Grameenphone 1

Course Title: Organizational Management

Course Code: MGT212
Section: 26
Group: 6 Prepared For:
North South University Ms. Shabnin Rahman Shorna
Initial: SRS2

Prepared by:

Name ID

Mohammad Labib 1931441630

Khan
Hafsa Nargis 1931169030

Fahima Rahman 1931090030

Arisha Faisal 1931944630

Nowsheen Afroz 2011864630

FINAL TERM PAPER ON Neha

GRAMEENPHONE Date of submission:

25 September, 2020
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Acknowledgement

Before we discuss about our paper , we would firstly like to

acknowledge our gratefulness towards a few individuals who have been a

part of this task since its origin. The composition of this undertaking has

been one of the critical scholastic difficulties we have confronted and

without the help, persistence, and direction of the individuals in question,

this errand would not have been f inished. It is to them we owe our most

profound appreciation.

We want to thank our course instructor Ms. Shabnin Rahman Shorna

for her unmistakable and point by point rules about how the term paper

ought to be. She made things clear in the class, and if considerably after

t h a t w e f e l t p e r p l e x e d a b o u t a n yt h i n g , s h e k i n d l y a s s i s t e d u s f u r t h e r . W e

feel very grateful to her contribution.

Likewise, we would like to show our heartiest gratitude to the

c o m m i t m e n t a n d c o n s t a n t a s s i s t a n c e o f M r . S ye d M a s u d M a h m o o d , t h e

global L&D partner (Global Learning and Development, People and

Organization) at Grameenphone Ltd, who assisted us in the assortment of

assessment material and furthermore in its handling. The task is devoted to

each one of those individuals, who helped us while undertaking this task.
Grameenphone 3

Table of Contents

Acknowledgement ...................................................................................................................... 2

Table of Contents ............................................................................................................................ 3

1. Mission Statement................................................................................................................... 4

2. Executive Summary ................................................................................................................ 4

3. Officers of the company and Organogram ............................................................................. 5

4. Situation Analysis ................................................................................................................... 6

5. SWOT Analysis .................................................................................................................... 15

6. Objectives ............................................................................................................................. 18

7. Management Issues ........................................................................................................... 23

8. Conclusion ............................................................................................................................ 25
Grameenphone 4

1. Mission Statement

The mission of Grameenphone is to to help their customers get the

full benefit of being connected. Th eir success is measured by how

passionately their customers promote them . (Grameenphone, n.d.)

2 . Executive Summary

This is the final term paper on Grameenphone Ltd. Grameenphone Ltd.

is a leading provider of telecommun ications services of Bangladesh and is

the largest mobile telecommunications operator in Bangladesh in terms of

revenue, coverage and subscriber base. Th e company operates a digital

mobile telecommunications network based on the GSM standard in both

rural and urban areas of Bangladesh.

G r a m e e n p h o n e ’ s p u r p o s e i s t o c o n n e c t yo u t o w h a t m a t t e r s m o s t a n d

empower society by providing the power of digital communication, enabling

e v e r yo n e t o i m p r o v e t h e i r l i v e s , b u i l d i n g s o c i e t i e s a n d s e c u r i n g a b e t t e r

future for all.

Grameenphone’s vision is to empower society and mission is to help

c u s t o m e r s . T h e i r v a l u e s a r e t o b e i n s p i r i n g , m a k e i t e a s y, b e r e s p e c t f u l , a n d

keep promises.
Grameenphone 5

3. Officers of the company and Organogram

Board of
Directors

S M Imdadul
Yasir Azman
Hoque
Chief Executive Officer Company Secretary

Sajjad Hasib Jens Becker

Chief Marketing Officer Chief Financial Officer

Rade Ole Bjorn

Kovacevic Sjulstad
Chief Technology Officer Chief Corporate Affairs Officers

Syed Tanvir Kazi Mahboob

Husain Hassan
Chief Human Resource Officer Chief Business Officer

Solaiman Alam
Chief Digital & Strategy Officer
Grameenphone 6

H i e r a r c h y o r B a n d s a s r e f e r r e d t o i n G r a me e n p h o n e :

 Top-level management team: CEO & CXOs

（Band A)

 Senior
management team: Directors & Deputy Directors
（Band B)

 Mid-senior management team: GMs & DGMs

（Band C)

 Mid-level management team: Specialists (or Managers)

（Band D)

 Entry-level management team: Executives, senior executives, etc.

