Developing a sustainable business model for the micro enterprises
Student name: Ms Ankita Sharma
Guide: Dr Manipadma Datta
Year of completion: 2013
Host Organisation: Cairn India Ltd.
Supervisor (Host Organisation): Mr Parthasarthy Changdar
Abstract: Cairn India Limited (CIL) is one of the biggest companies in South Asia engaged in oil exploration and extraction of
hydro carbon products. In India its operation extends to Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh and Rajasthan. Its philosophy is
to conduct business in socially responsible manner guided by robust policy for Corporate Social Responsibility. It
has biggest operation in S’Yanam and new exploration has been started in Nagyalanka, Krishna district of Andhra
Pradesh.
In context of Andhra Pradesh, they have identified i) health ii) education iii) economic development and iv)
infrastructure as focused areas of interventions under its CSR framework. Since beginning of its operation, societal
concerns and economic development of community, especially, living close to its operational area is one the most
important items on their agenda.
In view of the fact that employment opportunities with CIL and its contractors are shrinking due to stabilization of
operations at different assets of CIL and to manage the expectations of community residing in its operational areas,
CIL is keen to develop a robust strategy for creating additional livelihood options by engaging them in sustainable
income generating activities and promotion of MEs to be set up by the budding entrepreneurs of the community.
Guided by this concern, CIL provided this task to me to undertake a scoping study to identify sustainable income
generating activities and areas of promotion of MEs and craft a strategy for its promotion.
The main objectives of the study are as follows:
• To develop a sustainable business model for the existing activities of the women micro enterprises by
establishing the market linkages for them.
• To identify the key livelihoods activities which could be up scaled through various options such as
enhancing the productivity and efficiency, minimizing the cost of production, value addition and market
linkages
• To identify appropriate interventions of micro-enterprise/income generation for sustainable income
• To identify the key product from the Cairn target area which has a potential to meet the critical mass of
production for marketing and value addition
• To identify possible innovations and introduction of micro-enterprise activities based on the strength and
constraints of the existing livelihoods activities of the community in Cairn target villages,
