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University of Mumbai BMS Notes

Essentials of good Industrial Relations

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Good industrial relations depend on the co-operative and constructive attitude from both part as management & union. Still there exist some certain conditions/principles/essentials that helps to maintain harmonious industrial relations:

Mutual and Voluntary Negotiations:

The relationship between an employee and the employer will be congenial only, where the difference between them are settled through mutual negotiations and consultations. Collective beginning is a process, through which employee issues are settled, through mutual discussions and negotiations, through a give and take approach.

Efficient management:

To reduce disputes & other conflicts, efficient management helps to maintain good IR.

Existence of Organised Employers Unions:

These associations are helpful for the promotion and maintenance of uniform personnel policies, among various organisations and to protect the interest of weak-employers.

Proper democratic environment:

Proper democratic environment in any enterprise is essential in order to maintain a sound IR.

Existence of Democratic Employee is Unions:

Industrial, relations are sound only when the bargaining power of the employees’ unions, is equal to that of management

Existence of strong, organized trade unions:

Sound IR requires equality of bargaining power of the workers’ union & management. A strong trade union can protect the workers’ interests relating to wage, job security etc.

Existence of sound, organized employers’ unions

All organizations within industry must follow identical policy, rules and regulation in order to maintain a sound IR.

Spirit of collective bargaining:

Collective bargaining means, negotiation between an employer and a labor union usually on wages, hours, and working conditions. Here it means both parties must consider each other for removing conflict.

University of Mumbai BMS Notes

Evolution of Industrial Relations in India

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IR is dynamic in nature. The nature of IR can be seen as an outcome of complex set of transactions among the major players such as the employers, the employees, the trade union, and the state in a given socio-economic context. In a sense, change in the nature of IR has become sine quo non with change in the socio-economic context of a country.

During this period the industry (both employees and employers) faced severe problems like:

  • Poor working condition
  • Poor wages
  • Absence of job security
  • Absence of welfare activities
  • Employee’s strike
  • Low productivity
  • Long working hours
  • Absence of skilled labour

Keeping this fact in view, IR in India is presented under the following two sections:

  1. IR during Pre- Independence
  2. IR during Post-Independence

  1. IR During Pre-Independence:

The structure of the colonial economy, the labour policies of colonial government, the ideological composition of the political leadership, the dynamics of political struggle for independence, all these shaped the colonial model of industrial relations in pre-independent India”. Then even union movement was an important part of the independence movement.

However, the colonial dynamics of the union movement along with the aggressiveness of alien capital, the ambivalence of the native capital and the experience of the outside political leadership frustrated the process of building up of industrial relations institutions. Other factors like the ideology of Gandhian class harmony, late entry of leftists and the bourgeois character of congress also weakened the class approach to the Indian society and industrial conflict”.

Till the Second World War, the attitude of the colonial government toward industrial relations was a passive regulator only Because, it could provide, that too only after due pressure, the —um of protective and regulative legal framework for industrial relations Trade Union Act 1926 (TL A) Trade Disputes Act 1929 (TDA). It was the economic emergence of the Second World War that altered the colonial government’s attitude on industrial relations.

The state intervention began in the form of introduction of several war time measures, viz. the Defense of India Rules (Rule 81- A), National Service (Technical Personnel) Ordinance, and the Essential Service (Maintenance) Ordinance As such in a marked contrast to its earlier stance, the colonial government imposed extensive and pervasive controls on industrial relations by the closing years of its era-. Statutory regulation of industrial relations was on plank of its labour policy. The joint consultative institutions were established primarily to arrive at uniform and agreeable labour policy.

The salient features of the colonial model of IR can be summarized as close association between political and trade union movement, dominance of ‘outsiders’ in the union movement, state intervention and federal and tripartite consultations.

The eve of Independence witnessed several instances that served as threshold plank for IR during post Independence era. The prominent instances to mention are passing of Indian Trade Unions (Amendment) Act, 1947, Industrial Employment (Standing Orders) Act 1946, Bombay Industrial Relations Act, 1946, and Industrial Disputes Act, 1947 and split in AITUC and formation of INTUC.

