noticed
• A white person here would be instantly noticed
• Else, will be a “me-too” product
Product Life Cycle
All products have 4 phases
• Introduction
• Growth
• Maturity
• Decline
One must keep the maturity period going as long as possible
4 Ps – Product vs. Service
• Service is intangible – no ownership of anything at end
• Service is inseparable from production
• Hence, not possible to store it
• Cannot inventory it hence time is important
• Services need to be delivered real time Customers involved in production of
service
• There is variability
• Importance of the human element greater
4 Ps – Product
• It is very important to “manage the evidence” “tangibilize the intangible”
• First, see whether service has any tangible parts at all
• Then, work on enhancing tangible cues and supplying new ones, is possible
• Thus, doctor’s office should look neat, clean, and hygienic
• Professor’s room should look untidy, full of papers and books and random
material!
• Beggar should look unkempt and dirty!
• It is also important to have supplementary services – why?
• Since they may be necessary for the performance of the main service
E.g. Car park in hotel
• Waiting room with TV, newspapers
• Same case with barber
• Thus, without supplementary services, will lose customers
• Hence, e.g., resort needs to have plenty of attractions
• It is no coincidence that the world’s No. 1 co is a service co
It is also important to have a service blueprint
• A layout of what happens in the service production process
• It is important to carefully check the weak links
Also, extreme efforts need to be taken in order to standardise service offering
• After all, customers pay the same, hence, expect equal treatment
• How to standardize
4 Ps - Price
• Services are heterogenous and price comparison becomes hard
• Plus, service provider gives only “guesstimate”
• E.g. X has severe stomach ache, can Dr. give him exact estimate?
• Customer needs vary, hence price comparisons are harder still
• Price may be a cue for quality
• Cost-based, competition-based and demand-based pricing
• Cost-based pricing is used by say us in special programmes
• Demand-based pricing is also hard, since there are ethical concerns
• Competition-based pricing is quite popular
4 Ps - Place
• In a sense, services are easier to distribute, since
logistical nightmare is not present to that extent
• There are unique aspects like franchising, which work
to Marketer’s advantage
• What is the product (good) equivalent?
4 Ps – Promotion
• Use attractive, vivid information since no “product” is there
ITEMS NEWSPAPERS (Rates in per square cm.)
TOI DB DNA RP CITIES
B/W COLOUR B/W COLOUR B/W B/W COLOUR
ALL
ADDITION 6275 6650 4205 6500 - 1320 1920
AHEMDABAD 500 500 1049 1300 1375 60 80
BANGLORE 1950 1950 - - - 77 98
MUMBAI 3095 3095 - - 1200 - -
DELHI 2545 2545 - - - - -
CHENNAI 595 595 - - - - -
TOI- Times of India, DB- Dainik Bhasker, RP- Rajasthan Patrika, DNA (of DB group)
Background
Services
Most of the on-line providers offer similar sounding services: one to one,
whiteboard, Voip, qualified tutors, etc. Some promote archiving services and
some tout "mentors" or other intermediaries that monitor sessions and are
available to provide feedback to parents. Tutor.com and TutorVista are both
promoting on demand 24/7 availability. (Tutor.com does not provide voice and
will not provide the same tutor.) TutorHigh provides a head set and digital
writing pad and pen. Some of the providers provide initial assessments and/or
progress reports. Most accept credit cards, a few accept Paypal, none are using
Google checkout.
Pricing
There are a variety of offers, schedules and pricing models employed in this
space: per minute, per hour, per session, monthly unlimited, by subject, by
level, and various combinations of all of these. Homework help is a key offering
on some. There are a variety of specialised offerings like test prep or specific
course programs and some of these are priced seperately. On-line providers are
pricing themselves under the traditional learning centers and independent tutors
who charge $50 and up per hour/session. On-line services range in price from
between $9.99 and $30 per hour and generally promote pre-payment plans
from $29.99 to $500.
Offers
Free trials are offered by most providers. Some provide some sort of demo
on-line. Most offer some form of guarantee, most often additional time, but a
few provide money back guarantees.
OFF-LINE
Sylvan:
Program pricing will vary, because we customize our instruction to meet the specific
academic needs of your child, as indicated on the results of the Sylvan Skills Assessment®. The
components that make up the total cost of an in-center or online tutoring program include:
program length, tutoring subjects, hourly instruction cost and the payment schedule that best fits
your family's needs.
Sylvan offers a variety of payment options to ensure your child can get the help he needs.
These options include credit card, check or financing through our flexible student loan
program. When choosing the financing option, monthly payments for in-center or online
tutoring can be as low as $88 a month.