（Band E)

4. Situation Analysis

Internal Factors:

Grameenphone has instilled strong cultural values which influence

t h e e m p l o ye e s ’ b e h a v i o r a n d a c t i o n s e f f e c t i v e l y. T h e i r k e y v a l u e s a r e

intensely held and widely shared. They have strong connection between

their shared values and behaviors. They motivate and encourage their

e m p l o ye e s i n a n u m b e r o f w a ys :

 Transparency within the Organization: Since the last few

years, Grameenphone has brought about transparency within

Grameenphone 7

t h e i r o r g a n i z a t i o n . F o r t h a t , t h e y h a v e m a d e s o m e p h ys i c a l

changes. For example, there are no fixed des ks for any

e m p l o ye e s , n o t e v e n f o r t h e C E O o r t h e C X O s , i . e . , n o

c u b i c a l d e s k s ys t e m e x i s t s i n t h e i r o f f i c e a n ym o r e . T h e r e

a r e a l l o p e n d e s k s . A n yo n e c a n s i t a n y w h e r e a n d a l t o g e t h e r .

I f o n a n y p a r t i c u l a r d a y a n e m p l o ye e s i t s a d e s k a r r a n g e d

beside the window, the next day someone else can sit there,

irrespective of the hierarchical position in the company.

T h e y d o t h i s f o r e n s u r i n g e q u a l t r e a t m e n t o f t h e i r e m p l o ye e s

a n d c r e a t i n g a s t r o n g p s yc h o l o g i c a l b o n d b e t w e e n t h e i r

e m p l o ye e s .

 Recognition of Individual Performance Model:

Grameenphone follows recognition of individual
performance model. They highly try to appreciate their
employees for doing great job, for helping other
employees or for seeking help from other employees.
They appreciate their people not only one to one but also
in front of everyone. They highly appreciate valuing
others and this feeling of appreciation strongly motivates
their people.

They practice giving ‘Thank You’ cards. These cards are found

at every floor, in abundance. The cards are meant to show appreciation

t o w a r d s o n e a n o t h e r . M a n a g e r s G r a m e e n p h o n e t r a i n t h e i r e m p l o ye e s t o

build and show any of the 4 values that the company upholds. The

values are-
Grameenphone 8

a) Create together;

b) Be respectful;

c ) M a k e i t e a s y;

d ) A l w a ys e x p l o r e .

These ‘Thank You’ cards are given to one another when one

e m p l o ye e s h o w s a n y o r a l l o f t h e s e v a l u e s . T h e c a r d s c a n b e g i v e n b y

a n e n t r y - l e v e l e m p l o ye e t o h i s o r h e r b o s s , w h i l e t h e C E O h i m s e l f c a n

g i v e t h i s c a r d t o a n y o t h e r e m p l o ye e t o o . T h i s b u i l d s a s e n s e o f

b e l o n g i n g n e s s i n t h e c o m p a n y.

 Cooperation between Employees: The Learning and

Development (L & D) Department under the Human

Resource Department at Grameenphone trains their

e m p l o ye e s t o r e c o g n i z e e a c h o t h e r ’ s t a l e n t s t o o . T h e y ’ r e

trained with the right skills to get their projects done in the

right direction, which has made Grameenphone very

successful with very few failed projects. The managers

allow the junior officers to lead any projects as they believe

t h a t , w i t h t h e r i g h t t o o l s a n d t e c h n i q u e s , a n yo n e c a n p u l l u p

any projects without any chances of failure. Th e cycle

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begins with the identification of new consumer need and the

invention of a subsequent new product, often followed by

patent protection and further development to make it

saleable. This is usually followed by a rapid expansion in

its sales as the product gains market acceptance.

 Strongest Asset: Grameenphone’s strongest asset is its

e m p l o ye e s . A n y o t h e r c o m p a n y c a n c o p y t h e i r s t r a t e g i e s ,

techniques, software, etc., but they can’t copy a unique

asset; the mindset of the e m p l o ye e s . E m p l o ye e s ’

c o l l a b o r a t i o n , a g i l i t y, p a s s i o n f o r t h e d e v e l o p m e n t o f t h e

organization shows that there is barely any chance of

failure. Grameenphone’s main purpose is ‘connecting what

matters the most’, which means, what matters the most to

the customers and the e m p l o ye e s . They also highly

discourage procrastination.

