Project on Excide battery

A PROJECT REPORT

ON

Comparative Study of SF Sonic Batteries and Its Future Prospects in Garages of North Bengal

Conducted towards the partial fulfillment & requirement for the degree of

Master of Business Administration (MBA)

Report Submitted By

Krishnendu Jha

Roll No. - 1106247145

Batch- 2011-2013

Under the guidance of:-

Corporate Guide:- Faculty Guide:-

Mr.Suven Banerjee Prof. Dibyendu Choudhury

RSM (SF-EAST) Associate Professor

Exide Industries Ltd. Regional College of Mgmt.

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Declaration

I, Krishnendu Jha, hereby declare that, the project entitled Comparative Study Of SF Sonic Batteries And Its Future Prospects In Garages Of North Bengal is submitted by me to Exide Industries, Kolkata based on a research study conducted and presented towards the partial fulfillment for the Award of the degree - ‘Master of Business Administration’.

The report is based on my own work experience during the one and half months with the organization.

Krishnendu Jha

Reg. No.-1106247145

Regional College of Mgmt .

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

First I would like to thank Mr. Suven Banerjee, who gave me the opportunity to undertake a project at Exide Industries Ltd.

Then I would like to thank Mr. Debopratim Das and Mr. Jayantha Narayan Das who gave me the idea about how to do a market survey and how to prepare a questionnaire.

I would like to thank Prof. Dibyendu Choudhury , who helped me as my internal guide and giving me vital insights about the project and how the project is to be completed.

Last but not the least I would like to thank my parents, my family, my friends who supported me a lot throughout the time and the people with whom I met during the survey, without their help I could not have completed the project in time.

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Corporate Guide Certificate

This is to certify that the work entitled “Comparative Study Of SF Sonic Batteries And Its Future Prospects In Garages Of North Bengal” on Exide product. This piece of project is done by Krishnendu Jha, Reg. No -1106247145, student of MBA (first year) under the guidance and supervision for partial fulfillment of MBA curricular of Regional College of Management Autonomous, Bhubaneswar.

To the best of my knowledge and belief the term project report:

1. Embodies the work of2. Has been duly completed.3. Is up to the standard both in respect to the content and language for being referred to the examiner.

Mr. Suven Banerjee

RSM ( SF-EAST)

Exide Industries Ltd.

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ABSTRACT

As the title of the project suggests, this project is all about the Comparative Study of SF Sonic Batteries and Its Future Prospects In Garages of North Bengal. Due to increase in the population and their demand as well as better quality product market size is also increasing. The changing technological advancement and changing preference of the consumer satisfaction, there is cut throat competition in market.

As this project is all about the detail study of SF sonic Batteries in the Garages of North Bengal, a lot of survey throughout North Bengal is conducted, by which all the primary information about the products were collected. In this process several wholesaler, retailer and the customers were surveyed. All the required secondary information’s gathered from the company as well as from the internet, books & journals. In order to find out the Brand & their price preferences, the satisfaction level of traders, service level they want from a company, a questionnaire has been prepared. The questionnaire for the existing dealers will help to interpret the satisfaction level of the brand they currently have or using. At last questionnaire and by different suitable charts the conclusion about the effective traders and customers satisfaction level in using SF Sonic batteries.

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EXECUTIVE SUMMERY:

The topic of my project was “Comparative Study Of SF SONIC Batteries And Its Future Prospects In Garages Of North Bengal.”

Initially it has been observed that there was no database of Garages and service stations recorded to the company which is creating a big problem for the company executives to take any decisions and get knowledge about the recent real situation of the battery market and the issues regarding this SF SONIC battery. The company has to get information through the dealers and distributors which are not at all reliable because as we all know that they are basically profit oriented and it is not at all possible to get all the right information through these distribution channels or medium. So, the main goal of the company was to make a data bank of all the garages of West Bengal so that they can directly contact with the garage owners regarding their issues. Apart from that by from this database the company will be able to know about the monthly consumption of battery of a particular garage or particular area. Which will help them to analyze the market share as well as their strength, weakness, threats and opportunity. Lastly the company will maintain CRM so that they can stay in touch with the garages and make them aware about the product and provide after sales service.

My job was to visit the garages and collect data from the garage owners. To do the survey I made cluster sampling from the region of North Bengal, which is basically a remote area. The districts I have covered are Coochbehar, Jalpaiguri, Darjeeling, Uttar Dinajpur, Dakshin Dinajpur, Malda. I made extensive visit to these areas and visited most of the garages and service stations to prepare the database and also collect information about their issues and needs regarding batteries .I had prepared a brief questionnaire to get the information as needed.

While visiting the garages and talking to the garage owners or workshop managers I come to know about various facts regarding battery. I come to know

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about the average monthly consumption of battery for individual garages, from which they purchase the battery, is there any discount or credit facility availed from the dealer or distributor. They have ever used SF battery or not, are they satisfied with the product and service of SF SONIC. All these questions helped me to collect true information from the garage owners which will be looked after by the company. Finally I have asked them to give any suggestions regarding this SF battery which they think the company should provide so that they can recommend this battery to the customers.

From the answer of my questions I have got a brief idea about the competitive market from the garage owner’s perception. Unintentionally they have shared lots of information which is very essential for the company to get into their knowledge. While talking to the garage owners they have shared various issues and problem about other brands and company as well as the facility given by other companies to grab their attention. This information helps me as well as the company to progress the comparative study.

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INTRODUCTION:

I am a student of Regional College of Management Autonomous pursuing my MBA.I am very pleased to get an opportunity to do a Summer project in such a renown world class company like Exide Industries ltd. I was allotted the project in the SF division of Exide Industries Ltd for 6 weeks under the guidance of Regional Sales Manager (SF- EAST). So there was not much time to undertake a big project .The task assigned to me was to visit all the authorized as well as unauthorized Auto and MC garages of entire North Bengal and to collect information about the battery market from the garage owners and also create awareness about the SF SONIC batteries. Apart from these to undergo through a comparative study. I have tried my best to cover the garages as much as possible within this short time period and I sincerely hope that my findings will come at least for some use to company. Then only I will think that all my efforts are well spent and gave little contribution in the growth of the organization.

Objective:

My project is about “comparative study of SF SONIC batteries and its future prospects in garages of North Bengal. The objective of the project is to find out the opportunities of SF SONIC battery to capture the market of north Bengal. Apart from this it has also been pointed out about the competitors, their price, service and support as well as distribution. It has been noticed that a big portion of the market is captured by the local made unbranded battery due to their low pricing. So, it’s a big challenge for SF to compete with the known branded battery as well as the local brands to grab share in this competitive battery market. The another side of my project was to create awareness among the Garage owners about SF SONIC battery and its service, price and other facilities. By visisting most of the authorized and unauthorized garages and service stations of North Bengal I am able to find out the issues SF SONIC is having right now and got a brief idea about the battery market by spending some time and asking some questions to the garage owners and workshop managers with the help of my questionnaire. The primary motive was to collect the information from the garage owners to fulfill the survey and find out the solution.

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COMPANY PROFILE:

Exide Industries is the biggest storage battery producing company in India. It is also the largest power storage company in the whole of the south-east Asian region. It is also a manufacturer of automotive lead-acid batteries. It has plants in India and Sri Lanka.

Exide Industries Limited

Type Public

Industry Battery manufacturing

Founded 1947

Headquarters Kolkata, India

Key people R.G. Kapadia, Chairman

HISTORY OF EXIDE INDUSTRIES LTD.:

The company was incorporated as Associated Battery Makers (Eastern) Ltd., on 31 January 1947 under the Companies Act, 1913 to purchase all or any of the assets of the business of manufacturers, buyers and sellers of and dealers in and repairers of electrical and chemical appliances and goods carried on by the Chloride Electric Storage Company (India) Ltd, in India, since 1916 with a view thereto to enter into and carry into effect (either with or without modification) an agreement which had already been prepared and was expressed to be made between the Chloride Electric Storage Co (India) Ltd on the one part and the company of the other part. The name of the company was changed to Chloride India Ltd on 2 August 1972. The name of the company was again changed to Chloride Industries Ltd. vide fresh Certificate of Incorporation dated 12 October 1988. The name of the company was further changed to Exide Industries Ltd. on 25 August 1995.

The company manufactures the widest range of storage batteries in the world from 2.5 Ah to 20,400 Ah capacity, covering the broadest spectrum of applications. The company has six factories located across the country – two in Maharashtra, two in West Bengal - Shamnagar (Mother plant) & Haldia, one in Tamil Nadu and one in Haryana. The

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company’s predecessor carried on their operations as import house from 1916 under the name Chloride Electrical Storage Company. Thereafter, the company started manufacturing storage batteries in the country and have grown to become one of the largest manufacturer and exporter of batteries in the sub-continent today.

Other Brands of Exide Industries Ltd.:

EXIDE CHLORIDE INDEX DYNEX Standard Furukawa SF SONIC JUPITER CONREX

Subsidiaries:

1. Associated Battery Manufacturers (Ceylon) Limited (“ABML”)2. Espex Batteries Limited (“ESPEX”)3. Chloride Batteries S E Asia Pte Limited (“CBSEA”)4. Leadage Alloys India Limited (Leadage)5. Tandon Metals Ltd. (“TML”)6. Caldyne Automatics Limited (“Caldyne”)7. Chloride International Limited (“CIL”)

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Milestones Achieved by the Company:

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Milestones1916

Chloride Electric Storage Co. (CESCO) UK sets up trading operations in India as an import house.

1946

First factory set up in Shamnagar, West Bengal.

1947

Incorporated as Associated Battery Makers (Eastern) Limited on 31 January 1947 under the Companies Act.

1947

Incorporated Chloride International Limited (previously Exide Products Limited)

1969

Second factory at Chinchwad, Pune

1972

The name of the Company was changed to Chloride India Limited

1976

R&D Centre established at Kolkata

1981

Third factory at Haldia, West Bengal

1988

The name of the Company was changed to Chloride Industries Limited

1994

Technical collaboration with Shin Kobe Electric Machinery Co. Ltd. of Japan, a subsidiary of the Hitachi Group.

1995

Chloride Industries Limited renamed Exide Industries Limited

1997

Fourth factory at Hosur, Tamil Nadu

1998

Acquisition of industrial/ manufacturing units of Standard Batteries Ltd located at Taloja & Kanjurmarg (Maharashtra), Guindy (Tamilnadu) and plant at Ahmednagar (Maharashtra) from Cosepa Fiscal Industries Limited as a going concern.

1999

Acquired 51% Shareholding in Caldyne Automatics Ltd

2000

Acquisition of 100% stake in Chloride Batteries S E Asia Pte Ltd., Singapore and 49% stake in Associated Battery Manufacturers (Ceylon) Limited, Sri Lanka.

2003

Commissioned plant at Bawal, Haryana

2003

New joint venture in UK, ESPEX, with 51% holding.

2004

Associated Battery Manufacturers (Ceylon) Limited, Sri Lanka became a subsidiary consequent to acquiring further 12.50% Equity holding.

2005

Investment in 50% shareholding of ING Vysya Life Insurance Company Limited

2007

Caldyne Automatics Ltd becomes 100% subsidiary consequent to acquiring the balance 49% shareholding.

2007

Investment with 26% shareholding.in CEIL Motive Power Pty Ltd. A Joint Venture in Australia.

2007

Acquired 100% stake in Tandon Metals Ltd.

2008

Acquired 51% stake in Lead Age Alloys India Ltd

Awards/ Certificates and Recognitions:

Exide Industries Limited awarded the Frost & Sullivan 2010 Market

Leadership Award in the Industrial Battery Segment 

Exide wins CFO of the year award in automotive and auto-ancillary

category from CNBC-TV18

"Exide, Haldia factory gets TPM award for Category A, 2008, from Japan

Institute of Plant Maintenance"

Exide Haldia had a rich haul at the CII awards ceremony in Kolkata for 08-

09 winning five awards in different categories. 