  1. IR During Post-Independence:

Though Independent India got an opportunity to restructure the industrial relations system the colonial model of IR remained in practice for sometimes due to various reasons like the social, political and economic implications of partition, social tension, continuing industrial unrest, communist insurgency, conflict, and competition in the trade union movement. In the process of consultation and confrontation, gradually the structure of the industrial relations system (IRS) evolved.

State intervention in the IRS was a part of the interventionist approach to the management of industrial economy. Several considerations like unequal distribution of power in the labour market, neutrality of the state, incompatibility of free collective bargaining institution with economic planning etc. provided moral justification for retaining state intervention in the IRS. State intervention in the IRS is logical also when the state holds large stakes in the industrial sector of the economy.

However state intervention does not mean suppression of trade unions and collective bargaining institution. In fact, state intervention and collective bargaining were considered as complementary to each other. Gradually, various tripartite and bipartite institutions were introduced to supplement the state intervention in the IRS.

The tripartite process was considered as an important instrument of involving participation of pressure groups in the state managed system. Non formal ways were evolved to do what the formal system did not legistate, for one reason or other.

The political and economic forces in the mid 1960s aggravated industrial conflict and rendered non-formal system ineffective. In the process of reviewing the system, National Commission on Labour (NCL) was appointed in 1966.

Now the focus of restructuring shifted from political to intellectual. However, yet another opportunity was lost when there was an impasse on the NCL recommendations in 1972. The Janta Government in 1978 made, of course, a half-hearted attempt to reform industrial relations. Unfortunately, the attempt met with strong opposition from all unions. The BMS, for example, termed it as “a piece of anti-labour, authoritarian and dangerous legislation””.

Several committees were appointed to suggest measures for reforming die IRS. In the process, tripartism was revived in 1980s. Government passed the Trade unions and the Industrial Disputes (Amendment) Bill, 1988. But, it also proved yet another legislative disaster. The bill was severely criticised by the left parties. It was even viewed by some as a deliberate attempt to destroy “autonomous; organised or militant trade union movement”.

University of Mumbai BMS Notes

Factors affecting Industrial Relations

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Interactive and Consultative in Nature:

Industrial relations in­cludes individual relations and joint consultation between labour, management, unions, the state etc. It pinpoints the importance of compromise and accommodation in place of conflict and contro­versy in resolving disputes between labour and management.

Government’s Role:

The government influences and shapes indus­trial relations with the help of laws, rules, agreements, awards of courts and emphasis on usages, customs, traditions, as well as the implementation of its policies and interference through executive and judicial machinery.

Employer-Employee Interactions:

Industrial relations arise out of em­ployer-employee interactions. These relations cannot exist without the basic building blocks, i.e., the employer on one side and the employees on the other side.

Dynamic and Changing:

Industrial relations change with the times, generally keeping pace with the expectations of employees, trade unions, employers’ associations, and other economic and social institutions in a society. Apart from the legal framework, these societal forces generally influence the direction of industrial re­lations within a country.

Economic Factors:

These factors include economic organisations, like capitalist, communist, mixed, etc., the structure of labour force, demand for and supply of labour force, etc.

Institutional Factors:

These factors include government policy, la­bour legislation, voluntary courts, collective agreements, employee courts, employers’ federations, social institutions like community, caste, joint family, creed, system of beliefs, attitudes of workers, system of power, status, etc.

Web of Rules:

Industrial relations are a ‘web of rules’ formed by the interaction of the government, the industry and the labour. They include the relations between employer and employees and between employers’ associations, trade unions as well as the State.

Technological Factors:

These factors include mechanisation, automation, rationalisation, computerisation etc.

Spirit of Compromise and Accommodation:

The industrial relations system is characterized by forces of conflict and compromise on either side. In the larger interests of society, both the employer and the employees must put out fires amicably and get along with each other in a spirit of compromise and accommodation. The individual differences and disagreements must be dissolved through persuasion and even pressure. The factors responsible for conflictful situations need to be resolved through constructive mechanism.