 Creating an Employee-Centric Environment: At

G r a m e e n p h o n e , t h e e m p l o ye e s a r e a l s o t r e a t e d a s c u s t o m e r s .

Feedbacks on any new package or service offered by the

c o m p a n y a r e a l s o t a k e n f r o m t h e e m p l o ye e s t o e n h a n c e t h e

project further. This leads to transparency in communication

and better delivery of products and services to the customers

Grameenphone 10

a s G r a m e e n p h o n e i s a l s o a l w a ys c o n c e r n e d a b o u t t h e i r u s e r s .

The HR department trains the e m p l o ye e s to show a

c u s t o m e r - c e n t r i c b e h a v i o r a s w e l l a s e m p l o ye e - c e n t r i c b y

letting them voice their own opinions. This a difference

created by GP as majority of the companies don’t follow

these principles, making Grameenphone unique.

 Focusing On Intrinsic Motivation: They highly focus on

intrinsic motivation. For example, in this COVID -19

p a n d e m i c , t h e y s e n t t h e i r e m p l o ye e s a s e t o f G P b r a n d e d

masks of different sizes with a letter signed by CEO, so that,

t h e y c a n s h o w t h e i r c a r e t o w a r d s t h e i r e m p l o ye e s . B e s i d e s ,

t h e y h a v e c r e a t e d a s p e c i a l h o t l i n e f o r e v e r y e m p l o ye e a n d

their family members to support them as much as possible

d u r i n g t h i s s i t u a t i o n , w h i l e t h e y’ r e w o r k i n g f r o m h o m e .

 I n s u r a n c e P o l i c i e s : G r a m e e n p h o n e ’ s e m p l o ye e s h a v e m a n y

insurance facilities. The company covers the insurance for

a n e m p l o ye e ’ s s p o u s e , c h i l d r e n a s w e l l t h e i r p a r e n t s w h o a r e

b e l o w 7 0 ye a r s o f a g e , w h i c h a l m o s t n o c o m p a n y d o e s i n

Bangladesh.

External Factors:
Grameenphone 11

External factors and forces affect the performance of Grameenphone.

The external environment contains different components which managers

n e e d t o k n o w f o r s t r a t e g i c f o r m u l a t i o n o f t h e c o m p a n y. T h e s e f a c t o r s

include:

 Economic: The economic environment highly affects any

c o m p a n y. T h e e c o n o m i c n a t u r e a n d s e g m e n t i n c l u d e s i n f l a t i o n -

rates, interest-rates, GDP, currency-exchange rates,

u n e m p l o ym e n t l e v e l s a n d d i s p o s a b l e i n c o m e . T h e f l u c t u a t i n g

GDP rates are studied by GP to understand the algorithm to help

our economy grow. (Coursehero.com, n.d.) Grameenphone is

o n e o f t h e h i g h e s t t a x p a ye r s o f t h e c o u n t r y, p a yi n g 6 7 % o f t h e i r

t o t a l r e v e n u e a s v a r i o u s t a x e s . U n f o r t u n a t e l y, d u e t o t h e

p a n d e m i c t h i s ye a r , t h e y l o s t s o m e v a l u a b l e s u b s c r i b e r s , h e n c e

a reduction in total revenue. They quickly overcame this by

investing 250 crore BDT for their network coverage, adding 132

n e w 4 G s i t e s d u r i n g s e c o n d q u a r t e r o f t h e ye a r . ( t b s n e w s . n e t ,

n.d.)

 D e m o g r a p h i c : D e m o g r a p h i c a l l y, G P h a s b e e n a b l e t o b u i l d a

strong customer base by building a strong network all over

Bangladesh, covering 99% of our land with the current base

s t a t i o n o f 1 5 , 9 0 0 , o v e r 6 4 d i s t r i c t s i n o u r c o u n t r y. T h e i r q u a l i t y

and reliable network has created 98% brand awareness in just

Grameenphone 12

1 1 ye a r s . T h e y h a v e s i m p l i f i e d i n t e r n e t p a c k a g e b u yi n g o p t i o n

t o h e l p t h e i r c o n s u m e r s o f a l l a g e t o u n d e r s t a n d t h e i r s ys t e m .