Sylvan's average hourly rates for in-center or online tutoring can vary by geography and
the needs of your child. Because some Sylvan Learning Centers are locally owned and operated,
you should contact your local Sylvan to get the most specific information about pricing possible.
KUMON
Kumon Center are individually owned and operated, so cost and hours of operation
vary. Monthly tuition typically ranges from $80-$110 per subject, per month. There is also
an initial, one-time registration fee of $30-$50. Kumon will conduct the child's placement
test free of charge.
PrepPoint
A Brief Comparison*
PrepPoint Princeton
Review Sylvan
Approximate Hourly Rate $50** $95 $50
Typical Ratio 1-on-1 1-on-1 3-on-1
In Your Home Yes! Yes! No
No Start-Up Costs Yes! Yes! No
No Commitment Required Yes! Yes! No
** $50/hour is for standard tutoring with our Associate Tutors. Upon request, you may also be
able to arrange tutoring with a Lead Tutor at $60/hour or Founder at $75/hour. All rates apply to
our home service region.
ON-LINE
Tutor.com
Minutes Price Savings
50 minutes $29.99
100 minutes $59.98
200 minutes $119.96
$99.99 $19.97
300 minutes $179.94
$149.99 $29.95
500 minutes $299.94
$229.99 $69.95
TutorVista.com
Get unlimited tutoring in as many subjects as you want for $99.99 a month. We offer
tutoring across grades in Math, English and Science.
Growing Stars
Always-On Tutoring® – proactive tutoring by personal tutor at 119.95/month!
Growing Stars is proud to launch our newest educational program: Always-On Tutoring
®. With the Always-On program, your child's tutor is logged on and available for a 5 hour
window each school evening, Sunday through Thursday from 4 pm to 9 PM in your time zone.
Students also have the option to pre-schedule a session with their tutor any day through a web-
base system.
www.tutorhigh.com
Smartthinking.com
SMARTHINKING offers a variety of convenient ways to purchase tutoring services. You can
pay using a VISA or Master Card via our secure server.
Plan Description Price Details
Plan 1 -
Hourly
$35 per
hour*
Users pre-buy one
hour upon account
creation, good for
Plan 2 -
Four-Hour
Bulk Package
Access to live tutoring in all SMARTHINKING
subjects (Mathematics, Math in Spanish, Statistics,
Physics, Biology, Introductory Finance, Economics,
Introductory Anatomy & Physiology, Organic
Chemistry, Accounting, General Chemistry, Spanish,
and Writing), SMARTHINKING's live Grammar
and Brainstorming Centers; Submit your writing to
SMARTHINKING's Essay Center, Career Writing
Center, and Spanish Essay Center; and unlimited
access to academic resources.
$120 per
package
The four-hour
package is good
for four months
after purchase.
Plan 3 -
Single Essay
Submission
Access to SMARTHINKING's Online Writing Lab
for one essay submission. An E-Structor® Certified
tutor will review and critique your essay and return it
to you in approximately 24 hours.
$19.95 per
essay
This essay
submission is good
for four months
after purchase.
Plan 4 -
SAT Review – 1
Essay
Preparing for the SAT? Submit a practice essay for a
critique from a real tutor, suggestions for
improvement, and a suggested score.
$9.95 per
essay
This essay
submission is good
for four months
after purchase.
* Hourly rates are subject to change without prior notification.
Instant Math Help
Instant Math help Tutor.com Smartthinking TutorVista
Price (per 50 minutes)
$14.00
$30 $29 $99 per month
Specializes in algebra
and math Yes No No No
Uses illustrated
answers with motions
lines to explain step-
by-step instructions
Yes No No No
Highly qualified and
certified teachers Yes Yes Yes Yes
Instant homework help Yes Yes Yes No
Request favorite tutor Yes No No No
Monthly Unlimited Tutoring Package -
No more waiting days or weeks to get help when you need it!
Our monthly unlimited tutoring package is our high value, most requested package for students.
You can request as many sessions in as many of the below listed subjects as you need at any time
convenient to YOU. Your sessions are customized to the subject and topic you want to learn.
$49.99 for the first month so you can try us at a price that is almost too good to be true. $99.99
per month thereafter.
Offer package:Summer tutoring for $235: Limited time offer valid for up to 2 hours per week or
a total of 20 hours through the summer.
