Mba Report on Branded Laptop Computer

A A

Major Project Study Report On Major Project Study Report On

TitledTitled

“A STUDY OF CUSTOMER“A STUDY OF CUSTOMER

PURCHASE DECISION TOWARDS LAPTOPS.”PURCHASE DECISION TOWARDS LAPTOPS.”

(Special Reference to Udaipur)

Submitted in partial fulfillment for the Submitted in partial fulfillment for the

Award of degree of Award of degree of

Master of Business AdministrationMaster of Business Administration

Submitted toSubmitted to

Rajasthan Technical University, KotaRajasthan Technical University, Kota(www.rtu.ac.in)(www.rtu.ac.in)

Session 2008-2010Session 2008-2010

Under the Guidance of:Under the Guidance of: Submitted By:Submitted By:

Mr. Mukesh Kumawat Mr. Mukesh Kumawat Jitendra MehraJitendra Mehra

Project Guide & FacultyProject Guide & Faculty MBA IVMBA IVthth Sem. Sem.

Vision School of ManagementVision School of Management (Affiliated to Rajasthan Technical University & Approved by A I C T E)(Affiliated to Rajasthan Technical University & Approved by A I C T E)

Udaipur Road, Chittorgarh (Raj.)Udaipur Road, Chittorgarh (Raj.)E-mail: E-mail: [email protected][email protected]

Website: Website: www.visionmanagement.orgwww.visionmanagement.org

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PrefacePreface

This MRP is prepared as the partial fulfillment for Two-Year degree Program of

MBA curriculum of Rajasthan Technical University, Kota. It is expected from an MBA to

possess a good communication & effective presentation skills.

Objectives of the project report, these are:-

It is uphold the dignity of individual

It is honor all commitments

It is committed to quality, Innovation and growth in every endeavor

It is responsible Corporate Citizens.

The research provides an opportunity to a student to demonstrate application of his/her

knowledge, skill and competencies required during the technical session. Research also helps

the student to devote his/her skill to analyze the problem to suggest alternative solutions, to

evaluate them and to provide feasible recommendations on the provided data. Although I

have tried my level best to prepare this report an error free report every effort has been made

to offer the most authenticate position with accuracy. This report contains a number of

additional features:

Introduces electronic industry in India, general c electronic manufacturing

process, SWOT analysis, price & profit to the firm, trend & players, domestic

players, market opportunities for investment & company profile & objectives of

the report.

On conceptual framework which related to electronic market (in the public sector,

interpretative models.

On data analysis & interpretation related to electronic products.

On observation & finding, conclusions & suggestion related to research

methodology, data analysis & interpretation which consider the topic of

“A STUDY OF CUSTOMER PURCHASE DECISION

TOWARDS LAPTOPS.”

A bibliography in project report is provided at the end that should serve as good

sources of reference material for learners & researchers in the area.

An annexure appears at the end of the report that provides some useful sources of

information on the Internet regarding project report. This should prove to be a welcome

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features for those persons who would like to access the net for more information on issues

covered in this project report.

DECLARATIONDECLARATION

This is to certify that Market Research Project Report on “A STUDY OF

CUSTOMER PURCHASE DECISION TOWARDS LAPTOPS. (Special Reference

to Udaipur)” submitted by me in Masters of Business Administration Program from Vision

School Of Management, Chittorgarh [Rajasthan Technical University, Kota] is my

original work and the project report has not formed the basis for the award of any

diploma, degree, associate ship, fellowship or similar other titles. Embodies the original

work done by me under the able guidance and supervision of Mr. Mukesh Kumawat

(Guide & Faculty) Vision School of Management, Chittorgarh.

No part of this report has been produced from any other summer project, monograph,

report or book and all facts and figures have been confirmed by organizational guide.

------------------------------ ------------------------------

Mukesh Kumawat Jitendra Mehra

Project Guide M.B.A. IV Sem.

Date--------------------- Date-------------------

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTACKNOWLEDGEMENT

The successful completion of a Market Research Project Report

requires guidance & help from a number of people. I was fortunate

to have all the support from my teachers. I therefore take this

opportunity to express my profound sense of gratitude to the all

those who extended their whole hearted help and support to me in

completing the project study report work on

“A STUDY OF CUSTOMER PURCHASE DECISION “A STUDY OF CUSTOMER PURCHASE DECISION

TOWARDS LAPTOPS.TOWARDS LAPTOPS.

(Special Reference to Udaipur)” (Special Reference to Udaipur)”

I also express my deep sense of gratitude to Mr. Mukesh Kumawat (Guide

& Faculty), who has helped us to do our project. We also thank to other faculty of

VSM & respondents for his valuable help in each stage of the project. Because of

his co-operation and continuous guidance successful completion of this project

study report was made possible.

I am sincerely thankful to Dr. A.L. Jain (Director, Vision School of

Management) for allowing me to undertake the report and making

available all facilities for the successful completion of the report

besides guiding me to pursue the study on proper line.

I also express my deep sense of gratitude towards Miss. Nisha

Jain, Mr. Vibhor Paliwal, Mr. Rahul Jain, Mrs. Pratibha

Pagaria, Ms. Shobhika Tyagi (Faculty), P.L. Dashora

(Librarian) & all faculty members.

No Acknowledge would suffice for the support my family members, my training

colleagues, classmates & friends.

Lastly, I extend my thanks to all those whose name have not been mentioned way in

successfully carrying out the project report.

ThankingYou:

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Jitendra Mehra

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EXECUTIVE SUMMARYEXECUTIVE SUMMARY

India's premier information, enabling specifies requirements for a quality management

system where an organization needs to demonstrate its ability to consistently provide

product and services that meets customer and applicable regulatory requirements.

The menu of Industry global services broadly covers IT consulting and professional

services in the area of vertical applications, technology integration, ERP implementation

and software development. This also includes a complete portfolio of systems and

network services for development. This also includes a complete portfolio of systems and

network services for Facilities Management, Helpdesks, Systems Supports and network

and Internet Implementation.

Computer Industry customers include Samsung, Government of Singapore, and AMAL

insurance Jurong Port in Singapore and Malaysian’s BSN commercial bank, SIA, DBS

bank, Maybank life assurance charted semiconductors.

Electronic Industry chosen platform of total technology integration lends itself to some

very significant alliances with the global leaders.

Today the industry has aligned its operations into five entities that offer seamless linkages

for the customers seeking entry into the wired world through total the. ‘Integration

solution ands services’.

The industry focuses on the ever-growing segment in Imaging, Telecom and

Communication products solutions and services. Now it has an exclusive sale and

support.

The Industry Managed Network Service offerings for corporate include VPNs,

ASP offerings, Co Location/ hosting, CDNs, security, corporate internet telephony

solutions, technical and consumer help desks, 24/7 Network Operations Centre

monitoring and a host of value added networking services. Consumer services include

dialup PSTN/ISDN Internet access, Valufon calling cards and VoIP telephony devices.

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Table of ContentTable of Content

Certificate I

Preface II

Declaration III

Acknowledgement IV

Executive Summary V

Table of Contents VI

Chapter No. TITLE PAGE NO.

1 Industry Introduction 1-31

A Company Profile & Their Products 32-55

2 Conceptual Framework 56-74

A Review of Literature 75-87

3 Research Methodology 88-90

A Data Analysis & Interpretation 91-108

Finding & Conclusion 109

Suggestion 110

Bibliography 111

Annexure 112-114

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Chapter No.: 01Chapter No.: 01

OVERVIEW OF THE

INDIAN ELECTRONIC MARKET

ELECTRONICS INDUSTRY IN INDIA

INDUSTRY OVERVIEW

Historical Developments

The Electronics Industry in India took off around 1965 with an orientation

towards space and defence technologies. This was rigidly controlled and initiated by

the government. This was followed by developments in consumer electronics mainly

with transistor radios, Black & White TV, Calculators and other audio products.

Colour Televisions soon followed. In 1982-a significant year in the history of

television in India - the government allowed thousands of colour TV sets to be

imported into the country to coincide with the broadcast of Asian Games in New

Delhi. 1985 saw the advent of Computers and Telephone exchanges, which were

succeeded by Digital Exchanges in 1988. The period between 1984 and 1990 was the

golden period for electronics during which the industry witnessed continuous and

rapid growth.

From 1991 onwards, there was first an economic crises triggered by the Gulf

War which was followed by political and economic uncertainties within the country.

Pressure on the electronics industry remained though growth and developments have

continued with digitalisation in all sectors, and more recently the trend towards

convergence of technologies. After the software boom in mid 1990s India's focus

shifted to software. While the hardware sector was treated with indifference by

successive governments. Moreover the steep fall in custom tariffs made the hardware

sector suddenly vulnerable to international competition. In 1997 the ITA agreement

was signed at the WTO where India committed itself to total elimination of all

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Introduction:-

customs duties on IT hardware by 2005. In the subsequent years, a number of

companies turned sick and had to be closed down. At the same time companies like

Moser Baer, Samtel Colour, Celetronix etc. have made a mark globally.

Current Scenario

In recent years the electronic industry is growing at a brisk pace. It is currently worth

US$ 32 Billion and according to industry estimates it has the potential to reach US$

150 billion by 2010. The largest segment is the consumer electronics segment. While

is largest export segment is of components. The electronic industry in India constitutes

just 0.7 per cent of the global electronic industry. Hence it is miniscule by

international comparison. However the demand in the Indian market is growing

rapidly and investments are flowing in to augment manufacturing capacity.

The output of the Electronic Hardware Industry in India is worth US$11.6 Billion at

present. India is also an exporter of a vast range of electronic components and

products for the following segments

• Display technologies

• Entertainment electronics

• Optical Storage devices

• Passive components

• Electromechanical components

• Telecom equipment

• Transmission & Signaling equipment

• Semiconductor designing

• Electronic Manufacturing Services (EMS)

This growth has attracted global players to India and leaders like Solectron,

Flextronics, Jabil, Nokia, Elcoteq and many more have made large investments to

access the Indian market. In consumer electronics Korean companies such as LG and

Samsung have made commitments by establishing large manufacturing facilities and

now enjoy a significant share in the growing market for products such as Televisions,

CD/DVD Players, Audio equipment and other entertainment products.

The growth in telecom products demand has been breathtaking and India is adding 2

million mobile phone users every month! With telecom penetration of around 10 per

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cent, this growth is expected to continue at least over the next decade. Penetration

levels in other high growth products are equally high and growth in demand for

Computer/ IT products, auto electronics, medical, industrial, as well as consumer

electronics is equally brisk. Combined with low penetration levels and the Indian

economy growing at an impressive 7 per cent per annum, the projection of a US$150

Billion+ market is quite realistic and offers an excellent opportunity to electronics

players worldwide.

Electronic Manufacturing Services

India is well-known for its software prowess. But on the hardware front, the progress

is rather slow. However, the country has been making gains in this sector also. lready,

50 Electronics Manufacturing Services (EMS)/Original Design Manufacturers

(ODMs) providers are operating in India, ranging from global players including

Flextronics and Solectron to indigenous firms including Deltron, TVS Electronics and

Sahasra. Further moves by international players are expected to add production in

India in the coming years. India’s contract-manufacturing business is expected to

nearly triple in revenue over the next five years, a development that will present both

opportunities and potential pitfalls for the worldwide electronics supply chain.

Revenue generated by Electronics Manufacturing Services (EMS) providers and

Original Design Manufacturers (ODMs) in India will expand to $2.03 billion in 2009,

rising at a CAGR of 21 per cent from $774 million in 2004. Indian EMS/ODM

revenue grew by 20.8 per cent to reach $935 million in 2005. Obvious allure of

locating electronics production in India is the nation’s low labor costs. Labor costs for

conducting electronics manufacturing in India are between 30 to 40 per cent less than

in the United States or in Western Europe. Other equally important benefits from

operating in India include a fast-growing domestic market, an excellent education

system, the nation’s technology parks and the recent improvements in the country’s

transit and utility infrastructure.

However, the Indian contract-manufacturing industry is not expected to pose a

significant threat to China’s position as the epicenter of electronics manufacturing in

the short term. India’s contract manufacturing activities primarily serve the nation’s

indigenous demand.

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OEMs primarily outsource manufacturing to cater to the Indian domestic market,

although export of Indian-assembled electronic goods does occur. In the longer term,

i.e. 2009 onward, it is predicted that India may compete with the Chinese providers in

select products as the nation’s share of the global electronics market increases.For

OEMs, using contract manufacturing services in India can help them penetrate the

local market. However, OEMs face specific risks associated with using contract

manufacturers in India. Fluid exchange rates combined with volatile oil and

component prices lead to unpredictable costs. Changing government policies along

with shifting government regimes also contribute to an unpredictable political

environment. Doing business in India is often disjointed, with an inefficient

bureaucratic system that causes frequent delays. However, for OEMs able to manage

these risks, the opportunity in India is significant. The semiconductor fabrication

segment has a small existing base in India with only two fabrication units, which both

are developing chips for the defense and strategic sectors. However, semiconductor

suppliers are expanding their manufacturing activities in India to serve the growing

contract-manufacturing industry in the nation. As evidence of this trend,

groundbreaking commenced on a 200 mm fabrication unit in Hyderabad operated by

Nano-

Tech Silicon India Ltd.

Electronic Contract Manufacturing Revenue

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Recent trends show that an increasing number of engineering and design activities are

also being outsorced to EMS companies and they are becoming ODMs (Original

Design manufacturers) and also provide final system integration and logistical support

E&Y have projected that India can target a share of 1 per cent in North America, 2 per

cent in Western Europe, 4 per cent of Asia and 5 per cent of Rest of the World of the

Electronics Manufacturing Services market. Thus India can target 2.2 per cent of the

world-wide electronics EMS market of US$497 Billion by 2010 which works out to a

potential of US$11 Billion.

The recent acceleration in EMS activity is mainly due to rapid growth in the electronic

Hardware market in all segments particularly rapid growth has taken place in Telecom

Infrastructure Equipment, computers, Consumer & Hand held devices.

Behind the impressive growth of the electronics industry is the robust and consistent

growth in Electronic Hardware market of approximately 25 per cent due to a stable

economy & large middle class of 350 million people. The fastest growing segments

are demand for telecom services particularly cell phones, internet subscribers &

growth in demand for it products with increasing penetration of computers, falling

prices & Government support to rapidly encourage usage of IT in all sectors. Within

next 5 years penetration of telephone users (both landline & mobile) is projected to

increase from 100 to 500 per thousand while PC's increase from 10 to 30 plus per

thousand. Some of the other factors are • Highly talented workforce, especially for

design and engineering services with good

communication skills.

• Rising labor costs in China.

• Presence of global Electronics Manufacturing Services (EMS) majors in India and

their plans for increased investments in India.

• More outsourcing of manufacturing by both Indian and global Original Equipment

Manufacturers

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Production Trend of Different Segments

Consumer Electronics

Consumer electronics (durables) sector continues to be the main stay of the Indian

electronic industry contributing about 32 per cent of the total electronic hardware

production. By the end of 2005-06, the market for consumer durables (including

entertainment electronics, communitarian and IT products) was Rs 180 billion (US

$4.5 billion). The market is expected to grow at 10 to 12 per cent annually and is

expected to reach Rs 60 billion (US$13.3 billion) by 2008. The urban consumer

durables market is growing at an annual rate Corporate Catalyst India A report on

Indian Electronics Industry of seven to 10 per cent, the rural durables market is

growing at 25 per cent annually. Some high-growth categories within this segment

include mobile phones, TVs and music systems.

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Computer Industry

With sound macroeconomic condition and buoyant buying sentiment in the market,

PC sales touched 6.5 million units during 2006-07. The high growth in PC sales is

attributed to increased consumption by Industry verticals such as Telecom, Banking

and Financial Services, Manufacturing, Education, Retail and BPO/IT-enabled

services as well as major e- Governance initiatives of the Central and State

Governments. Significant consumption in the small and medium enterprises and

increased PC purchase in smaller towns and cities was witnessed during the year. It is

expected that increased Government focus on pan-India deployment of broadband at

one of the lowest costs in the world will soon lead to accelerated PC consumption in

the home market. The growing domestic IT market has now given impetus to

manufacturing in India. The year witnessed not only capacity expansion by the

existing players, but also newer investments in hardware manufacturing. India is also

high on the agenda of electronics manufacturing services companies.

This is now a matured industry sector in the country at least as far as various

application segments is concerned. State-of-art and reliable SCADA, PLC/Data

Acquisition systems are being applied across various sections of the process industry.

Latest AC drive systems from smaller to very high power levels also find application

in large engineering industries like steel plants and/or metal industries. World class

UPS systems are being manufactured in the country to cater to the need of the

emerging digital economy. However, it appears there is really no manufacturing base

in the country for the whole range of the latest test and measuring instruments which

are invariably procured from outside. A good number of Indian companies in the

control and instrumentation sector are able to acquire orders for export systems

through international competitive bidding.