 Technological: Grameenphone was listed as the first company

to bring GSM technology network in Bangladesh. It started its

s e r v i c e i n M a r c h , 1 9 9 7 . C u r r e n t l y, t h e y ’ r e o f f e r i n g 3 G c o v e r a g e

whilst covering the population of Bangladesh at 95.2%,

including 72 million users out of 37.1 million mobile data users.

(Grameenphone, 2020) They currently have 7 technological

trends- Deepfake, Artificial Intelligence(AI), 5G Network

Massive Expansion, Mass Industrial -IoT, Voice Activated

Chat-bots for home supplies and Technological Awareness

Factors like screen time control and mobile -driven green

t e c h n o l o g y. ( G r a m e e n p h o n e , n . d . ) T h e y a s p i r e t o m a k e o u r

c o u n t r y d i g i t a l a n d t e c h - f r i e n d l y.

They have invested a lot to invent new products. There is a risk

o f n o t h a v i n g s u f f i c i e n t s k i l l e d e m p l o ye e s t o u n d e r t a k e t h e

changing needs of the consumers. Hence, they use the advanced

technology of RPA (Robotic Process Automation ).This technology

comprises artificial intelligence and machine learning which does

repeated tasks under great pressure. With the changing demand of

the consumers, this advanced technology helps the company

u n d e r s t a n d t h e c o n s u m e r s ' n e e d s a n d w a n t s a n d w o r k a c c o r d i n g l y.

It has helped the company make new strategy models, introduce

Grameenphone 13

n e w a p p s , u p d a t e p r o d u c t q u a l i t y, p o r t f o l i o , n e t w o r k q u a l i t y a n d

coverage, pricing model, etc. However, sometimes there is an

interruption, unauthorized data disclosure and data redirecting

f r o m c yb e r a t t a c k s w h i c h m a y a f f e c t t h e r e p u t a t i o n o f t h i s c o m p a n y

but Grameen Phone effectively manages these issues. (SWOT &

PESTLE, n.d.)

 T h e S o c i o - C u l t u r e : R e c e n t l y, G r a m e e n p h o n e l a u n c h e d m a n y

consumer friendly campaigns. On February 16, 2020, they

launched a platform named Sign -line digital care for speech and

hearing impaired people of our society. Their initiative was to

incorporate sign language with digital care service, in their

official website, a self -service digital care app name d MyGP.

T h e ‘ K o t h a g u l o H a r i ye N a J a k S h o b d e r O b h a b e ’ c a m p a i g n h e l p s

to enable the special needs members of the community to learn

the basics of sign language through a tutorial video by the sign

language expert, Arafat Sultana Lata. Their vision is to ena ble

these people to communicate with their near and dear ones.

Grameenphone’s official website and YouTube channel offer

free access to everyone. (Express, n.d.) Another noble initiative

taken by them was a mobile application n amed ‘Alor Pathshala’

, a n o p e n - f o r - a l l e – l i b r a r y. O n A p r i l 2 4 , 2 0 2 0 t h e y c o l l a b o r a t e d

with BRAC to stand beside the unfortunate people of this

ongoing pandemic through a campaign called ‘Dakche Amar

Grameenphone 14

Desh’, a call-to-action based program. Grameenphone

contributed to the food assistance fund to BRAC so they could

reach out to the 100,000 lower income people and help them

survive this pandemic. (Digital, n.d.) Their motto was to build

a better place for their consumers.

 Global: Being one of the largest companies of Bangladesh, they

often contribute to global environments. Telenor group, the

p a r e n t c o m p a n y, c h o o s e s s p e c i f i c g l o b a l l o c a t i o n s a n d n a m e s

its companies according to the area’s culture, with headquarters

i n N o r w a y. I n B a n g l a d e s h , i t ’ s k n o w n a s G r a m e e n p h o n e ( R u r a l

P h o n e ) a n d t h e i r t a g l i n e i s ‘ C h o l o B o h u d u r ( G o B e yo n d ) . I n

India the compan y is known as Uninor, while in Pakistan and

N o r w a y, a s T e l e n o r . G r a m e e n p h o n e w a s a w a r d e d t h e G S M A

Award under the category of “Global Aw ard of Best Use of

Mobile Phone” in 2007.