Package 1: single hour session: $22 per session
Package 2: 5 one hour tutoring sessions: $104.00
Package 3: 8 one hour tutoring sessions: $155.00
Package 4: 15 one hour tutoring sessions: $255.00
Package 5: 24 one hour tutoring sessions: $400.00
Package 6: Test preparation for 15 hours: $255.00
Package 7: Test preparation for 24 hours : $400.00
e-tutor: -
Grade Independent Guided Quarter Sem School
Year Full Year
K-1 $99/month
2-3 $129/month
4-5 $159/month
6-8 $129/month
(1st subject)
$35/month/subject
(each add'l subject)
+ $100/month
9-12 $139/month
(1st subject)
$45/month/subject
(each add'l subject)
+ $150/month
(3 months)
5%
off!
(5 months)
10%
off!
(10 months)
15%
off!
(12 months)
20%
off!
Save another 5% when enrolling 2 or more students. Save 10% when enrolling 5+.
Questionnaire on Online Tutoring Service
1. Most desired time slot from the students? (a)morning (b)evening (c)night (d)any time 2. Where tutor take classes? (a) At institute (b)at home (c)at cyber café (d)other……………. 3. from where you acquire tutors? (a) schools (b)colleges (c)tuition centers (d)friends/family 4. from where you acquire students? (a)schools (b)colleges (c)tuition centers (d)other…………….. 5. Whom you consider the nearest competitors? (a) Tuition centers (b) home tuitions (c) school teachers (d) Others online inst. Like tutor vista, tutor, growing stars………………….. 6. What is/are the advertisement mode? (a)internet (b)local cable wala (c)newspaper (d)shows/speech (e) others……………. 7. teaching processes? (a)on curriculum (b)homework help (c)problem solving (d)languages………. any other services running in that premises? (e.g. share trading, online business) ………………………………………………………………………………….. 8. what kind of requirement you need from students?(software/hardware) Ans:-………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………….. 9. Supporting bodies? (a)government (b)proprietorship (c)partnership (d)other………………. 10. the average revenue per year? (a) in lakhs (b) in ten lakhs (c) in crores (d) less than lakh 11. is there any particular training for tutors? Ans.:-…………………………………………………………………………………… …………………………………………………………………………………… 12. Upcoming goal/target? Ans.:- ………………………………………………………………………………….. …………………………………………………………………………………… Signature/Seal
Analysis of the study
Tutoring is an age-old practice. The dictionary definition describes a tutor as a
person who gives individual, or in some cases small group, instruction. The purpose of
tutoring is to help students help themselves, or to assist or guide them to the point at
which they become an independent learner, and thus no longer need a tutor.
Content knowledge is an essential ingredient for a tutor; however, to be truly
effective, a tutor must combine content knowledge with empathy, honesty and humor.
Empathy requires a tutor to "read" the emotional states, attitudes and perceptions of their
students. Empathy is the ability to see others from their personal frame of reference, and
to communicate this understanding to the person involved. In order for tutors to establish
a supportive relationship with their students, tutors must be open and honest. Students are
often reluctant to talk with a stranger about their academic problems. If a tutor is
perceived as genuine and having a strong desire to listen, students will be more willing to
open up and discuss their problems. Humor can also play an important part in a tutoring
session. Humor can reduce tension. Shared laughter is a powerful way to reinforce
learning. Humor can set students at ease and increase rapport. Humor can also be used to
compliment, to guide or to provide negative feedback in a positive manner.
In addition, a successful tutor demonstrates a caring attitude. Caring consists of
being organized for the tutoring session, being punctual, establishing a learning
relationship with the student, developing unique teaching strategies, and becoming
familiar with the learning process. Ultimately, tutoring is sharing yourself with another
student in a way that makes a difference in both your lives.
There are many benefits to tutoring
Heightens sense of competency/adequacy in conforming to new role.
Encourages higher levels of thinking.
Permits more advanced students to study below-level material without embarrassment.
Increases motivation to learn in order to maintain new role.
Increases ability to manage own learning and study strategies.
Increases subject specific knowledge.
Increases related general knowledge.
Increases understanding of subject area.
Improves attitude toward subject area.
Provides more empathy with students.
There are also many benefits to the students who receive tutoring
Offers more individualized, systematic, structured learning experience.
Provides greater congruence between teacher and learner, closer role model.
Improves academic performance and personal growth.
Improves attitude toward subject area.
Generates stronger effects than other individualized teaching strategies.
Motivates self-paced and self-directed learning.
Provides intensive practice for students who need it.
Improves self esteem.
Online tutoring provides a wonderful environment for people who are unable to
cope-up with the off-line world. So here are 10 reasons for you to evaluate the benefits of
online tutoring over the off-line tutoring.