However, the creation of knowledge base in the country through industrial R&D in

this critical sector has not been improving as desired. There is still lack of needed

R&D activities by the industry looking at the global market. On the part of

Department of Information Technology some of the latest technology development

and applications in this area include Intelligent SCADA Systems for monitoring and

control of Mini Hydel plants, Advanced Traffic Control System for urban

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tranPCation, Intelligent Power Controllers for improvement of quality of electric

power, etc. These systems have been successfully developed and applied in real field

conditions.

Communication & Broadcasting Sector

The telecommunication industry has gained tremendous recognition as the key driver

for all round development and growth. With about 256 million telephone subscribers

(as on Corporate Catalyst India A report on Indian Electronics Industry February,

2007) India has emerged as one of the largest in the world and second largest in Asia.

The share of private sector in telecom industry has increased to more than 57 per cent

and the contribution of mobile telephony has gone upto 63 per cent on December,

2007. Buoyed by the better-than-expected teledensity in 2005 (11.4 per cent against

8.6 per cent in 2004) due to the mobile boom in India, Department of

Telecommunications (DoT) has revised the upwards the target of 22 per cent

teledensity by 2007. Broadband connectivity is holding tremendous potential in the

country. It is expected that the number of broadband subscribers would reach 20

million by 2010. India has emerged as the second largest market for mobile handsets.

Following the unprecedented growth in the mobile market, a number of companies are

planning to set up production base for mobile hand sets in the country for meeting

local as well as export markets. Direct to Home (DTH) broadcast service has gained

more and more popularity during 2005. DTH service is available through National

Broadcaster and private DTH service provider. Better quality digital broadcast

reception is now available almost everywhere in the country to the common people on

their TV sets through the use of small dish antenna and a Set-Top Box (STB).

Strategic Electronics

Though the government has started the process of getting private sector involved in

the production of strategic electronics equipments, the private involvement is at its

nascent stage. The estimated market for strategic electronics in India during 2005-06

was Rs.32 billion and 95 per cent of this was done by the public sector unit Bharat

Electronics Limited (BEL).

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Electronic Components

The total production of components was estimated at Rs. 88 billion during 2005-06.

The colour picture tube production is likely to be around 11 million, a decline from

11.2 million in the last year. The production of B&W picture tubes declined further

due to decreased market for B&W TVs. The components with major share in the

export are CD-R, CPTs, PCBs, DVD-R, connectors, semiconductor devices, ferrites,

resistors, etc. Significant developments took place during the year in the area of colour

picture tubes and colour glass parts. Another CPT manufacturer successfully launched

manufacture of pure flat tubes, leading to availability of flat tubes from three

indigenous sources. The CPT units continued expansion of capacities to improve

further their global competitiveness. Two more lines were commissioned during the

year, one for manufacture of large size flat colour Corporate Catalyst India A report

on Indian Electronics Industry picture tubes and the second for small size. Two more

lines are likely to come up next year. Keeping pace with the downward trend in prices

of color TVs, the prices of CPTs also fell.

Production Trend of Different Segments

Computers Communication & Broadcast Equipment

Page 16

One of the CPT manufacturers successfully developed a prototype of the 42 Plasma

Display Panel. This marked a major achievement of a milestone in the area of

developing from green field a Technology development initiative in a Hi Tech area.

The focus of development was in optimizing the Plasma Display Cell design to

achieve the desired parameters of Contrast and Brightness, achieving high speed

response times and parallely designing the Scan and sustain driver boards to match the

Panel parameters. A fully functional video Controller was also designed and

developed to match the Logic Circuits of the PDP Panel. In the year 2006, the

company plans to begin selling commercially the PDP Panels developed completely

inhouse and the focus there on will be to create low cost products through

Technological breakthroughs. The color glass parts manufacturer implemented major

expansion of its capacity to meet increased local requirement due to substantial

growth in CPT production. The unit also started manufacture of glass parts for pure

flat tubes as the demand for such tubes increased due to one more unit launching

production during the year. Both the existing manufacturers of B/W glass parts

continued the production of colour funnels in their existing lines. They were also

planning to make large investment to set up manufacturing facilities for colour panels

in near future. A number of existing units imported capital goods under various

schemes for expansion of their capacities in PCBs, connectors, cable assemblies,

colour picture tubes, compact disc, glass parts for colour picture tubes, etc. Corporate

Catalyst India A report on Indian Electronics Industry The serviceable market for

professional grade components such as PCBs, semiconductor devices, connectors,

wound components, antennas, etc., is likely to go up due to launch of manufacture of

mobile handsets in the country.

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History of Laptop Computers - History

Left - Modern Laptop Today

It is a little hard to determine what was the first portable or laptop

computer, the first portable computers did not look like the book-

sized and folding laptops that we are familiar with today, however,

they were both portable and lapable, and lead to the development of notebook style

laptops. I have outlined several potential firsts below and how each qualifies, many of

the off-site links provide good photos of the computers that will let you see the

progression in design.

The First Laptop? Maybe

Designed in 1979 by a Briton, William Moggridge, for Grid Systems Corporation, the

Grid Compass was one fifth the weight of any model equivalent in performance and

was used by NASA on the space shuttle program in the early 1980's. A 340K byte

bubble memory lap-top computer with die-cast magnesium case and folding

electroluminescent graphics display screen.

HP Mini 210 Notebook Superior Entertianment Computing, Stunning Notbook

Designs, Visit Us!www.HP.com/IN/mini210

Gavilan Computer As The First Laptop?

Manny Fernandez had the idea for a well-designed laptop for executives who were

starting to use computer. Fernandez, who started Gavilan Computer, promoted his

machines as the first "laptop" computers in May 1983. Many historians consider the

Gavilan as the first fully functional laptop computer.

The First Laptop Computer - Osborne 1

The computer considered by most historians to be the first true portable computer was

the Osborne 1. Adam Osborne, an ex-book publisher founded Osborne Computer and

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produced the Osborne 1 in 1981, a portable computer that weighed 24 pounds and cost

$1795. The Osborne 1 came with a five-inch screen, modem port, two 5 1/4 floppy

drives, a large collection of bundled software programs, and a battery pack. The short-

lived computer company was never successful.

More History of Laptop Firsts Also released in 1981, was the Epson HX-20, a battery powered portable

computer, with a 20-character by 4 line LCD display and a built-in printer.

In January of 1982, Microsoft's Kazuhiko Nishi and Bill Gates begin

discussions on designing a portable computer, based on using a new liquid

crystal display or LCD screen. Kazuhiko Nishi later showed the prototype to

Radio Shack who agree to manufacture the computer.

In 1983, Radio Shack released the TRS-80 Model 100, a 4 lb. battery operated

portable computer with a flat and more of a laptop design.

In February 1984, IBM announced the IBM 5155 Portable Personal Computer.

Three years later in 1986, Radio Shack released the improved and smaller TRS

Model 200.

In 1988, Compaq Computer introduces its first laptop PC with VGA graphics -

the Compaq SLT/286.

In 1989, NEC UltraLite was released, considered by some to be the first

"notebook style" computer. It was a laptop size computer which weighed under

5 lbs. (second photo)

In September 1989, Apple Computer released the first Macintosh Portable that

later evolved into the Powerbook. (second photo)

In 1989, Zenith Data Systems released the Zenith MiniPC, a 6-pound laptop

computer. (more Zenith laptops)

In October 1989, Compaq Computer released its first notebook PC, the

Compaq LTE.

In March 1991, Microsoft released the Microsoft BallPoint Mouse that used

both mouse and trackball technology in a pointing device designed for laptop

computers.

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In October 1991, Apple Computers released the Macintosh PowerBook 100,

140, and 170 - all notebook style laptops. (more on Powerbooks)

In October 1992, IBM released its ThinkPad 700 laptop computer.

In 1992, Intel and Microsoft release APM or the Advanced Power Management

specification for laptop computers.

In 1993, the first PDAs or Personal Digital Assistants are released. PDAs are

pen-based hand-held computers.

Laptop

A laptop is a personal computer designed for mobile use and small and light

enough to sit on a person's lap while in use. A laptop integrates most of the typical

components of a desktop computer, including a display, a keyboard, a pointing device

(a touchpad, also known as a trackpad, and/or a pointing stick), speakers, and often

including a battery, into a single small and light unit. The rechargeable battery (if

present) is charged from an AC adapter and typically stores enough energy to run the

laptop for two to three hours in its initial state, depending on the configuration and

power management of the computer.

Laptops are usually notebook-shaped with thicknesses between 0.7–1.5 inches

(18–38 mm) and dimensions ranging from 10x8 inches (27x22cm, 13" display) to

15x11 inches (39x28cm, 17" display) and up. Modern laptops weigh 3 to 12 pounds

(1.4 to 5.4 kg); older laptops were usually heavier. Most laptops are designed in the

flip form factor to protect the screen and the keyboard when closed. Modern tablet

laptops have a complex joint between the keyboard housing and the display,

permitting the display panel to swivel and then lie flat on the keyboard housing.

Laptops were originally considered to be "a small niche market" and were

thought suitable mostly for "specialized field applications" such as "the military, the

Internal Revenue Service, accountants and sales representatives". But today, there are

already more laptops than desktops in businesses, and laptops are becoming obligatory

for student use and more popular for general use. In 2008 more laptops than desktops

were sold in the US.

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History

The Epson HX-20

As the personal computer became feasible in

the early 1970s, the idea of a portable personal

computer followed. A "personal, portable

information manipulator" was imagined by

Alan Kay at Xerox PARC in 1968 and

described in his 1972 paper as the "Dynabook".

The IBM SCAMP project (Special Computer APL Machine Portable), was

demonstrated in 1973. This prototype was based on the PALM processor (Put All Logic In

Microcode).

The IBM 5100, the first commercially available portable computer, appeared in September

1975, and was based on the SCAMP prototype.

As 8-bit CPU machines became widely accepted, the number of portables increased rapidly.

The Osborne 1, released in 1981, used the Zilog Z80 and weighed 23.5 pounds (10.7 kg). It

had no battery, a 5 in (13 cm) CRT screen and dual 5.25 in (13.3 cm) single-density floppy

drives. In the same year the first laptop-sized portable computer, the Epson HX-20, was

announced.[5] The Epson had a LCD screen, a rechargeable battery and a calculator-size

printer in a 1.6 kg (3.5 lb) chassis. Both Tandy/RadioShack and HP also produced portable

computers of varying designs during this period.

The first laptops using the flip form factor appeared in the early 1980s. The Dulmont

Magnum was released in Australia in 1981-82, but was not marketed internationally until

1984-85. The 8150 US$ GRiD Compass 1100, released in 1982, was used at NASA and by

the military among others. The Gavilan SC, released in 1983, was the first notebook

marketed using the term "laptop". From 1983 onward, several new input techniques were

developed and included in laptops, including the touchpad (Gavilan SC, 1983), the pointing

stick (IBM ThinkPad 700, 1992) and handwriting recognition (Linus Write-Top, 1987). Some

CPUs were designed specifically for low-power use including laptops (Intel i386SL, 1990),

and were supported by dynamic power management features (Intel SpeedStep and AMD

PowerNow!) in some designs. Displays reached VGA resolution by 1988 (Compaq SLT/286)

and 256-color screens by 1993 (PowerBook 165c), progressing quickly to millions of colors

and high resolutions. High-capacity hard drives and optical storage (CD-ROM followed by

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CD-R and CD-RW and eventually by DVD-ROM and the writable varieties) became

available in laptops soon after their introduction to the desktops.

Classification

The general terms "laptop" or "notebook" can be used to refer to a number of classes of small

portable computers:

By purpose and (approximately) by screen

size:

Desktop replaelectronic – emphasizes

performance, is less portable, 15" and

larger screen;

Standard laptop – balances

portability and features, 13-15"

screen;

Subnotebook – emphasizes portability, has fewer features, 12" or smaller screen.

By features:

Budget – a cheap, lower-performance

standard-sized laptop;

Tablet PC – Has a touch-screen

interface, may or may not have a

keyboard;

Netbook – A budget subnotebook

suited to Internet surfing and basic

office applications. Usually has a 9" or

10" screen.

Gaming laptop - A larger laptop with a

powerful graphics card for playing

graphics-intensive computer games.

Rugged – Engineered to operate in

tough conditions (strong vibrations,

extreme temperatures, wet and dusty

environments).

Desktop replaelectronic

Dell XPS M140 Laptop.

A desktop replaelectronic computer is a laptop that provides most of

the capabilities of a desktop computer, with a similar level of

performance. Desktop replaelectronics are usually larger and heavier

than standard laptops. They contain more powerful components and have a 15" or larger

display.[11] Because of their bulk, they are not as portable as other laptops and their operation

time on batteries is typically shorter; instead, they are meant to be used as a more compact,

easier to carry alternative to a desktop computer.

Some laptops in this class use a limited range of desktop components to provide better

performance for the same price at the expense of battery life; in a few of those models, there

Page 22

is no battery at all and the laptop can only be used when plugged in. These are sometimes

called desknotes, a portmanteau of the words "desktop" and "notebook," though the term can

also be applied to desktop replaelectronic computers in general.

In the early 2000s, desktops were more powerful, easier to upgrade, and much cheaper in

comparison with laptops. But in the last few years, the advantages have drastically changed

or shrunk since the performance of laptops has markedly increased. In the second half of

2008, laptops have finally outsold desktops for the first time ever. In the U.S., the PC

shipment declined 10 percent in the fourth quarter of 2008. In Asia, the worst PC shipment

growth went up 1.8 percent over the same quarter the previous year since PC statistics

research started.

The names "Media Center Laptops" and "Gaming Laptops" are also used to describe

specialized members of this class of notebooks.

Subnotebook

Sony VAIO P series subnotebook.

A subnotebook, also called an ultraportable by some

vendors, is a laptop designed and marketed with an

emphasis on portability (small size, low weight and longer

battery life) that retains the performance of a standard

notebook Subnotebooks are usually smaller and lighter than standard laptops, weighing

between 0.8 and 2 kg (2 to 5 pounds); the battery life can exceed 10 hours when a large

battery or an additional battery pack is installed.

To achieve the size and weight reductions, ultraportables use high resolution 13" and smaller

screens (down to 6.4"), have relatively few ports, employ expensive components designed for

minimal size and best power efficiency, and utilize advanced materials and construction

methods. Some subnotebooks achieve a further portability improvement by omitting an

optical/removable media drive; in this case they may be paired with a docking station that

contains the drive and optionally more ports or an additional battery.

The term "subnotebook" is usually reserved to laptops that run general-purpose desktop

operating systems such as Windows, Linux or Mac OS X, rather than specialized software

such as Windows CE, Palm OS or Internet Tablet OS.

Page 23

Netbook

Netbooks are laptops that are light-weight, economical, energy-efficient and

especially suited for wireless communication and Internet access. Hence the name netbook

(as "the device excels in web-based computing performance") rather than notebook which

pertains to size.

With primary focus given to web browsing and e-mailing, netbooks "rely heavily on the

Internet for remote access to web-based applications"[19] and are targeted increasingly at cloud

computing users who rely on servers and require a less powerful client computer. While the

devices range in size from below 5 inches to over 12, most are between 7 and 11 inches and

weigh between 0.9 - 1.4 kg (2-3 pounds).

Netbooks normally use light-weight operating systems such Linux and Windows XP.

Because they're very portable, Netbooks have a few disadvantages. Because the netbooks are

thin, the first such products introduced to the market had their primary internal storage in the

form of solid-state drives and not hard disks, which are essential to installing very many

programs. Hard disk drive technology and form factors have since been adapted to fit into

netbooks.

Given their size and use of more rudimentary components compared to notebooks and

subnotebooks, netbooks also generally have a smaller-capacity hard drive, slower CPU, and a

lower-profile RAM capacity.

Recently, Google has announced to be developing an own operating system called Chrome

for this market.

The big breakthrough for netbook computers did not happen until the weight,

diagonal form-factor and price combination of < 1 kg, < 9", < U.S. $400, respectively,

became commercially available at around 2008.

Rugged laptop

A Panasonic Toughbook.

A rugged (or ruggedized) laptop is designed to reliably

operate in harsh usage conditions such as strong vibrations,

extreme temperatures, and wet or dusty environments.

Rugged laptops are usually designed from scratch, rather

than adapted from regular consumer laptop models.

Page 24

Rugged notebooks are bulkier, heavier, and much more expensive than regular laptops, and

thus are seldom seen in regular consumer use.

The design features found in rugged laptops include rubber sheeting under the keyboard keys,

sealed port and connector covers, passive cooling, superbright displays easily readable in

daylight, cases and frames made of magnesium alloys that are much stronger than plastic

found in commercial laptops, and solid-state storage devices or hard disc drives that are

shock mounted to withstand constant vibrations. Rugged laptops are commonly used by

public safety services (police, fire and medical emergency), military, utilities, field service

technicians, construction, mining and oil drilling personnel. Rugged laptops are usually sold

to organizations, rather than individuals, and are rarely marketed via retail channels.

