EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The purpose of the dissertation was to find out the buyers buying behavior and customer satisfaction towards Hindustan Times in the city of Muzaffarpur.. The objective of the study was to understand the buyer’s behavior and satisfaction towards price, quality and availability of Hindustan Times in Muzaffarpur. The study also intended to find the various buying motives and the customer’s awareness level and acceptance level of customers and their expectation from Hindustan Times. The study will help the company to better position their products across various customer segments and also in creating the awareness about the quality of the companies various product line through effective advertisement. The information was collected through a well structured questionnaire by a house hold survey, the target respondents being anybody who is residing in Muzaffarpur and has use for newspaper.. The research design is descriptive in nature. The sampling technique used was convenience sampling. The data collected through the questionnaire has been analyzed using statistical tools such as percentage analysis. MS Excel has been used to analyze the data. It was found by analyzing the date that there is strong brand awareness about Hindustan times. The majority of the customers were found to be men and students at that. Availability of
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The purpose of the dissertation was to find out the buyers buying behavior and customer
satisfaction towards Hindustan Times in the city of Muzaffarpur.. The objective of the study was
to understand the buyer’s behavior and satisfaction towards price, quality and availability of
Hindustan Times in Muzaffarpur. The study also intended to find the various buying motives and
the customer’s awareness level and acceptance level of customers and their expectation from
Hindustan Times. The study will help the company to better position their products across
various customer segments and also in creating the awareness about the quality of the companies
various product line through effective advertisement.
The information was collected through a well structured questionnaire by a house hold survey,
the target respondents being anybody who is residing in Muzaffarpur and has use for newspaper..
The research design is descriptive in nature. The sampling technique used was convenience
sampling. The data collected through the questionnaire has been analyzed using statistical tools
such as percentage analysis. MS Excel has been used to analyze the data.
It was found by analyzing the date that there is strong brand awareness about Hindustan times.
The majority of the customers were found to be men and students at that. Availability of
newspaper in the early morning times has been found to be a major advantage.
The suggestion revolve around the findings and objective of the study the major suggestions
being introduction of value adding services like home delivery by the company itself and Also
added stress on advertisement is suggested to target the customers more effectively.
FACTORS INFLUENCING CONSUMER BUYING BEHA VIOR
This figure represents the major influences on consumer buying decisions. There are intra-
personal, inter-personal and many other environmental variables that affect consumer decision
making process. The inter-personal influences include family, social class, reference group,
cultural and financial status of an individual. The intra-personal variables include motivation,
perception, learning, attitudes and personality of the buyer.
EVOLUTION OF MARKETING
1. Barter System:
The goods are exchanged against goods, without any other medium of exchange like
money.
2. Production Orientation:
This was the stage where producers, instead of being concerned with the consumer
preferences, concentrating on the mass production of goods for the purpose of profit.
They cared very little about the customers.
3. Sales Orientation:
This stage witness major changes in all the spheres of economic life. The selling activity
becomes the dominating factor without any efforts for the satisfaction of the consumer
needs.
4. Marketing Orientation:
Customers’ importance was realized only as a means of disposing of goods produced.
Competition becomes stiffer. Aggressive advertising, personal selling large scale sales
promotion etc are used as tools to boost sales.
5. Consumer Orientation:
Under this stage only such products are brought forward to the markets which are capable
of satisfying the taste and expatiation of consumer and to satisfy customers.
6. Management Orientation:
The marketing function assumes the managerial role to coordinate all the interacting
businesses with the objectives of planning, promoting and distributing want – satisfying
products and service to the present and potential customers.
INTRODUCTION TO CONSUMER BUYING BEHAVIOR
Today’s markets are witnessing several changes in character and complexity at an incredible
pace. The last few decades have seen companies operating in a highly competitive environment.
In the present scenario each and every marketing activity revolves around the customers and the
economy is referred to as CONSUMER DRIVEN. It is the focal point of all business activities.
In the earlier stage of economic revolution, consumer had to accept what producer had produced
that is caveat emptor, which means buyer bewares. But today consumer dictates the quality
standers, the specification to the manufacturer to manufacture what they wants and corporate
strategies evolved around the consumer changing to caveat vendor, that is seller beware. Now
the marketing managers have come to a conclusion that the best way to achieve success is to
serve and satisfy the consumer needs.