At the CII (Eastern Region) awards ceremony in Kolkata for 08-09 Exide

Shyamnagar won 

CII Productivity Award -1ST Prize in category “A” for Significant

Improvement in Productivity during the year

CII Quality Award – Certificate of Appreciation for Commendable effort in

the area of Total Quality at the CII(ER) Quality Award 2008-09

The following table depicts the ISO certifications of the Company’s various

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Plants:

  ISO 9001 TS-16949 ISO 14001 OHSAS 18001HaldiaHosur

ShamnagarTaloja  

Chinchwad  Bawal    

(A) Company’s Plant at Shamnagar, West Bengal is an ISO-9001 & ISO-14001

Certified by TUV-NORD, Germany. It has secured the following awards and

recognitions:

Certificate of Appreciation for Commendable Effort in Total Quality – by CII – 2003

Certificate of Appreciation for Commendable Effort in Energy Conservation – by CII –

2003

Certificate of Merit for Most Significant Achievement in Total Quality Management– by

CII-2004 & 2005

Certificate of Appreciation for Best Practice in Industrial Relations – by CII –2005-06

1st Position for Sustaining a High level of Productivity  Award Contest – by CII – 2006-

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Most Significant Improvement in TQM Quality Award Contest – by CII – 2006-2007

(B) Company’s Plant at Haldia, West Bengal is an ISO-9001 and ISO 14001

certified by TUV-NORD, Germany. It has secured the following awards and

recognitions:

Quality Award by CII-2003 & 2006

Productivity Award from CII ‘Category A’-2003

Safety Award from CII- 2003

Award for Best Practices in Industrial Relations – by CII -2004

Indal Trophy for HRD- by CII- 2005 & 2007

Productivity Award- by CII-2005

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Certificate of Appreciation for Energy Conservation- by CII- 2005

Environment Excellence Award- by West Bengal Pollution Control Board & Indian

Chamber of Commerce - 2005

ITC Trophy for Safety, Health & Environment - by CII – 2007

(C) Company’s Plant at Hosur, Tamilnadu is an ISO-9001, ISO / TS-16949 and

ISO-14001 certified by TUV-NORD of Germany. It has secured the following

awards and recognitions:  

100 PPM award from OEM customer American Power Corporation –January ’03

Quality award from OEM customer Toyota -  April ’03 & April ‘04

Safety award from Government of Tamilnadu - April’03

100 PPM award from OEM customer Hyundai - June’03

Zero PPM Award from OEM customer Toyota – April’04

Green award from OEM customer Toyota - April’04

Best Quality supplier award from OEM customer Toyota – April’05

Zero PPM award from OEM customer Toyota- April’05

Quality Delivery Award from OEM customer Toyota - April’05

First Prize in Best Garden Competition (Industrial Category) awarded by Mysore

Horticulture Society – 2005

Leadership and Excellence Award in Safety , Health & Environment by CII –2006

Indian Manufacturing Excellence – “Gold” Award –for Automotive Ancilliary Category

from Frost & Sullivan in 2006

CII-EXIM Bank Award for Strong Commitment to Excel by CII in 2006

6th TERI Corporate Environmental Award- May’ 07

(D) Company’s Plant at Taloja, Maharashtra is an ISO / TS-16949 & ISO 14001

Certified. It has secured the following awards and recognitions:

Supplier Award – Certificate of Appreciation- by Honda Siel Cars India Limited in 2002.

1st Company to be put on MPCB Website for using secured landfill in 2003.

Quality Silver Award by Bajaj in 2006.

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(E) Company’s Plants at Chinchwad, Maharashtra and Bawal, Haryana are ISO /

TS – 16949 and ISO – 14001 certified by TUV – NORD.

(F) The Company also secured Best SMF Battery Award for three consecutive

years –2005-2006-2007

SF SONIC INDUSTRIAL

The SF Industrial Range of Industrial Lead Acid Batteries stand for abundant power, undaunted by the challenge of Indian conditions. All batteries provide power but it takes only an SF Industrial to perform at peak power, always. This matchless range of batteries for Online UPS, Off Line UPS & Home UPS applications redefines durability, defies the years and breathes new life to power. The power packed SF Industrial battery does not merely last long. It Lives Long. Stays Strong. Throughout its long lifespan, the power never drops, come what may. That´s what makes SF Industrial batteries so unbeatable.

The certification body is the renowned TUV-NORD headquartered in Germany

Board of DirectorsR.G. Kapadia, Chairman & Non Executive Director R.B. Raheja, Vice Chairman & Non-Executive DirectorT.V. Ramanathan, Managing Director & Chief Executive OfficerG. Chatterjee, Director – IndustrialP.K. Kataky, Director – Automotive A.K. Mukherjee, Director – Finance & Chief Financial Officer Nadeem Kazim, Director HR & PersonnelVijay Aggarwal, Non Executive Director H. M. Kothari, Non Executive DirectorBhaskar Mitter, Non Executive DirectorS.B. Raheja Non Executive Director

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D.S. Parekh (Alternate to S.B. Raheja) Non Executive Director W. Wong, Non Executive Director Mona N. Desai, Non Executive Director

Branch Offices

Head Office

- SF Industrial 6A Hatibagan Road, Entally, Kolkata – 700014Phone No: (033) 2286 6158/59

- Corporate Marketing Office

- Mr. Shibaji Dutta Gupta.6A Hatibagan Road, Entally, Kolkata – 700014Phone No: (033) 2286 1860/6158/59/93Fax No: (033) 2286 6186

Regional Offices

North: NEW DELHI3E/1, Jhandenwalan Extension, Link road, New Delhi - 110055

Phone: 011 - 23627095/96/97/98.Fax: 011 – 23555702

East: KOLKATA6A Hatibagan Road, Entally, Kolkata - 700014

Phone: 033 – 22861860, 2286 6158/59Fax: 033 – 22897455

West: MUMBAIRahejas, 5th floor, 8 C Main Avenue, S. V. Road, Santacruz (west), Mumbai – 400054

Phone: 022 - 26465283/84Fax: 022 – 26465042

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South: CHENNAIS – 15, Economist House, 2nd Floor, Industrial Estate, Guindy, Chennai – 600032

Phone: 044 - 22500726/1326Fax: 044 - 22501216

Branch Offices

North East West SouthCHANDIGARH KOLKATA AHMEDABAD BANGALORE

DELHI CUTTACK INDORE CHENNAIGHAZIABAD GUWAHATI JABALPUR COIMBATORE

JAIPUR JAMSHEDPUR MUMBAI HYDERABADJALANDHAR PATNA NAGPUR KOCHI

JAMMU SILIGURI PUNE MADURAILUCKNOW RAIPURROHTAK

UTTRANCHALVARANASI

SF Power Junctions

In keeping with the tradition of providing exclusive service levels, we have created a state-of-the-art kind retail experience for you - The SF Power Junctions. 

It is an exclusive Trade outlet that gives you a world-class experience in battery retailing, technologically superior support and personalized customer service, all at one stop.

SF Power Junction

Display and sale of the entire range of SF Industrial Batteries World-class ambience and personalized service

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SONIC STATION

It is an exclusive store that aims to pamper you with superior and special service offerings.These flagship showrooms are designed to offer complete power solutions through theCompany’s wide range of products and value added services.

All SONIC showrooms maintain a specified service standard and offers a delightful experience through a combination of state-of-the-art design, pleasant ambience, cutting edge service technology and customer focus.

These flagship stores are pride of SF SONIC as they reinforce the Company’s commitment to superior customer care and service. Visit your nearest Sonic Station and experience the power of Sonic!

COMPANY’S VISION MISSION & CORE VALUES:

VISION - Simultaneous to provide credit value additional to the customers, employees & Shareholders; being responsible by society as responsible corporate citizen. In addition achieving operational excellence along with caring for environmental protection

MISSION – To carefully balance the interest of stakeholders; strive to fulfill the aspirations of the employees, and persue excellence with passion, without deviating from their core values.

CORE VALUES – Fundamental axioms that the organization believes, people respect & works toward.

They are:

Personal orientation

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Company integrity & commitment Teamwork & mutual support People development & Involvement Strive for Excellence Management by Process & Facts Responsible Corporate citizenship

TECHNOLOGY:

Overview -

SF Industrial range of Lead Acid Storage batteries for UPS (Online & offline) & Home UPS (Inverter) applications are manufactured with cutting edge technology using modern and contemporary imported Plant & Machinery. SF Industrial’s factories have all the modern equipments necessary to manufacture world-class products. It also sources its components from the best Battery Component manufacturers in the world.

SF Industrial Range of Batteries are produced from three world-class manufacturing facilities.

Brief Manufacturing Processes –

o Lead – Lead, the main raw material that constitutes 70% of the battery is used after

a thorough checking through Spectrophotometric Analysis for Composition and Impurities.

o Alloy Blending - ‘Optical Emission Spectrophotometry’ checks the composition of

the alloy in the laboratory before use. The Spectrophotometer is imported from Spectro, Germany

o Oxide Manufacturing - Ball Mill, Li – Shan, Taiwan & M-40 Mill, India are used

for manufacture of Red Oxide and Grey Oxide. Percentage Oxidation, Apparent Density, Water Absorption characteristics etc. are continuously monitored to control the outgoing Oxide quality.

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o Plate Grids – Grids are casted through Grid Moulds & Casting M/c from WRITZ,

USA. The weights of the Grid Castings are checked throughout the casting process. The castings are also inspected for physical features to ensure excellent high rate performance and long life.

o Paste Mixing - Ox-Master, Simpson Mixer, India & Drums, India are used for

Paste mixing. The paste mix is checked for the density, moisture content &, temperature

o Pasting & Flash Drying – Mac Paster & Flash Dryer from USA are used to paste

active materials on the Grids. The pasted plate are weighed and tested for moisture content on sample basis. 

o Plate Curing - The residual free lead in the plates is checked after completion of

the curing period in Curing Ovens.

o Spine Castings – Spines forms the main backbone of the Positive Plates of SF

Industrial Range of Tubular Batteries. Spines for SF Industrial Range of Tubular

o Batteries are casted through High Pressure HADI Casting machine imported from

Austria.

Comparative Features Of 3 Different Spine Casting Process

Properties High Pressure Low Pressure Gravity(Vicker’s Micro Hardness, HV)

Uniform Micro Hardness Of 24.3 throughout the sample

Non-Uniform Micro Hardness varying from 21.5 to 28.4

Low Micro Hardness, varying from 17.5 to 18.2

Grain Size Coarse Coarse & Fine InconsistentGrain Orientation Single Directional Random RandomSurface Condition

No Voids Voids (Small Black Spots)

Bigger Voids Than Low Pressure

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o Other Processes – Plates thus produced, Flat or Tubular are then Ammonia Dipped,

Acid Pickled, Formed in Forming Circuits & Dried before they are sent to Assembly line for final assembly and finishing operations.

o Separators - The separators employed are PVC for the low cost versions and

polyethylene with glass mat reinforcement for the medium and high end.

o Containers - The containers are made of PP copolymer which possesses excellent

impact and other physical properties. The cover design is uncomplicated with easy to maintain top venting systems. In the case of maintenance free batteries, they have a coin flush filter vent system to give a clean flat maintainable surface with resistance to spark propagation inside battery to avoid the possibility of bursting during charging operations

Raising the Bar –

SF Industrial’s quality checks and process control laboratory checks of all incoming metals, components and bought out parts. Incoming and blended metals are analysed for quality with optical emission spectrograph. What’s more, the SF Industrial R&D setup, approved by the Ministry of Science Technology Government of India, is a high-tech hub of innovation.