 Political and/ or Legal: T h e g o v e r n m e n t p l a ys a n i m p o r t a n t

role to protect the communication system. Hence, they have

some rules and regulations such as taxation laws, governmental

laws, consumer laws, governmenta l policies, labor laws, etc.

which are followed by Telecommunication companies. These

laws also monitor every offers provided by the companies to

g a i n m o r e c l i e n t s . I n p r e v i o u s ye a r s , f r e e c a l l s b y m i d n i g h t w e r e

b a n n e d b y t h e g o v e r n m e n t , w h i c h i m p a c t e d b u s i n e s s n e g a t i v e l y,
Grameenphone 15

hence leading to an increase in GP’s call -rates to cope with their

l o s s i n r e v e n u e . A f t e r a f e w ye a r s , m o r e t a x e s o n c a l l s w e r e

imposed by the government, resulting in a subsequent increase

i n c a l l r a t e s ye t a g a i n . However, this led to d ecline in the

number of customers as they started to prefer other Telco’s over

GP. So, they launched attractive packages to regain and attract

new customers. There were also some border security issues

(safe data roaming). Certain laws are needed to be fol lowed so

investors can feel safe in this competitive market. Before the

c o u n t r y’ s i n d e p e n d e n c e i n 1 9 7 1 , t e l e c o m m u n i c a t i o n i n d u s t r y

was monopolized b y the government. After liberation, when

C i t yC e l l and Grameenphone launched their services in

Bangladesh, the paradigm changed from monopoly to

competitive. There is also another law regarding radioactive

f r e q u e n c y s p e c t r u m w h i c h i s a l i m i t e d r e s o u r c e o f o u r c o u n t r y.

Grameenphone abides by the laws and controls the usage of the

limited resources a c c o r d i n g l y. T h e y’ r e a l w a ys ready to

handover the copies of audit to law enforces whenever needed.

They have a secured platform where the information of their

clients is lawfully kept safe.

5. SWOT Analysis

Strengths:
Grameenphone 16

● Brand Value: Grameen Phone has established a strong bran d value,

b e c o m i n g a m a r k e t l e a d e r i n t h e t e l e c o m m u n i c a t i o n i n d u s t r y.

● M a r k e t L e a d e r : A s C i t yc e l l f a i l e d t o u t i l i z e t h e i r f i r s t m o v e r
advantages, Grameenphone got the second mover chance advantages
b y c r i t i c a l l y a n a l yz i n g t h e s t r e n g t h s a n d w e a k n e s s e s o f C i t y c e l l . T h e y
came up with the GSM technology which was better and provided
more advantages to the customers than the CDMA technology
p r o v i d e d b y C i t yc e l l . B y f o l l o w i n g p r o p e r s t r a t e g i e s G P i s s t i l l t h e
market leader.

● Strong Organizational Culture: The biggest strength of GP is its

people. Any technologies of the organization can be copied but
people’s mind set, behavior and culture can’t be copied. GP highly
f o c u s e s o n c r e a t i n g p s yc h o l o g i c a l b o n d s b e t w e e n t h e i r e m p l o ye e s w h o
are connected with each other through official work. They have a
transparent culture and they maintain a friendly environment inside
t h e o r g a n i z a t i o n . T h e y e n c o u r a g e t h e i r e m p l o ye e s i n m a n y w a y s .

● U s e r ’ s D a t a P r o t e c t i o n : T h e y h i g h l y m a i n t a i n d a t a p r o t e c t i o n p o l i c y.
They maintain don’t only their customer’s data confidentiality but
also of their stakeholders’ data.

● Customer-Centric Behavior: They design their products and services

which connect to their customers. At first, they become aware of their
customer preferences and then they design their products and services
a c c o r d i n g l y.

● Collaboration between Employees: They are able to run a project

p r o p e r l y e v e n b y a p p o i n t i n g a j u n i o r e m p l o ye e w i t h g r e a t
collaboration and right tools and techniques.

● Providing Strong Data Service: After 3G/4G one thing is established

in GP’s network is data capability. They build Capability and
Capacity of data.

Weaknesses:

● Technical Issues: There are some technical issues, such as server

breakdowns and problems in network towers which may cause
temporary network disruption.
Grameenphone 17

● Restriction on Building Network Towers in Certain Regions:

Sometimes, due to some rules and regulations network towers are
prohibited to be built within restricted areas. So, the company is
unable to provide network coverage in those areas.