DEFINITION AND MEANING OF CONSUMER BUYING BEHAVIOR
Consumer buying behavior is define as “ all psychological, social and physical behavior of
potential customer as they become aware of, evaluate, purchase, consume, tell others about the
products and services”.
Behavior is a minor in which everyone shows his or her image. It is a process of responding to
stimuli. Consumer behavior is to do with the activities of individuals in obtaining and using the
goods and services, it encompasses the decision making process that precedes and determines
purchases. It is the process whereby individuals decide whether, what, when, how and from
whom to purchase goods and services.
A consumer market can be defined as all the individuals and households who buy goods and
services for personal consumptions.
INTRODUCTION TO CONSUMER SATISFACTION
Customer satisfaction, a business term, is a measure of how products and services supplied by a
company meet or surpass customer expectation. It is seen as a key performance indicator within
business and is part of the four perspectives of a Balanced Scorecard.
In a competitive marketplace where businesses compete for customers, customer satisfaction is
seen as a key differentiator and increasingly has become a key element of business strategy.
MEASURING CUSTOMER SATISFACTION:
Organizations are increasingly interested in retaining existing customers while targeting non-
customers; measuring customer satisfaction provides an indication of how successful the
organization is at providing products and/or services to the marketplace.
Customer satisfaction is an ambiguous and abstract concept and the actual manifestation of the
state of satisfaction will vary from person to person and product/service to product/service. The
state of satisfaction depends on a number of both psychological and physical variables which
correlate with satisfaction behaviors such as return and recommend rate. The level of satisfaction
can also vary depending on other options the customer may have and other products against
which the customer can compare the organization's products.
Because satisfaction is basically a psychological state, care should be taken in the effort of
quantitative measurement, although a large quantity of research in this area has recently been
developed. Work done by Berry (Bart Allen) and Brodeur between 1990 and 1998 defined ten
'Quality Values' which influence satisfaction behavior, further expanded by Berry in 2002 and
known as the ten domains of satisfaction. These ten domains of satisfaction include: Quality,
Value, Timeliness, Efficiency, Ease of Access, Environment, Inter-departmental Teamwork,
Fever 104 FM, a private radio station from HT Media Ltd, is present in the most vibrant and
important markets of India including Delhi-the national capital, Mumbai-the financial nucleus,
Bangalore-the technology hub and Kolkata-the cultural capital. Fever 104 FM has pioneered
format programming in India by offering the latest contemporary regional, national and
international hits. The station stays true to its core brand promise of “It’s all about the music”
with the best quality and maximum quantity of music on-air through its signature property of 40
minutes of non-stop music. Fever 104 has also been a trendsetter in organizing successful
listener-focused promotions.
While Fever 104 FM caters to 18-34 SEC A/B audience, its primary target
audience is the 18-24 year old young adult, who is typically a college-goer or a young
professional. Fever 104 FM has established itself as a discerning, witty, innovative radio station
which seeks to bond with its listeners, through both its on and off-air tone and content.
Fever 104 has also been involved in exciting and innovative concepts like Fever Jam, Music
Election and the Fever 104 Concert with A.R. Rahman, thus well and truly positioning Fever 104
as the brand that’s all about the music.
An organizational structure is a mostly hierarchical concept of subordination of entities that
collaborate and contribute to serve one common aim.
Organizations are a variant of clustered entities. The structure of an organization is usually set up
in many a styles, dependent on their objectives and ambience. The structure of an organization
will determine the modes in which it shall operate and will perform.
Organizational structure allows the expressed allocation of responsibilities for different functions and processes to different entities. Ordinary description of such entities is as branch, site, department, work groups and single people. Contracting of individuals in an organizational structure normally is under timely limited work contracts or work orders or under timely unlimited employment contracts or program orders.
Organization structure
Muzaffarpur Unit (Business)
Unit Head(Business Head-muzaffarpur)
Media marketing Sales HR Finance Supply chain
M. Marketing Head
Production News Print IT
Marketing Operation Ad account
Machine Operation Printing Binding &
maintenance dispatch
Sales Operation Sales acct.