Wide Coverage:

The scope of industrial relations is wide enough to cover a vast territory comprising of grievances, disciplinary measures, ethics, standing orders, collective bargaining, partici­patory schemes, dispute settlement mechanisms etc.

University of Mumbai BMS Notes

Issues and Challenges of industrial relations in India

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Industrial relations climate/situation is greatly influenced by the issues-economic, non-economic governed by service contract/terms and conditions of employment. Besides, the issues not covered under service rules viz., behavioural, and attitudinal issues influence IRs pattern.

They mobilize public opinion on vital labour issues and help the government in enacting progressive labour laws. They develop right kind of leadership, avoid multiplicity of unionism and union rivalry. Hence, a strong, responsible and enlightened trade union promote healthy industrial relations.

Maintaining Industrial Peace:

Industrial peace is essential to increase production and ensure healthy relations between the workers and employers.

The following measures help attain industrial peace:

  1. Industrial disputes can be settled with the help of legislative enactment such as The Trade Unions Act, The Industrial Disputes Act and Work Committees and by Joint Management Councils.
  2. The Government should be empowered to refer disputes to adjudication, specially when the situation gets out of hand. Government intervention is required during frequent stoppage of production due to long strikes or lockouts.
  3. Forums based on the code of discipline in industry, the code of conduct, the code of efficiency, etc. can be set up to settle disputes.

Conflict Management:

Conflicts at the workplace affect the physical and mental health of the people. This has a bearing on organisational performance. Therefore, it is important to recognise, understand, and resolve conflicts in labour relations.

Trust and Co-Operation:

Trust and co-operation are essential in labour relations. They help build a partnership between workers and employers and both groups to work together. Lack of trust and co-operation between the two groups can result in conflicts, disputes and strikes. That slows down the productivity of the organisation.

Challenges

  • International labour standards, their importance and implications.
  • Globalisation has brought about internationalisation of employees; transnational, multi-location employees with cross cultural characteristics.
  • WTO, IMF, WB and their influence
  • Consumer forums, environment activists, citizens forum at time clash with TUs.
  • Manpower diversities: Multi-racial, Multinational, multicultural, multi-lingual and multi-ethnic manpower requires different system/mind set to deal with.
  • New management practices like Casualism, contracting, off-locating, out-sourcing part time/home based work/flextime, Team working/Quality Circles/Total Quality Management.
  • Highly educated, careerist, ambitious manpower.
  • IT revolution has changed the complexion of workplaces; Lesser manpower, Multi-skilled and Committed to profession.
  • Individual/decentralised bargaining is replacing collective bargaining.
  • Performance linked packages are the order of the day.
University of Mumbai BMS Notes

Major Stakeholders of Industrial Relations

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Government:

The role of the government has been changing from time to time in the matter of IR. Till 19th century, the governments throughout the world adopted a policy of laissez faire and left the IR matters to be settled by the employers and employees. However, with the increasing conflicts between them even on tiny matters, the governments’ attitudes changed to some kind of intervention in IR matters towards the end of 19th century.

In the present context, everywhere, governments intervene in the HR system in different ways. In India, government has prescribed various laws dealing with employer-employee relations and set machinery for resolving conflicts labour courts, tribunals at state and national levels.

These courts and tribunals intervene in the solution of industrial disputes referred to these. While developing IR system, an organization has to take into account the role played by the government in IR activities.

Employers’ Associations:

Like employees’ associations, employers may also join associations at the local or national level. The major associations of employers at all-India level are Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI), Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry (ASSOCHAM), Federation of Indian Export Organizations (FIEO), etc.

Besides, there are associations at national level representing each major industrial sector and state/regional level associations.

The major functions of the employers’ associations with regard to IR are:

  • To represent employers in collective bargaining at the national or industry level.
  • To develop machinery for the avoidance of disputes.
  • To provide information on employee relations.
  • To advise member organizations on the issues related to IR.