Opportunities:

● Data Revenue: Grameenphone is in the process of installing 5G

network service. After receiving government approval, they will
provide 5G service. The users of data service are increasing day by
d a y. S o , i t ’ s a g r e a t o p p o r t u n i t y f o r t h e m a s a f i r s t m o v e r f o r t h i s
service.

● Reducing Operational Cost: By optimizing their regional office

further, they can reduce operational cost.

Threats:

● Changing Customer Demands and Preferences: Customer

preferences change overtime. If Grameenphone fails to recognize and
address these changes, customers will start to prefer other companies
over them.

● Increased Competition: There is a constant price war between all the

Telcos. If a competitor launches better packages and services than
G P , t h e n t h e i r c u s t o m e r s w i l l s h i f t t o t h e r i v a l c o m p a n y. A l s o , a
c o m p e t i t o r m a y c o p y t h e c yb e r m o d e l o f t h e c o m p a n y.

● Risk of Resource Destruction: There are many towers of GP around

all over the country. Their towers can get harmed at any time due to
any reason.
Grameenphone 18

● Losing Voice Revenue: Customers are using data through many social
media for connecting with each other more than voice calls. In future,
telecommunications companies may lose this field of business.

 Cyber Security Threat: There is a risk of crucial data leakage and

t h e s ys t e m s s e r v e r s b r e a k d o w n w h i c h m a y c a u s e m a j o r p r o b l e m s f o r

t h e c o m p a n y.

6. Objectives

Every company has their own goals and objectives which they want

to achieve by any means. The stated goals of Grameenphone are “To provide

easy access to GSM cellular services in rural Bangladesh, creating new

opportunities for income generation through self - employment by providing

villagers with access to modern information and c ommunication based

technologies”. But the real objectives of Grameenphone are to “Earn

healthy returns for its shareholders and at the same time, contribute to

g e n u i n e d e v e l o p m e n t o f t h e c o u n t r y. I n s h o r t , i t p u r s u e s a d u a l s t r a t e g y o f

good business and good development ”. Grameenphone has divided these

objectives into different key focuses which they call “Must Win Battles”.

Their must win battles are:

 Growth

 Modernization

 Reputation Building

 Revenue
Grameenphone 19

Grameenphone follows some strategies to achieve their objectives or

“Must Win Battles”. Those strategies are described below:

i. Growth: By growth Grameenphone does not only means revenue

generation but also increase their subscriber base. They are

doing that by increasing services, developing retailers,

developing distribution channel, and through consumer

concentrated offers that accelerate persistent connectivity

needs and related services. Their main initiatives are to keep on

winning in the voice, to increase in data and digital . Their

rollout helps to ensure coverage throughou t Bangladesh,

c o n c e n t r a t i n g o n a t o p q u a l i t y, r e l i a b l e v o i c e a n d d a t a n e t w o r k

experience. This allows their consumers to experience as well

a s e n j o y a d i g i t a l l i f e s t yl e w i d e l y a v a i l a b l e v i a t h e i r i n c r e a s i n g

digital channels. (Grameen Phone , 2020)

ii. Modernization: Along with many other companies in the

country Grameen Phone is also trying to modernize. The

strategies they are following to achieve this objectives are

a . E m p l o y e e U p s k i l l : T h e y a r e u p s k i l l i n g t h e i r e m p l o ye e v i a
learning and development (L&D) program , job

enlargement, and peer coaching. They are also arranging

many seminar to motivate their employees.

Grameenphone 20

b. Increasing Technological Capability: GP is constantly

t r yi n g t o r e d u c e t h e i r d a t a g e n e r a t i o n p r i c e . F o r e x a m p l e :

I f i t c o s t e d t h e m 5 0 p a i s a t o g e n e r a t e 1 m e g a b yt e 5 ye a r s

earlier they are trying to reduce the cost and make it

20paisa to generate 1 m e g a b yt e . A l s o G P i s t h i n k i n g o f

using robotics to get more technological advantage.