The manufacturing facilities at Shamnagar, Haldia & Hosur is equipped with state-of-art machinery and instrumentation. Many such equipment have been imported from world class battery equipment manufacturers across the globe and some are also designed and produced with in-house capabilities.

TQM is a strategic initiative of SF Industrial and we have progressed a lot along this unending journey towards Business Excellence. Our Quality Management System (QMS) is certified to ISO 9001 for SF Industrial. These certifications although issued in the names of the different manufacturing facilities, however include all our business processes of R&D, Manufacturing, Marketing, Sales, After-Sales Support and Corporate functions.

The manufacturing facilities take credit for winning several laurels:

o The Environmental Management System (EMS) is certified to ISO 14001o The Occupational Health & Safety (OH&S) system is certified to OHSAS-

18001.

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Corporate Social Responsibility Policy

In line with our vision of being recognized by society as a responsible corporate citizen

the following shall be our policy

1. Exide shall successfully combine shareholder value with environmental and social

responsibility.

2. CSR is considered as one of the key business processes, which has been identified by

the management and considered critical to be a successful organization. Exide shall also

establish the sub-processes to internalize this key process with a mechanism to measure

and control the effectiveness.

3. The Policy is to help people through a sustainable model, in such a way that they are

able to stand on their own feet and can participate in the economy through their enhanced

capacities.

4. Exide firmly commits itself to do its business in a responsible and ethical way, so that a

positive impact is created on society and all its stake holders.

“All batteries give power, but it takes a SF SONIC to perform at peak power, always. “

UNICEF

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“Treat the Earth well,it was not given to you by your parents it wasloaned to you by your children.”

Both SF Sonic and UNICEF believe in this dictum and are working together to create a better environment for children - who are our future. In the current scenario, the environment for children in India demands urgent attention. An estimated 400,000 children under five die each year from serious ailments - caused by poor hygiene and unsafe drinking water. Also, unchecked lead in the air, in our food and drinking water can be a killer. Though lead is one of the most useful metals and a major element in batteries, it can harm the earth’s environment and life, if not treated scientifically after use. UNICEF is a name synonymous with child survival and development the world over. It has been doing significant work in India for the general health and well-being of children. Therefore, we at SF Sonic will contribute to the UNICEF Child Environment Programme, every time a used battery is returned to us. With your support and participation, the world can be a much better and healthier place. You can make it happen. 

UNICEF and SF Sonic are stakeholders in creating a safe and healthy environment for children. The common agenda involves:

1. Focus on primary preventive measures for infant mortality and morbidity2. Universal sanitation coverage3. Integration and convergence with nutrition, health and education4. Demonstration of models on solid and liquid waste management5. Focus on water quality affected habitations – safe drinking water option6. Establishment of management systems to ensure water safety, sustainability,

cost effectiveness and social equity of rural piped water systems7. Focus on developing community based sustainable models on hygiene promotion8. Monitoring and surveillance of sanitation and water quality9. Demonstrate inclusive approaches for school water supply and sanitation

in some districts

Other Partners -

For this noble venture UNICEF and SF Sonic will be supported byseveral partners - 

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Sarva Siksha Abhiyan, Government Resources, Panchayats & RuraDevelopment Department (P&RD) and Public Health Engineering Department (PHED)

AUTOMOTIVE BATTERY

An automotive battery is a type of rechargeable battery that supplies electric energy to an automobile.[1] Usually this refers to an SLI battery(starting, lighting, ignition) to power the starter motor, the lights, and the ignition system of a vehicle’s engine.

Automotive SLI batteries are usually lead-acid type, and are made of six galvanic cells in series to provide a 12 volt system. Each cell provides 2.1 volts for a total of 12.6 volt at full charge. Heavy vehicles such as highway trucks or tractors, often equipped with diesel engines, may have two batteries in series for a 24 volt system, or may have parallel strings of batteries.

Lead-acid batteries are made up of plates of lead and separate plates of lead dioxide, which are submerged into an electrolyte solution of about 35%sulfuric acid and 65% water.[2] This causes a chemical reaction that releases electrons, allowing them to flow through conductors to produce electricity. As the battery discharges, the acid of the electrolyte reacts with the materials of the plates, changing their surface to lead sulfate. When the battery is recharged, the chemical reaction is reversed: the lead sulfate reforms into lead oxide and lead. With the plates restored to their original condition, the process may now be repeated.

Battery recycling of automotive batteries reduces the need for resources required for manufacture of new batteries, diverts toxic lead from landfills, and prevents risk of improper disposal.

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Types –

Lead-acid batteries for automotive use are made with slightly different construction techniques, depending on the application of the battery. The "flooded cell" type, indicating liquid electrolyte, is typically inexpensive and long-lasting, but requires more maintenance and can spill or leak. Flooded batteries are distinguished by the removable caps that allow for the electrolyte to be tested and maintained.

More costly alternatives to flooded batteries are "valve regulated lead acid" (VRLA) batteries, also called "sealed" batteries. The absorbed glass mat (AGM) type uses a glass mat separator, and a "gel cell" uses fine powder to absorb and immobilize the sulfuric acid electrolyte. These batteries are not serviceable: the cells are sealed so the degree of charge cannot be measured by hydrometer and the electrolyte cannot be replenished. They are typically termed "maintenance-free" by proponents, or "unable to be maintained" by skeptics. Both types of sealed batteries may be used in vehicular applications where leakage or ventilation for vented gasses is a concern. However, this article deals with the classic, flooded-type of car battery.

The starting (cranking) or shallow cycle type is designed to deliver large bursts of power for a short time, as is needed to start an engine. Once the engine is started, the battery is recharged by the engine-driven charging system. Starting batteries are intended to have a low depth of discharge on each use. They are constructed of many thin plates with thin separators between the plates, and may have a higher specific gravity electrolyte to reduce internal resistance.

The deep cycle (or motive) type is designed to continuously provide power for long periods of time (for example in a trolling motor for a small boat, auxiliary power for a recreational vehicle, or traction power for a golf cart or other battery electric vehicle). They can also be used to store energy from a photovoltaic array or a small wind turbine. Deep-cycle batteries have fewer, thicker plates and are intended to have a greater depth of discharge on each cycle, but will not provide as high a current on heavy loads. The thicker plates survive a higher number of charge/discharge cycles. The specific energy is in the range of 30-40 watt-hours per kilogram.

Some cars use more exotic starter batteries–the 2010 Porsche 911 GT3 RS offers a lithium-ion battery as an option to save weight over a conventional lead-acid battery.

USE & MAINTENANCE –

Fluid level:

26

Car batteries using lead-antimony plates would require regular watering to replace water lost due to electrolysis on each charging cycle. By changing the alloying element to calcium, more recent designs have lower water loss, unless overcharged. Modern car batteries have reduced maintenance requirements, and may not provide caps for addition of water to the cells. Such batteries include extra electrolyte above the plates to allow for losses during the battery life. If the battery has easily detachable caps then a top-up with distilled water may be required from time to time. Prolonged overcharging or charging at excessively high voltage causes some of the water in the electrolyte to be broken up into hydrogen and oxygen gases, which escape from the cells; this is called gassing. If the electrolyte liquid level drops too low, the plates are exposed to air, lose capacity, and are damaged. The sulfuric acid in the battery normally does not require replacement since it is not consumed even on overcharging. Impurities or additives in the water will reduce the life and performance of the battery. Manufacturers usually recommend use of dematerialized or distilled water, since even potable tap water can contain high levels of minerals.

Charge and discharge:

In normal automotive service the vehicle's charging system powers the vehicle's electrical systems and restores charge used from the battery during engine cranking. When installing a new battery or recharging a battery that has been accidentally discharged completely, one of several different methods can be used to charge it. The most gentle of these is called trickle charging. Other methods include slow-charging and quick-charging, the latter being the harshest.

The voltage regulator of the charge system does not measure the relative currents charging the battery and for powering the car's loads. The charge system essentially provides a fixed voltage of typically 13.8 to 14.4 V (Volt), adjusted to ambient temperature, unless the alternator is at its current limit. A discharged battery draws a high charge current of typically 20 to 40 A (Ampere). As the battery gets charged the charge current typically decreases to 2—5 A. A high load is when multiple high-power systems such as ignition, radiator fan, heater blowers, lights and entertainment system are running at the same time. In older vehicles (read: 80's and earlier) the battery voltage may decrease unless the engine is running at a higher than idle rpm and the alternator/generator is delivering at least enough current to

27

power the load. This is not an issue for modern vehicles where alternators provide enough amperage for all consumers and a regulator keeps charging rate in check, so faster rpm has no effect. In such cars rpm has basically no influence on the recharging voltage - tests show a good recharging voltage regardless of the AC / headlights / music / fan / defrosting / other electrical consumers even at idle rpm.

Some manufacturers include a built-in hydrometer to show the state of charge of the battery, a transparent tube with a float immersed in the electrolyte visible through a window. When the battery is charged, the specific gravity of the electrolyte increases (since all the sulfate ions are in the electrolyte, not combined with the plates), and the colored top of the float is visible in the window. When the battery is discharged, or the electrolyte level is too low, the float sinks and the window appears yellow (or black). The built-in hydrometer only checks the state of charge of one cell and will not show faults in the other cells. In a non-sealed battery each of the cells can be checked with a portable or hand-held hydrometer.

In emergencies a vehicle can be jump started by the battery of another vehicle or by a portable battery booster.

Whenever the car's charge system is inadequate to fully charge the battery, a battery charger can be used. Simple chargers do not regulate the charge current, and the user needs to stop the process or lower the charge current to prevent excessive gassing of the battery. More elaborate chargers, in particular those implementing the 3-step charge profile, also referred to as IUoU, charge the battery fully and safely in a short time without requiring user intervention. Desulfating chargers are also commercially available for charging all types of lead-acid batteries.

StorageBatteries last longer when stored in a charged state. Leaving an automotive battery discharged will shorten its life, or make it unusable if left for a long time (usually several years); sulfation eventually becomes irreversible by normal charging. Batteries in storage may be monitored and periodically charged, or attached to a "float" charger to retain their capacity. Batteries are prepared for storage by charging and cleaning deposits from the posts. Batteries are stored in a cool, dry environment for best results since high temperatures increase the self discharge rate and plate corrosion.

Changing a batteryWhen changing a battery, battery manufacturers recommend disconnecting the negative ground connection first to prevent accidental short-circuits between the battery terminal and

28

the vehicle frame. Conversely the positive cable is connected first. A study by the National Highway Traffic Safety Association estimated that in 1994 more than 2000 people were injured in the United States while working with automobile batteries.

The majority of automotive lead-acid batteries are filled with the appropriate electrolyte solution at the manufacturing plant, and shipped to the retailers ready to sell. Decades ago, this was not the case. The retailer filled the battery, usually at the time of purchase, and charged the battery. This was a time-consuming and potentially dangerous process. Care had to be taken when filling the battery with acid, as acids are highly corrosive and can damage eyes, skin and mucous membranes. Fortunately, this is less of a problem these days, and the need to fill a battery with acid usually only arises when purchasing a motorcycle or ATV battery.

FreshnessBecause of "sulfation", lead-acid batteries stored with electrolyte slowly deteriorate. Car

batteries are date coded to ensure installation within one year of manufacture. In the United States, the manufacturing date is printed on a sticker. The date can be written in plain text or using an alphanumerical code. The first character is a letter that specifies the month (A for January, B for February and so on). The letter "I" is skipped due to its potential to be mistaken for the number 1. The second character is a single digit that indicates the year of manufacturing (for example, 6 for 2006). When first installing a newly purchased battery a "top up" charge at a low rate with an external battery charger (available at auto parts stores) may maximize battery life and minimize the load on the vehicle charging system.

