Activity:

Identify a Problem Worth Solving – II

Instructions:

In the previous session, you were asked to go out of the building (GOOTB) and observe people around you. Based
on your observations, you were asked to identify the top 3 problems faced by these people that you consider are
worth solving, i.e., have good business potential.

Now that you are back in the classroom, you will do as below:
Foundational Course in Entrepreneurship

1. Discuss within your teams the top three problems that you have identified and select one of the three as
the problem that your practice venture will focus on resolving.
2. Next, answer the questionnaire provided in the activity handout, Identify a Problem worth Solving –II.
3. If you need more clarity on how to answer these questions, refer to the SAMPLE QUESTIONNAIRE given
on Page 3 of this handout.
4. You will get 45 minutes to complete this part of the activity.

Use the following questions to record your observations:

1. Go out, look around you, and identify a problem that you can spot. Also, explain in what context.

The girls living in the hotels facing the problem of going to Chandigarh booking cab for 500 it will take
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lot of their time and the sale person costing high prices for artificial jewellery.
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2. Elaborate on the problem that you have observed. Does this problem present you with a business
opportunity?

Yes, the problem which we identify gives the opportunity to start the business in the campus for the
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girls and female faculties.
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3. Who is facing this problem i.e., who is the customer here?

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The female students, the girls living in the hostel and the female faculties of the campus.
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 Activity:
Identify a Problem Worth Solving – II

4. What other problems did you observe apart from the main problem being faced by the customer?

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The price salesmen is costing much higher price for the jewellery and also the website from where the
customers are buying the product for small jewellery also.
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5. How is the customer currently solving this problem, i.e. what are the existing alternatives?
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Customer is currently solving their problem through visiting the website and ordering the product. The
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existing alternative is they are visiting to the Chandigarh city for buying the products
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6. How many customers did you find facing this problem? Do you think it is a good number for you to take
up as a business opportunity?

There are many customers who are facing this problem in the campus itself and it will be the great
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opportunity to take the business.
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7. Using the Effectuation principles, will you be able to solve this problem?

Yes, if we use the Effectuation principles we can solve the problems of the customers.
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Note: If you think that this is not a problem worth solving, then you should look for another problem that
you can solve.

Opportunity Discovery
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 Activity:
Identify a Problem Worth Solving – II

SAMPLE QUESTIONNAIRE

Given below is a similar questionnaire based on Identify a Problem worth Solving. You are advised to go
through it to get more clarity.

Backdrop: Jason has a fascination for buses. He has got a degree in automobile engineering. Jason’s father works
in the City Transport department. Jason plans to launch his own fleet of city buses. To do a market study, he hops
on to some city buses which are currently running.
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1. Go out, look around you, and identify a problem that you can spot. Explain in what context.

To understand how the bus transport was working in his city, what were they offering, and what were the
problems faced by the commuters despite these services, Jason hopped on to some city buses which were
currently operating. He observed a common trend across all the buses that he hopped on to. He found
that though each bus offered at least 10 percent of the total seats exclusively to the elderly as reserved,
these seats often went unoccupied. In fact, there were very few senior citizens who availed the bus
service. Instead, they chose to stay indoors at the cost of socializing. As a potential bus owner, this was
bad news for Jason as any unoccupied seat translated to revenue loss.

Problem Identified - Most of the reserved seats for senior citizens went unoccupied across city buses.

2. Elaborate on the problem that you have observed. Does this problem present you with a business
opportunity?

Many seats reserved for senior citizens go unoccupied. This is because most senior citizens find it difficult
to board the buses as they have to lift their legs to board these buses since they have raised pedestals.

If the senior citizens could be made to avail the city buses, the seats reserved for them would not go
unoccupied. It would also result in greater revenue for the service provider.

3. Who is facing this problem, i.e., who is the customer here?

Senior citizens.

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 Activity:
Identify a Problem Worth Solving – II

4. What other problems did you observe apart from the main problem being faced by the customer?

The senior citizens also find it difficult to keep holding their walking sticks and umbrellas once they get
into the buses. Sometimes, the senior citizens tend to doze off and end up missing their drop destination.

5. How is the customer currently solving this problem, i.e. what are the existing alternatives?

Most of the senior citizens choose to stay indoors rather than take the pain of going out, walking up to
the bus stop, and then boarding a bus to meet old friends. At times when they can, they do take cab rides.
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However, with the advent of technology, they find it challenging even to summon a cab through the apps
and have to mostly depend on their family members to summon cabs for them. As a result, the easiest
option they find is to stay indoors.

6. How many customers did you find facing this problem? Do you think it is a good number for you to take
up as a business opportunity?

The senior citizens comprise 30 percent of the city’s population. So, by solving the problem identified,
Jason can increase the revenue earned from the buses by 30 percent.

7. Using the Effectuation principles, will you be able to solve this problem?

Yes, Jason has a fascination for buses. He knows the business sector that he is targeting since his father is
a part of the City Transport department. Jason himself has a degree in automobile engineering which he
can use to solve the problem faced by senior citizens while availing bus transport.

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