Components

Miniaturization: a comparison of a desktop computer

motherboard (ATX form factor) to a motherboard from a

13" laptop (2008 unibody

Macbook)

Inner view of a Sony Vaio

laptop The basic components of

laptops are similar in function to their desktop counterparts, but

are miniaturized, adapted to mobile use, and designed for low power consumption. Because

of the additional requirements, laptop components are usually of inferior performance

compared to similarly priced desktop parts. Furthermore, the design bounds on power, size,

and cooling of laptops limit the maximum performance of laptop parts compared to that of

desktop components.

The following list summarizes the differences and distinguishing features of laptop

components in comparison to desktop personal computer parts:

Motherboard – Laptop motherboards are highly make and model specific, and do not

conform to a desktop form factor. Unlike a desktop board that usually has several

slots for expansion cards (3 to 7 are common), a board for a small, highly integrated

laptop may have no expansion slots at all, with all the functionality implemented on

the motherboard itself; the only expansion possible in this case is via an external port

such as USB. Other boards may have one or more standard, such as ExpressCard, or

Page 25

proprietary expansion slots. Several other functions (storage controllers, networking,

sound card and external ports) are implemented on the motherboard.

Central processing unit (CPU) – Laptop CPUs have advanced power-saving features

and produce less heat than desktop processors, but are not as powerful. [29] There is a

wide range of CPUs designed for laptops available from Intel (Pentium M, Celeron

M, Intel Core and Core 2 Duo), AMD (Athlon, Turion 64, and Sempron), VIA

Technologies, Transmeta and others. On the non-x86 architectures, Motorola and

IBM produced the chips for the former PowerPC-based Apple laptops (iBook and

PowerBook). Some laptops have removable CPUs, although support by the

motherboard may be restricted to the specific models.[30] In other laptops the CPU is

soldered on the motherboard and is non-replaceable.

A SODIMM memory module.

Memory (RAM) – SO-DIMM memory modules that are

usually found in laptops are about half the size of desktop

DIMMs. They may be accessible from the bottom of the laptop

for ease of upgrading, or placed in locations not intended for user replaelectronic such

as between the keyboard and the motherboard. Currently, most midrange laptops are

factory equipped with 3-4 GB of DDR2 RAM, while some higher end notebooks

feature up to 8 GB of DDR3 memory. Netbooks however, are commonly equipped

with only 1 GB of RAM to keep manufacturing costs low.

Expansion cards – A PC Card (formerly PCMCIA) or ExpressCard bay for expansion

cards is often present on laptops to allow adding and removing functionality, even

when the laptop is powered on. Some subsystems (such as Ethernet, Wi-Fi, or a

cellular modem) can be implemented as replaceable internal expansion cards, usually

accessible under an access cover on the bottom of the laptop. Two popular standards

for such cards are MiniPCI and its successor, the PCI Express Mini.

Power supply – Laptops are typically powered by an internal rechargeable battery that

is charged using an external power supply. The power supply can charge the battery

and power the laptop simultaneously; when the battery is fully charged, the laptop

continues to run on AC power. The charger adds about 400 grams (1 lb) to the overall

"tranPC weight" of the notebook.

Battery – Current laptops utilize lithium ion batteries, with more recent models using

the new lithium polymer technology. These two technologies have largely replaced

Page 26

the older nickel metal-hydride batteries. Typical battery life for standard laptops is

two to five hours of light-duty use, but may drop to as little as one hour when doing

power-intensive tasks. A battery's performance gradually decreases with time, leading

to an eventual replaelectronic in one to three years, depending on the charging and

discharging pattern. This large-capacity main battery should not be confused with the

much smaller battery nearly all computers use to run the real-time clock and to store

the BIOS configuration in the CMOS memory when the computer is off. Lithium-ion

batteries do not have a memory effect as older batteries may have. The memory effect

happens when one does not use a battery to its fullest extent, then recharges the

battery. New innovations in laptops and batteries have seen new possible matchings

which can provide up to a full 24 hours of continued operation, assuming average

power consumption levels. An example of this is the HP EliteBook 6930p when used

with its ultra-capacity battery.

Video display controller – On standard laptops the video controller is usually

integrated into the chipset. This tends to limit the use of laptops for gaming and

entertainment, two fields which have constantly escalating hardware demands.

Higher-end laptops and desktop replaelectronics in particular often come with

dedicated graphics processors on the motherboard or as an internal expansion card.

These mobile graphics processors are comparable in performance to mainstream

desktop graphic accelerator boards.

Display – Most modern laptops feature 12 inches (30 cm) or larger color active matrix

displays based on a CCFL lamp with resolutions of 1280x800 (16:10) or 1366 x 768

(16:9) pixels and above. Many current models use screens with higher resolution than

typical for desktop PCs (for example, the 1440×900 resolution of a 15"). Newer

laptops come with LED based screens offering a lesser power consumption and wider

viewing angles. Macbook Pro [34] can be found on 19" widescreen desktop monitors.

Page 27

A size comparison of 3.5" and 2.5" hard disk drives

Removable media drives – A DVD/CD reader/writer drive

is typically standard. CD drives are becoming rare, while

Blu-Ray is becoming more common on notebooks. Many

ultraportables and netbooks either move the removable

media drive into the docking station or exclude it altogether.

Internal storage – Laptop hard disks are physically smaller—2.5 inches (64 mm) or

1.8 inches (46 mm) —compared to desktop 3.5 inches (89 mm) drives. Some newer

laptops (usually ultraportables) employ more expensive, but faster, lighter and power-

efficient flash memory-based SSDs instead. Currently, 250 to 500 GB sizes are

common for laptop hard disks (64 to 256 GB for SSDs).

Input – A pointing stick, touchpad or both are used to control the position of the

cursor on the screen, and an integrated keyboard is used for typing. An external

keyboard and/or mouse may be connected using USB or PS/2 (if present).

Ports – several USB ports, an external monitor port (VGA or DVI), audio in/out, and

an Ethernet network port are found on most laptops. Less common are legacy ports

such as a PS/2 keyboard/mouse port, serial port or a parallel port. S-video or

composite video ports are more common on consumer-oriented notebooks. HDMI

may be found on some higher-end notebooks.

Docking stations

A docking station is a relatively bulky laptop accessory that contains multiple ports,

expansion slots, and bays for fixed or removable drives. A laptop connects and disconnects

easily to a docking station, typically through a single large proprietary connector. A port

replicator is a simplified docking station that only provides connections from the laptop to

input/output ports. Both docking stations and port replicators are intended to be used at a

permanent working place (a desk) to offer instant connection to multiple input/output devices

and to extend a laptop's capabilities.

Docking stations became a common laptop accessory in the early 1990s. The most common

use was in a corporate computing environment where the company had standardized on a

common network card and this same card was placed into the docking station. These stations

were very large and quite expensive. As the need for additional storage and expansion slots

became less critical because of the high integration inside the laptop, port replicators have

gained popularity, being a cheaper, often passive device that often simply mates to the

Page 28

connectors on the back of the notebook, or connects via a standardized port such as USB or

FireWire.

Standards

Some laptop components (optical drives, hard drives, memory and internal expansion cards)

are relatively standardized, and it is possible to upgrade or replace them in many laptops as

long as the new part is of the same type. Depending on the manufacturer and model, a laptop

may range from having several standard, easily customizable and upgradeable parts to a

proprietary design that cannot be reconfigured at all.

In general, components other than the four categories listed above are not intended to be

replaceable, and thus rarely follow a standard. In particular, motherboards, locations of ports,

and design and plaelectronic of internal components are usually make and model specific.

Those parts are neither interchangeable with parts from other manufacturers nor upgradeable.

If broken or damaged, they must be substituted with an exact replaelectronic part. Those

users uneducated in the relevant fields are those the most affected by incompatibilities,

especially if they attempt to connect their laptops with incompatible hardware or power

adapters.

Intel, Asus, Compal, Quanta and other laptop manufacturers have created the Common

Building Block standard for laptop parts to address some of the inefficiencies caused by the

lack of standards.

Advantages

Laptop computers are portable and can be used in many

locations. Shown here is former Mexican president

Vicente Fox.

Portability is usually the first feature mentioned

in any comparison of laptops versus desktop PCs.

Portability means that a laptop can be used in

many places—not only at home and at the office,

but also during commuting and flights, in coffee shops, in lecture halls and libraries,

at clients' location or at a meeting room, etc. The portability feature offers several

distinct advantages:

Page 29

Getting more work done – Using a laptop in places where a desktop PC can't be

used, and at times that would otherwise be wasted. For example, an office worker

managing their e-mails during an hour-long commute by train, or a student doing

his/her homework at the university coffee shop during a break between lectures.

Immediacy – Carrying a laptop means having instant access to various information,

personal and work files. Immediacy allows better collaboration between coworkers or

students, as a laptop can be flipped open to present a problem or a solution anytime,

anywhere.

Up-to-date information – If a person has more than one desktop PC, a problem of

synchronization arises: changes made on one computer are not automatically

propagated to the others. There are ways to resolve this problem, including physical

transfer of updated files (using a USB flash memory stick or CDRs) or using

synchronization software over the Internet. However, using a single laptop at both

locations avoids the problem entirely, as the files exist in a single location and are

always up-to-date.

Connectivity – A proliferation of Wi-Fi wireless networks and cellular broadband

data services (HSDPA, EVDO and others) combined with a near-ubiquitous support

by laptops means that a laptop can have easy Internet and local network connectivity

while remaining mobile. Wi-Fi networks and laptop programs are especially

widespread at university campuses.

Other advantages of laptops include:

Size – Laptops are smaller than standard PCs. This is beneficial when space is at a

premium, for example in small apartments and student dorms. When not in use, a

laptop can be closed and put away.

Ease of Access - Most laptops have doors on the underside that allow the user to

access the memory, hard drive and other components, by simply flipping the laptop to

access the doors. For desktops the user must usually access the backside of the

computer, which is harder if it's in an area with little space.

Low power consumption – Laptops are several times more power-efficient than

desktops. A typical laptop uses 20-90 W, compared to 100-800 W for desktops. This

could be particularly beneficial for businesses (which run hundreds of personal

computers, multiplying the potential savings) and homes where there is a computer

running 24/7 (such as a home media server, print server, etc.)

Page 30

Quiet – Laptops are often quieter than desktops, due both to the components (quieter,

slower 2.5-inch hard drives) and to less heat production leading to use of fewer and

slower cooling fans.

Battery – a charged laptop can run several hours in case of a power outage and is not

affected by short power interruptions and blackouts. A desktop PC needs a UPS to

handle short interruptions, blackouts and spikes; achieving on-battery time of more

than 20–30 minutes for a desktop PC requires a large and expensive UPS.[40]

All-in-One - designed to be portable, laptops have everything integrated in to the

chassis. For desktops (excluding all-in-ones) this is divided into the desktop,

keyboard, mouse, display, and optional peripherals such as speakers, and a webcam.

This leads to lots of wiring. It can also lead to massive power consumption.

Extras - in comparison to low-end desktops, even low-end laptops include features

such as integrated Wi-Fi, and Express Card slot, and a memory card reader.

Disadvantages

Compared to desktop PCs, laptops have disadvantages in the following fields:

Performance

Whilst the performance of mainstream desktops and laptops is comparable, laptops are

significantly more expensive than desktop PCs at the same or even lower performance level.

The upper limits of performance of laptops are a little bit lower, and "bleeding-edge" features

usually appear first in desktops and only then, as the underlying technology matures, are

adapted to laptops.

However, for Internet browsing and typical office applications, where the computer spends

the majority of its time waiting for the next user input, even net book-class laptops are

generally fast enough. Most higher-end laptops are sufficiently powerful for high-resolution

movie playback, 3D gaming and video editing and encoding. However, laptops are

disadvantaged when dealing with database, maths, engineering, financial software, etc.

Some manufacturers work around this performance problem by using desktop CPUs for

laptops.

Upgradeability

Upgradeability of laptops is very limited compared to desktops, which are thoroughly

standardized. In general, hard drives and memory can be upgraded easily. Optical drives and

Page 31

internal expansion cards may be upgraded if they follow an industry standard, but all other

internal components, including the CPU, motherboard and graphics, are not intended to be

upgradeable.

The reasons for limited upgradeability are both technical and economic. There is no industry-

wide standard form factor for laptops; each major laptop manufacturer pursues its own

proprietary design and construction, with the result that laptops are difficult to upgrade and

have high repair costs. With few exceptions, laptop components can rarely be swapped

between laptops of competing manufacturers, or even between laptops from the different

product-lines of the same manufacturer.

Some upgrades can be performed by adding external devices, either USB or in expansion

card format such a PC Card: sound cards, network adapters, hard and optical drives, and

numerous other peripherals are available, but these upgrades usually impair the laptop's

portability, because they add cables and boxes to the setup and often have to be disconnected

and reconnected when the laptop is moved.

Page 32

Ergonomics and health

Laptop coaster preventing heating of lap and improving

laptop airflow.

Because of their small and flat keyboard and trackpad

pointing devices, prolonged use of laptops can cause

repetitive strain injury.[44] Usage of separate, external

ergonomic keyboards and pointing devices is

recommended to prevent injury when working for long periods of time; they can be

connected to a laptop easily by USB or via a docking station. Some health standards require

ergonomic keyboards at workplaces.

The integrated screen often causes users to hunch over for a better view, which can cause

neck or spinal injuries. A larger and higher-quality external screen can be connected to

almost any laptop to alleviate that and to provide additional "screen estate" for more

productive work.

A study by State University of New York researchers found that heat generated from laptops

can raise the temperature of the scrotum when balancing the computer on one's lap,

potentially putting sperm count at risk. The study, which included roughly two dozen men

aged 21 to 35, found that the sitting position required to balance a laptop can raise scrotum

temperature by as much as 2.1 °C (3.78 °F). Heat from the laptop itself can raise the

temperature by another 0.7 °C (1.26 °F), bringing the potential total increase to 2.8 °C (5.04

°F). However, further research is needed to determine whether this directly affects sterility in

men.[45]

A common practical solution to this problem is to place the laptop on a table or desk. Another

solution is to obtain a cooling unit for the laptop, these units are usually USB powered and

consist of a hard thin plastic case housing 1, 2 or 3 cooling fans (with the entire assembly

designed to sit under the laptop in question) which results in the laptop remaining cool to the

touch, and greatly reduces laptop heat buildup.

Heat from using a laptop on the lap can also cause skin discoloration on the thighs.[46]

Durability

A clogged heatsink on a 2.5 year old laptop.

Due to their portability, laptops are subject to more wear and

physical damage than desktops. Components such as screen hinges,

latches, power jacks and power cords deteriorate gradually due to

Page 33

ordinary use. A liquid spill onto the keyboard, a rather minor mishap with a desktop system,

can damage the internals of a laptop and result in a costly repair. One study found that a

laptop is 3 times more likely to break during the first year of use than a desktop.

Original external components are expensive, and usually proprietary and non-interchangeble;

other parts are inexpensive—a power jack can cost a few dollars—but their replaelectronic

may require extensive disassembly and reassembly of the laptop by a technician. Other

inexpensive but fragile parts often cannot be purchased separate from larger more expensive

components. The repair costs of a failed motherboard or LCD panel may exceed the value of

a used laptop.

Laptops rely on extremely compact cooling systems involving a fan and heat sink that can

fail due to eventual clogging by accumulated airborne dust and debris. Most laptops do not

have any sort of removable dust collection filter over the air intake for these cooling systems,

resulting in a system that gradually runs hotter and louder as the years pass. Eventually the

laptop starts to overheat even at idle load levels. This dust is usually stuck inside where

casual cleaning and vacuuming cannot remove it. Instead, a complete disassembly is needed

to clean the laptop.

Battery life of laptops is limited; the capacity drops with time, necessitating an eventual

replaelectronic after a few years. The battery is often easily replaceable, and one may replace

it on purpose with a higher end model to achieve better battery life.

Security

Being valuable, common and portable, laptops are prized targets for theft. The cost of the

stolen business or personal data and of the resulting problems (identity theft, credit card

fraud, breach of privacy laws) can be many times the value of the stolen laptop itself.

Therefore, both physical protection of laptops and the safeguarding of data contained on them

are of the highest importance.

Most laptops have a Kensington security slot which is used to tether the computer to a desk

or other immovable object with a security cable and lock. In addition to this, modern

operating systems and third-party software offer disk encryption functionality that renders the

data on the laptop's hard drive unreadable without a key or a passphrase.

Some laptops also now have additional security elements added by the consumer, including

eye recognition software and fingerprint scanning components.

Page 34

Major brands and manufacturers

There is a multitude of laptop brands and manufacturers; several major brands, offering

notebooks in various classes, are listed in the box to the right. The major brands usually offer

good service and support, including well-executed documentation and driver downloads that

will remain available for many years after a particular laptop model is no longer produced.

Capitalizing on service, support and brand image, laptops from major brands are more

expensive than laptops by smaller brands and ODMs. Some brands are specializing in a

particular class of laptops, such as gaming laptops (Alienware), netbooks (EeePC) and

laptops for children (OLPC).

Many brands, including the major ones, do not design and do not manufacture their laptops.