Failure – Common battery faults include:

o Shorted cell due to failure of the separator between the positive and negative plates

o Shorted cell or cells due to build up of shed plate material below the plates of the cell

o Broken internal connections due to corrosion

o Broken plates due to vibration and corrosion

o Low electrolyte level

o Cracked or broken case

o Broken terminals

o Sulfation after prolonged disuse in a low or zero charged state29

Corrosion at the battery terminals can prevent a car from starting due to electrical resistance. The white powder sometimes found around the battery terminals is usually lead sulfate which is toxic by inhalation, ingestion and skin contact. The corrosion is caused by an imperfect seal between the plastic battery case and lead battery post allowing sulfuric acid to react with the lead battery posts. The corrosion process is also expedited by over charging. Corrosion can also be caused by factors such as salt water, dirt, heat, humidity, cracks in the battery casing or loose battery terminals. Inspection, cleaning and protection with a light coating of dielectric grease are measures used to prevent corrosion of battery terminals.

Sulfation occurs when a battery is not fully charged. The longer it remains in a discharged state the harder it is to overcome sulfation. This may be overcome with slow, low-current (trickle) charging. Sulfation is the formation of large, non-conductive lead sulfate crystals on the plates; lead sulfate formation is part of each cycle, but in the discharged condition the crystals become large and block passage of current through the electrolyte.

The primary wear-out mechanism is the shedding of active material from the battery plates, which accumulates at the bottom of the cells and which may eventually short-circuit the plates.

Early automotive batteries could sometimes be repaired by dismantling and replacing damaged separators, plates, intercell connectors and other repairs. Modern battery cases do not facilitate such repairs; an internal fault generally requires replacement of the entire unit.

30

METHOD OF SURVEY:

At first I had pointed out the areas where maximum garages are situated. I found that most of the garages are situated besides the Highways. As my area of survey was North Bengal so NH-34 and NH-31 is the lifeline of these garages.

From my first visit I have tried to get maximum information from the garage owners. So I had prepared the questionnaire very brief and to the point so that it does not take much time of the busy garage owners. From the first question of my questionnaire I come to know about the average vehicle managed in a month and the average consumption of battery in that garage which helped me to do a segmentation or categorization of the garage.

Defining the objectives:

The researchers as a part of research project primarily define the objectives of the project under the guidance of the faculty guide, so that in the light of the project objectives we can go ahead and achieve the objectives.

Sources Of Data:

Primary source of data collected directly from the garages and service stations. There are often reliable data sources and help in overcoming limitation of secondary data.

Data Collection:

Primary Data:

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- Questionnaire:

The methodology adapted for doing this project encompasses a detailed study of primary source of information in order to find out the market shares of SF SONIC and its competitors in North Bengal, as well as to make a databank of the garages of West Bengal. This was done through questionnaire filled up by the garage owners and workshop or service managers.

Sampling Plan

ELEMENTS: Garage owners and service or workshop managers.

EXTENT:

NORTH BENGAL:-

COOCHBEHAR

MATHABHANGA

TOOFANGANJ

DINHATA

FALAKATA

JALPAIGURI

DHUPGURI

MOYNAGURI

FULBARI

MALBAZAR

DARJEELING

SILIGURI

SALUGARA

BAGDOGRA32

UTTAR DINAJPUR

ISLAMPUR

DALKHOLA

RAIGANJ

DAKSHIN DINAJPUR

BALURGHAT

GANGARAMPUR

HILI

MALDA

GABGACHI JODUPUR

NARAYANPUR, MANGALBARI

GAJOL

SAMSI

STEPS OF METHODOLOGY:

1. PREPARATION OF QUESTIONNAIRE TO COLLECT THE INFORMATION.

2. VISITED 120 GARAGES IN ENTIRE NORTH BENGAL.

3. SEGMENTATION OF THE GARAGES ACCORDING TO THEIR AVERAGE MONTHLY CONSUMPTION OF BATTERY AND VEHICLE SERVICED OR REPAIRED.

4. CALCULATION OF THE MARKET SHARE ACCORDING TO THE PREFERENCE OF THE GARAGE OWNERS.

33

5. CALCULATION OF BRAND AWARENESS OF SF SONIC.

6. CALCULATING THE FUTURE GROWTH AND OPPORTUNITIES OF SF SONIC IN THE COMPETITIVE MARKET.

QUESTIONNAIRE

Garage Name

Proprietors’Name

Address

Contact No.

Email Id

Type of Garage

Type of work

1. HOW MANY CARS DO YOU MANAGE IN A MONTH …………………………………

2. WHAT IS THE APPROXIMATE MONTHLY CONSUMPTION OF BATTERY?A. 0-5 B. 6-10 C. 11-15 D. >15

3. WHICH BRAND OF BATTERY DO YOU PREFER?A. EXIDE B. SF SONIC C. AMARON D. TATA GREEN E. OTHERS (SPECIFY)………………………………

4. FROM WHERE DO YOU PURCHASE THE BATTERY? FROM : COMPANY / DEALER34

NAME & ADDRESS OF DEALER ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

5. DISCOUNT (ON MRP) / CREDIT (DAYS) ENJOYED FROM THE DEALER?

DISCOUNT (%)……………………. CREDIT DAYS …………………………………………………

6. WHICH ATTRIBUTE INSISTS YOU TO RECOMMEND AND FIT A PARTICULAR BATTERY?A. DISCOUNT B. CUSTOMER SATISFACTION C. BRAND NAME D. OTHERS

7. HAVE YOU EVER USED SF SONIC BATTERIES?A. YES B. NO

8. IF YES - ARE YOU SATISFIED WITH THE PRODUCT AND SERVICES OF SF SONIC?A. YES B. NO (IF NO – ARE YOU AWARE OF SF SONIC PRODUCT/SERVICE AND PRICE?

YES/NO IF YES (PROBE SOURCE) …………………………………………………………………………………………………………

IF NO…………….. PRESENT DEALER PRICE LIST.

9. ARE YOU INTERESTED ABOUT RECOMMENDING SF SONIC BATTERIES?A. YES B. NO

10. HOW CAN COMPANY SUPPORT YOU TO BOOST UP YOUR SALE OF SF SONIC BATTERY?11. Rank the companies according to the Customers preference and Garage preference

SCALE ON RANGE OF 1-5

Company Name Rank on Customers Preference Rank on Garage Owners Preference

SF Sonic

Exide

Amaron

Tata green

35

Astral

Amco

Any other

DATE SIGNATURE

USE OF SPSS IN DATA ANALYSIS:-

SPSS v.19 x86 running on Windows 7 x86

Developer(s): IBM Corporation

Initial release: 196836

Stable release: 20.0 August 16, 2011; 11 months ago

Operating system: Windows, zLinux, Linux / UNIX & Mac

Platform: Java

Type:Statistical analysis, Data Mining, Text Analytics, Data Collection, Collaboration & Deployment

License: Proprietary software

Website: www-01.ibm.com/software/analytics/spss/

SPSS is a computer program used for survey authoring and deployment (IBM SPSS Data Collection), data mining (IBM SPSS Modeler), text analytics, statistical analysis, and collaboration and deployment (batch and automated scoring services).

Contents

1 Statistics program 2 Versions

o 2.1 Ownership history 3 Add-ons 4 Release history 5 See also 6 Notes 7 References 8 External links

Statistics program

SPSS (originally, Statistical Package for the Social Sciences) was released in its first version in 1968 after being developed by Norman H. Nie and C. Hadlai Hull. SPSS is among the most widely used programs for statistical analysis in social science. It is used by market researchers, health researchers, survey companies, government, education researchers,

37

marketing organizations and others. The original SPSS manual (Nie, Bent & Hull, 1970) has been described as one of "sociology's most influential books".[1] In addition to statistical analysis, data management (case selection, file reshaping, creating derived data) and data documentation (a metadata dictionary is stored in the datafile) are features of the base software.

Statistics included in the base software:

Descriptive statistics: Cross tabulation, Frequencies, Descriptives, Explore, Descriptive Ratio Statistics

Bivariate statistics: Means, t-test, ANOVA, Correlation (bivariate, partial, distances), Nonparametric tests

Prediction for numerical outcomes: Linear regression Prediction for identifying groups: Factor analysis, cluster analysis (two-step, K-means,

hierarchical), Discriminant

The many features of SPSS are accessible via pull-down menus or can be programmed with a proprietary 4GL command syntax language. Command syntax programming has the benefits of reproducibility, simplifying repetitive tasks, and handling complex data manipulations and analyses. Additionally, some complex applications can only be programmed in syntax and are not accessible through the menu structure. The pull-down menu interface also generates command syntax; this can be displayed in the output, although the default settings have to be changed to make the syntax visible to the user. They can also be pasted into a syntax file using the "paste" button present in each menu. Programs can be run interactively or unattended, using the supplied Production Job Facility. Additionally a "macro" language can be used to write command language subroutines and a Python programmability extension can access the information in the data dictionary and data and dynamically build command syntax programs. The Python programmability extension, introduced in SPSS 14, replaced the less functional SAX Basic "scripts" for most purposes, although SaxBasic remains available. In addition, the Python extension allows SPSS to run any of the statistics in the free software package R. From version 14 onwards SPSS can be driven externally by a Python or a VB.NET program using supplied "plug-ins".

SPSS places constraints on internal file structure, data types, data processing and matching files, which together considerably simplify programming. SPSS datasets have a 2-dimensional table structure where the rows typically represent cases (such as individuals or households) and the columns represent measurements (such as age, sex or household income). Only 2 data types are defined: numeric and text (or "string"). All data processing occurs sequentially case-by-case through the file. Files can be matched one-to-one and one-to-many, but not many-to-many.

38

The graphical user interface has two views which can be toggled by clicking on one of the two tabs in the bottom left of the SPSS window. The 'Data View' shows a spreadsheet view of the cases (rows) and variables (columns). Unlike spreadsheets, the data cells can only contain numbers or text and formulas cannot be stored in these cells. The 'Variable View' displays the metadata dictionary where each row represents a variable and shows the variable name, variable label, value label(s), print width, measurement type and a variety of other characteristics. Cells in both views can be manually edited, defining the file structure and allowing data entry without using command syntax. This may be sufficient for small datasets. Larger datasets such as statistical surveys are more often created in data entry software, or entered during computer-assisted personal interviewing, by scanning and using optical character recognition and optical mark recognition software, or by direct capture from online questionnaires. These datasets are then read into SPSS.

SPSS can read and write data from ASCII text files (including hierarchical files), other statistics packages, spreadsheets and databases. SPSS can read and write to external relational database tables via ODBC and SQL.

Statistical output is to a proprietary file format (*.spv file, supporting pivot tables) for which, in addition to the in-package viewer, a stand-alone reader can be downloaded. The proprietary output can be exported to text or Microsoft Word, PDF, Excel, and other formats. Alternatively, output can be captured as data (using the OMS command), as text, tab-delimited text, PDF, XLS, HTML, XML, SPSS dataset or a variety of graphic image formats (JPEG, PNG, BMP and EMF).

SPSS Server is a version of SPSS with a client/server architecture. It had some features not available in the desktop version, such as scoring functions (Scoring functions are included in the desktop version from version 19).

The goal of a correlation analysis is to see whether two measurement variables co vary, and to quantify the strength of the relationship between the variables, whereas regression expresses the relationship in the form of an equation.

For example, in students taking a Maths and English test, we could use correlation to determine whether students who are good at Maths tend to be good at English as well, and regression to determine whether the marks in English can be predicted for given marks in Maths.