Employers:

The second party to IR is employers. Since in the corporate form of organization, management represents the owners/employers, it can be treated as the second party to IR. The management is an organization is responsible to various stakeholders including the employees. Therefore, employer-employee relationship is also termed as management-labour relations.

Management tends to see employee relations in terms of the following activities:

  • Creating and maintaining employee motivation.
  • Obtaining commitment from the workforce.
  • Establishing mutually beneficial channels of communication throughout the organization.
  • Achieving high level of efficiency.
  • Negotiating terms and conditions of employment with employees’ representatives.
  • Sharing decision making with employees.
  • Engaging in a power structure with trade unions.
  • Management’s role in determining the status of IR system is quite crucial.

The following factors related to the management are important for IR:

  1. Attitudes of management towards the employees and their unions.
  2. The extent to which the management wants to exercise absolute authority to enforce decisions affecting the interests of the employees.
  3. The extent to which the management has designed the procedures for handling grievances, claims, and demands of the employees.
  4. The extent of the effectiveness of management in dealing with the problems and disputes related to IR.
  5. The organization’s business strategy; Stagnating, Growing, or Declining. In different situations, different IR strategy will be adopted.

Employees:

Employees are a party to IR as they are affected most by the IR outcomes. In an IR system, employees may be grouped into two categories- those who have been defined as workers/workmen under the Industrial Disputes Act, 1947 and those who are not covered by this Act.

Various characteristics of employees such as their commitment to the organization, their level of education and social background, their attitudes towards the management and the organization, and their commitment to the work determine the extent to which they will-

  1. Improve their conditions of employment
  2. Voice any grievances
  3. Exchange views and ideas with management
  4. Share in decision making.

Trade Unions:

Trade unions or other employees’ associations play crucial role in the effectiveness or otherwise of an IR system. The employees may have grievances, claims, and other demands on individual basis but they express these, often, on group basis. In order to strengthen their bargaining power, they form some kind of associations to voice their grievances.

According to Armstrong, trade unions/employees’ associations have the following broad objectives in relation to IR:

  1. To secure improved terms and conditions of employment for their members, and the maximum degree of security to enjoy these terms and conditions.
  2. To increase the bargaining advantage of the individual worker vis-a-vis the individual employer by joint or collective action for the individual action.
  3. To obtain improved status for the worker in his work.
  4. To increase the extent to which unions can exercise democratic control over decisions that affect their interests by power sharing at the national, corporate, and plant levels.

The role of unions in determining the status of IR in an organization depends on their membership, attitudes towards management, inter-union rivalry, and the strengths at the national or local level.

University of Mumbai BMS Notes

Principles of a good Industrial Relations

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The term ‘Industrial Relations’ comprises “Industry” and “relations”. Industry means any productive activity in which an individual is engaged. It includes:

(a) Primary activities like agriculture, fisheries, plantation, forestry, horticulture, mining etc. etc.

(b) Secondary activities like manufacturing, construction, trade, transport, commerce, banking, communi­cation etc.

Industrial relation aims at building a strong relation between the employees and the employer as well as among the employees themselves. A strong industrial relation ensures protection of employee’s interest and successful attainment of organisational objectives in smooth and efficient manner.

Industrial relations are the relationships between employees and employers within the organizational settings. It looks at the relationship between management and workers, particularly groups of workers represented by a union. Industrial relations are basically the interactions between employers, employees and the government, and the institutions and associations through which such interactions are mediated.