Instead, a small number of Original Design Manufacturers (ODMs) design new models of

laptops, and the brands choose the models to be included in their lineup. In 2006, 7 major

ODMs manufactured 7 of every 10 laptops in the world, with the largest one (Quanta

Computer) having 30% world market share. Therefore, there often are identical models

available both from a major label and from a low-profile ODM in-house brand.

SalesBattery-powered portable computers had just 2% worldwide market share in 1986. But today,

laptops are becoming increasingly popular, both for business and personal use. In 2008 it is

estimated that 145.9 million notebooks were sold, and in 2009 the number will grow to 177.7

million. The third quarter of 2008 was the first time when notebook PC shipments exceeded

desktops, with 38.6 million units versus 38.5 million units.

For Microsoft Windows systems, the average selling price (ASP) showed a decline in

2008/2009, possibly due to low-cost netbooks, drawing 689 US$ at U.S. retail in August

2008. In 2009, ASP had further fallen to 602 US$ by January and to 560 US$ in February.

While Windows machines fell 129 US$ in these seven months, Mac laptop ASP declined just

12 US$ from 1524 US$ to 1512 US$.

Since 2006, the world's top selling Laptop brand is HP, which now has 21.2% marketshare

Page 35

List of laptop brands and manufacturers

Major brands

Acer - TravelMate, Extensa, Ferrari, Aspire

Apple - MacBook, MacBook Air, MacBook Pro

ASUS - Asus Eee, Lamborghini

Compaq - Evo, Armada, LTE, Presario

Dell - Inspiron, Latitude, Precision, Studio, Vostro, XPS, Studio XPS

Fujitsu - LifeBook, Stylistic

G7 Systems - Genius Book, Hi-Fi PC, G7 Studio, G7 Extreme [1]

Gateway

Hewlett-Packard - HP Pavilion, HP Omnibook, HP Compaq Notebooks

Lenovo - ThinkPad, IdeaPad, 3000 series

Panasonic - Toughbook, Satellite, Let's Note (available in Japan only) [2]

Sony - VAIO

Toshiba - Dynabook, Portege, Tecra, Satellite, Qosmio, Libretto

Gaming brands

Gateway - FX Series

Abbcore Technologies - Velocita

Alienware - Area 51m, Alienware Sentia and Aurora m, M15x, M17x

AVADirect

CyberPower

Dell XPS - M1730 (laptop), and M1530 (laptop)

Falcon Northwest - DR6800, TL2

iBuyPower

Vigor Gaming - Atlantis, Augustus, Artorius, and Aegis

WidowPC

Laptops for children

Digital Textbook

Elonex ONE

InkMedia

Intel - Classmate PC

Page 36

OLPC XO-1 - $100 Laptop or Children's Machine

Tianhua GX-1C

Eee PC

Other brands

Abbcore Technologies - Desktop, Notebook, Server, Media Center

Acorn Computers - Deskbook, Desknote and Solonote

Averatec

BenQ

Everex - CloudBook, gBook

Founder Technology

Fujitsu Siemens - Lifebook, FMV - BiBlo, Amilo, Esprimo Mobile

G7 - Genius Book

Gericom

Gigabyte Technology

Gliese IT

Hasee

HCL

HTC - HTC Shift

Hypersonic

Hyundai

Jetta (electronics company) - Jetbook

LG - Xnote

LinuxCertified - Linux laptop

MDG Computers

Medion

Micro-Star International (MSI) - Megabook, Wind

NEC - VERSA, LaVie

Neo - Empiriva, Endura

Noahpad

OCZ

OQO

Orca

Packard Bell - EasyNote

Page 37

PC Club

Philips - X200

Pioneer Computers

Positivo Informática

Prestigio

Sager Notebook Computers

Seanix - Seanix

Sharp - Mebius

Siragon, C.A.

System76

TabletKiosk

Tongfang

Turbo-X (Greece only)

Page 38

Company Profile & Their ProductsCompany Profile & Their Products

HCL Technologies is a leading global IT services company, working

with clients in the areas that impact and redefine the core of their

businesses. Since its inception into the global landscape after its IPO

in 1999, HCL focuses on 'transformational outsourcing', underlined

by innovation and value creation, and offers integrated portfolio of services including

software-led IT solutions, remote infrastructure management, engineering and R&D services

and BPO. HCL leverages its extensive global offshore infrastructure and network of offices

in 26 countries to provide holistic, multi-service delivery in key industry verticals including

Financial Services, Manufacturing, Consumer Services, Public Services and Healthcare. HCL

takes pride in its philosophy of 'Employee First' which empowers our 58,129 transformers to

create a real value for the customers. HCL Technologies, along with its subsidiaries, had

consolidated revenues of US$ 2.6 billion (Rs. 12,048 crores), as on 31st March 2010 (on

LTM basis).

HCL is a $5 billion leading global Technology and IT Enterprise that comprises two

companies listed in India - HCL Technologies & HCL Infosystems. Founded in 1976, HCL is

one of India's original IT garage start-ups, a pioneer of modern computing, and a global

transformational enterprise today. Its range of offerings spans Product Engineering, Custom

& Package Applications, BPO, IT Infrastructure Services, IT Hardware, Systems Integration,

and distribution of ICT products across a wide range of focused industry verticals. The HCL

team comprises over 62,000 professionals of diverse nationalities, who operate from 26

countries including over 500 points of presence in India. HCL has global partnerships with

several leading Fortune 1000 firms, including leading IT and Technology firms. For more

information, please visit www.hcl.in.

Page 39

It’s Products (Laptop’s)It’s Products (Laptop’s)

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Page 44

HP is a technology company that operates in

more than 170 countries around the world. We

explore how technology and services can help

people and companies address their problems

and challenges, and realize their possibilities,

aspirations and dreams. We apply new

thinking and ideas to create more simple, valuable and trusted experiences with

technology, continuously improving the way our customers live and work.

No other company offers as complete a technology product portfolio as HP. We provide

infrastructure and business offerings that span from handheld devices to some of the world's

most powerful supercomputer installations. We offer consumers a wide range of products and

services from digital photography to digital entertainment and from computing to home

printing. This comprehensive portfolio helps us match the right products, services and

solutions to our customers' specific needs.

Fast facts

  • HP was founded in 1939.  • Corporate headquarters are in Palo

Alto, Calif.

  • Mark Hurd is president and CEO.

  • HP is the world's largest IT

company, with revenue totaling

$114.6 billion for fiscal 2009.

  • HP's 2009 Fortune 500 ranking: No. 9.

 Technology leadership

  HP's three business groups drive

industry leadership in core technology

areas:

  • The Personal Systems Group:

business and consumer PCs, mobile

computing devices and workstations

  • The Imaging and Printing Group:

inkjet, LaserJet and commercial

printing, printing supplies

  • Enterprise Business: business

products including storage and

servers, enterprise services and

software

Page 45

It’s Products

 For Home & Home Office

» HP Home Laptop PCs

Featuring the perfect Notebook PCs with powerful

performance and attractive designs that complement your

personality

» Compaq Home Laptop PCs

The right notebook PC choice for all of what you need

and nothing you don’t.

 For business

Business Notebook (Laptop) and Tablet PC

Versatile mobile solutions for a demanding

environment. Browse and choose a notebook best

suited to your business needs

Options and accessories for HP notebooks

  For Home & Home Office

» For Compaq Presario and HP

Pavilion notebook computers

Page 46

  » Compaq Options & Accessories

  For business

 » For HP Compaq business

notebooks and Tablet PCs

Page 47

ACER is an incorporated not-for-profit

organization founded in 1987. Members are

leaders in education, media and business who

initiate and facilitate development, production

and promotion of Canadian materials to meet the needs of to-day's learners.

Mission Statement: "Measuring and tracking the effects of climate change demands

accurate reporting. ACER believes in a grassroots approach - utilizing citizen

scientists to conduct such measurement in a scientifically sound manner.

ACER develops, delivers and supports programs and resources that educate and

enable citizen scientists to undertake accurate monitoring and reporting, thus

contributing to awareness and understanding of climate change which contributes to

an ecologically sustainable future for the planet."

ACER believes that sound ecological action depends on monitoring and responding at

the community level. Our current focus is ecological monitoring to track

environmental change.

ACER's dynamic volunteer network of community groups, educators and scientists

teaches pro-active approaches to monitoring and restoring ecosystem health through

hands-on programs.

Our community partners gather data that is fed into national biodiversity databases to

support environmental education and decision making at community, regional,

national and international levels. By supporting ACER you become part of this

important effort.

ACER:

Evaluates Ideas

Seeks Funding

Page 48

Produces and Promotes Materials

Ideas are evaluated, funding sought, materials produced and promoted for use by

educators and other interested groups or agencies. ACER acts as a bridge between the

professional educator and the materials needed to promote lifelong learning.

ACER funding comes from membership and donations. All project funds are

monitored by an advisory board. Reasonable fees and expenses are paid to those

working on projects. Members donate many hours of their time to assist in various

projects.

Page 49

It’s Product’s (Acer)It’s Product’s (Acer)

Aspire 5542

The 15.6"Aspire 5542 features the latest

AMD mobile processor technology to deliver

exceptional multitasking performance,

superb media experiences, and enhanced

mobility. Full HD 1080p playback is made

possible via the HD widescreen, superior

graphics solutions, and Blu-ray Disc™

technology. Loaded with a host of premium

components, the Aspire 5542 brings next-generation radiance to your multimedia!

Benefits HD brilliance

See, share and create richer content for the ultimate HD experience. Gaming and

entertainment reach new levels of realism thanks to advanced graphics with High

Dynamic-Range (HDR) technology, enabling lifelike lighting and texture for truly

immersive experiences. With its 15.6" HD widescreen, the Aspire 5542 lets you

enjoy the movie theater experience anywhere. To complete the cinematic feast,

relish fantastic acoustics via the 3rd Generation Dolby Home Theater®, featuring

True5.1-channel surround sound output. And, use the HDMI™ interface for

convenient connectivity to entertainment systems, and get dazzling sights and

sounds with a single-cable link.

Page 50

Aspire 5738Z

Movies come to life in true

cinematic form on the 15.6"

Aspire 5738Z. A competent

processor, efficient graphics

engine and premium audio

technologies work behind the

scenes to deliver marvelous

entertainment. The Aspire

5738Z comes in the classy Gemstone design, so you can enjoy a theater

experience anywhere, anytime and in style

Benefits Blockbuster performance

Your portable theater features a high-def Acer CrystalBrite™ LCD with 16:9 aspect ratio

-- perfect for viewing content created for the widescreen. The quick response time presents

moving images seamlessly, immersing you in heart-pumping action scenes. 3rd

Generation Dolby®-optimized surround sound system booms energizing audio, while the

optional Blu-ray Disc™ drive spins high-def music and movie effects with true-to-master

precision. A large hard drive offers plenty of storage for your downloads and media files,

while DDR3 memory speeds up multitasking and a 5-in-1 card reader makes file sharing

easy.

Technical Specification

Genuine Windows Vista® Home Premium

Processor & Chipset

Intel® Pentium® dual-core mobile processor T4200 with up to 1

MB L2 Cache, supporting Intel® 64 architecture

Mobile Intel® GL40 Express ChipsetMemory 2 GB RAM; Upgradeable to 4 GBHDD 320 GB HDD S-ATA hard disc drive

Page 51

Storage

8X DVD-Super Multi double-layer drive

5-in-1 card reader, supporting Secure Digital™ (SD) Card,

MultiMediaCard (MMC), Memory Stick® (MS), Memory Stick

PRO™ (MS PRO), xD-Picture Card™ (xD)

Display

15.6" HD 1366 x 768 pixel resolution, high-brightness (220-nit)

Acer CineCrystal™ LED-backlit TFT LCD, supporting

simultaneous multi-window viewing via Acer GridVista™

16.7 million colours

16:9 aspect ratio

8 ms high-def response time

60% color gamut

Graphics

Mobile Intel® GL40 Express Chipset with integrated 3D

graphics, featuring Intel® Graphics Media Accelerator 4500M

(Intel® GMA 4500M) with up to 1759 MB of Intel® Dynamic

Video Memory Technology 5.0 (64 MB of dedicated video

memory, up to 1695 MB of shared system memory*), supporting

Microsoft® DirectX® 10 or

(* depending on size of system memory)

HDMI™ (High-Definition Multimedia Interface) with HDCP

(High-bandwidth Digital Content Protection) support

Multimedia Dolby®-optimized surround sound system with two built-in stereo speakers

Optimized 3rd Generation Dolby Home Theater® audio

enhanelectronic, featuring Dolby® Digital Live, Dolby Pro

Logic® IIx, Dolby® Headphone, Dolby® Natural Bass, Dolby®

Sound Space Expander, Dolby® Inverse Filtering, Dolby® High

Frequency Enhancer technologies

True5.1-channel surround sound output

High-definition audio support

S/PDIF (Sony/Philips Digital Interface) support for digital

speakers

Page 52

MS-Sound compatible

Communication

Acer Video Conference, featuring integrated Acer Crystal Eye

webcam supporting enhanced Acer PrimaLite™ technology

Acer InviLink™ 802.11b/g Wi-Fi CERTIFIED® network

connection, supporting Acer SignalUp™ wireless technology

56K ITU V.92 modem with PTT approval; Wake-on-Ring ready

Gigabit Ethernet; Wake-on-LAN ready

Bluetooth® 2.0+EDR (Enhanced Data Rate)

I/O Interface

5-in-1 card reader (SD™, MMC, MS, MS PRO, xD)

4x USB 2.0 ports

HDMI™ port with HDCP support

1x external display (VGA) port

1x Headphone/speaker/line-out jack with S/PDIF support

1x Microphone-in jack

1x Line-in jack

1x Modem (RJ-11) port

1x Ethernet (RJ-45) port

1x DC-in jack for AC adapter

Security

Slot for Kensington lock

BIOS user, supervisor, HDD passwords

Power Supply & Battery

ACPI 3.0 CPU power management standard: supports Standby

and Hibernation power-saving modes

48.8 W (6-cell) Li-ion battery pack

65W AC adapter

ENERGY STAR® 5.0

Keyboard & Special Controls

103-/104-/107-key keyboard, with inverted "T" cursor layout, 1.8

mm (minimum) key travel

Multi-gesture touchpad pointing device, supporting:

Page 53

• Circular-motion scrolling

• Pinch-action zoom

• Page flip

Acer Bio-Protection fingerprint reader

11 function keys, four cursor keys, two Windows® keys, hotkey

controls, independent standard numeric keypad, international

language support

Acer PowerSmart key

Easy-launch keys: Acer Backup, WLAN, volume up/down,

touchpad

Media keys (printed on keyboard): play/pause, stop, previous,

next

Weight & Dimensions

383 (W) x 250 (D) x 26/37 (H) mm (15.1 x 9.9 x 1.03/1.5 inches)

2.8 kg (6.16 lbs.) with 6-cell battery pack

Quality & Reliability Tests

Temperature & humidity test

Free drop test

Acoustics test

Weight and Pressure tests

Spillage test

Shock and Vibration tests

Electrostatic discharge immunity test

MTBF (Mean Time Between Failure) test

Hinge life test

Keyboard-switch life test

Software

Acer Arcade™ Deluxe featuring Cinema, Album, Music, Acer

HomeMedia, Online Media

Acer Backup Manager

Acer eRecovery Manager

Acer PowerSmart Manager

Acer Bio-Protection

Page 54

Acer Crystal Eye

Acer GridVista™

Acer Launch Manager

Acer GameZone

Acer Game Console

McAfee Internet Security Suite 60-day trial version

Adobe Flash® Player

Adobe® Reader®

Google Toolbar™

Google Desktop™

NTI Media Maker™

Microsoft® Works with Office Home and Student 2007 Trial

(Service Pack 1)

Options

Memory expansion modules

Additional battery

Additional AC adapter

Warranty One-year International Travellers Warranty (ITW)

Page 55

LG Electronics is one of the leading companies in

the field of electronics with a global presence in

many countries. . Before briefing, I have divided the

introduction part into three main sub parts.

The LG Electronics Life's Good signature

consists of the LG logo, seal, and the slogan, "Life's Good" set in Charlotte

sans typeface curved around the LG symbol. The curving of the slogan

reinforces LG's personality and uniqueness. The consistent usage of this

signature clearly establishes the unique identity of the company and unifies

every division and product from LG Electronics across the globe.

1. LG Global

2. LG India

3. LG Pune

History of company

The company was originally established in 1958 as Gold Star, producing radios, TVs,

refrigerators, washing machines, and air conditioners.

The LG Group was a merger of two Korean companies, Lucky and Gold Star, from

which the abbreviation of LG was derived. The current "Life's good" slogan is a

backronym. Before the corporate Name change to LG, household products were sold

under the Brand name of Lucky, while electronic products were sold under the brand

name of Gold Star. The Gold Star brand is still perceived as a discount brand.

In 1995, Gold Star was renamed LG Electronics, and acquired Zenith Electronics of

the United States.

Global Operation

Page 56

LG Electronics is playing an active role in the world market with its assertive global

business policy. As a result, LG Electronics controls 110 local subsidiaries in the

world with around 82,000 executive and employees.