What is a Scatter Diagram

39

The starting point is to draw a scatter of points on a graph, with one variable on the X-axis and the other variable on the Y-axis, to get a feel of the relationship (if any) between the variables as suggested by the data. The closer the points are to a straight line, the stronger the linear relationship between two variables.

Why Use Correlation?

We can use the correlation coefficient, such as the Pearson Product Moment Correlation Coefficient, to test if there is a linear relationship between the variables. To quantify the strength of the relationship, we can calculate the correlation coefficient (r). Its numerical value ranges from +1.0 to -1.0. r > 0 indicates positive linear relationship, r < 0 indicates negative linear relationship while r = 0 indicates no linear relationship.

Why Use Regression

In regression analysis, the problem of interest is the nature of the relationship itself between the dependent variable (response) and the (explanatory) independent variable.

The analysis consists of choosing and fitting an appropriate model, done by the method of least squares, with a view to exploiting the relationship between the variables to help estimate the expected response for a given value of the independent variable. For example, if we are interested in the effect of age on height, then by fitting a regression line, we can predict the height for a given age.

o Assumptions

Some underlying assumptions governing the uses of correlation and regression are as follows.

The observations are assumed to be independent. For correlation, both variables should be random variables, but for regression only the dependent variable Y must be random. In carrying out hypothesis tests, the response variable should follow Normal distribution and the variability of Y should be the same for each value of the predictor variable. A scatter diagram of the data provides an initial check of the assumptions for regression.

o Uses of Correlation and Regression

There are three main uses for correlation and regression.

One is to test hypotheses about cause-and-effect relationships. In this case, the experimenter determines the values of the X-variable and sees whether variation in X

40

causes variation in Y. For example, giving people different amounts of a drug and measuring their blood pressure.

The second main use for correlation and regression is to see whether two variables are associated, without necessarily inferring a cause-and-effect relationship. In this case, neither variable is determined by the experimenter; both are naturally variable. If an association is found, the inference is that variation in X may cause variation in Y, or variation in Y may cause variation in X, or variation in some other factor may affect both X and Y.

The third common use of linear regression is estimating the value of one variable corresponding to a particular value of the other variable.

CHI SQUARE

The "t" test and the F test described in previous modules are called parametric tests. They assume certain conditions about the parameters of the population from which the samples are drawn.

Parametric and nonparametric statistical procedures test hypotheses involving different assumptions. Parametric statistics test hypotheses based on the assumption that the samples come from populations that are normally distributed. Also, parametric statistical tests assume that there is homogeneity of variance (variances within groups are the same). The level of measurement for parametric tests is assumed to be interval or at least ordinal. Nonparametric statistical procedures test hypotheses that do not require normal distribution or variance assumptions about the populations from which the samples were drawn and are designed for ordinal or nominal data.

The main weakness of nonparametric tests is that they are less powerful than parametric tests. They are less likely to reject the null hypothesis when it is false. When the assumptions of parametric tests can be met, parametric tests should be used because they are the most powerful tests available.

There are, however, certain advantages of nonparametric techniques such as Chi Square (X2). For one thing, nonparametric tests are usually much easier to compute. Another unique value of nonparametric procedures is that they can be used to treat data which have been measured on nominal (classificatory) scales. Such data cannot, on any logical basis, be ordered numerically, hence there is no possibility of using parametric statistical tests which require numerical data.

41

The general pattern of nonparametric procedures is much like that seen with parametric tests, namely, certain sample data are treated by a statistical model which yields a value or statistic. This value is then interpreted for the likelihood of its chance occurrence according to some type of statistical probability distribution. With Chi Square, a value is calculated from the data using Chi Square procedures and then compared to a critical value from a Chi Square table with degrees of freedom corresponding to that of the data. If the calculated value is equal to or greater than the critical value (table value), the null hypothesis is rejected. If the calculated value is less than the critical value, the null hypothesis (Ho) is accepted. This procedure is similar to that used with the "t" test and F test.

o Purpose of Chi Square

The Chi Square (X2) test is undoubtedly the most important and most used member of the nonparametric family of statistical tests. Chi Square is employed to test the difference between an actual sample and another hypothetical or previously established distribution such as that which may be expected due to chance or probability. Chi Square can also be used to test differences between two or more actual samples.

o Basic Computational Equation

Example:

  A U D

Observed responses (Fo)

8 8 14

Expected responses (Fe)

(10) (10) (10)

42

Fo - Fe -2 -2 4

(Fo - Fe)2 4 4 16

.4 .4 1.6

  2.4  

Degrees of freedom - (number of levels - 1) = 2

X2.05 = 5.991 2.4 < 5.991

Therefore, accept null hypothesis.

When there is only one degree of freedom, an adjustment known as Yates correction for continuity must be employed. To use this correction, a value of 0.5 is subtracted from the absolute value (irrespective of algebraic sign) of the numerator contribution of each cell to the above basic computational formula. The basic chi square computational formula then becomes:

One-Way Classification

The One-Way Classification (or sometimes referred to as the Single Sample Chi Square Test) is one of the most frequently reported nonparametric tests in journal articles. The test is used when a researcher is interested in the number of responses, objects, or people that fall in two or more categories. This procedure is sometimes called a goodness-of-fit statistic. Goodness-of-fit refers to whether a significant difference exists between an observed number and an expected number of responses, people or objects falling in each category designated by the researcher. The expected number is what the researcher expects by chance or according to some null hypothesis.

43

Example of a One-Way Classification (with Yates Correction):

Suppose that we flip a coin 20 times and record the frequency of occurrence of heads and tails. We know from the laws of probability that we should expect 10 heads and 10 tails. We also know that because of sampling error we could easily come up with 9 heads and 11 tails or 12 heads and 8 tails.

Let us suppose our coin-flipping experiment yielded 12 heads and 8 tails. We would enter our expected frequencies (10 - 10) and our observed frequencies (12 - 8) in a table.

  Observed

Expected

(Fo-Fe-0.5)

(Fo-Fe-0.5)2

Heads 12 10 1.5 2.25 0.225

Tails 8 10 -1.5 2.25 0.225

  20 20     0.450

The calculation of x in a one-way classification (Yates Correction) is very straight forward. The expected frequency in a category ("heads") is subtracted from the observed frequency, and since Yates Correction is being used, 0.5 is subtracted from the absolute value of Fo - Fe, the difference is squared, and the square is divided by its expected frequency. This is repeated for the remaining categories, and as the formula for x2 indicates, these results are summed for all categories.

How does a calculated X2 of 0.450 tell us if our observed results of 12 heads and 8 tails represent a significant deviation from an expected 10-10 split? The shape of the Chi Square sampling distribution depends upon the number of degrees of freedom. The degrees of freedom for a one-way classification X2 is r - 1, where r is the number of levels. In our problem above r = 2, so there would obviously be 1 degree of freedom. From our statistical reference tables, a X2 of 3.84 or greater is needed for X2 to be significant at the .05 level, so we conclude that our X2 of 0.450 in the coin-flipping experiment could have happened by sampling error and the deviations between the observed and expected frequencies are not significant. We would expect any data set yielding a calculated X2 value less than 3.84 with one degree of freedom at least 5% of the time due to

44

chance alone. Therefore, the observed difference is not statistically significant at the .05 level.

Two-Way Classification

The two-way Chi Square is a convenient technique for determining the significance of the difference between the frequencies of occurrence in two or more categories with two or more groups. For example, we may see if there is any difference in the number of freshmen, sophomores, juniors, or seniors in regards to their preference for spectator sports (football, basketball, or baseball). This is called a two-way classification since we would need two bits of information from the students in the sample, their class and their sports preference.

Example of a Two-Way Classification

Suppose an investigator wishes to see if 20 boys and girls respond differently to an attitudinal question regarding the educational value of extracurricular activities and observed the following (A = very valuable, U = uncertain, and D = little value).

Boys A = 60 U = 20 D = 20

Girls A = 40 U = 0 D = 60

Expected frequencies (Fe) for each cell are determined by the following formula.

Example - For the cell "Boys - A", the corresponding row subtotal = 100, the corresponding column subtotal = 100, and the total number of observations = 200. NOTE: Row subtotals and column subtotals must have equal sums, and total expected frequencies must equal total observed frequencies.

45

  A U D Row Subtotal

s

Boys 60 (50) 20 (10) 20 (40) 100

Girls 40 (50) 0 (10) 60 (40) 100

Column Subtotals

100   20   80   200

Degrees of Freedom = (Rows - 1)(Columns - 1) = (2 - 1)(3 - 1) = 2

Table value of X2.05 with 2 degrees of freedom = 5.991

Therefore, reject null hypothesis.

Type Of Garage * Monthly Consumption Crosstabulation

Count

monthly consumption

Total0-5 6-10 11-15 15+

type of garage AUTHORIZED 39 21 8 19 87

UNAUTHORIZED 28 4 1 1 34

Total 67 25 9 20 121

46

Chi-Square Tests

Value df Asymp. Sig. (2-sided)

Pearson Chi-Square 14.596a 3 .002

Likelihood Ratio 16.450 3 .001

N of Valid Cases 121

a. 1 cells (12.5%) have expected count less than 5. The minimum expected count is

2.53.

Value

Asymp. Std.

Errora

Approx.

Sig.

Nominal by

Nominal

Lambda Symmetric .000 .000 .000

type of garage

Dependent

.000 .000 .000

monthly consumption

Dependent

.000 .000 .000

Goodman and Kruskal

tau

type of garage

Dependent

.121 .050 .002c

monthly consumption

Dependent

.064 .027 .000c

47

Symmetric Measuresa

Value Approx. Sig.

Nominal by Nominal Phi .347 .002

Cramer's V .347 .002

Contingency Coefficient .328 .002

N of Valid Cases 121

a. Correlation statistics are available for numeric data only.

.002 significant level is reliable enough for the validation of data collected.

Battery Preference * MEDIA EXPOSURE_Belief

48

Crosstab

Count

MEDIA EXPOSURE_Belief

Total

HIGHLY

UNBELIEVA

BLE

UNBELIEVA

BLE

AVERAG

E

BELIEVABL

E

HIGHLY

BELIEVABL

E

battery

preference

EXIDE 4 14 13 26 35 92

1,5 0 0 0 1 0 1

SF SONIC 0 0 1 2 0 3

AMARON 4 2 1 5 4 16

TATA GREEN 0 0 0 0 1 1

LOCAL

BRANDS

0 1 0 0 3 4

Total 8 17 15 34 43 117

Findings: From this analysis we can say that Media Exposer has a great impact on the battery

preference.Most of the garage owners highly believe on Exide.

Chi-Square Tests

Value df

Asymp. Sig. (2-

sided)

Pearson Chi-Square 22.173a 20 .331

Likelihood Ratio 22.217 20 .329

N of Valid Cases 117

a. 24 cells (80.0%) have expected count less than 5. The minimum expected

count is .07.

49

Directional Measures

Value

Asymp. Std.

Errora

Approx.

Tb

Approx.

Sig.

Nominal by

Nominal

Lambda Symmetric .040 .034 1.161 .246

battery preference

Dependent

.000 .000 .246

MEDIA

EXPOSURE_Belief

Dependent

.054 .046 1.161 .246

Goodman and

Kruskal tau

battery preference

Dependent

.055 .044 .045d

MEDIA

EXPOSURE_Belief

Dependent

.049 .012 .305d

a. Not assuming the null hypothesis.

b. Using the asymptotic standard error assuming the null hypothesis.

c. Cannot be computed because the asymptotic standard error equals zero.

d. Based on chi-square approximation

Symmetric Measuresa

Value Approx. Sig.