Principles

  • All employees be treated equally in the organisation. No discrimination should be practised in enforcing the policies and rules of the organisation.
  • Workers should be given reasonable remuneration for their work. It will lead to contentment among them and contribute to industrial peace.
  • Sense of belonging to organisation is created among workers when they get opportunity of participation in management. Their morale is boosted. It leads to good industrial relations.
  • Industrial disputes should be a resolved by collective bargaining between trade unions and employers’ associations. Legal methods be used only if all other measures fail.
  • Frank and free exchange of views between Trade Unions and Employers’ associations.
  • In order to establish good industrial relations there should be desire for mutual co-operation between trade unions and management associations.
  • There should be effective communication between workers and managements for good industrial relations. In this case, there will be minimum conflicts between them.
  • Human treatment be meted out to the workers. Such a treatment will go a long way to make good industrial relations.
Management Notes

Benefits of EDI, Drawbacks of EDI, Applications of EDI

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Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) is a standardized method for transferring data between different computer systems or networks. It allows businesses to exchange documents electronically, such as invoices, purchase orders, and shipping notices, in a standardized format, eliminating the need for paper-based communication. EDI improves operational efficiency, reduces errors, speeds up business transactions, and enhances partner relationships. It is widely used in various industries, including retail, manufacturing, healthcare, and logistics, facilitating seamless B2B interactions.

Benefits of EDI:

  • Efficiency:

EDI streamlines business processes by automating the exchange of documents, reducing manual handling and processing time.

  • Cost savings:

With fewer manual errors, reduced paperwork, and streamlined processes, businesses can save money on labor, printing, postage, and storage costs.

  • Accuracy:

Electronic data interchange significantly reduces the chances of errors that can occur with manual data entry, resulting in more accurate transactions and fewer disputes.

  • Faster Transactions:

EDI enables real-time or near-real-time exchange of data, leading to faster transactions and improved responsiveness to customer demands.

  • Improved data quality:

EDI systems enforce data standards and validation rules, ensuring that data exchanged between trading partners is consistent and conforms to predefined formats.

  • Enhanced productivity:

By automating routine tasks and reducing paperwork, EDI frees up employees’ time to focus on more strategic activities, increasing overall productivity.

  • Better inventory management:

With timely and accurate information exchange, businesses can better manage their inventory levels, reduce stockouts, and minimize carrying costs.

  • Competitive advantage:

Implementing EDI allows businesses to meet the electronic trading requirements of larger trading partners, making them more attractive partners and opening up new opportunities for growth.

  • Improved customer satisfaction:

Faster order processing, accurate invoicing, and better communication enabled by EDI can enhance the overall customer experience, leading to higher satisfaction and loyalty.

  • Compliance with regulatory requirements:

In industries with strict regulations, such as healthcare and automotive, EDI helps businesses comply with industry standards and regulatory requirements for data exchange and reporting.

Drawbacks of EDI:

  • Initial setup costs:

Implementing EDI can be expensive initially due to the costs associated with acquiring the necessary software, hardware, and network capabilities. Training staff and integrating EDI with existing systems also contribute to the upfront expenses.

  • Complexity:

Setting up and maintaining EDI standards and systems can be complex, especially for businesses with limited IT resources. This complexity can extend to mapping documents to the appropriate formats and managing ongoing changes in EDI standards.

  • Dependence on Trading partners:

The effectiveness of EDI largely depends on the cooperation and readiness of trading partners. If partners are not equally committed to using EDI, its benefits can be diminished.

  • Upgrades and maintenance costs:

Over time, maintaining an EDI system may require additional investments in software upgrades, system maintenance, and training to keep up with evolving standards and technologies.

  • Limited Flexibility:

EDI formats can be rigid, making it challenging to customize information exchange for unique business needs or to quickly adapt to changes in business processes.

  • Data Security concerns:

Transmitting sensitive business data electronically can increase the risk of data breaches and cyber attacks. Ensuring data security requires continuous vigilance and investment in cybersecurity measures.

  • Integration challenges:

Integrating EDI systems with other internal business applications (like ERP systems) can be difficult and may require additional customization or middleware, adding to the complexity and cost.

  • Vendor lock-in:

Businesses may become dependent on specific EDI software vendors, making it challenging to switch vendors in the future due to high switching costs and the effort required to migrate to a new system.

  • Slow adoption in some industries:

In industries or regions where EDI adoption is slow, businesses may not fully realize the benefits of EDI due to a lack of electronic connectivity with some partners.

  • Need for ongoing Training:

As EDI standards and technologies evolve, there’s a continuous need for training staff to ensure they are up-to-date with the latest developments, adding to the operational costs.