c. Efficiency and Simplification: GP will carry on

innovating in its core business . From network

management, and leading modernisation to interaction

with customers. (Grameen Phone , 2020) Its main

initiatives are to drive modernisation of the distribution

a n d d i g i t a l d i s t r i b u t i o n w h i l e i m p r o v i n g t h e i r s ys t e m a n d

IT resources, and pursuing process simplification and

streamlining the way they work, and creating v alue to

shareholders. (Grameen Phone , 2020) Also by brining

robotics technology they will reduce their process time of

different kinds of corporate works which also means more

effective and efficient work as there will be less human

and less mistakes.

iii. Reputation Building: GP takes many initiatives and run many

campaigns to build their reputation. From connecting people

together to distance learning , GP does all kind of activities to

m a i n t a i n t h e i r g o o d r e p u t a t i o n i n t h e s o c i e t y. F o r e x a m p l e : T o
Grameenphone 21

encourage more secure digital participation and provide access

to quality education GP recently took an initiative called “ Child

Online Safety– Be Smart Use Heart” (Grameen Phone, n.d.).

That’s not all, recently G rameenphone started a campaign called

“Together, fighting Coronavirus is possible”. Through this

whole campaign Grameenphone has circulated a ‘Stay Home’

message from their network to alert 7.5 crore subscribers on

avoiding public gatherings and maintaining social distance

(Grameen Phone, n.d.), has committed to the handover of 50,000

Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to the Ministry of Health

(Grameen Phone, n.d.), and has taken a joint initiative with

BRAC, the world’s and Bangladesh’s largest Non -Government

Development Organization, “Dakche Amar Desh” to provide

emergency food assistance for the ultra -poor families of the

c o u n t r y, w h o h a v e s u f f e r e d t h e m o s t d u e t o t h e p a n d e m i c

(Grameen Phone, n.d.) Again to continue to support and stand

b e s i d e t h e n e e d y, G r a m e e n p h o n e e m p l o ye e s c o l l a b o r a t e d w i t h

t h e B i d ya n o n d o F o u n d a t i o n o n t h e h a p p y o c c a s i o n o f E i d - u l -

Adha to provide special eid meals to more than 31,000

underprivileged populations. (Grameenphone, 2020)

Grameenphone runs all these campaigns and take all these initiatives

just to keep and maintain their brand image. They also promise to continue

contributing to Bangladesh's economic , environmental and social

Grameenphone 22

development, acting accountably and transparently and reducing

inequalities by our presence and our services.

iv. Revenue: Other than just increasing revenue their major

financial objective is to maximize shareholder value. The

strategies they are using to achieve it are:

a. Sustaining Revenue Model: In this fast moving world

c u s t o m e r n e e d s a n d p r e f e r e n c e s a r e c h a n g i n g d r a s t i c a l l y.

To cope up with the customer needs GP is constantly

t r yi n g to modify and change their services. The

c o n s u m p t i o n o f m o b i l e d a t a i s r e a l l y h i g h n o w a d a ys . S o

to get more revenue GP is of fering various kind of

packages targeting different customer segments. For

example: GP is offering differentiated bundle packages

f o r s o c i a l m e d i a s a v v y c o n s u m e r s . I n t h i s b u n d l e t h e y’ l l

g e t a m e g a b yt e p a c k a g e b y w h i c h t h e y ’ l l b e a b l e t o u s e a l l

the social media platform at lower cost than usual price.

For movie/series enthusiasts GP offers a bundle where

t h e y’ l l b e a b l e t o w a t c h Y o u T u b e , N e t f l i x a n d o t h e r

streaming services at a cheaper cost. They offer many

more bundles by evaluating different customer se gments

just to attract more customers and increase their revenue.

b. Reducing Operational Cost: The main focus mechanism

of GP is to reduce their operational cost. Because by doing
Grameenphone 23

that they will be able to generate more revenue which will

lead to more value maximization of shareholders. GP has

taken many initiatives to reduce their operational costs.

Some of the are: As they can’t reduce the salary of the

e m p l o ye e s t h e y a r e t a k i n g a d i f f e r e n t k i n d o f a p p r o a c h .

They are optimizing regional office by reducing the size

of their offices outside of Dhaka and in urban areas.

Instead of using traditional air conditioning they are using

eco-friendly air condition to reduce expenses. As GP is a

big company they have many operational vehicles and a

huge number of these vehicles remain unused most of the

time. So they are giving these vehicles for rent. By that

they are generating revenue and reducing operational

expenses.