Nominal by Nominal Phi .435 .031

Cramer's V .218 .022

Contingency Coefficient .399 .031

N of Valid Cases 117

a. Correlation statistics are available for numeric data only.

battery preference * MEDIA EXPOSURE_Trustworthiness

50

Crosstab

Count

MEDIA EXPOSURE_Trustworthiness

Total

NOT SO

TRUSTWORT

HY

QUITE

TRUSTWORT

HY AVERAGE

TRUSTWORT

HY

HIGHLY

TRUSTWORT

HY

battery

preference

EXIDE 6 8 22 35 21 92

1,5 0 0 0 0 1 1

SF SONIC 0 0 1 0 2 3

AMARON 1 4 0 5 6 16

TATA GREEN 0 0 1 0 0 1

LOCAL

BRANDS

1 0 1 1 1 4

Total 8 12 25 41 31 117

Chi-Square Tests

Value df Asymp. Sig. (2-sided)

Pearson Chi-Square 21.359a 20 .176

Likelihood Ratio 23.643 20 .258

N of Valid Cases 117

a. 24 cells (80.0%) have expected count less than 5. The minimum expected count is .07.

Findings: As per significance level the data has a variation from the normal distribution curve and may or

may fall into the accepted region.

51

Directional Measures

Value

Asymp. Std.

Errora

Approx.

Tb

Approx.

Sig.

Nominal by

Nominal

Lambda Symmetric .050 .039 1.220 .222

battery preference

Dependent

.000 .000 .000c .000c

MEDIA

EXPOSURE_Trustwo

rthiness Dependent

.066 .052 1.220 .222

Goodman and

Kruskal tau

battery preference

Dependent

.053 .031 .061d

MEDIA

EXPOSURE_Trustwo

rthiness Dependent

.049 .012 .297d

a. Not assuming the null hypothesis.

b. Using the asymptotic standard error assuming the null hypothesis.

c. Cannot be computed because the asymptotic standard error equals zero.

d. Based on chi-square approximation

Symmetric Measuresa

Value Approx. Sig.

Nominal by Nominal Phi .427 .03 6

Cramer's V .214 .037

Contingency Coefficient .393 .226

N of Valid Cases 117

a. Correlation statistics are available for numeric data only.

battery preference * MEDIA EXPOSURE_Conviction52

Crosstab

Count

MEDIA EXPOSURE_Conviction

Total

NOT AT ALL

CONVICTE

D

QUITE

CONVICTE

D

AVERAG

E

CONVICTE

D

HIGHLY

CONVICTE

D

battery

preference

EXIDE 7 12 21 33 19 92

1,5 0 0 0 0 1 1

SF SONIC 0 2 0 1 0 3

AMARON 0 3 7 3 3 16

TATA GREEN 0 0 0 0 1 1

LOCAL

BRANDS

1 2 1 0 0 4

Total 8 19 29 37 24 117

Findings: Conviction of Exide batteries are more than any other brands.

Chi-Square Tests

Value df Asymp. Sig. (2-sided)

Pearson Chi-Square 26.504a 20 .150

Likelihood Ratio 25.689 20 .176

N of Valid Cases 117

a. 24 cells (80.0%) have expected count less than 5. The minimum expected count is .07.

53

Directional Measures

Value

Asymp. Std.

Errora Approx. Tb Approx. Sig.

Nominal by

Nominal

Lambda Symmetric .086 .036 2.229 .026

battery preference

Dependent

.000 .000 .c .c

MEDIA

EXPOSURE_Convicti

on Dependent

.113 .049 2.229 .026

Goodman and

Kruskal tau

battery preference

Dependent

.050 .028 .092d

MEDIA

EXPOSURE_Convicti

on Dependent

.057 .017 .148d

a. Not assuming the null hypothesis.

b. Using the asymptotic standard error assuming the null hypothesis.

c. Cannot be computed because the asymptotic standard error equals zero.

d. Based on chi-square approximation

Symmetric Measuresa

Value Approx. Sig.

Nominal by Nominal Phi .476 .150

Cramer's V .238 .150

Contingency Coefficient .430 .150

N of Valid Cases 117

a. Correlation statistics are available for numeric data only.

battery preference * MEDIA EXPOSURE_Credibility

54

Crosstab

Count

MEDIA EXPOSURE_Credibility

Total

NOT AT ALL

CREDIBLE

LITTLE

INCREDIBLE

AVERAG

E

LITTLE

CREDIBLE

HIGHLY

CREDIBLE

battery

preference

EXIDE 7 19 13 30 23 92

1,5 0 1 0 0 0 1

SF SONIC 1 0 1 1 0 3

AMARON 4 1 3 4 4 16

TATA GREEN 0 0 0 1 0 1

LOCAL

BRANDS

0 1 1 2 0 4

Total 12 22 18 38 27 117

Chi-Square Tests

Value df Asymp. Sig. (2-sided)

Pearson Chi-Square 18.063a 20 .583

Likelihood Ratio 18.566 20 .550

N of Valid Cases 117

a. 24 cells (80.0%) have expected count less than 5. The minimum expected count is .10.

55

Directional Measures

Value

Asymp. Std.

Errora

Approx.

Tb

Approx.

Sig.

Nominal by

Nominal

Lambda Symmetric .010 .032 .302 .763

battery preference

Dependent

.000 .000 .c .c

MEDIA

EXPOSURE_Credibili

ty Dependent

.013 .042 .302 .763

Goodman and

Kruskal tau

battery preference

Dependent

.041 .032 .251d

MEDIA

EXPOSURE_Credibili

ty Dependent

.036 .009 .675d

a. Not assuming the null hypothesis.

b. Using the asymptotic standard error assuming the null hypothesis.

c. Cannot be computed because the asymptotic standard error equals zero.

d. Based on chi-square approximation

Symmetric Measuresa

Value Approx. Sig.

Nominal by Nominal Phi .393 .583

Cramer's V .196 .583

Contingency Coefficient .366 .583

N of Valid Cases 117

a. Correlation statistics are available for numeric data only.

56

battery preference * MEDIA EXPOSURE_Reasonableness

Directional Measures

Value

Asymp. Std.

Errora Approx. Tb

Approx.

Sig.

Nominal by

Nominal

Lambda Symmetric .064 .070 .885 .376

battery preference

Dependent

.000 .000 .c .c

MEDIA

EXPOSURE_Reasona

bleness Dependent

.082 .089 .885 .376

Goodman and Kruskal

tau

battery preference

Dependent

.069 .042 .005d

MEDIA

EXPOSURE_Reasona

bleness Dependent

.050 .015 .282d

a. Not assuming the null hypothesis.

b. Using the asymptotic standard error assuming the null hypothesis.

c. Cannot be computed because the asymptotic standard error equals zero.

d. Based on chi-square approximation

Chi-Square Tests

Value df Asymp. Sig. (2-sided)

Pearson Chi-Square 22.921a 20 .293

Likelihood Ratio 23.481 20 .266

N of Valid Cases 117

a. 25 cells (83.3%) have expected count less than 5. The minimum expected count

is .11.

57

Symmetric Measuresa

Value Approx. Sig.

Nominal by Nominal Phi .443 .293

Cramer's V .221 .293

Contingency Coefficient .405 .293

N of Valid Cases 117

a. Correlation statistics are available for numeric data only.

battery preference * MEDIA EXPOSURE_Likelihood

Crosstab

Count

MEDIA EXPOSURE_Likelyhood

Total

TOTALLY

DISLIKE DISLIKE OK LIKE DESIRABLE

battery preference EXIDE 3 16 20 26 27 92

1,5 0 0 0 0 1 1

SF SONIC 0 0 1 0 2 3

AMARON 1 3 2 7 3 16

TATA GREEN 0 0 0 1 0 1

LOCAL BRANDS 1 1 0 1 1 4

Total 5 20 23 35 34 117

58

Chi-Square Tests

Value df

Asymp. Sig. (2-

sided)

Pearson Chi-Square 15.789a 20 .000

Likelihood Ratio 15.623 20 .000

N of Valid Cases 117

a. 26 cells (86.7%) have expected count less than 5. The minimum

expected count is .04.

Directional Measures

Value

Asymp. Std.

Errora Approx. Tb

Approx.

Sig.

Nominal by

Nominal

Lambda Symmetric .037 .070 .526 .099

battery preference

Dependent

.000 .000 .c .c

MEDIA

EXPOSURE_Likelyho

od Dependent

.049 .091 .526 .099

Goodman and Kruskal

tau

battery preference

Dependent

.024 .022 .003d

MEDIA

EXPOSURE_Likelyho

od Dependent

.036 .011 .008d

a. Not assuming the null hypothesis.

b. Using the asymptotic standard error assuming the null hypothesis.

c. Cannot be computed because the asymptotic standard error equals zero.

d. Based on chi-square approximation

59

Symmetric Measuresa

Value Approx. Sig.

Nominal by Nominal Phi .367 .007

Cramer's V .184 .002

Contingency Coefficient .345 .006

N of Valid Cases 117

a. Correlation statistics are available for numeric data only.

Regression

Model Summaryb

Model R R Square

Adjusted R

Square

Std. Error of

the Estimate

Change Statistics

R Square

Change F Change df1 df2

Sig. F

Change

1 .201a .041 -.012 1.005 .041 .769 6 109 .016

a. Predictors: (Constant), MEDIA EXPOSURE_Likelyhood, MEDIA EXPOSURE_Conviction, MEDIA

EXPOSURE_Reasonableness, MEDIA EXPOSURE_Trustworthiness, MEDIA EXPOSURE_Credibility, MEDIA

EXPOSURE_Belief

b. Dependent Variable: battery preference

ANOVAb

Model

Sum of

Squares df Mean Square F Sig.

1 Regression 4.663 6 .777 .769 .596a

Residual 110.199 109 1.011

Total 114.862 115

a. Predictors: (Constant), MEDIA EXPOSURE_Likelyhood, MEDIA

EXPOSURE_Conviction, MEDIA EXPOSURE_Reasonableness, MEDIA

EXPOSURE_Trustworthiness, MEDIA EXPOSURE_Credibility, MEDIA

EXPOSURE_Belief

b. Dependent Variable: battery preference

60

Coefficientsa

Model

Unstandardized Coefficients

Standardized

Coefficients

t Sig.

Correlations

B Std. Error Beta Zero-order Partial Part

1 (Constant) 2.319 .600 3.864 .000

MEDIA

EXPOSURE_Belief

.018 .080 .023 .220 .826 -.041 .021 .021

MEDIA

EXPOSURE_Trustworthi

ness

-.009 .083 -.010 -.103 .918 -.029 -.010 -.010

MEDIA

EXPOSURE_Conviction

-.137 .083 -.162 -1.651 .102 -.157 -.156 -.155

MEDIA

EXPOSURE_Credibility

-.082 .077 -.107 -1.063 .290 -.066 -.101 -.100

MEDIA

EXPOSURE_Reasonable

ness

.044 .079 .054 .553 .582 .039 .053 .052

MEDIA

EXPOSURE_Likelyhood

-.076 .080 -.091 -.945 .347 -.073 -.090 -.089

a. Dependent Variable: battery preference

Battery Preference = 2.319+ 0.018 (media exposure_belief) – 0.009(Media exposure_trustworthiness) – 0.137(M.E_conviction) –0.82 (M.E_credibility)+ 0.44(M.E_reasonableness) – 0.76(M.E_likelihood).