Applications of EDI:

  • Supply Chain Management:

EDI facilitates the exchange of purchase orders, invoices, and shipping notices between suppliers, manufacturers, distributors, and retailers, streamlining the entire supply chain process.

  • Retail Industry:

In retail, EDI is used for electronic ordering, invoicing, and payment processing between suppliers and retailers, enabling efficient inventory management and order fulfillment.

  • Healthcare:

EDI is widely used in healthcare for claims processing, eligibility verification, and exchanging patient information between healthcare providers, insurance companies, and government agencies.

  • Finance and Banking:

Banks and financial institutions use EDI for electronic fund transfers, electronic statements, and other financial transactions between institutions, businesses, and consumers.

  • Automotive Industry:

EDI is employed in the automotive sector for electronic communication between manufacturers, suppliers, and dealerships, facilitating just-in-time inventory management and production planning.

  • Logistics and Transportation:

EDI enables electronic communication between shippers, carriers, freight forwarders, and customs agencies for tracking shipments, managing transportation schedules, and processing customs documentation.

  • Manufacturing:

EDI is used in manufacturing for electronic procurement, production scheduling, and inventory management, facilitating seamless communication between suppliers and manufacturers.

  • Government:

Governments utilize EDI for electronic filing of tax returns, processing permits and licenses, and exchanging regulatory information between government agencies and businesses.

  • Food and Beverage Industry:

EDI is employed in the food and beverage industry for electronic ordering, invoicing, and inventory management between suppliers, distributors, and retailers.

  • Apparel and Fashion:

In the apparel industry, EDI is used for electronic order processing, shipment notifications, and inventory management between clothing manufacturers, wholesalers, and retailers.

University of Mumbai BMS Notes

Campaign Marketing

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Marketing campaigns promote products through different types of media, such as television, radio, print, and online platforms. Campaigns are not solely reliant on advertising and can include demonstrations, video conferencing, and other interactive techniques. Businesses operating in highly competitive markets and franchisees may initiate frequent marketing campaigns and devote significant resources to generating brand awareness and sales.

Sometimes the best way to define something, particularly concepts such as campaign marketing, is to look at some concrete examples in action. There are some excellent instances of campaign marketing that have come out of the B2B realm over the past few years, targeting the various different segments of the Inbound Marketing and sales funnel. So, let’s take a look at two of the best of them one that targets the middle and bottom stages of the funnel as well as one that targets the top.

Marketing campaigns bring together several kinds of marketers. Some may specialize in inbound marketing, others may focus on outbound marketing, social media marketing, content marketing, or other areas.

Today, much of this collaboration between different marketers can be achieved using cloud-based applications and tools. As such, it is increasingly common for businesses to have remote marketing staff or hybrid working business models.

Marketing teams can have a mixture of on-site marketers working from the office, and others working remotely. Numerous effective marketing collaboration tools help remote and local marketing teams to achieve the highest level of productivity while working in tandem.

Other marketing tools increase the efficiency of the marketing department through other means. There are many tasks of a marketing campaign that can be time-consuming if done manually. Thanks to robotic process automation (RPA), it is possible for marketing teams to save time on these repetitive tasks and free up resources.

Today, there are also platforms as a service (PaaS) application that simplify many tasks within the marketing department. It is easy to gauge the impact of your marketing strategies using tools like Google Analytics. You can find customer relationship management tools that automate certain interactions with customers in your sales funnel. Other tools, too, assist in automating email marketing.

Components

The components of a marketing campaign include a planning stage, evaluating how the results of the campaign will be measured, determining a target market, how the campaign will be delivered, how to achieve results, and finally, to assess how well the campaign did.

  1. Measurement

Creating a measurement criterion to be able to effectively analyze how the marketing campaign has performed is incredibly important. Some measurement tools can be the number of sales, pre-orders, consumer sentiment for the product, shares on social media, or how the campaign is perceived in the news.