Inventory maintenance Supply Claim &Settlement Waste control
Human Resources Department
The Human Resources Management (HRM) function includes a variety of activities, and key
among them is deciding what staffing needs you have and whether to use independent
contractors or hire employees to fill these needs, recruiting and training the best employees,
ensuring they are high performers, dealing with performance issues, and ensuring your personnel
and management practices conform to various regulations. Activities also include managing your
approach to employee benefits and compensation, employee records and personnel policies.
Usually small businesses (for-profit or nonprofit) have to carry out these activities themselves
because they can't yet afford part- or full-time help. However, they should always ensure that
employees have -- and are aware of -- personnel policies which conform to current regulations.
These policies are often in the form of employee manuals, which all employees have.
The Human Resources Department is responsible for the administration of a modern
personnel merit system and an effective affirmative action program consistent with applicable
provisions of law.
A. Recruiting and examination of applicants.
B. Development of job classifications, including wages and benefits.
C. Responsibility for labor relations, union negotiations, and employee relations.
D. Maintenance of personnel records.
E. Development and implementation of personnel policies, programs, and procedures.
F. Implementation and administration of employee development and training programs.
G. Provision of staff support to the Personnel Board.
H. Management of a City-wide benefits program.
I. Administration of City-wide safety, workers' compensation and loss prevention programs.
Shri Dinesh Mittal
VP-Legal, Tax & Company Secretary
HT Media Limited
Policy of company-
HT Media Ltd. is the sole owner of the website http://www.htmedia.in/ (hereinafter "website").
The Policy is applicable to the website. It may also be applicable generally to their other related
websites provided it appears at the footer of the page therein.
Information Collection
Use
The information provided by the company shall be used by them to:
Improve their website and enable them to provide us the most user-friendly experience
which is safe, smooth and customized;
Improve and customize their services, content and other commercial /non - commercial
features on the website;
Send their information on their products, services, special deals, promotions;
Send to us service-related announcements on rare occasions when it is necessary to do
so;
Provide us the opportunity to participate in contests or surveys on our website (If we
participate, they may request certain additional personally identifiable information from
us. Moreover, participation in these surveys or contests is shall be completely voluntary
and therefore shall have a choice whether or not to disclose such additional information);
Provide customer support and the services we request;
Resolve disputes, if any and troubleshooting;
Avoid/check illegal and/or potentially prohibited activities and to enforce Agreements ;
A scan of the internal and external environment is an important part of the strategic planning
process. Environmental factors internal to the firm usually can be classified as strengths (S) or
weaknesses (W), and those external to the firm can be classified as opportunities (O) or threats
The SWOT analysis provides information that is helpful in matching
the firm's resources and capabilities to the competitive environment in which it operates. As
such, it is instrumental in strategy formulation and selection.
POSITIVE NEGATIVE
INTERNAL Strengths Weaknesses
EXTERNAL Opportunities Threats
SWOT ANALISIS OF HT MEDIA LTD.-
STRENGTHS-
Brand image/equity.
Large network.
It is equipped with highly skilled technical employees in the form of experienced and
qualified persons.
Added strength of HT media is its supportive staff in achieving the goals of organization
Top level management is very supportive in experimenting of the organization.
HT media is one of the leading company in the industry.
WEAKNESS-
Due to the large network it is very tuff task to handle it.
Lack of marketing expertise.
Undifferentiated products or services(i.e.in relation to the competitors)
OPPERTUNITIES-
Business expansion with strength & dynamics.
Segmentation in news channels.
Could develop new product.
Local competitors have poor product.
Support core business economies.
THREATS-
Environmental effects would favour larger competitors.
Retention of key staff critical because of big network channel.
Vulnerable to reactive attack by major competitors.
Values & Vision -
Vision-
HT Media strives to be a visionary organization and not an organization with a vision. In our
endeavour to have a shared understanding, alignment and commitment, we have derived our
company’s vision that sets the course and empowers people to take action.
Values-
The values personified by HT Media are:
Courage-
To encourage the ability that meets opposition with skill, competence and fortitude.
Responsibility-
Be accountable for results in line with the company’s objectives, strategies and values
Empowerment-
Support our people and give them the freedom to perform and to provide our readers with
information to influence their environment.