Casewise Diagnosticsa

Case

Number Std. Residual battery preference Predicted Value Residual

6 3.307 5 1.67 3.325

23 3.248 5 1.73 3.266

85 3.382 5 1.60 3.400

a. Dependent Variable: battery preference

61

Residuals Statisticsa

Minimum Maximum Mean Std. Deviation N

Predicted Value 1.11 2.04 1.47 .201 116

Residual -1.043 3.400 .000 .979 116

Std. Predicted Value -1.780 2.868 .000 1.000 116

Std. Residual -1.037 3.382 .000 .974 116

a. Dependent Variable: battery preference

Frequencies

monthly consumption

Frequency Percent Valid Percent

Cumulative

Percent

Valid 25 17.1 17.1 17.1

<=5 67 45.9 45.9 63.0

<=5-10 25 17.1 17.1 80.1

<=11-15 9 6.2 6.2 86.3

>=16 20 13.7 13.7 100.0

Total 146 100.0 100.0

62

Findings- In most cases the monthly consumption of battery in individual garages is 0-5.

63

DATA ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION:

1. WHAT IS THE APPROXIMATE MONTHLY CONSUMPTION OF BATTERY?B. 0-5 B. 6-10 C. 11-15 D. >15

Monthly consumption No Of garages in this category

0-5 63

6-10 25

11-15 10

15+ 22

Monthly consumption

0-5

6-10

11-15

15+

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70

No Of garages in this category

No Of garages in this cat-egory

Total sample size = 120

CATEGORISING THE GARAGES ACCORDING THEIR MONTHLY CONSUMPTION OF BATTERY

64

2. WHICH BRAND OF BATTERY DO YOU PURCHASE MOST?

B. EXIDE B. SF SONIC C. AMARON D. TATA GREEN E. OTHERS (SPECIFY)………………………………

Exide Amaron SF SONIC Local Brands0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

Market Share

Market Share

TOTAL SAMPLE SIZE= 120

DETERMINING THE MARKET SHARE FROM THE PURCHASE OF THE GARAGE OWNERS

65

Brand Market ShareExide 85

Amaron 17

SF SONIC 10

Local Brands 8

3. From where does you purchase the batteries?

Source No Of Purchase

Dealer 70

Company 40

Retailer 10

Dealer Company Retailer0

10203040506070

Source

No Of Purchase

TOTAL SAMPLE SIZE= 120

SEGMENTATION ACCORDING TO THE PURCHASE POINT OF THE GARAGE OWNERS

66

4. Reasons for recommending a particular brand battery:

Customer satisfaction

Biscount Brand name

Good service support

0

10

20

30

40

Reason for Recomendation

no. of purchase

TOTAL SAMPLE SIZE=120

ANALYSIS OF THE FACTORS WHICH INSISTS THE GARAGE OWNERS

5. Satisfaction level of garage owners:

Status garage owner's satisfaction level

67

Reason for Recommending no. of purchaseCustomer satisfaction 40

Discount 10Brand name 25

Good service support 45

Satisfied 78%

Dissatisfied 22%

garage owner's satisfaction level

satisfieddissatisfied

ANALYZING THE SATISFACTION LEVEL OF THE GARAGE OWNERS

7. Awareness about SF Sonic among the garage owners:

68

Status Awareness About SF SONIC

Used 63%

Not Used 37%

awareness about SF SONIC

usednot used

8. Rank on Customer preference (RANGE OF 1-5 SCALE)

69

Brand Rank on customer preferenceExide 5

SF SONIC 3AMARON 4

TATA GREEN 2LOCAL BRANDS 2

Exide

SF SONIC

AMARON

TATA GREEN

LOCAL BRANDS

0 0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5 3 3.5 4 4.5 5

Rank on customer preference

Rank on customer preference

(RANGE OF 1-5 SCALE)

9. Rank on Garage owners preference:

70

Brand Rank on garage owners preference

EXIDE 5

AMARON 4

SF SONIC 3

TATA GREEN 2

LOCAL BRANDS 3

EXIDE

AMARON

SF SONIC

TATA GREEN

LOCAL BRANDS

0 0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5 3 3.5 4 4.5 5

Rank on garage owners preference

Rank on garage owners preference

(RANGE OF 1-5 SCALE)

10. Segmentation of the Garages according to their types of work:

71

type of garages No.

2 wheeler garages 33

authorised 4 wheeler 40

unauthorised 4 wheelers 35

tractor and HUV 12

2 wheeler garages

authorised 4 wheeler

unauthorised 4 wheelers

tractor and HUV

0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40

Garage types

No.

TOTAL SMPLE SIZE= 120

FINDING:

The first thing I have found after the completion of my market survey that SF SONIC battery though it’s a brand of Exide Industries ltd. Having only 8.33% of market share which is very low.

72

It is being observed that there are more that 30% of four wheeler garages which are unauthorized and free to recommend any brand batteries which depends totally on the garage owners. So, it is a great opportunity for SF SONIC to grab the market of these unauthorized garages with regular garage visit and providing other facilities to the garage owners.

According to the pattern of the questionnaire the first thing is observed that almost 50% of garages are there who consumes average 0-5 batteries monthly,22% of garages have average monthly consumption of 6-10 batteries,9% garages monthly consume 11-15 batteries and 18% garages have average monthly consumption of more than 15 batteries.

After visiting the garages and asking the garage owners about the product I found that the market share of SF SONIC is very low just because of lack of awareness. Many of the garage owners even surprised about the existence of this brand.

According to my survey I found that 37% of the garage owners do not even used SF Sonic battery so they are totally unaware about the quality and service of SF SONIC provided by the company. So they do not recommend this battery to the customers which reflect in the low market share of the brand.

Among the garage owners who have used this brand before, 78% of them is satisfied with the service of SF SONIC. Rest 22% are not satisfied regarding various issues like problem of replacement, dealer unavailability etc.

I have asked the garage owners about their purchase point of battery needed monthly, I found that 58% of garage owners purchase battery from the dealer, 33% purchase directly from the company outlets which are mainly purchased by the big authorized garages. The owners told that often they tell the customer to purchase battery from their own, because the garage owners do not want to take responsibilities.

In North Bengal 70% of garages recommend their customers to use Exide but most of them do not even know that SF SONIC is also another brand of Exide Industries Ltd.

When I have asked them that which thing insist them to recommend a particular battery, they were confused of giving the right answer.38% of the garage owners told that they are attracted towards good service support from the company and their preference based on that aspect. 32% relies on customer satisfaction and 20% of them totally depends on the brand name, they do not want to take any risk using other brands and lastly 8% of the garages search profit so the only thing that attracts them is discount.

On the basis of customer preference in the range of 1-5 scale, the survey which I have done, I found that Exide is on top brand preferred by the customers, then it’s Amaron ,

73

SF SONIC is in the third position with 3 points out of 5 lies in the same position with the local brands preferred by the customers of North Bengal.

Lastly on the basis of the garage owner’s preference I found that almost 90% of the garage owners have given Exide 5 points and though SF SONIC is unknown to many of them so they denied to give any comments but in average SF got 3 points which is very low.

PROBLEM FACED:-

There are various problems that I have faced during this survey. The problem I have faced the most was to identify the exact location of the garages in the remote area which are not at all well communicated so it was very time consuming. Secondly, the garage owners were not interested to disclose the information such as discount or credit facility availed from the dealer or monthly consumption of battery which are very essential for my project. Beside this most of the garage owners are illiterate so sometimes it was very hard to make them understand about my survey. In some cases the people who are interested on taking dealership asked for further details about what are the procedures to play the role of a dealer and what will be the expenditure. But I was unable to give him the information. The problem was very exciting, some of the garage owners asked me to suggest them a solution of a battery they are facing problem in the garage. But apart from these problems I have enjoyed a lot to fulfill the entire market survey.

SWOT Analysis of SF Sonic Batteries:

STRENGTH:

- PRODUCT OF EXIDE INDUSTRIES LTD.- PROPER SERVICE AND SUPPORT.- LOWER PRICE THAN EXIDE- ATTRACTING WARRANTY FACILITY

74

- DEALER NETWORK

WEAKNESS:

- LOW BRAND AWARENESS- WEAK DEALER AND CUSTOMER RELATION- WEAK RETAIL NETWORK OF DISTRIBUTOR- PRICE VARIATION FROM DEALER TO DEALER- LACK OF COMPANY OR DEALER VISIT TO THE GARAGES.

OPPORTUNITIES:

- GROWING MARKET OF AUTOMOBILE.- CUSTOMERS ARE CONFUSED WITH THEIR PREFERENCE FOR

BATTTERY.- CUSTOMERS ARE ATTTRACTED TOWARDS LOW PRICE AND

DISCOUNT.

THREATS:

- BRAND POSITION OF EXIDE.- NEW ENTRY OF LOW PRICE LOCAL BRAND BATTERY.- HEAVY COMPETITION WITH OTHER BRANDS LIKE AMARON, TATA

GREEN, LUMINOUS ETC.

SUGGESTION

The company has to create strong brand awareness by continuous process in remote areas like North Bengal to achieve high growth.

75

The distribution channel must be strong and well circulated so that it can cover each and every remote location.

Product availability from the nearest dealer or retailer. Regular company or dealer visits to the garages so that it can decrease the gap between

customer and the company. Garage owners should be aware about the products and the price. Distributor or retailer should give more attractive discount and credit to the garages. Strong after sales service to be provided by the dealer towards the end users. Quick replacement facility in case of warranty and provide service battery in case of

emergency. Arrange service camp and provide training session for the garage mechanics by the

company technician. The company should strictly take action against those distributors who are also selling

other brands along with sf sonic for more profit. Banners and wall paint should be done to the garages according to their potential for

promotion and customer awareness. It will be good if company arrange a monthly meeting with the garage owners. Gifts like t-shirt, caps, towel with company logo for the garage mechanics can insist

them to recommend sf sonic battery and also it will help in promotion to some extent. Company tie up with the automobile company at the time of manufacture of the

vehicle.

ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE SALES TEAM TO INCREASE THE MARKET SHARE OF SF SONIC:-

76 SF SONIC

77

RSM

FLEET

DEALER DISTRIBUTOR

GAR AGE

SAP

CRM RETAILER GARAGE FLEET

FSO DISTRIBUTOR

DEALER

AM MAM FSO

NEW DISTRIBUTOR/ DEALER APPT.

SALES PROMOTION FOCUS

MONITOR FSO KRAS ( CRM )

AM PERFORMANCE ( SAP)

REPORTING TO GM

NEW CHANNEL EXPANSION / MARKET PENETRATION

PROMOTIONAL ACTIVITIES OF SF SONIC:

78

ANNEXURE

The garages I have visited in North Bengal for my survey:

Garage Name Place Type Of Garage Battery Preference

R.K.AUTOMOBILE JALPAIGURI 3-4 WHEELER ELECTRICAL EXIDECHAMPU GARAGE JALPAIGURI TATA AUTHORISED EXIDESERVICE MEN'S SERVICE JALPAIGURI BAJAJ 2 WHEELER AUTHORISED AMARONPUCHKI AUTO WORKS JALPAIGURI UNAUTHORISED 2 WHEELER AMARONKUNDU AUTOMOBILES JALPAIGURI UNAUTHORISED 4 WHEELER EXIDEADHIR AUTOMOBILES JALPAIGURI UNAUTHORISED 4 WHEELER ASTRALSARKAR AUTO ELECTRICAL WORKS

JALPAIGURI UNAUTHORISED 4 WHEELER EXIDE

MAHAVIR AUTOMOBILES JALPAIGURI TVS WORKSHOP EXIDEDAS MARUTI REPAIRING CENTRE JALPAIGURI MARUTI UNAUTHORISED EXIDERATNA AUTOMOBILES JALPAIGURI HONDA AUTHORISED 2 WHEELER AMARONS.S. AUTOMOBILES JALPAIGURI MARUTI AUTHORISED EXIDEPRATIK AUTOMOBILES JALPAIGURI HERO AUTHORISED EXIDE