  1. Planning

During the planning stage, it is important to find the goal of the marketing campaign and understand what it is trying to accomplish. Once these are determined for a campaign, it is easier to build a vision and understand the next necessary steps.

  1. Identification of the target market

Determining a target market is paramount to ensure that the right product is being marketing to the right client; this is one of the cornerstones of marketing. An important aspect of picking the target market is understanding what stage the consumer is in the buying process.

If the product is a new innovative technology, the target market should be centered around innovators or early adopters those who are willing and seeking to try new technologies and products. Whereas if the product is entering a developed market space, perhaps targeting an early majority or late majority audience would fare better.

  1. Results

To be able to achieve results, it is important to frequently refer to the goals that were set out from the beginning of the campaign. There may not be a set formula to achieve results, as every marketing campaign varies significantly. However, calibrating and perhaps re-calibrating marketing efforts to align with goals is vital in order to achieve desired results.

  1. Delivery of the marketing campaign

The delivery of the target campaign should form around the type of consumer that is being targeted. If the target market consists of innovators or early adopters, perhaps the delivery of a marketing campaign would be better suited to a medium that revolves around social media. Whereas if the target market is not as in tune with technology, a low-tech delivery of the marketing campaign may be better suited.

  1. Assessment of the marketing campaign

After the marketing campaign has achieved a result, it is important to assess the results of the campaign and evaluate its effectiveness. An assessment can also be achieved from external sources through feedback from consumers.

A common assessment method to release a feedback forum to consumers when the product is purchased and used. Analyzing the feedback from consumers can be incredibly helpful to understanding if the marketing campaign was successful or if the efforts should be re-evaluated.

University of Mumbai BMS Notes

Podcasts and Vodcasts

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Podcasts

A podcast is an episodic series of spoken word digital audio files that a user can download to a personal device for easy listening. Streaming applications and podcasting services provide a convenient and integrated way to manage a personal consumption queue across many podcast sources and playback devices.

A podcast series usually features one or more recurring hosts engaged in a discussion about a particular topic or current event. Discussion and content within a podcast can range from carefully scripted to completely improvised. Podcasts combine elaborate and artistic sound production with thematic concerns ranging from scientific research to slice-of-life journalism. Many podcast series provide an associated website with links and show notes, guest biographies, transcripts, additional resources, commentary, and even a community forum dedicated to discussing the show’s content.

The cost to the consumer is low. While many podcasts are free to download, some are underwritten by corporations or sponsored, with the inclusion of commercial advertisements. In other cases, a podcast could also be a business venture supported by some combination of a paid subscription model, advertising or product delivered after sale.

People are motivated to create a podcast for a number of reasons. The podcast producer, who is often the podcast host as well, may wish to express a personal passion, increase professional visibility, enter into a social network of influencers or influential ideas, cultivate a community of like-minded viewership, or put forward pedagogical or ideological ideas (possibly under philanthropic support).

Because podcast content is often free or, at the very least, affordable for the average podcast consumer, podcasting is often classified as a disruptive medium, which is averse to the maintenance of traditional revenue models. Long-running podcasts with a substantial back catalogue are amenable to binge consumption.

Vodcasts

A step beyond podcasting, vodcasting, also called video podcasting or vlogging, adds video to the downloadable sound files podcast listeners are used to. Download the video files is a simple matter of subscribing to a vodcast in one of the many freely available directory programs.

After downloading and saving them to a portable video player, users can choose when and where they want to watch the video, making them independent of television programming schedules. A number of vodcasting tools also exist to help turn people from mere video consumers to producers.

Apple added vodcasting support to its popular iTunes software, which lets users subscribe to pod and vodcasts and automatically downloads the most recent updates. Ipodder, another popular service that started with podcasts, also has a vodcast directory.

Vodcasts’ large file size makes a flat rate, broadband Internet connection a necessity to speed up downloads and keeps costs down. Watching the video away from the computer also requires a mobile video player, which are often built into newer PDAs and many MP3 players, including the iPod Video.