Continuous Self Renewal-
Determination to constantly re-examine and re-invent ourselves for further innovation and
creativity.
Goals of the organization-
HT media-A rich heritage to live up to organizational values are the foundation stone on which
the organization’s image is built. These help the company realize its organizational goals and in
turn transform lives. Their values drives them towards their goals of expansion, diversification
and excellence.
SUGGESTION
It was really a memorable training undergone by me at HT Media ltd., of course as a student of second Year M.B.A. It was really an enthusiastic & unforgettable experience for me.
Here by I conclude by giving certain suggestion:-
The company has to concentrate more on new comers providing with better focused
training, in order to reduce wastage of products in the process.
Company Should be segment in news channel.
The company must concentrate more on exports as there is huge untapped potential in
those regions.
CONCLUSION-
HT Media found its beginning in 1924 when its flagship newspaper, Hindustan Times was
inaugurated by Mahatma Gandhi. HT Media (BSE, NSE) has today grown to become one of
India's largest media companies.
Produced by an editorial team known for its quality, innovation and integrity,
Hindustan Times (English) and Hindustan (Hindi), have a combined daily circulation of 2.25
million copies and a readership base of 12.4 million readers to their credit. Both dailies enjoy a
strong brand recognition among readers as well as advertisers.
To cater to the large readership base, HT Media operates 19 printing facilities
across India with an installed capacity of 1.5 million copies per hour.
All the departments were managed very well & there was clear delegation of Authority &
Responsibility, Right & Duties. Due to quality products, smart work of technical team &
joint efforts of management & workers the company has bright future.
Since last some year’s company has been developed more and more. The
company gets excellence service and support from its expertise managerial group and the
company holds excellent industrial relation.
ANNEXURE-1
QUESTIONNAIRE
I am a MBA student of Acharya Institute of management & sciences, Bangalore doing a
dissertation, which titled as “A study on consumer buying behavior of Hindustan Times in
Muzaffarpur”. Your feedback will be of immense benefit to me. This information will be used
only for academic purpose. Kindly co-operate.
PART – A
1. Name : ________________________________________________
2. Age : ________________________________________________
3. How have you come to know about HindustanTimes & its product lines?
Hoarding/Posters Television Word of mouth
4. From whom do you purchase Hindustan Times & its product line?
Door delivery Near by shop
5. Which is the best page you like in Hindustan Times?
Global page Local page Political page ditorial page
Economic / Business page Sports page
6. Are you satisfied with other media services?
yes no
7. End use of Newspaper? Local information Employment information
Product information Political information International information
8. Which page you Read first?
Front page Global page Local page Economic page Sports page
9. How do you rate the overall quality of Hindustan Times?
Excellent Good Average Below average
10. Are you satisfied with the products of Hindustan Times and its product lines?
Highly satisfied Satisfied need to be improved Poor
If unsatisfied give reason
11. Do you have any suggestion for the improvement of Hindustan Times & its product
line?
ANNEXURE-2
FINANCIAL RESULTS
The highlights of performance of your Company during the financial year ended on 31st March, 2009 are as follows:
(Rs. in Crore)
PARTICULARS 2008-09 2007-08
Total Income 1357.77 1226.92Profit before Interest, Depreciation, Tax &Exceptional Items
220.02 263.63
Interest 31.69 17.73
Profit before Depreciation, Tax &Exceptional Items
188.33 245.90
Depreciation 55.01 44.67Profit before Tax & Exceptional Items
133.32 201.23
Exceptional Items 18.82 -Profit before Tax 114.50 201.23Provision for Taxes 3.45 51.28Deferred Tax Charge 25.82 5.40Profit after Tax 85.23 144.55Balance from previous years broughtforward (Net of adjustment)
251.31 128.72
Amount available for appropriation 336.54 273.27Appropriations -• Transfer to General Reserve• Proposed Dividend on Equity Shares• Tax on Dividend Distribution
5.007.051.20
11.009.371.59
Balance carried forward to 323.29 251.31
Balance sheet
Websites:
http://www.htmedia.in
http://www.hindustantimes.com
Other sources:
Information provided by the employees. Newspaper. Magazine.