1. Customized Attention: Perhaps the biggest reason in favor of choosing online
tutoring is the fact that the education sector on the whole in US is facing ever increasing
pressure. With the population rate on the increase, classrooms are packed to capacity and
very often children can get left behind. This is not because the teachers do not care, but
simply because they have not got the time to spend with individual children. It is thought
that every year there is an increase of around 1 million students in grade K-12 and this
will keep rising. A quality tutoring service can help to bring your child back up to speed
and a tutoring service will match the curriculum your child already knows to ensure there
is no confusion.
2. Learning with technology from this century, not the last: With rapid developments
in new technologies becoming available, school teachers can often find themselves left
behind and somewhat outdated however much they try to catch up. Online tutors can
make the most of this technology as after all they are already utilizing a part of it already,
the internet, as a way of getting information and material across to the student.
3. I don’t get it, and it’s okay: Some students who are on the shy side are reluctant to
put their hands up in the classroom and admit they are not following the lesson. Students
who struggle this way benefit drastically in an online classroom as they are one on one
with the tutor and do not feel peer pressure.
4. Can you repeat that one more time?: Materials and resources are right there in front
of you anytime you want them in the online classroom environment. If you have
forgotten instructions then you can re-read online until you are certain of what is needed
from you.
5. Can you repeat what we covered two months ago one more time?: For older
students who work a full time job to supplement their studies, it can be hard when it
comes to studying to focus for a test or an assignment. Libraries are not open 24/7 and so
research can become a real chore. With online tutoring, students have a tutor ready to
focus on the material for a particular test and assignment, available when the student
needs it.
6. How about Physics at 11pm?: You are able to choose when, where, how long and
what time you study. This can be useful in a wide variety of situations. You may work
and have to fit studying in alongside work hours. If you have children you are able to
study after putting them to bed. Studying when you feel most relaxed and at ease will be
easier and you will see more progression.
7. Education On Demand: Individuals who are disabled or who have a condition that
leaves them uncomfortable or makes attending school or college impossible can study
from home in the secure and comfortable environment they are used to.
8. Involved Parenting: Parents can play a major role in their child’s education and
become more involved by progress reports that are updated every time your child
completes a session. No more waiting for 9 weeks to learn if your child is bordering
between grade levels to get them the help to bump them up.
9. Responsible Parenting: Parents will have researched and chosen the online tutoring
service for their child to ensure their child is in safe and reliable hands. A Child
Protection Policy is a must for any learning environment to whom you wish to trust your
child.
10. Save the Best for Last, and Just for Me: All online tutors are highly qualified and
will have Masters or PhD in their chosen areas. This means you are getting tuition from
the best sources possible. Of course best of all, you also have their undivided attention
during your lesson.
Five Steps to Being an Effective Tutor
STEP ONE: Know what is expected of you As a Tutor
Know your responsibilities and duties as a tutor in regards to
� Clients
� Supervisors
� Instructors
� Other Tutors
STEP TWO: Setting Up the Tutor Session
The better you are prepared; the better you will be able to tutor. Learn how to:
� Shape the tutoring environment.
� Prepare yourself for your client.
� Prepare the necessary tutoring paperwork
STEP THREE: Meeting Your Client's Needs
The better you meet your client's needs during a session, the better the session . Get to
know your client's:
� Psychological needs
� Academic needs
� Social needs.
STEP FOUR: The Ingredients of a Good Tutor Session
The following are some of the necessary ingredients for a good session:
� Greet your client and give them your undividied attention
� Have empathy with your client's problems.
� Be honest with your client.
� Set the Agenda
� Have a sense of humor.
� Have the ability to "lighten up" a situation.
� Have a good interaction with your client, a good give-and-take.
� Know your client's strengths and weaknesses.
� Work through your client's strengths to improve his/her weaknesses.
� Make your client feel good about him/herself and his/her accomplishments.
� Know when to stop a session
� End the session on a positive note.
STEP FIVE: Ending the Tutoring Session
Do not just say "good-bye" when the session is over. You should:
� positively assess the work that was done during the session.
� Give assignments if appropriate.
� Re-schedule for another session.
� Do any necessary tutor paperwork.
� always end the session with a positive comment.
Strengths Weaknesses
One to One Expert adapts to individual learner. High cost, difficult to scale.
One to Many Routine learning tasks, low cost,
scalable.
Learners adapt to expert.
Many to One Lowest cost, most accessible. Poor quality control.