S.P.AUTOWORKS DHUPGURI UNAUTHORISED 2 WHEELER EXIDEAUTOCARE DHUPGURI YAMAHA AUTHORISED EXIDESHIV AUTOWORKS DHUPGURI UNAUTHORISED 2 WHEELER AMARONBHARAT AUTOMOBILES DHUPGURI HERO AUTHORISED EXIDEBALAJI HONDA DHUPGURI HONDA AUTHORISED 2 WHEELER EXIDESHIV AUTOMOBILES DHUPGURI BAJAJ 2 WHEELER AUTHORISED EXIDEBISWAS AUTOMOBILES DHUPGURI PIAGGIO AUTHORISED 4 WHEELER EXIDEOSL AUTOMOTIVES DHUPGURI TATA AUTHORISED 4 WHEELER EXIDEKRISHNA MARUTI WORKSHOP DHUPGURI MARUTI 4 WHEELER SERVICE CENTRE EXIDE

DINHATA AUTOMOBILES DINHATA MARUTI AUTHORISED AMARONR.R AUTOMOBILES DINHATA YAMAHA AUTHORISED POWERZONEMANAKAMNA AUTOMOBILE DINHATA TVS AUTHORISED EXIDERADHA KRISHNA ENGINEERING DINHATA TATA AUTHORISED 4 WHEELER EXIDERAJA MOTORS DINHATA BAJAJ 2 WHEELER AUTHORISED EXIDEJOGOMAYA AUTO WORKS DINHATA HERO AUTHORISED EXIDEDAS AUTO CENTRE DINHATA HONDA AUTHORISED 2 WHEELER EXIDE

SARKAR AUTO CENTRE ALIPURDUAR BAJAJ 2 WHEELER AUTHORISED EXIDER.N AUTO ALIPURDUAR YAMAHA AUTHORISED EXIDEKRISH AUTO PARTS ALIPURDUAR 3 WHEELER UNAUTHORISED AMARONG.M.MOTORS ALIPURDUAR 4 WHEELLER UNAUTHORISED AMARONSAGAR SCOOTER WORKS ALIPURDUAR 2 WHEELER UNAUTHORISED EXIDE

79

PRADYUT AUTOMOBILES ALIPURDUAR MARUTI AUTHORISED EXIDE

TOOFANGANJ AUTO CENTRE TOOFANGANJ HERO AUTHORISED EXIDE

SANDIP AUTOLINES COOCHBEHAR HERO AUTHORISED AMCODURGA HYUNDAI COOCHBEHAR HYUNDAI AUTHORISED EXIDEOSL AUTOMOTIVES PVT LTD. COOCHBEHAR TATA AUTHORISED AMARONBAJLA MOTORS PVT LTD COOCHBEHAR TATA & PIAGGIO AUTHORISED EXIDEPROVA AUTOMOBILES COOCHBEHAR MARUTI AUTHORISED AMARONBRAHMACHARI BAJAJ COOCHBEHAR BAJAJ 2 WHEELER AUTHORISED EXIDEDEBNATH HONDA AUTO CENTRE COOCHBEHAR HONDA AUTHORISED 2 WHEELER SF SONICRUPS AUTO COOCHBEHAR YAMAHA AUTHORISED EXIDE

MAA MAHALAXMI HONDA MATHABHANGA HONDA AUTHORISED 2 WHEELER EXIDEB.K.MOTORS MATHABHANGA BAJAJ AUTHORISED 2 WHEELER EXIDE,MINDAJOGOMAYA WORKSHOP MATHABHANGA HERO AUTHORISED 2 WHEELER EXIDE

NATIONAL MOTORS SILIGURI YAMAHA AUTHORISED EXIDEDARJEELING AUTOMOBILE PVT LTD

SILIGURI HERO AUTHORISED EXIDE

KAYONS CHEVROLETTE SILIGURI CHEVROLETE AUTHORISED EXIDERAVI AUTO LTD SILIGURI MAHINDRA AUTHORISED EXIDERELIABLE AUTOMOBILES SILIGURI TATA AUTHORISED TATA GREENHIMGIRI MOTORS SILIGURI SUZUKI AUTHORISED 2 WHEELER EXIDESILIGURI AUTO WORKS PVT LTD SILIGURI BAJAJ 2 WHEELER AUTHORISED EXIDEKAYSONS HONDA SILIGURI HONDA AUTHORISED 2 WHEELER EXIDEM.A.E WORKS SILIGURI UNAUTHORISED 4 WHEELER EXIDESEVOKE MOTORS PVT -LTD SILIGURI MARUTI AUTHORISED EXIDETOPSEL TOYOTA SILIGURI TOYOTA AUTHORISED EXIDEDURGA HYUNDAI SILIGURI HYUNDAI AUTHORISED EXIDEBEEKAY AUTO PVT LTD. SILIGURI MARUTI AUTHORISED AMARONKHOKAN MOTORS SILIGURI MAHINDRA AUTHORISED EXIDE

L.N. AUTOMOBILES ISLAMPUR BAJAJ 2 WHEELER AUTHORISED EXIDEKARMAKAR AUTOMOBILES ISLAMPUR UNAUTHORISED 4 WHEELER AMARONJAGA GARAGE ISLAMPUR UNAUTHORISED 4 WHEELER EXIDEMANDALL AUTO REPAIRING CENTRE

ISLAMPUR UNAUTHORISED 4 WHEELER EXIDE

SUDARSHAN AUTOMOBILE ISLAMPUR UNAUTHORISED 4 WHEELER EXIDELOKNATH AUTO AGENCY ISLAMPUR MAHINDRA AUTHORISED 4 WHEELER AMARONS.A. SERVICE STATION ISLAMPUR MARUTI & TATA AUTHORISED EXIDEBHARAT AUTOMOBILES ISLAMPUR HERO AUTHORISED EXIDE

STAR MOTORS DALKHOLA UNAUTHORISED 4 WHEELER EXIDEKALI (CH)MOTORS DALKHOLA MAHINDRA AUTHORISED 4 WHEELER EXIDE

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YUSUF MOTORS DALKHOLA 4 WHEELLER AUTHORISED EXIDEZAINAB MOTORS DALKHOLA MARUTI AUTHORISED AMARON

BEHANI BROTHERS MALDA TATA AUTHORISED HUV EXIDES.N.MOTORS PVT LTD MALDA MAHINDRA AUTHORISED 4 WHEELER EXIDENEWLINE AUTO TRACK PVT LTD MALDA TATA

AUTHORISED(HUV,MCV,COMMERCIAL)EXIDE

DURGA HYUNDAI MALDA HYUNDAI AUTHORISED EXIDELEXICAN MOTORS MALDA TATA

AUTHORISED(HUV,LUV,COMMERCIAL)EXIDE

BHAI BHAI AUTOMOBILES MALDA UNAUTHORISED 4 WHEELER EXIDEDURGA MACHINERY MART MALDA HINDUSTAN MOTORS AUTHORISED EXIDETULTUL MOTOR GARAGE MALDA UNAUTHORISED 4 WHEELER EXIDEMATAHAR GARAGE MALDA UNAUTHORISED 4 WHEELER EXIDEPAL AUTOWORKS MALDA UNAUTHORISED 4 WHEELER EXIDESONAL MARUTI GARAGE MALDA UNAUTHORISED 4 WHEELER EXIDEMAA MOTOR GARAGE MALDA UNAUTHORISED 4 WHEELER SF SONICROY AUTOMOBILES MALDA UNAUTHORISED 4 WHEELER ASTRALDURGA AUTO CENTER MALDA HERO AUTHORISED 2 WHEELER EXIDEJ.K.WHEELS PVT.LTD. MALDA MARUTI AUTHORISED EXIDEPLANET WHEELS MALDA BAJAJ AUTHORISED 2 WHEELER EXIDENEWLINE AUTO TRACK PVT LTD MALDA TATA AUTHORISED EXIDEPUNAM AUTO CENTER MALDA 2ND HAND CAR DEALERPOWERTRAC(NATIONAL MOTORS)

MALDA POWERTRAC TRACTOR EXIDE

UTTAM AUTO WORKS MALDA TATA CERTIFIED SERVICE STATION EXIDEMEHI MOTORS PVT LTD MALDA HONDA AUTHORISED 2 WHEELER EXIDENEW TVS(NEW MALDA DIESELS PVT LTD.)

MALDA TVS AUTHORIISED EXIDE

TIRUPATI STEELS MALDA MAHINDRA SEVA SF SONICTIRUPATI TRADERS MALDA YAMAHA AUTHORISD 2 WHEELER EXIDED.N.S AUTOMOBILES GAZOL UNAUTHORISED 4 WHEELER EXIDEABHISEK AUTO CENTRE MALDA MARUTI AUTHORISED AMARON

GHOSH AUTOMOBILES BALURGHAT MARUTI AUTHORISED EXIDEDAS AUTOMOBILES BALURGHAT UNAUTHORISED 4 WHEELER EXIDERADHARANI MOTORS BALURGHAT TATA MOTORS

AUTHORISED(COMMERCIAL)EXIDE

P.K.AUTOMOBILES BALURGHAT UNAUTHORISED 4 WHEELER AMARONSHEFALI AUTOMOBILES BALURGHAT UNAUTHORISED HUV EXIDEBIMALA AUTO MOTOR WORKS BALURGHAT FORCE MOTORS,MAHINDRA WORKS EXIDELAXMI ENGINEERING WORKS BALURGHAT MAHINDRA AUTHORISED 4 WHEELER EXIDE

ANANDA MOTORS GANGARAMPUR

UNAUTHORISED 4 WHEELER EXIDE

R.D.AUTOMOBILES GANGARAMPU UNAUTHORISED 4 WHEELER SF SONIC81

RRAVI MOTORS GANGARAMPU

RNEW HOLLAND TRACTOR AUTHORISED EXIDE

S.N.AUTOMOTIVES GANGARAMPUR

MAHINDRA AUTHORISED 4 WHEELER EXIDE

AMAR GARAGE RAIGANJ FORCE MOTORS AUTHORISED EXIDENOKUL SARKAR GARAGE RAIGANJ UNAUTHORISED 4 WHEELER EXIDEBIDYUT AUTO PARTS RAIGANJ UNAUTHORISED 4 WHEELER AMARONPRASAD AUTO CENTER RAIGANJ TAFE TRACTOR AUTHORISED AMARONMIRA AUTO CENTER RAIGANJ HONDA AUTHORISED 2 WHEELER EXIDEMIRA AUTO CENTER RAIGANJ JOHN DEERE TRACTOR EXIDESANKAR AUTO CENTER RAIGANJ MAHINDRA SEVA SF SONICSHANKAR AUTO CENTER RAIGANJ HERO AUTHORISED 2 WHEELER EXIDERAIGANJ PLANET WHEELS RAIGANJ BAJAJ AUTHORISED 2 WHEELER EXIDESRIRAM MOTORS RAIGANJ MAHINDRA AUTHORISED 4 WHEELER EXIDESANYAL GARAGE RAIGANJ TATA MOTORS

AUTHORISED(COMMERCIAL)EXIDE

VISHAL TVS SHOWROOM RAIGANJ TVS AUTHORIISED EXIDE

Conclusion:-

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The result of the survey clearly indicates that there is a huge competition in the battery market and SF SONIC has to compete with the renown brand like Exide, Amaron, Tata Green etc as well as with the local brand like Amco, Astral, Microtek, Powerzone etc. After collecting the data from the garages and analyzing it we can see that SF SONIC battery has only 8.33% market share which is very low but there are lots of opportunities for this brand to increase the market share. The project report point out the lack of awareness about the brand among the customers as well as to the garage owners. So, initially the company has to increase the promotional activities. Besides this the company has to maintain a good relationship with the customers and garage owners and also company has to provide good after sales service to make the customer satisfied towards the brand.

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