Name: Shivam Mishra

Roll No: 2201920700345

Section: B2 (Finance & Marketing)
Subject: Innovation & Entrepreneurship
Assignment: 1 Case Study Analysis

Q1. Why do rural users innovate?

Ans. A recurring theme across all five case studies was the weak and
unsatisfied professional status of the user innovators. Their lives had been
difficult because of their poverty. We learn from the case studies of Patel,
Jagani, and Kamboj that they used creativity to automate a hard and time-
consuming manual process. Additionally, four case studies show that
customers came up with creative solutions to meet the need for less expensive
options than what was already available on the market. For example, Dahiya
invented biofuel because diesel was pricey, Jagni invented a motorcycle-driven
plough because tractors were pricey, Prajapati invented the mitticool
refrigerator because the market refrigerator was too expensive, and Kamboj
invented the multipurpose machine because the previous machines were
pricey and only provided a small amount of functionality. But Patel's desire to
reduce the tedium of the manual cotton stripping procedure was what spurred
him to develop.

Q2. How did the rural user innovate?

Ans. We attempted to investigate the process of rural user innovation in this

query. The consumers' awareness of their immediate needs and the limitations
imposed by their surroundings is evident.
This inspires them to create a product concept. For instance, Patel came up
with the idea to construct a cotton stripping machine, Prajapati came up with
the idea to construct a refrigerator made of clay, Jagni came up with the idea
to mount ploughing tools on a motorcycle, Dahiya thought of using the gas his
kiln produced, and Kamboj came up with the idea to construct a device
resembling a food processor. Since they were all impoverished, the next stage
in the innovation process was to look for financial assistance to build the
device. Their main source of funding came from unofficial sources, such as
friends or relatives. They were all uneducated or not at all, and none of them
knew how to go about getting financial assistance from banking institutions.
They also lacked any collateral to provide banks. Once they secured funding
from unofficial sources, they constructed a preliminary functional prototype.

Q3. How did rural users commercialize their products and become
entrepreneurs?
Ans. The product was first created by the innovative rural users to fulfill their
own needs, but they also considered its commercial feasibility primarily as a
means of making money. They begin use their product and demonstrate its
benefits to other rural residents.
The rural innovators also made an effort to promote their product, but they
were unable to do so and encountered a gap in the market. They mostly used
experiential learning to try and develop business skills while working. These
rural innovators were assisted by outside organizations such as NIF, and NIF's
Micro Venture Fund provided them with uncollateralized financial support.
They also receive assistance with marketing, commercial development, and
intellectual property rights (IPR) from NIF and its partner organizations, which
include GIAN, SRISTI, and Honey Bee Network. They are thus able to enhance
their offerings and create commercial prototypes that are more advanced
technologically. They are able to sell the finished product to more clients from
various parts of India thanks to assistance from outside organizations. Certain
user entrepreneurs also promote their goods abroad. For example, Dahiya had
inquiries about his biomass gasifier from Pakistan, Germany, Africa, and
Singapore. Nairobi, Africa is the recipient of Prajapati's Mitticool refrigerator
export. Ethiopia has questions for Kamboj, who exported his multipurpose
processing machine to Kenya.

Q4. What is the impact on the individual rural entrepreneur?

Ans. We discover that the five rural user entrepreneurs benefit socially as well
as economically. By selling their goods, the five rural business owners are able
to support themselves and make money. Each of them states that they were
able to escape poverty through starting their own business. We also observe
improved job efficiency and production in four instances. Patel, for example,
stated that his cotton stripper reduced the cost of cotton stripping from US$
0.02 per kg to US$ 0.02 every 20 kg. Each of the five user entrepreneurs claims
that they have experienced personal effects from their entrepreneurial
endeavours. It has promoted self-respect and helped people become more
self-assured. They boast with pride that since they have won accolades and
been featured in the media, they have gained national recognition and the
respect of their community. They all claim that their quality of life has
increased and that they can now afford to send their kids to college and/or
school.

Q5. What is the impact of rural entrepreneurship on society or local

community?
Ans. We attempted to determine whether their business career had any
positive effects on society as a whole through this research topic. We discover
that the emergence of entrepreneurs—in our instance, rural user
entrepreneurs—offers benefits to society on an economic, social, and
environmental level. In particular, we see that consumers have access to
reasonably priced goods like the motorcycle-driven plow, the mitticool
refrigerator, and inexpensive biofuel. According to two user entrepreneurs,
Patel and Kamboj, their customers have benefited financially from their
equipment by having their production costs cut. Following an analysis of the
NIF chairman's and user entrepreneurs' interview data, we discover that there
is also a societal impact, including the creation of jobs, raising the standard of
living for the underprivileged, providing health benefits, and fostering a sense
of community pride among the user entrepreneurs. Kamboj, for instance,
employs 25 rural peasants in his modest factory. Furthermore, by processing
and selling herbal items from their homes, a large number of rural women who
purchased Kamboj's machine have created jobs for themselves. The
impoverished can store food and have access to cold water using Mitticool
refrigerators. The cotton stripper improves health by doing away with the
hazardous manual process that was previously required for cotton stripping.
Each of the five user entrepreneurs reports that social pride has grown in their
local communities. In one scenario, we discover that the user-entrepreneur
has changed the community. For example, Kamboj claims that self-
employment has been made possible in whichever village his machine has
reached by "a wave of change," or parivartan ki lahar. Lastly, two case studies
also highlight the advantages for the environment of eco-friendly items like
biodiesel and natural refrigerators made of clay.