LG Group

1. LG.Philips LCD

2. LG Chemical

3. LG Telecom

4. LG Powercom

5. LG Twins

6. LG Dacom

Business areas and main products

Mobile communications

(a) CDMA Handsets,

(b) GSM Handsets,

(c) 3G Handsets,

(d) Cellular Phones

Digital appliance

a) Air Conditioners ,

b) Refrigerators ,

c) Microwave Ovens ,

d) Washing Machines ,

e) Vacuum Cleaners ,

f) Home Net,

g) Compressors for Air Conditioners and Refrigerators

Page 57

Digital display

a) Plasma TVs ,

b) LCD TVs ,

c) Micro Display Panel TVs,

d) Monitors,

e) PDP Modules,

f) OLED Panels,

g) USB Memory,

h) Flat Panel Computer Monitors

Digital media

a) Home Theater Systems,

b) DVD Recorders ,

c) Super Multi DVD Rewriters,

d) CD±RW,

e) Notebook PCs,

f) Desktop PCs,

g) PDAs,

h) PDA Phones,

i) MP3 Players ,

j) New Karaoke Systems,

Page 58

k) Car Infotainment

VISION

Global Top 3 by 2010

Global Top 3 Electronic/Telecommunication company

GROWTH STRATEGY

“Fast innovation, Fast growth”

CORE COMPETENCY

“Product leadership, Market leadership, People leadership”

Page 59

CORPORATE CULTURE

No excuse, “we” not “I”, Fun workplace

SLOGAN

"Life's Good" represents LG's determination to provide delightfully smart

products that will make your life good.

THE SYMBOL The symbol of LG is the face of future. The letter “L” and “G” in a circle symbolizes

world, future, youth, humanity & technology.LG philosophy is based on humanity. It

also represents LG’s efforts to keep close relationship with our customers around the

world.

The symbol consists of two elements.

1. The logo in LG gray

2. The stylized image of human face in the unique LG red color.

Red color represents our friendliness and gives a strong impression of LG’s

commitment to deliver the best.

The circle symbolizes The Globe. The stylized image of a smiling face in the symbol

conveys “Friendliness and Approachability”. The one eye on the symbol represents

“Goal-oriented, Focused & Confident”.

The slogan of LG is “Life’s Good”. It expresses “ Brand’s Value, Promises,

Benefits , Personality.

Page 60

A laptop computer is a convenient portable computer that has

gained wide popularity with people who travel extensively,

study in coffee shops, and particularly for those who enjoy

the space saving design. Laptops have come a long way with

optional features such as integrated web camera for video

chatting. Laptops with wi-fi technology for connecting to a

wireless network or an internet hot spot and mobile

broadband to connect anywhere are very convenient. Laptops with a bluetooth reader, finger

print scanner, or a space saving slot loaded disc drive make technology fun.

Ultra convenience at an extremely convenient price. Experience Dell laptops and notebook

computers and you’ll wonder how you ever survived without the convenience of a laptop

computer. Notebook computers have desktop power without the desktop size and portable

convenience that sits in your lap. Dell laptops and notebook computers have gained

worldwide popularity among travelers, students, and business professionals.

Dell laptops and notebook computers have become the epitome of mobile convenience... with

every generation, technologies and amenities increase while prices drop. Make technology

fun with integrated web cameras for video chatting; Wi-Fi technology to connect anywhere,

at any time; Bluetooth readers; finger print scanner; and slot loaded CD/DVD disc drives.

Among Dell’s large selection of laptops, notebook, desktop and netbooks computers, there’s

a perfect size, color, weight, and speed for you, your personality and needs. Get yours today

online or contact us and we’ll help you configure your dream Dell laptop or notebook

computer!

Page 61

IBM Corporate Citizenship: Helping to

build a smarter planet The primary focus

of our corporate citizenship activities is

on developing initiatives to address

specific societal issues, such as the

environment, community economic development, education, health, literacy, language

and culture. We employ IBM's most valuable resources, our technology and talent, in

order to create innovative programs in these areas to assist communities around the

world.

For example, our Corporate Service Corps program annually deploys teams of

selected high potential employees to emerging regions to work with government,

nonprofit and non-governmental organizations on critical local projects. Teams have

completed projects in Ghana, Romania, Tanzania, the Philippines and Vietnam around

water quality, disaster preparedness and project management.

Our World Community Grid initiative utilizes grid computing technology to harness

the tremendous power of idle computers to perform specific computations related to

critical research around complex biological, environmental and health-related issues.

The current projects include Help Fight Childhood Cancer, Clean Energy, and

Nutritious Rice for the World, FightAIDS@Home, Help Conquer Cancer,

AfricanClimate@Home, and a genomics initiative and research on Dengue Fever.

Another example of our citizenship activities is our employee volunteer initiative,

entitled On Demand Community. Since its inception in 2003, over 145,000 employees

and retirees have registered and performed almost 10 million hours of volunteer

service around the world. This program equips our employee and retiree volunteers

with a distinct set of on demand tools based on the successful technology solutions

created exclusively by IBM for schools and community agencies. These Web-based

tools provide them with a myriad choice of meaningful volunteer opportunities,

Page 62

resources and specific activities designed to help make them more effective volunteers

and to offer valuable assistance to schools and not-for-profit organizations.

To learn more about our work in the context of IBM's broader corporate responsibility

efforts, please visit Innovations in Corporate Responsibility.

Program overviews

Education

IBM realizes the power and importance of education. Through major initiatives

such as Reinventing Education, the IBM KidSmart Early Learning Program,

and IBM MentorPlace, IBM is working to raise student achievement and

enhance academic productivity to support thriving communities around the

globe.

Adult training and workforce development

Technology can be a powerful tool in education and job training programs for

adults, helping broaden opportunities and strengthening programs available to

adults in need of new skills and employment. It also can help simulate real job

conditions, make the acquisition of education and skills more effective and help

people get the network of support they need to obtain and retain employment.

Arts and culture

IBM's support of the arts stems from our strong tradition of bettering our

communities. We feel a deep sense of responsibility both inside and outside the

company — a focused determination to enhance the communities in which we

do business and in which our customers and employees live. By joining with

libraries, museums, and other cultural institutions in exciting partnerships that

leverage IBM expertise, we also demonstrate the critical role technology plays

in enhancing the arts.

Helping communities in need

Page 63

Wherever IBM does business around the globe, we form connections to

communities and support a range of civic and nonprofit activities that help

those in need. In all our efforts, we demonstrate how technology can enrich and

expand access to services and assistance.

Environment

Through targeted efforts that combine technology and innovation, IBM is

committed to environmental leadership that will help protect our planet for this

and future generations.

Employee giving

IBM teams with employees to support organizations and causes in the communities

where they live and work. Community-level grant making and extensive volunteer

programs help our employees become personally involved in community projects

Page 64

Chapter- 02Chapter- 02

Conceptual Frame WorkConceptual Frame Work

Consumer is a broad label that refers to any individuals or households that use

goods and services generated within the economy

Consumer Decision Making Processes

Traditionally, consumer researchers have approached decision making process

from a rational perspective. This dominant school of thought views consumers

as being cognitive (i.e., problem-solving) and, to some but a lesser degree,

emotional.i Such a view is reflected in the stage model of a typical buying

process (often called the consumer information processing model) depicted in.

Problem Recognition

Information Search

Evaluation and Selection of Alternatives

Decision Implementation

Post-purchase Evaluation

Figure The Consumer Information Processing ModelSource: Adopted from Kotler (1997), Schiffman and Kanuk (1997), and Solomon (1996)

Page 65

In this model, the consumer passes through five stages: problem recognition,

information search, evaluation and selection of alternatives, decision implementation,

and post-purchase evaluation.

Problem Recognition

In this information processing model, the consumer buying process begins when the

buyer recognizes a problem or need. For example, Doug may realize that his best suit

doesn’t look contemporary any more. Or, Kathleen may recognize that her personal

computer is not performing as well as she thought it should. These are the kinds of

problem that we as consumers encounter all the time. When we found out a difference

between the actual state and a desired state, a problem is recognized. When we find a

problem, we usually try to solve the problem. We, in other words, recognize the need

to solve the problem. But how?

Information Search

When a consumer discovers a problem, he/she is likely to search for more

information. Kathleen may simply pay more attention to product information of a

personal computer. She becomes more attentive to computer ads, computers

purchased by her friends, and peer conversations about computers. Or, she may more

actively seek information by visiting stores, talking to friends, or reading computer

magazines, among others. Through gathering information, the consumer learns more

about some brands that compete in the market and their features and characteristics.

Theoretically, there is a total set of brands available to Kathleen, but she will become

aware of only a subset of the brands (awareness set) in the market. Some of these

brands may satisfy her initial buying criteria, such as price and processing speed

(consideration set). As Kathleen proceeds to more information search, only a few will

remain as strong candidates (choice set).

Evaluation and Selection of Alternatives

How does the consumer process competitive brand information and evaluate the value

of the brands? Unfortunately there is no single, simple evaluation process applied by

all consumers or by one consumer in all buying situations.

One dominant view, however, is to see the evaluation process as being cognitively

driven and rational. Under this view, a consumer is trying to solve the problem and

Page 66

ultimately satisfying his/her need. In other words, he/she will look for problem-

solving benefits from the product. The consumer, then, looks for products with a

certain set of attributes that deliver the benefits. Thus, the consumer sees each product

as a bundle of attributes with different levels of ability of delivering the problem

solving benefits to satisfy his/her need. The distinctions among the need, benefits, and

attributes are very important. One useful way to organize the relationships among the

three is a hierarchical one (Figure 2). Although simplified, Figure 2 is an example of

how a bundle of attributes (i.e., a product or, more specifically, personal computer)

relates to the benefits and underlying needs of Kathleen.

Underlying Needs

Benefits

Attributes Size

Portability

PriceCPU Speed

ComputationalHorse PowerEconomy

Hard Drive Size

SoftwareBundle

Helps Me SurviveBabson MBA Pogram

Doesn’t Breakdown

BrandReputation

Warranty

GlobeNetReady

Hierarchical View of Needs, Benefits, and AttributesFrom this figure and the preceding discussion, you might recognize that the product

attributes are relevant and important only to the extent that they lead to a certain set of

benefits. Likewise, benefits are meaningful only if they can address the problem and

be instrumental to satisfy the underlying need. As the underlying need is often

personal, consumers differ as to their beliefs about what product benefits and

attributes are more (or less) important and relevant in satisfying their needs. Based on

their personal judgment on importance of benefits and attributes, consumers develop a

set of attitudes (or preferences) toward the various brands. One may express his/her

preferences of the brands in terms of ranking, probability of choice, and so forth.

Page 67

Decision ImplementationTo actually implement the purchase decision, however, a consumer needs to select

both specific items (brands) and specific outlets (where to buy) to resolve the

problems. There are, in fact, three ways these decisions can be made: 1)

simultaneously; 2) item first, outlet second; or 3) outlet first, item second. ii In many

situations, consumers engage in a simultaneous selection process of storesiii and

brands. For example, in our Kathleen’s personal computer case, she may select a set

of brands based on both the product’s technical features (attributes) and availability of

brands in the computer stores and mail-order catalogs she knows well. It is also

possible, that she decides where to buy (e.g., CompUSA in her neighborhood) and

then chooses one or two brands the store carries. Once the brand and outlet have been

decided, the consumer moves on to the transaction (“buying”).

Post-purchase Evaluation

Post-purchase evaluation processes are directly influenced by the type of preceding

decision-making process. Directly relevant here is the level of purchase involvement

of the consumer. Purchase involvement is often referred to as “the level of concern

for or interest in the purchase” iv situation, and it determines how extensively the

consumer searches information in making a purchase decision.v Although purchase

involvement is viewed as a continuum (from low to high), it is useful to consider two

extreme cases here. Suppose one buys a certain brand of product (e.g., Diet Pepsi) as

a matter of habit (habitual purchase). For him/her, buying a cola drink is a very low

purchase involvement situation, and he/she is not likely to search and evaluate product

information extensively. In such a case, the consumer would simply purchase,

consume and/or dispose of the product with very limited post-purchase evaluation,

and generally maintain a high level of repeat purchase motivation.

Purchase Product UseSimple

EvaluationDisposition

Repeat PurchaseMotivation

Low Involvement PurchaseSource: Hawkins, Best, and Coney (1983)

However, if the purchase involvement is high and the consumer is involved in

extensive purchase decision making (e.g., personal computer), he/she is more likely to

be involved in more elaborate post-purchase evaluation – often by questioning the

rightness of the decision: “Did I make the right choice? Should I have gone with other

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brand?” This is a common reaction after making a difficult, complex, relatively

permanent decision. This type of doubt and anxiety is referred to as post-purchase

cognitive dissonance.

Purchase Product UseElaborateEvaluation

Disposition

Dissatisfaction

Repeat PurchaseMotivation

Post-purchaseDissonance

Elaborate Post-purchase EvaluationSource: Adopted from Hawkins, Best, and Coney (1983)

According to the research, the likelihood of experiencing this kind of dissonance and

the magnitude of it is a function of:vi

The degree of commitment or irrevocability of the decision,

The importance of the decision to the consumer,

The difficulty of choosing among the alternatives, and

The individual’s tendency to experience anxiety.

Because dissonance is uncomfortable, the consumer may use one or more of the

following approaches to reduce it:

Increase the desirability of the brand purchased.

Decrease the desirability of rejected alternatives.

Decrease the importance of the purchase decision.

Reject the negative data on the brand purchased.

What is Consumer Buying Behavior?

Introduction to Consumer Behaviors

The study of Consumer Behaviors is quite complex, because of many variables

involved and their tendency to interact with & influence each other. These variables

are divided into three major sections that have been identified as the most important

general influences on Consumer Behaviors. Imagine three concentric circles, one at

the outer most, one in the middle & one at the inner most, and they represent the

following:

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External Environmental Variables Influencing Behaviour : These are the factors

controlled by external environments like the following form the basis of

external influences over the mind of a customer (outer circle) :

1. Culture, and Sub-culture,

2. Social Class, and Social Group,

3. Family, and Inter-Personal Influences,

4. Other Influences (which are not categorized by any of the above six, like

geographical, political, economical, religious environment, etc.).

Individual Determinants of Behavior: Major individual determinants of

Consumer Behavior are portrayed in the middle ring. These are the human

mind and its attributes. These variables are personal in nature and they are

influenced by the above set of external factors and in turn influence the way

consumers proceed thro’ a decision making process regarding products &

services. They are:

1. Personality & Self-concept,

2. Motivation & Involvement,

3. Perception & Information Processing,

4. Learning & Memory,

5. Attitudes.

The Consumer Decision Making Process: The buying decision comes as a

product of the complex interaction of the external factors and the personal

attributes. The inner most circle denotes the consumer decision making process

regarding products & services, whose major steps are :

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1. Problem Recognition,

2. Information Search,

3. Evaluation of Application,

4. Purchase Decision,

5. Post-Purchase Behavior.

Marketers are frequently uncertain about the variables that are at play

influencing & affecting consumers. Sometimes this occurs because they don’t

clearly understand the extent of variables that might be having an influence.

The details of all external, internal, environmental, economical etc. are

discussed above. Sometimes some variables are not directly observable. Other

times variables are known to the marketers but their exact nature & relative

strength of influence is not apparent. In these circumstances, it is useful to

understand the above mentioned concepts and how the consumers behave, so

that their decision making process can be predicted to a reasonable extent. The

human mind being as complex as it is, the understanding of the buying

behavior of the consumers becomes a continuous activity of application of

various theories & concepts by the marketers.

The Consumer Behaviors Theory

An understanding of how the theory of consumer behavior and its application tools

evolved over the years will enable us to appreciate the validity of the theory and give

us a guidance in its practical application. Consumer behavior, like all human behavior

is very complex. But the consumer behavior theory, like all theories is a simplified &

abstract representation of reality. The more simplified picture of consumers provided

by the theory helps us enormously to understand the consumers. It not only helps us to

think about consumers, but also provides us with a language to talk about them. This

language is very useful, because to be effective in an organization – for profit or non-

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profit – one has to persuade others to accept his ideas. And in fact, lack of this

language has been one of the greatest drawback of the modern marketers.

Market Research or Marketing Research (MR) has been developing since

“MARKETING” which brings together all customer elements, grew out of the

concept of “SALES” in the early fifties. The theory of consumer behavior draws

heavily upon the famous psychologist Sigmund Freud, particularly with respect to the

emotional, psychological, mental, subjective or non-utilitarian aspects of buying

decision or behavior of a consumer. The theory represents the hidden order in this very

complex activity, which we call consumer behavior. On the surface, this highly

complex & varied display of behavior by consumers seems essentially unexplained.

But slowly as the theory develops.

Now, what is the magic stuff called consumer behavior theory that does all these

wonderful things. It’s not just a theory, as explained earlier, but more than that. It

helps us to make better marketing decisions for profit & non-profit organizations.

Thus we can examine the characteristics of a theory that enables us to do so.

Researchers G Zaltman and M Wallendorf have came out with the most important

attributes of a good & sound theory, after very close and careful thought.