  • A video file that is posted to some site and which is automatically downloaded by subscribers of the site.
  • A video podcast, or video clip distributed on the Internet and available for download through RSS subscription and aggregation for playback on computers or portable devices.
  • Also referred to as a Video Podcast, is a syndicated web feed of audio and video files available through the Internet.
  • A type of podcast that contains full motion video. VOD, the first three letters of vodcast are an acronym for “video on demand” but when coupled with podcast subscription is better described as a “vodcast.”

Engagement:

Research all you can:

A good vodcast like all other alternatives also requires in-depth research. The finished product is a true replica of the amount of research and study one has done for it and also depends on the success or failure of the podcast. Take inspiration; learn from vodcast examples, vodcast sites to get better.

Choose your channels:

Ensuring you post on the right forums in the next important thing hence make a list of all different medium you can target to publish your vodcast. Since this is a new trend, you will first have to check its flexibility on the domains you’re targeting and then proceed.

Go with a calendar:

Although creating a vodcast can be a pretty exclusive, time-consuming and even costly affair, a calendar can definitely make things a whole lot easier. Try creating goals that can be met instead of burdening yourself with it all at ones. Keep wholesome breathing space between creating a vodcast and podcast since churning them out every week will surely hamper the quality and add to the exhaustion.

Announce your new offering everywhere you can:

Since you’re taking a big step with digital marketing, the fact that vodcasts are being created should be highlighted on your social media so people are aware of what you’re doing. Once your followers know your offerings they will be curious to check it out.

Choose how frequently you wish to broadcast:

Keep a considerable time gap between the days you choose to upload a vodcast. For ease of making, you could create two at a time, depending if you’re able to work up both the script and video together, however, make sure to shoot them only one at a time. Doing too many at once will come forth as being too promotional.

Work on great content:

Although visuals surpass audio content in most scenarios and even for a vodcast the same can be considered, it is definitely important to consider your content with graphics. In this scenario, one can understand the vodcast software they plan to use and how it can merge your content and video in the best possible manner to ensure both shine in their own ways and produce a splendid outcome.

University of Mumbai BMS Notes

Promoting Web Traffic

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Harness the power of social media

Social media isn’t just a way for your friends from high school to show off pictures of their children or snap photos of what they ate for lunch. It’s also an effective way to promote a website, as it helps businesses reach a diverse audience and build brand awareness.

Whether it’s on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram, social media marketing is important for engaging followers. Importantly, posting compelling content increases the chances that your audience will share it which is free promotion for your website. And the more people click on your content, the more chances you’ll have of getting website traffic and improving your conversion rate.

Submit your site to online directories

In addition to optimizing your SEO to help people discover your website, you’ll want to submit your site to online directories. Online directories make it easy for people to find your URL and navigate to your site. Depending on your industry, there may be a directory for your specific business type.

Try guest blogging

Expand your website promotion even further by collaborating with a guest blogger. When another writer in your industry writes a post on your own blog, you expand your reach to their audience and gain quality leads. In addition, connecting with writers who are already established in their field helps you grow your own network. This can bring you more exposure, traffic and social media shares.

Solidify your website SEO

SEO, or search engine optimization, is one of the most effective ways to promote a website, as it helps improve a site’s ranking on Google and other search engines. Unlike paid search ads, SEO is totally free the competition is open to everyone, based on the quality of the content you publish, the fluidity of the navigation you offer to your visitors, and the number of links you receive from external sources.

You can achieve strong SEO by placing certain keywords and phrases throughout your website, adding alt text to your images and optimizing your headings so that your website can get found on search engines.

Take advantage of email marketing

There’s a reason you always see email marketing placed high up on articles that talk about how to drive traffic to your website. Why? Because it’s proven to be effective over and over. In fact, its average rate of return can be as high as 4400%, or $44 for every dollar spent.

Start a blog

When considering how to promote your website, a good practice is to create a blog to bolster your SEO and increase your site’s rank on search engines. Blogging makes it easier for people to find your site and discover your business. On top of that, it helps you establish yourself as an authority in your field and can dramatically improve your conversion rate.

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