Traditional Online
One to One Synchronous - Face to Face Synchronous – chat, instant
messaging
Asynchronous – email
One to Many Synchronous – Face to Face Synchronous – chat
Asynchronous – calendar, bulletin
board, news, tutorials, and
messaging (automated email)
Many to One Synchronous – Face to Face and
highly unstructured
Synchronous – chat
Asynchronous – bulletin board
Suggestions and Recommendations
Remind consumers about our existence again and again.
We can enter into the market with high promotion
Working on SEO (search engine optimization).
Offering other core languages except Hindi.
We should have proper segmentation of student’s need and their subject deficiencies.
Should highlight some international test preparations.
Called corporate advertising
Go for the Ad agencies
Some sort of Coupons to the student for attending the seminar.
Provide freebie with the courses like syllabus, free test series and extra class of less time
Price off
Contests and sweepstakes
quantity discounts
cash discounts
Direct Marketing
Direct mail
Presentations at universities
TV e.g. direct-response advertising
Banners and pamphlets
Promotional Ad
WE DON’T COMPETE WITH OTHERS BUT WITH OURSELVES!
Are you facing the same problem which millions have faced earlier………….
This is again a problem that millions of the problems are there because you can’t identify
the problem itself. And finding a problem is not enough, cure is very necessary for that
problem. Some give you the solution without knowing the proper problem whether some
are able to find out the problem but they are lacking in solution providing……
Don’t be upset! Join us!! you are one of the youngest organization which not only
find your problem area but also find solution to that particular problem
We concentrate on each individual in finding his/her problem area and work
according to that problem.
Teaching is not a problem for many but what to teach and how to teach is what
called a challenge.
Solving the problem again is not a big task but to make understand the concept
behind that problem is what needed.
We, being the youngest of all bringing more energy & new ways of tutoring and
some unique style of teaching where our aim is not just to finish the session for the
provided timing and to help in homework or in studies but to understand the weaknesses
& strengths of the students and to work accordingly so that for future he is able to do that
with so much ease that one can hardly believe. Our goal is to make each and every
student an achiever.
“And this is all at the LOWEST PRICE We can ever have”
WEARE THE ONE WHO WILL DECIDE YOUR WAY OF SUCCESS NOT THE
OTHERS !
So what are You waiting for? Its not too late yet join us now and get that success which
millions are just dreaming. HURRY UP and avail the benefits of the schemes available.
Bibliography
* Research Methodology, Methods and Techniques, Dr.C.R.Kothari.1990
* Human Communication: Principles, Contexts, and Skills.
Book, C. L. (ed.) 1980. St. Martin's Press, New York.
* How To Promote To Bring People Back Downtown. Downtown
Research and Development Center. 270 Madison Ave., New
York, NY, 10016.
* Marketing Management. Kotler, Philip. 1984. Fifth ea.,
Prentice-Hall, Inc., Englewood, NJ, 07632.
* Positioning: The Baffle For Your Mind Ries, Al and Jack
Trout. 1981. McGraw-Hill Book Co., New York.
* Advertising Media Planning. Sissors, Jack Z. and Jim
Surmanek. Crain Books; 740 Rush Street, Chicago, IL,
60611, 1982.
* Managing Design and Development Downtown. U.S. Dept.
of Housing and Urban Development. Washington, D.C., March,
1983.
http://www.free-articles-zone.com/article/74665/Online%20Tutorials%20-
%20The%20next%20big%20thing%20in%20Education%20Industry
http://www.2xlearning.com/how%20.html
Building Blocks: Sample Tutoring Services in Education
� Central Texas College (webliography- tutorials):
http://disted.ctcd.cc.tx.us/tutorials.cfm
� College of Lake County (message board):
http://webboard.clc.cc.il.us:8081/~wc
� Colorado Community College (email and vendor provided tutoring
services): http://ccconline.org/studentinfo/tutoring.htm
� Salt Lake Community College (online writing center – email, chat):
http://www.slcc.edu/wc/student/index.html
� Michigan Virtual University (chat):
http://vcampus.mccvlc.org/index.asp?dir='services'&left='leftTutor.htm'&
content='Tutor.asp'
Learning Systems: Instructional Delivery and Learning Management Systems
� Land online site compares course management systems
http://www.c2t2.ca/landonline/
� http://dir.yahoo.com/Business_and_Economy/Business_to_Business/Train
ing_and_Development/Distance_Learning/Delivery_and_Management_Sy
stems/
Online Tutoring Services
� http://dir.yahoo.com/Business_and_Economy/Shopping_and_Services/Ed
ucation/Tutoring