These are the following :

A theory which does both: explains how consumers buy & predicts what

consumers will buy.

It unifies previously unrelated areas of knowledge, for example, it relates to

information that consumers get from advertising so as to decide what brands

they buy.

The theory is simple. If not, it can be so complex that we can’t understand well

enough to apply it to our practical problems.

It is testable so that we can verify whether the theory is valid and therefore

dependable.

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Implied in the previous characteristic, it is supported by the facts. This means,

to lay the theory up against data describing how consumers buy in the market

and thereby determine if the facts confirm the theory. If they don’t, then either

the theory should be modified till the facts do verify it or abandon the theory.

The theory is general, which means that it can be applied to a wide range of

products & services. If it is not, then it won’t be very useful.

It has heuristic value, meaning that it poses new questions for us that had not

been previously asked. While trying to answer these questions, new knowledge

is created and that becomes the part of the theory.

It is internally consistent. This means that the theory is internally free from

logical in congruencies or else the prediction will be doubtful & flawed. Lack

of this quality will make the theory a dangerous tool.

It is original. If not, it adds little to the existing knowledge.

It is plausible. If not, it can’t be seen by others as making any sense, and hence,

they will not likely to accept the theory and so it won’t be useful.

Definitions:

Consumer Behavior (or Buyer Behavior) is broadly defined by various scholars

& researchers as:

It’s the behavior displayed by the consumers during the acquisition,

consumption and disposition of products, services, time and ideas by decision

making units.

It is the body of knowledge which studies various aspects of purchase and

consumption of products and services by individuals with various social and

psychological variables at play.

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The behavior that the consumers display in searching for, purchasing, using,

evaluating and disposing of products and services that they expect will satisfy

their needs.

The process and activities people engage in when searching for, selecting,

purchasing, using, evaluating, and disposing of products and services so as to

satisfy their needs and desires.

The activities directly involved in obtaining, consuming, and disposing of

products and services, including the decision processes that precede and follow

these actions.

The American Marketing Association (AMA) defines consumer behavior as

“The dynamic interaction of cognition, behavior & environmental events by

which human beings conduct the exchange aspect of their lives.

The study of consumer behavior involves search, evaluation, purchase, consumption

and post purchase behavior of the consumers and includes the disposal of purchased

products keeping environment and personal characteristics in mind.

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Definition of Buying Behavior:

Buying Behavior is the decision processes and acts of people involved in buying and

using products.

Need to understand:

• Why consumers make the purchases that they make?

• What factors influence consumer purchases?

• The changing factors in our society.

Consumer Buying Behavior refers to the buying behavior of the ultimate consumer. A

firm needs to analyze buying behavior for:

Buyer’s reactions to a firms marketing strategy has a great impact on the firm’s

success.

The marketing concept stresses that a firm should create a Marketing Mix

(MM) that satisfies (gives utility to) customers, therefore need to analyze the

what, where, when and how consumers buy.

Marketers can better predict how consumers will respond to marketing

strategies.

Factors influencing consumer behavior

Consumer purchases are influenced strongly by or there are four factors.

01. Cultural Factor

02. Social Factor

03. Personal Factor

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04. Psychological Factor.

01. Cultural Factor:-

• Cultural factor divided into three sub factors (i) Culture (ii) Sub Culture (iii)

Social Class

Culture:-

The set of basic values perceptions, wants, and behaviors learned by a

member of society from family and other important institutions. Culture is

the most basic cause of a person’s wants and behavior. Every group or

society has a culture, and cultural influences on buying behavior may vary

greatly from country to country.

Sub Culture :-

A group of people with shared value systems based on common life

experiences and situations.

Each culture contains smaller sub cultures a group of people with shared

value system based on common life experiences and situations. Sub culture

includes nationalities, religions, racial group and geographic regions. Many

sub culture make up important market segments and marketers often design

products.

Social Class:- A

Almost every society has some form of social structure; social classes

are society’s relatively permanent and ordered divisions whose members

share similar values, interests and behavior.

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Social Factors:-

A consumer’s behavior also is influenced by social factors, such as the

(i) Groups (ii) Family (iii) Roles and status

Groups :-

Two or more people who interact to accomplish individual or mutual goals.

A person’s behaviors are influenced by many small groups. Groups that have a

direct influence and to which a person belongs are called membership groups.

Some are primary groups includes family, friends, neighbors and coworkers.

Some are secondary groups, which are more formal and have less regular

interaction. These include organizations like religious groups, professional

association and trade unions.

Family:-

Family members can strongly influence buyer behavior. The family is

the most important consumer buying organization society and it has

been researched extensively. Marketers are interested in the roles, and

influence of the husband, wife and children on the purchase of different

products and services.

Roles and Status :-

A person belongs to many groups, family, clubs, and organizations.

The person’s position in each group can be defined in terms of both role and

status.

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o For example. M & “X” plays the role of father, in his family he plays the

role of husband, in his company, he plays the role of manager, etc. A

Role consists of the activities people are expected to perform according

to the persons around them.

Personal Factors:-

It includes

i) Age and life cycle stage

ii) Occupation

iii) Economic situation

iv) Life Style

v) Personality and self concept.

Psychological Factors:-

It includes these Factors.

i) Motivation

ii) Perception

iii) Learning

iv) Beliefs and attitudes

Laptop Definition -

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A laptop computer, usually called a notebook computer by manufacturers, is a

battery- or AC-powered personal computer generally smaller than a briefcase that can

easily be tranPCed and conveniently used in temporary spaces such as on airplanes, in

libraries, temporary offices, and at meetings. A laptop typically weighs less than 5

pounds and is 3 inches or less in thickness. Among the best-known makers of laptop

computers are IBM, Apple, Compaq, Dell, and Toshiba.

Laptop computers generally cost more than desktop computers with the same

capabilities because they are more difficult to design and manufacture. A laptop can

effectively be turned into a desktop computer with a docking station, a hardware

frame that supplies connections for peripheral input/output devices such as a printer or

larger monitor. The less capable port replicator allows you to connect a laptop to a

number of peripherals through a single plug.

Laptops usually come with displays that use thin-screen technology. The thin

film transistor or active matrix screen is brighter and views better at different angles

than the STN or dual-scan screen. Laptops use several different approaches for

integrating a mouse into the keyboard, including the touch pad, the trackball, and the

pointing stick. A serial port also allows a regular mouse to be attached. The PC Card

is insertable hardware for adding a modem or network interface card to a laptop. CD-

ROM and digital versatile disc drives may be built-in or attachable.

Important Buying Factors: When Planning to Buy a Laptop

Buying a new laptop is an investment for sure, and you can make the best possible

choice only by thoroughly assessing your requirements. Whether you're buying a

laptop for the first time or have been using one for ages, before venturing on a new

purchase, there are several factors that need to be considered. To make things easier

for you, we've listed here the most important factors:

Processor(CPU)

The first bullet point in all those "specification" handouts that a laptop salesperson

will show you would most likely mention the processor in the system. The processor

is one of the main components in a laptop and directly affects performance as well as

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battery life. Over the past years, laptop processors were comparatively slower when

pitted against desktop alternatives, but not anymore.

Today, faster multi-core processors are common in laptops. The processor type

differs depending on size, purpose or area of application of the laptop. Most laptops

come with Intel or AMD processors, with either single- or multi-core architectures.

Considering average applications such as MS Office or other applications like

Photoshop, a processor with a minimum clock speed of 1.6 GHz is essential. Unlike

desktops, laptops cannot conveniently be upgraded, and so it’s always better to choose

a faster processor with the future in mind.

Memory(RAM)

Once you’ve decided on the processor you require, you need to do justice to it by

letting it perform to its full potential by providing adequate system memory. RAM,

the random memory needed for your operating system, running programs and their

data, contributes to the overall system response time. Consider a situation where you

have one of the fastest computers around, but not enough memory to hold the

programs and their data that you wish to run. Much of the program code and the data

will have to be held on disk and brought into memory when needed. At the same time,

data that is not currently being worked on will be stored temporarily on disk. As the

time taken to move data to and from a disk is much greater than moving from memory

to the processor, this will slow the system down considerably.

In case this stretches your budget, find out if it will be possible to upgrade later, or

if it has to be done by a technician. These days, with resource hungry applications, we

advise a minimum of 2GBRAMasstandard.

Display

The display abilities of a laptop are determined by the screen itself, as well as the

graphics processor. Screens come in standard sizes and resolutions. Typically, larger

displays have a higher resolution, but then this impacts the portability of a laptop.

Wide screen displays are also gaining popularity as they help with better viewing and

comfortable working.

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The graphics processor, on the other hand, determines performance that is visible

when it comes to 3D graphics and gaming. Laptops come with onboard as well as

dedicated graphics solutions. The difference between the two is that while onboard

solutions provide low end or very basic performance, dedicated graphics solutions

from NVIDIA and ATI significantly enhance performance and allow hi-end

applications (newer generation games) and other 3D-intensive applications to run

more smoothly.

Ports

Every now and then, we have to connect additional peripherals to our laptops. These

may be wireless cards, USB drives, printers, mice or other gadgets. An adequate pool

of available ports is very useful both for desktops as well as laptops. Most modern day

devices are designed to connect to USB ports. If you have devices which use FireWire

or other connections such as Bluetooth or infrared, like many mobile phones, PMPs or

video cameras do these days, make sure your laptop supports them by having the right

connectors.

An expansion slot for PC cards is also a good idea. This comes in handy to

accommodate an internal modem, wireless card, additional Ethernet ports or a better

sound card. With high definition video and audio coming to laptops, an HDMI port is

also becoming common these days. HDMI replaces the old S-Video port and gives

advantages such as single cable connection for both audio and video. Headphone and

microphone jacks are common, but some laptops come with dual headphone jacks that

can be used to connect your laptop to different devices or even to utilise its multi-

channel output.

Drives

Hard drives can be broadly classified into two different categories:

1. HDD (Hard Disk Drive)

2. ODD (Optical Disk Drive)

Your storage requirement entirely depends on your usage. A hard drive’s

configuration is fairly straight forward in terms of size. These days, laptops come with

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250 GB storage on a single HDD, but still you have to decide whether you really need

all that space. Another critical factor that determines your overall system speed is the

drive’s rotation speed — a drive with a higher spin rate yields faster data access times.

However, these are more prone to damage as well. This is one factor you must keep in

mind while arriving at your decision. Try and assess how much space you will need in

your system, and then multiply by three.

Optical drives have evolved considerably over the years. You can either have a simple

CD-ROM drive for installing software, all the way up to the latest high definition Blu-

ray DVD burners as part of your configuration. In most cases, laptops now come

standard with a dual layer DVD burner. Blu-ray drives are starting to show up, but are

extremely expensive.

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Networking

One of the basic reasons to have a laptop is to be able to carry out all your tasks while

on the move. This involves your work for which you need to send/receive emails.

Connecting to the internet or a local network is a crucial function that you need to

have f6r your laptop. Most laptops today include a built-in 56 kbps modem and Fast

Ethernet (RJ45) port that handle data rates up to 1,000 Mbps. WiFi has now become a

common feature in laptops. There are several standards for wireless connectivity, but a

very basic connection would require 802.11b/g support having a data rate of up to 54

Mbps.

Size and Weight

You can add up the best of everything and arrive at a monster of a laptop! But then,

that’s what portability is all about — balancing your configuration for optimal

performance and capacity on the one hand, and portability on the other.

Although ultra portable laptops offer light weight solutions and a smaller size, they

also sacrifice on processing speeds, ODDs, expansion slots, etc. Therefore, when

looking for a laptop, consider these factors before making a final decision. Also

consider the weight of the accessories, especially the AC adapter, because at times,

laptops are light but after bundling accessories, the whole package can become quite

heavy to carry. If you travel frequently, or carry a lot of heavy things while on the

move, a lightweight laptop with a small form factor is what you need.

Battery Life

The best looking laptop is no good if it doesn’t offer you adequate battery time. This

holds true even if the product you are considering is an Apple Macbook Air. Try to

find the listed battery life for the standard battery, and see if it suits your needs. It

would be wise to look for a system with at least two hours of battery life under normal

conditions. If you need extended battery life, then look for larger battery packs or

media bays that can double as extra battery slots when required.

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Warranty Plans

Laptops are more prone to breakdowns due to their portability. When buying a

system, make sure to get at least a year’s warranty from the OEM. If you’ll be using

the system heavily, a system that comes with a three year warranty is ideal.

Consider several models while you are out there shopping. Consider all models

that meet your buying criteria, and compare them on features and prices. Your

decision should not depend on someone else’s preferences, but on your own. After all,

it’s you who is going to use the laptop — don’t be shy to call dealers and customer

support of the OEMs to find out more about their equipment. Check out the model

physically whenever possible. Ask your friends who may have bought laptops recently

or are currently using the one you wish to buy. Narrow your choices down to a few

models, and then seek the best deal before finally buying your dream laptop!

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Review of LiteratureReview of Literature

Conduct a Review of the Branding Literature relating to brand image

Brand Image

Introduction

The concept of brand image has been very significant to consumer behaviour from

post 1950’s. As Aaker and Keller confirmed in Hsieh’s study that, “brand image has

been considered a vital part of a firm’s marketing program, not only because it serves

as a foundation for tactical marketing mix issues but also because it plays an integral

role in building long term brand-equity” (1990).

Definition

Earlier definitions of brand image are presented in broad terms by Dobni (1990) who

put forward the following writers understanding of brand image. Newman stated it as

“everything the people associate with the brand” (1957). Reynolds (1965) confirms

that an image was centred on drawing a few key beliefs from a vast variety of sources,

thus creating your own impression based on the brand. Herzog’s concurs that brand

image was “the sum of the total impressions.” (1973). Indeed, such definitions all

concur together; echoed by the words of Levy who stated that “a brand image is a

constellation of pictures and ideas in people’s minds that sum up their knowledge of

the brand and their main attitudes towards it” (1978). A more recent insight into

brand image was added by Woodside who “defined image as the degree of positive or

negative affect associated with psychological object” (Reid, 2001).

From these definitions a clear trend is appearing with regard to the perception of brand

image with key figures around the mid-nineteen hundreds, supporting a collective

view that an individual takes in a collaboration of ideas that the company puts forward

as a representation of themselves. This allows them to draw a clear conclusion of a

company from a few certain points which strike a cord with the individuals.

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Theory behind brand image

According to Tyler (1957), there are three approaches to brand image: Subjective,

Objective and Literal.

The first type, is a subjective image, this is when a potential customer hears or sees the

brand name/logo and feel obliged to purchase the product or service, despite a lack of

understanding as to why this is the case. The case simply relates to how the brand is

perceived as significant to an individual’s self-consciousness.

The second type of brand image is the objective form which is the attempt to

generate an emotional need for the product, leaving you with the feeling that

you need to purchase the product so as to satisfy this need.

The third is literal image, i.e. a logo which represents a company. This implies that

upon seeing this picture/logo, the name of the company does not need to be uttered as

the picture tells the consumer the whole story e.g. Nike with the tick or McDonalds

with the golden arches. Evidently, the approach used to obtain and sustain a brand

image will vary upon several factors as reflected by the analysis presented by Tyler.

Oxenfeldt and Swann’s idea was that the brand image should allow the company to

establish its position within its market segment, protecting it from competition, thus

allowing them to build upon this with market share growth (Park et al, 1986).

Moreover Park et al (1986) put forward in Bhat’s article that the importance of

establishing a brand image relevant to its market segment in which it is based, is

significant so as to ascertain a strong brand position, help create a barrier to

entry for potential competitors: thus raise the brands performance in the market.

Further, Meenaghan stated that “at the product/brand level the components of identity

are in effect the elements of the marketing mix, which combine to form the image of

the brand in the mind of the consumer” (1995). From this, it is clear that to gain a

strong brand image, one needs to exploit all areas of the marketing mix to achieve

what Oxenfeldt and Swann stressed and that brand image is the key component in

establishing market dominance. Also, Krishman (1996) in Faircloth’s assessment with

the aid of the Landor survey discovered that there is a strong correlation between

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brand equity and brand image. The stronger the brand equity, the stronger the brand

image and vice versa.

Reid’s (2001) understanding of brand image concerns the product of interaction

involving the consumer’s specific experience with a certain brand, helped by

advertising which reveals how the brand is to be understood and used, predominantly

for brands that contend at parity. Another contemporary understanding of brand image

was put forward by Hsieh (2002), who felt that building a brand image based on the

identified benefit-based image dimensions consisted of a set of benefit brand

associations. This helped consumers understand with clarity what a brand can do for

them-symbolically, economically, sensorial or as a utility. White and Hsieh (2002)

seem to recognise the key importance that advertising plays in promoting the elements

of a brand image thus differentiating the brand from rival brands, giving them a

competitive advantage.

To summarise, it is plain to see that these academics are in complete agreement that

one of the key attributes of a company, if not the key attribute, is the brand image. It is

evident that there is a clear link between brand image and market share, as depicted by

Krishman’s research. In addition, establishing a strong brand image is indeed a

powerful way of developing market power, which consequently helps to create a tight

control over its position within the market. Due to barriers to entry, a rounded

marketing plan focussing on all aspects of the marketing mix; this also helps to retain

a consistent consumer interest.