These are the major objectives and strategies of G rameenphone, which

they use to sustain their pos ition in the Telecommunication industry of

Bangladesh.

7. Management Issues:

The working environment in Grameenphone is very e m p l o ye e -

f r i e n d l y. E v e r y e m p l o ye e a t d i f f e r e n t h i e r a r c h i c a l l e v e l s w o r k s c o h e s i v e l y

w i t h o t h e r e m p l o ye e s . E a c h e m p l o ye e h a s b e e n w e l l t r a i n e d t o a c k n o w l e d g e

and adhere to the cultural values of Grameenphone. The mindset, values

Grameenphone 24

a n d b e h a v i o u r o f t h e e m p l o ye e s a l l i n d i c a t e t o t h e s t r o n g o r g a n i z a t i o n a l

c u l t u r e t h a t G r a m e e n p h o n e u p h o l d s . T h e e m p l o ye e s l e a r n t h e c u l t u r e b y t h e

repetitive sequence of activities that express and reinforce their important

organizational values. Hence, employees show greater commitment to the

values.

The internal operations of a firm determine the strengths and

weaknesses of a firm. Strengths allow the firm to take advantage of

opportunities available in the environment, while weaknes ses represent

potential threats to the organization and limit the strategies available to

the firm. Grameephone therefore has been very much successful in doing

so, thus being the market leader for years.

Grameephone has been managed by competent manage rs over the

years. Maintaining the internal and external environments and training the

e m p l o ye e s a c c o r d i n g l y i s a d i f f i c u l t t a s k . A t G r a m e e n p h o n e , t h e L e a r n i n g

and Development (L & D) department is responsible for training the

e m p l o ye e s . T h e m a n a g e r w e i n t e r v i e w e d i s M r . S ye d M a s u d M a h m o o d , t h e

Global L & D Partner (Global Learning & Development, People &

Organization) at Grameenphone Ltd. He has been working here since 2007

a n d h a s b e e n a c o m p e t e n t m a n a g e r t h r o u g h o u t t h e s e ye a r s a n d i s r e c o g n i s e d

b y m a n y. T h e s t r o n g c u l t u r a l v a l u e s e n v i s i o n e d b y t h e c o m p a n y i s s t i l l

b e i n g w i d e l y h e l d b y t h e e m p l o ye e s . A s a m a n a g e r , i t ' s i m p o r t a n t t o m a k e

s u r e t h a t t h e e m p l o ye e s k n o w w h a t t h e y' r e w o r k i n g f o r , k e e p i n g t h e c o r e

v a l u e s o f t h e c o m p a n y i n m i n d . A l s o , g i v i n g t h e e m p l o ye e s a f l o o r t o v o i c e
Grameenphone 25

t h e i r o p i n i o n s i s v e r y e s s e n t i a l , w h i c h t h e m a n a g e r f u l f i l l s w o n d e r f u l l y,

apart from being very cooperative.

However, it's not possible to not make errors in decision making. Not

all the packages provided by GP have been successfu l. These packages and

a p p s w e r e t h o u g h t t o b e w o n d e r f u l a t f i r s t , ye t w e r e u n w e l c o m e d b y

customers. These packages were then discarded and new, improved

packages and apps have replaced those to provide better services to the

customers.

8. Conclusion

In conclusion, we would like to state that Grameenphone has been

r u n n i n g s u c c e s s f u l l y o v e r t h e ye a r s . T h i s i s d u e t o t h e f a c t t h a t t h e c o m p a n y

knows how to address their customers ’ needs and wants and provide their

customers with the best service possible. As a n organisation, the company

believes in customer satisfaction, hence being very customer -centric. The

m a n a g e m e n t t r a i n s t h e i r e m p l o ye e s t o f o c u s t h i s e x a c t l y w h i l e r e t a i n i n g t h e

e m p l o ye e - c e n t r i c v a l u e s t o o . T h i s e n a b l e s a t r a n s p a r e n t c o m m u n i c a t i o n a n d

c o o p e r a t i o n b e t w e e n e m p l o ye e s , a p p r e c i a t i n g o t h e r s ' o p i n i o n s a n d w o r k s ,

not indulging in procrastination, all while upholding the company's strong

cultural values.
Grameenphone 26

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