Designing and delivering service in a complex social environment: A study of Akshaya Patra

Abstract

Historically, education has been a determining factor of the progress of human civilization. The modern world is using education increasingly as an instrument for all-round development. There is a growing and welcome realization amongst the developing countries that education is the key to development. Education shapes the destiny of a nation. The quality of manpower in any country ultimately determines the sustainable well - being of its people. Creation of social opportunities for all sections for society is a reflection of the progress of that society and education is the principal instrument for developing human capabilities. Education, as a liberating force, fosters growth, social equality and technological progress. Globalization and the emergence of a new society more dependent on knowledge and information technology have further underlined the importance of education in pursuing developmental goals.1 Having said that, it is however not possible to study or learn anything on an empty stomach. That is where the scope of this project comes in. A recent report by The Times of India indicates that although the mid-day meal program has resulted in increased attendance but there has been no significant impact on fresh enrolments. Also, to add to the woe, research showed that a big amount of time of teachers is invested in looking after the meal preparation and thus, allowing less time to invest on students. On the other hand students spend a good amount of time, 9.83 hours per week to be exact, on washing the utensils. These things indicate that the entire proposition of having a mid-day meal can be fruitful only if the meals can be arranged without bothering the teachers or the students about it. But the real question is what is it about social marketing in this 21st century that is creating so much buzz? This project aims to answer exactly this question. The project can be divided broadly into four parts, each part looking at something new and something different but at the same time pertaining to the overall topic of the project, i.e., “Designing and Delivering Service in a Complex Social Environment: A Study of Akshaya Patra”. The first part of the project takes a theoretical look at some of the concepts necessary to conduct this project. It looks at the concepts of social marketing and service designs. It also takes a look at various models used to evaluate service quality like the Gap Model and the SERVQUAL or the RATER Model. This section also takes a look at the books we’ve gone through to make this project possible. The second part of this project focuses on the Organization we have focused on to better understand the concepts of Social Marketing and Service Design- Akshaya Patra. Hence, we look at an overview of the Akshaya Patra organization and its current reach and presence. The third part takes a look at the actual service design of Akshaya Patra. It looks at the designing as well as the delivery aspects of service of Akshaya Patra. It also attempts to analyze the service design of Akshaya Patra using both the Gap and the RATER Model. The final part, also the conclusion, looks at the success of Akshaya Patra’s service design. To gauge the success of Akshaya Patra, some of the matrices used are reach, penetration, turnaround, etc. It looks at the efficiency, effectiveness and impact of Akshaya Patra. It also looks at the scalability of Akshaya Patra as well as the ability to replicate the Akshaya Patra service design.