Brand image: practical example

In this section we will relate how brand image is encompassed in modern

organisations and how they use this as a comparative advantage over there rivals to

ensure that they keep there competitive edge.

Manchester United

In the Brand Strategy journal, the players’ were seen to be key to any clubs brand

image. The actions of players’ and the perception by supporters is hence key to brand

image. For example, ex-Man Utd David Beckham opened the Manchester

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Commonwealth Games wearing an Adidas sweatshirt. These images were then

broadcast across the globe and this was much more powerful then his endorsement

through advertising. (Brand Strategy briefing: Saving face of sponsorship).

These sort of images enable organisation’s such as Man Utd to develop into icons

which according to Douglas B. Holt is one step further than brand image, as ‘they

succeed because they forge a deep connection with the culture. In essence, they

compete for culture share.’ This can clearly be applied to industries, like, the football

industries, as many fans have a strong link between them and their club i.e. it is part of

their culture.

Summary

In summary, from our research, it is clear that there is a link between successful

advertising and a well-established brand image. This was made clear in our theory

research, which was also represented, in our practical examples. Furthermore, it

appears that to generate a strong brand image, requires continuous, diverse advertising

over a period of time, which satisfies all areas of the marketing mix, allowing a firm to

generate a rounded brand image.

Once this brand image is achieved, it can be built upon, as it will give a firm a

competitive advantage, act as a barrier to entry and will act as a stable base so as to

develop their organisation. This argument was put forward by Park et al (1986) and

backs up the information that was provided in Jobber which stated that there are

several benefits that arise from having a strong brand image: “company value,

i

ii

iii

iv

v

vi

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consumer perceptions and preferences, barrier to competition, high profits, base for

brand extensions, quality certification and trust” (1996).

The theories suggest that behind nearly all brand images there is a logo, signifying the brand

and reflecting all the ideas one associates with the brand i.e. quality, style etc. It is an

important factor in differentiating a firm from its rivals, as Rooney (1995) states “brand

leaders are often too close to being identical”, hence any factor which differentiates your

brand from the main stream is of value.

Meenaghan (1995) noted that to build up a successful brand image, a well-rounded marketing

plan will be required focussing on all areas of the marketing mix. It needs to focus on the

organisation’s strengths in all areas and ensure that the good/service is positively

differentiated from its closest rivals.

Analysis of Manchester United’s Brand

Introduction

Manchester United has excelled in the modern game of Football and its activities away from

the pitch. It has existed for over a century now and has grown during this period from a small

club into a global phenomenon. The strategy of Manchester United in building and

sustaining its brand image has been achieved by focusing on the premier football team, which

sits at the centre of the business. Indeed, it is crucial that all areas of the marketing mix are

exploited to help establish strong market dominance and a sustainable brand image, hence

this marketing principle will be central to the analysis of Manchester United’s brand image.

Manchester United’s brand image will be critically assessed, paying particular attention to the

way in which they have utilised various marketing communications to sustain their image.

Moreover, by presenting a timeline of Manchester United’s marketing practices will allow to

discriminate as to whether they have been successful or not.

Marketing Mix

Promotion:

Manchester United has established a range of global, commercial partnerships with certain

blue chip firms such as Vodafone and Nike. Indeed this has helped put Manchester United on

the global scene. Nike has launched their new Cool Motion double layer kit, promoted by

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many of the players such as Scholes and Ferdinand, wearing Nike Boots, which have helped

connect the famous market leader with this Premier Football team. Further, legends such as

Cantona have helped create this maverick image for Manchester United, but also having such

a combination of powerful sponsors has brought the team a reputable image. (ManUtd.com,

2004a).

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British Sky Broadcasting and Manchester United Television

Since 1991, the English league has become the most popular and televised league in the

world enabling Manchester United’s playing achievements to be followed globally and on a

regular basis. Manchester United has developed a partnership with BSKYB, who provide the

distribution, production and programming. MUTV operates a magazine format of past

matches, interviews with players and staff and up to the minute information on the club. This

is a clear example of brand extension and brand differentiation. Meenaghan (1995) stated that

“one must ensure that the good/service is positively differentiated from its closest rivals.” In

addition, White and Hsieh cited that “differentiating the brand from rival brands, gives one a

competitive advantage.” This is certainly the case with Manchester United as it currently has

75,000 UK subscribers to MUTV, indicating high levels of brand loyalty.

ManUtd.com Website

Cocoran, I, (2001) noted the partnership with Lycos has helped the club take advantage of its

content and brand strength via the development of local-language sites for its non-English

speaking fans, specifically in South East Asia. It is clear that Manchester United have

recognised the advantages of digital branding as a form of brand extension and in doing so

they have transferred the team’s success on the pitch toward a global audience of millions, by

embracing the power of the web.

Club Tours -Global extension of the brand.

Manchester United has strengthened its brand image by “expanding its market share in

untapped areas around the globe.” Through information researched,

(www.brandchannel.com, 2004) Peter Draper, the club’s Director of Marketing,

explains how, “Currently, 90 percent of our business comes out of the UK, but 80

percent of the fan base is abroad. There’s clearly an opportunity for us there.” The

team has undergone tours of the US, China and the Far East in order to promote

Manchester United merchandise, encourage new sponsors and establish a firm fan

base abroad. Manchester United has opened at least ten mega-stores across Asia, and

plans to develop one hundred Manchester United branded football restaurants over the

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next ten years, with the aim to cash in on the lucrative interest many Asian nations

hold in the English game.

Manchester United has succeeded in promoting the brand globally and adapting its

image to different markets which is highlighted by the fact that they have 40 million

fans in Asia (Lifestyle, 2004). Park et al (1986) stated that establishing a brand image

relevant to the market segment in which it is based, is significant so as to ascertain a

strong brand position. David Gill cites in his PLC report of 2003 that “the key

marketing strategy for the Manchester United brand development team is to expand

operations into any country where they feel it is possible to convert the local

population into loyal followers of the club and future customers in the multinational

empire.”

Product

Merchandise

In the early nineties, the extent of the United range was very narrow (consisting of

goods such as scarves, mugs and hats), but now the product line is inexhaustible,

including everything possible from wallpaper in children’s bedrooms to cuddly toys,

soft drinks and underwear.

As the popularity of the Internet has come to prominence, this has acted as a further

opportunity of extending the brand image around the globe, providing new found

supporters in East-Asia and America with the opportunity to purchase their goods.

Manchester United have proposed tactics to sell their brand image in countries where

popularity is however limited, such as America and the Far-East.

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Place

Old Trafford Club Stadium

The club recognised at an early stage in the brand’s development, the potential earning

power of the club’s home ground, Old Trafford with 68,000 supporters walking

through the gates on any given match day. Currently shown in Manchester United

financial data is that 36% of the club’s revenue is generated from match days.

(ManUtd.com, 2004c). Reid (2001) stressed that the brand has to be experienced,

therefore by providing a well equipped stadium, this helps attract a greater influx of

foreign visitors.

Price

The use of price can be viewed as the sole negative factor of Manchester United brand

image. Exploitation is evident in the form of the fans that pay outrageous prices for

gate admissions (£34) and replica shirts (£45) and via their business partners, the

exploitation of children in the sweatshops of Asia as exposed by the BBC’s current

affairs flagship Panorama. While the clubs players such as Ferdinand, Giggs and

Keane are paid so handsomely to wear the products of leading sports manufacturers

the workers in the sweatshops of Indonesia and other Asian countries are earning 72

pence for 24 hours of work. (Skynews.com, 2002). The enormous difference between

what the goods cost to manufacture and their price is the reason behind the clubs huge

profits and enormous transfer kitty. It is clear that there is a large disparity between

with the wealth of Manchester United and the workers who make the products so

crucial to the global spread of the brand image.

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Brand Preference

“Customers buying products are buying utility, function, and performance as

much as image and status” (Terpstra and Sarathy, 1997, p. 375). Actually, Customer

merchandise has implications more than their utilitarian, functional, and commercial

significance (Czikszentmihalyi and Rochberg-Halton, 1981; Ericksen, 1996; Leigh

and Gabel, 1992; Levy, 1959; Mick, 1986). Consumers do not “consume products for

their material utilities but consume the symbolic meaning of those products as

portrayed in their images” (Elliot, 1997, p. 286). Therefore, the acquired goods

are not only “bundles of attributes that yield particular benefits” (Holt, 1995, p. 1) but

also indications of symbolic meanings to the public. Consumers are more likely to use

brands to express how they are either similar to or different from people of their in-

group (Markus and Kitayama, 1991).

Bhat and Reddy (1998) also reported that brands have practical and emblematic

importance for consumers. The emblematic importance, which is attached to brands, is

often broadcasted via the use and consumption of brands (Gottdeiner, 1985;

McCracken, 1986). Consequently, there seems to be a noteworthy relationship

between brand images, consistent with the emblematic importance of brands, and

consumers’ self images (Zinkham and Hong, 1991). Individuals are more likely to buy

brands whose personalities intimately match their own self images (Schiffman and

Kanuk, 2000). Similarly, consumers express themselves by selecting brands whose

personalities are recognized to be consistent with their own personalities (Aaker,

1999; Kassarjian, 1971; Sirgy, 1982).

In many circumstances, consumers’ self image influences his/her purchase

decisions (Zinkham and Hong, 1991) In other words, consumers use products to

illustrate, maintain, and reinforce their self concepts to themselves (Sirgy, 1982;

Wallendorf and Arnould, 1988; Zinkham and Hong, 1991). Therefore, “purchase and

consumption are good vehicles for self-expression” (Jamal and Goode, 2001, p. 483).

Previous research indicated that self image/self expression affect consumers’

product preferences and their purchase intentions (Ericksen, 1996; Mehta, 1999). For

example, Ericksen (1996) found a significant relationship between self image and

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intention to buy an American automobile (Ford Escort). Based on this finding, it

might be inferred that “individuals prefer brands that have images compatible with

their perceptions of self” (Jamal and Goode, 2001, p. 483; Belk, et. al., 1982;

Ericksen, 1996; Solomon, 1983; Zinkham and Hong, 1991). Moreover, this self image

consistency strengthen positive attitude toward products and brands (Ericksen, 1996;

Sirgy, 1982, 1985, 1991; Sirgy, et. al., 1997). Specifically, “the more similar a

consumer’s self-image is to the brand’s image, the more favorable their evaluations of

that brand should be” (Graeff, 1996, p. 5).

Brand Personality

Contrary to product-related attributes, which refer to be performance-oriented

for customers, brand personality seems to be representative/self-expressive oriented

(Keller, 1993). Brand personality refers to “the set of human characteristics associated

with a brand” (Aaker, 1997, p. 347). Moreover, researchers found that brand

personality facilitates a consumer to articulate his/her self (Belk, 1988), an ideal self

(Malhotra, 1988), or exact aspects of the self (Kleine, Kleine, and Kerman, 1993) via

the use of a brand. Additionally, this concept was the essential determinant of

consumer preference and usage (Biel, 1993).

Brand personality can be shaped and influenced by any direct/indirect contact

that the consumer has with the brand (Plummer, 1985). The direct influences included

the brand’s user imagery, which is defined as “the set of human characteristics

associated with the typical user of a brand” (Aaker, 1997, p. 348); the firm’s workers

and/or boss; and the brand’s endorsers. On the other hand, the indirect influences

contained product-related features, product category relationships, brand name, mark

or emblem, and other marketing mix elements (Batra, Lehmann, and Singh, 1993).

Moreover, according to Levy (1959, p. 12), brand personality consisted of

demographic characteristics such as gender (“Usually it is hard to evade thinking of

inanimate things as male or female”), age (“Just as most, people usually recognize

whether something is addressed to them as a man or a woman, so are they sensitive to

symbols of age”), and class (“The possession of mink is hardly a matter of winter

warmth alone”). Some examples are provided as follows. First, in the tobacco

industry, “Virginia Slims tends to be thought of feminine, whereas Marlboro tends to

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perceived as masculine” (Aaker, 1997, p. 348). Second, in the pc business, “Apple is

considered to be young, and IBM is considered to be older” (Aaker, 1997, p. 348).

Third, based on the various pricing policies in relation to different department stores,

“Saks Fifth Avenue is perceived as upper class, whereas K-mart is perceived as blue

collar” (Aaker, 1997, p. 348).

Customer Perceived Value

Value has been recognized as “the fundamental basis for all marketing activity”

(Halbrook, 1994, p. 22). Value has also been stated as “a cognitive-based construct

which captures any benefit-sacrifice discrepancy in much the same way

disconfirmation does for variations between expectations and perceived performance”

(Patterson and Spreng, 1997, p. 421). Therefore, it is the outcome of a cognitive

assessment procedure. Moreover, it is an affective evaluative reaction (Oliver, 1996).

Customer perceived value in commerce marketplace was defined as “the trade-

off between the multiple benefits and sacrifices of a supplier’s offering, as perceived

by key decision-makers in the customer’s organization, and taking into consideration

the available alternative suppliers’ offerings in a specific use situation” (Eggert and

Ulaga, 2002, p. 110). That is, there existed three elements in this definition: “(1) the

multiple components of value, (2) the subjectivity of value perceptions and (3) the

importance of competition” (Eggert and Ulaga, 2002, p. 109).

First of all, the multiple benefits refer to a mixture of product/service attributes

and/or technological support available related to a specific use condition (Monroe,

1990). The multiple sacrifices were occasionally illustrated in monetary forms

(Anderson, et al., 1993). Secondly, customers’ perceived value is subjective, not

objective (Kortge and Okonkwo, 1993). In other words, different customers might

have a variety of perceived values for consuming the same product/service. Thirdly,

customers’ perceived value is associated with competition on the market. Competitors

generate sustainable competitive advantage by means of bringing a better trade-off

between utilities and sacrifice in a merchandise/service.

Alternatively, customer perceived value was consisted of a “take” factor- the

benefits a purchaser obtained from the vendor’s contribution- and a “give” factor- the

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buyer’s costs (financial and/or non-monetary) of receiving the offering (Dodds, 1991;

Zeithmal, 1988). Even much of the precedent studies have emphasized product quality

as the primary “take” factor and price as the “give” factor (Grewal et al., 1998;

Lichtenstein, Netemeyer, and Burton, 1990; Zeithmal, 1988). But, “service is also a

logical driver of perceived value” (Parasuraman and Grewal, 2000, p. 169). For the

reason that outstanding before/after sale services provided by the seller really increase

the benefits obtained (the take factor) and also “decrease the buyer’s non-monetary

costs, such as time, effort, and mental stress” (the give factor) (Parasuraman and

Grewal, 2000, p. 169). Consequently, customer perceived value was composed of

“service quality, product quality, and price” (Parasuraman and Grewal, 2000, p. 169).

1. Service quality

Perceived service quality was defined as the discrepancy between “expected

quality and experienced quality” (Gronroos, 2000, p. 67). Expected quality refers to

the expectations of the customer; experienced quality is “the outcome of a series of

internal decisions and activities” (Gronroos, 2000, p. 101). In other words, customers’

subjectivity has a significant influence on perceived service.

Based on a concrete background of empirical and conceptual research,

Gronroos (2000, p. 81) provided a list of The Seven Criteria of Good Perceived

Service Quality: “professionalism and skills” (i.e., service providers have required

knowledge to offer skills in order to solve customers’ problems in a professional way),

“attitudes and behavior” (i.e., service providers are considerate of/friendly to

customers), “accessibility and flexibility” (i.e., service providers are easy and adaptive

for customers to reach), “reliability and trustworthiness” (i.e., service providers are

dependable and honorable), “service recovery” (i.e., service providers are willing to

correct mistakes as soon as they can), “serviscape” (i.e., customers feel comfortable in

the environment related to the service process), “reputation and credibility” (i.e.,

service providers can be trusted by customers).

2. Product quality

Generally speaking, people buy products to satisfy needs and wants. That is,

consumers would like to obtain a mixture of utilities when they procure items for

consumption, and different customers seem to acquire a variety of benefits from the

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same kind of goods. In order to supply the benefits for consumers, marketers need to

successfully incorporate the components that constitute a product. These components

include “product features (quality, design, branding, and packaging) and customer

service (purchase services and usage services)” (Bearden, Ingram, and LaForge, 2001,

p. 185). Product quality refers to “how well a product does what it is supposed to do

as defined by the customer” (Bearden, Ingram, and LaForge, 2001, p. 186).

3. Price

The price of a product/service can be analyzed associated with customers’

quality expectations and/or their past experiences. If the price is judged too expensive,

consumers might not purchase. A low price policy causes poor positioning and

neglected opportunities. However, price appears to be a standard for quality in some

circumstances. “A higher price level equals a better quality in the minds of customers,

especially when the service is highly intangible” (Gronroos, 2000, p. 80).

Hypotheses

Based on the literature discussed above, the hypotheses of this study are as

follows:

1. There existed a significant relationship between brand preferences and

respondents’ demographic characteristics.

2. There existed a significant relationship between brand personality and

respondents’ brand preferences.

3. Brand preferences were significantly associated with variation in customers’

perceived value.

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Chaper No.- 03Chaper No.- 03

Research MethodologyResearch Methodology

Definition of Research:- Definition of Research:-

RESEARCH in common parlance refers to a search for knowledge .Also can

be defined as a scientific and systematic search for pertinent information on a specific

topic. Research is a careful investigation or inquiry especially through search for new

facts in any branch of knowledge.

TYPE OF RESEARCHTYPE OF RESEARCH

The research design comprise of the plan and structure of investigation

conceived so as to arrive at the responses to the research queries. It there by addresses

the aims and objectives of the study, both descriptively and analytically.

SAMPLING TECHNIQUESAMPLING TECHNIQUE

The sampling technique adopted for the study is non-probability Random

sampling technique according to the convenience of the researcher. A questionnaire

was administered to different software companies to obtain data for the purpose of

analysis.

SAMPLE SIZE

Data is collected using a sample of 50 Respondents.

SAMPLE DESCRIPTIONSAMPLE DESCRIPTION

The sample mainly consists of data from the primary sources that are utilized

for the purpose of this study. This is done by means of administrating questioners to in

different software companies in the city of Udaipur.

Secondary data like company journals, newsletters, records etc. were also relied on for

retrieving further information.

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ACTUAL COLLECTION OF DATAACTUAL COLLECTION OF DATA

Both secondary and primary sources of data are utilized for the purpose of this study. Primary

data is collected by means of administering a questionnaire to the different software

companies. Secondary data is collected from various records, manuals and other sources.

S. No. Particulars Description

1. Project Title “A STUDY OF CUSTOMER PURCHASE

DECISION TOWARDS LAPTOPS.

(Special Reference to Udaipur)”

2. Sample Size 50

3. Sample Unit Students, Service Men’s, Shopkeepers,etc.

4. Area Covered Udaipur

5. Sampling Procedure Random Sampling

6. Research Design Exploratory

7. Data Collection Method Survey

8. Research Instrument Questionnaire

9. Type of Questionnaire Structured

10. Type of Questions Close Ended, Open Ended Questions

11. Method of Survey Census Survey

12. Type of Sampling Stratified Sampling

Importance of research work:

The purpose of this study is to examine the impacts of demographic Factors

and footwear benefits sought on consumer purchasing outcomes in the urban

market.

Research results show that age, household size, education, occupation and

income significantly affect amount of money spent, pairs of footwear

purchased and purchase plans, but not average price paid. Gender and

residence of respondent were not significantly related to purchasing outcomes.

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The study identified two groups of shoppers seeking significantly different

benefits in purchasing footwear products: the functional shoppers and the alpha

shoppers. As compared to the functional shoppers, alpha shoppers purchased

more pairs of footwear, paid higher price for footwear and spent larger HRK1

amount on footwear. The results are indicative for the segmentation strategy in

the footwear market.

The research also helps footwear manufacturers and retailers to better target

their consumer segments

RESEARCH OBJECTIVE

The research study tends to follow and achieve specific objectives.

The objectives of this particular study are:-

To know the personal views of “Udaipur” people regarding choices among

various branded PC Laptop.

To study which branded PC Laptop is mostly preferred by people as per their choices.

Comparison between various branded PC Laptop.

Find out factor influencing the people at the time of purchasing Laptop

QUALITY, DURABILITY, VARIETY, PRICE.

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Data Analysis & InterpretationData Analysis & Interpretation

1. Do you have a Laptop?

SR.NO. PARTICULARS NO. OF RESPONDENTS PERCENTAGE

1 Yes 25 50%

2 No 25 50%

3 Total 50 100%

INTERPRETATION:

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The above table indicates that, 25% people have laptop & 25% people do not have laptop.

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2. If “Yes” which brand do you have?

SR.NO. PARTICULARS NO. OF RESPONDENTS PERCENTAGE

1 Sony 4 16%

2 Dell 2 8%

3 HP 4 16%

4 Compaq 4 16%

5 IBM 1 4%

6 Lenovo 6 24%

7 Acer 2 8%

8 HCL 2 8%

9 Total 25 100%

INTERPRETATION:

The above table indicates that, 24% people have Lenovo, 16% people have Compaq,

8% have Dell, 16% have Sony, 8% HCL, 8% have Acer, 16% have HP laptop.

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3. When did you purchase your Laptop?

SR.NO. PARTICULARS NO. OF RESPONDENTS PERCENTAGE

1 Less than 6 months 10 40%

2 6 months to 1 year 8 32%

3 1 -2 years 4 16%

4 2 – 5 years 2 8%

5 More than 5 years 1 4%

9 Total 25 100%

INTERPRETATION:

The above table indicates that, 16% people plans for purchasing laptop in 1-2 yr., 4%

plan more than 5 yr., 40% plan in less than 6 months, 32% plan in 6 month to 1 yr.

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4. What is main purpose of using Laptop?

SR.NO. PARTICULARS NO. OF RESPONDENTS PERCENTAGE

1 Personal 13 52%

2 Official 10 40%

3 Both 2 8%

9 Total 25 100%

INTERPRETATION:

The above table indicates that, 52% purchasing laptop for person use, 8% purchase

for both purpose, 40 % purchase for official use.

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5. Your satisfaction level towards your laptop?

SR.NO. PARTICULARS NO. OF RESPONDENTS PERCENTAGE

1 Strongly satisfied 9 36%

2 Satisfied 13 52%

3 Dissatisfied 2 8%

4 Strongly dissatisfied 1 4%

5 partially satisfied 0 0%

  Total 25 100%

INTERPRETATION:

The above table indicates that, 52% people satisfied with their brand laptop, 36%

strongly satisfied with their laptop, 8% people dissatisfied with their laptop, 4% people

strongly dissatisfied with their laptop.

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6. Which types of features prefer most by you in laptop?

SR.NO. PARTICULARS NO. OF RESPONDENTS PERCENTAGE

1 Processor 9 36%

2 Battery backup 8 32%

3 Screen size 5 20%

4 Ram 2 8%

5 Hard disk 1 4%

  Total 25 100%

INTERPRETATION:

The above table indicates that, 32% people gives preference to battery backup, 36%

for processor, 8% for RAM, 20% give preference screen size, 4% gives HDD.

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7. What are the factors which influence your buying decision?

SR.NO. PARTICULARS NO. OF RESPONDENTS PERCENTAGE

1 Price 9 36%

2 Availability 7 28%

3 Schemes 4 16%

4 Quality 3 12%

5 advertisement 2 8%

  Total 25 100%

INTERPRETATION:

The above table indicates that, 28% people influencing through availability of

product, 36% influencing through price, 16% through schemes, 12% through Quality of

laptop & 8% through advertisement.

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8. Are you switch over to any other brand to this brand?

SR.NO. PARTICULARS NO. OF RESPONDENTS PERCENTAGE

1 Yes 5 80%

2 No 20 20%

  Total 25 100%

INTERPRETATION:

The above table indicates that, 20% people want to switch their present laptop.

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Person do not have laptop.

9. When would you purchase a laptop?

SR.NO. PARTICULARS NO. OF RESPONDENTS PERCENTAGE

1 Less than 6 months 11 44%

2 6 months to 1 year 10 40%

3 1 -2 years 3 12%

4 2 – 5 years 1 4%

5 More than 5 years 0 0%

  Total 25 100%

INTERPRETATION:

The above table indicates that, 44% people purchase laptop in less than 6 months,

40% in 6 month to 1 yr., 12% in 1-2 yr. & 4% people plans for purchasing laptop in 2-5 yr.

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10. What price range will you be prepared to pay for such a Laptop?

SR.NO. PARTICULARS NO. OF RESPONDENTS PERCENTAGE

1 Rs. 25000 - 30000 12 48%

2 Rs. 35000 - 40000 6 24%

3 Rs. 45000 - 50000 2 8%

4 Rs. 30000 - 35000 3 12%

5 Rs. 40000 - 45000 2 8%

6 Above 50000 0 0%

7 Total 25 100%

INTERPRETATION:

The above table indicates that, 12% choose the range of 30000-35000, 48% for

25000-30000, 8% choose for 45000-50000 & 8% choose for 40000-45000.

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10. Rank the brand according to your preference?

SR.NO. PARTICULARS NO. OF RESPONDENTS RANK PERCENTAGE

1 Sony 7 1 27%

2 Dell 1 5 4%

3 H P 4 3 15%

4 Compaq 7 2 27%

5 IBM 2 8 8%

6 Lenovo 3 4 12%

7 Acer 1 7 4%

8 HCL 1 6 4%

9 Total 26   100%

INTERPRETATION:

The above table indicates that, 27% choose Compaq, 4% choose Dell, 27% choose

Sony, 4% for HCL, 4& for Acer, 11% for Lenovo, 8% for IBM.

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11. The main purpose of purchasing the laptop?

SR.NO. PARTICULARS NO. OF RESPONDENTS PERCENTAGE

1 Personal 13 52%

2 Official 9 36%

3 Both 3 12%

4 Total 25 100%

INTERPRETATION:

The above table indicates that, 52% people choose for personal use, 12% for both use

& 36% for Official use.

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12. What are the factors which influence your buying decisions? (Rank 1-5)

SR.NO. PARTICULARS NO. OF RESPONDENTS RANK PERCENTAGE

1 Price 10 1 40%

2 Availability 3 2 12%

3 Schemes 5 4 20%

4 Quality 6 3 24%

5 Advertisement 1 5 4%

6 Total 25   100%

INTERPRETATION:

The above table indicates that, 12% people influencing through availability of

product, 40% through price, 24% through quality, 20% through schemes & 4% through

advertisement.

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13. Which types of features prefer most by you in laptop?

SR.NO. PARTICULARS NO. OF RESPONDENTS PERCENTAGE

1 Processor 8 32%

2 Battery backup 11 44%

3 Screen size 2 8%

4 Ram 2 8%

5 Hard disk 2 8%

6 Total 25 100%

INTERPRETATION:

The above table indicates that, 44% give preference to battery backup of laptop, 32%

to processor, 8% for screen size, 8% for RAM, 8% for HDD.

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14. Please tick one of the option for each of the configuration items for your desire laptop?

(i) ProcessorSR.NO. PARTICULARS NO. OF RESPONDENTS PERCENTAGE

1 Celeron 2 8%

2 Centrino 5 20%

3 Duo 9 36%

4 Pentium 5 20%

5 Core 4 16%

6 Total 25 100%

INTERPRETATION:

The above table indicates that, 36% give preference to Duo processor, 20% for

Pentium, 20% for Centrino, 16% for Core & 8% for Celeron.

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(ii) RAM

SR.NO. PARTICULARS NO. OF RESPONDENTS PERCENTAGE

1 256 MB 1 4%

3 512 MB 2 8%

4 1 GB 12 48%

2 2 GB 10 40%

5 Total 25 60%

INTERPRETATION:

The above table indicates that, 48% give preference to 1 GB, 8% for 512 MB, 4% for

256 MB & 40% for 2 GB.

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(iii) Battery backup

SR.NO. PARTICULARS NO. OF RESPONDENTS PERCENTAGE

1 2.5 hrs. 3 12%

3 3.5 hrs. 10 40%

4 3 hrs. 5 20%

2 4 hrs. 7 28%

5 Total 25 100%

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INTERPRETATION:

The above table indicates that, 40%b gives preference to 3.5 Hrs., 12% for 2.5 Hrs.,

20% for 3 Hrs., 28% for 4 Hrs.

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(iv) Screen size

SR.NO. PARTICULARS NO. OF RESPONDENTS PERCENTAGE

1 12” 3 12%

3 15” 17 68%

4 14” 5 20%

5 Total 25 100%

INTERPRETATION:

The above table indicates that, 68%b gives preference to 15”, 20% for 14” & 12% for

12”.

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FINDING & CONCLUSIONFINDING & CONCLUSION

Marketing is a very crucial activity in every business organization. Every

product produced within an industry has to be market.

ted other wise it will remain as unsold stock, which will be of no value. I have

realized this fact after completion of my project. Despite of various difficulties and

limitations faced during my project on the topic “A STUDY OF CUSTOMER

PURCHASE DECISION TOWARDS LAPTOPS”. I have tried my level best to find

out the most relevant information for the organization to complete the assignment that

was given to me. After completion of my project I have gained several experiences in

the field or sales marketing. I have got the opportunity to meet various people, which

fluctuate in different situation and time. project has given me the opportunity to have

first experience in the corporate world.

Theoretical knowledge of a person remains dormant until it is used and tested

in the practical life. The research has given to me the chance to apply my theoretical

knowledge that I have acquired in my classroom to the real business world. I have

completed my project in which are involved in its successful completion. In spite of

few limitations and hindrance in the project I found that the work was a challenge and

fruitful. It gives enough knowledge about the computers market and the distribution

process undertaken by an organization. This summer training project has enabled my

capability in order to manage business effectively and in my career in future.

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Suggestion & RecommendationSuggestion & Recommendation

Laptop Company having large number of channel partners but it is not supporting

& taking care all of them equally which results in increasing discontentment

among new channel partners because its not possible for company to support all of

them equally. Company should take some positive action against it.

Company executive should visit dealers on regular basis.

They Should pay proper attention towards checking of various components of PC

before end user delivery. Otherwise it tends towards defame of brand name in

comparison to rivals.

Need to expend customer care center .

Proper attention should be paid for advertisement planning otherwise it may lead

to problem for dealer as well as for company.

Company should tie up with some event management company to organize various

promotional activities like canopy, Carnival.

Company should make policy for fixed end user price for all dealers so that fair

game will be played & dealer would not to compromise on their margin.

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BIBLIOGRAPHYBIBLIOGRAPHY

The lists of reference for the purpose of completing this marketing project are as given

below:

BOOKS:

Marketing Research By: G. C. Beri

Marketing Research By: Boyd and Stasch

Marketing Management By: Philip Kotler

Kothari C. R. (2005) ‘RESEARCH METHODOLOGY’ New Age

International Limited, Fifth Edition

Saxena Rajan, Marketing Management: Tata Mcgraw, New Delhi, 2006

INTERNET:

www.hcl.in

www.indiainfoline.com

www.google.co.in

www.hp.com

www.acer.com

www.dell.com

www.ibm.com

www.hclinfosystem.in

www.altavista.com

www.khoj.com

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QUESTIONNAIRE

A study of customer’s purchase decision towards laptop with special Reference to Udaipur.

Name: - …………………………………………………………………………….Age: - ………………… Gender: - Male / Female………………………………….Address:- ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………Contact No. :- …………………….. Occupation: - ………………………………...Income (yearly)…………………………………

1. Do you have a Laptop?

a. Yesb. No

(If answer is “No” than turn to Q. No. 10)2. If “Yes” which brand do you have?

a. Sony b. IBMc. dell d. Lenovoe. H P f. Acerg. Compaq h. HCL

3. When did you purchase your Laptop?

a. Less than 6 monthsb. 6 months to 1 yearc. 1 -2 yearsd. 2 – 5 yearse. More than 5 years

4. What is main purpose of using Laptop?a. Personalb. Officialc. Both

5. Your satisfaction level towards your laptop? a. Strongly satisfiedb. Satisfiedc. Dissatisfiedd. Strongly dissatisfiede. partially satisfied

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6. Which types of features prefer most by you in laptop?

a. Processor b. Ramc. Battery backup d. Hard diske. Screen size

7. What are the factors which influence your buying decision?a. Price b. Qualityc. Availability d. advertisemente. Schemes

8. Are you switch over to any other brand to this brand?a. Yesb. No

9. Are you planning for purchase another laptop?a. Yesb. No

(If answer is “yes” than continue…….)

10. When would you purchase a laptop?

a. Less than 6 monthsb. 6 months to 1 yearc. 1 -2 yearsd. 2 – 5 yearse. More than 5 years

11. What price range will you be prepared to pay for such a Laptop?

a. Rs. 25000 - 30000 b. Rs. 30000 - 35000c. Rs. 35000 - 40000 d. Rs. 40000 - 45000e. Rs. 45000 - 50000 f. Above 50000

12. Rank the brand according to your preference?

a. Sony b. IBMc. dell d. Lenovoe. H P f. Acerg. Compaq h. HCL

13. The main purpose of purchasing the laptop?

a. Personalb. Officialc. Both

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14. What are the factors which influence your buying decisions? (Rank 1-5)

a. Price b. Qualityc. Availability d. Advertisemente. Schemes

15 Which types of features prefer most by you in laptop?

a. Processor b. Ramc. Battery backup d. Hard diske. Screen size

16. Please tick one of the option for each of the configuration items for your Desire laptop?(i) Processor

a. Celeron b. Pentiumc. centrino d. coree. duo

(ii) RAMa. 256 MB b. 512 MBc. 1 GB d. 2 GB

(iii) Battery backupa. 2.5 hrs. b. 3 hrs.c. 3.5 hrs. d. 4 hrs.

(iv) Screen size a. 12” b. 14”c. 15”

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