Indian Journal of Marketing November 2004

Volume XXXIV • Number 11 • November 2004

Performance in the Entrance Examination and Its Impact On Academics and Executive Placements with Reference to Business Schools
A large number of business schools and institutes offer business management education of various competences across the country. Business schools today are facing new challenges, as industry places greater demands on the skills and competence of business school graduates. On one hand, efficient training programmes rely on a careful analysis of the competence expected from students at the end of their studies. The identification of the knowledge and know-how required to succeed will constitute the guiding principle in the design of the training process. Although this might be relatively easy in a stable environment, where competence is not destined to become obsolete, it is more problematic in a changing environment.
Dr. Apoorva Palkar Director Sinhgad Institute of Management & Computer Application Pune,Maharashtra	D.M.Marathe Mumbai Educational Trust's School of Management,Mumbai Maharashtra
Giving Wings To One Billion Indians
The first successful low-cost airline is generally acknowledged to be Southwest Airlines in the United States, which pioneered the concept in 1971 and has been profitable every year since 1973. With the advent of aviation deregulation, the model spread to Europe as well, the most notable success being the Irish Ryan Air, founded in 1985. Low cost airlines have been slow in setting up business in Asia. The first one to start services was Air Asia of Malaysia in 2003.A typical low cost airline's business model is based on: • A single passenger class so as to ensure maximum number of seats. • A single type of aircraft thereby reducing training and servicing costs. • Simple fare scheme. • Open seating, which encourages passengers to board early. • Direct point-to-point flights. • Flying to less congested airports. • Short flights and fast turnaround times allowing maximum utilization of planes. • No catering and complimentary services. • No frequent flier or other promotional schemes. • Direct distribution.
	R.Sugant Associate Professor Marketing Studies MATS School of Business & Information Technology Bangalore
Retail Revolution
The country has witnessed a retail revolution in recent years. Significant development has taken place in urban areas in the form of organized retailing- mega stores or malls. Talk of any metro or a mini metro all of them now, have simply superb shopping malls to rule the shopper’s heart. For example, in recent years Gurgaon near Delhi, has seen the mushrooming of so many swanky stores that a shoppers dream has come true. The city is all set to become the retail capital of the country. Actually, the corporate sector and the government, both have shown keen interest in the retail sector. This business suddenly seems promising to every one. In 2003 alone, a breathtaking 10 million sq.ft. of commercial space was picked up by the retail industry. McKinsey expects the organized sector to be around $18 billion by 2010.
Dr.Gitanjali Bhatnagar Gian Jyoti Institute of Management & Technology,Mohali
Brand Promotion : A Case Study of Air Conditioners
Brand is essentially a seller's promise to consistently deliver a specific set of features, benefits and services to the buyers. The best brands convey a warranty of quality. But a brand is even a more complex symbol. A brand is a name, term, sign, symbol or design, or a combination of them, intended to identify the goods or services of one sellers or group of sellers and to differentiate them from those of competitors. In essence, a brand identifies the seller or maker. It can be a name, trademark, logo or other symbol under trademark law; the seller is granted exclusive rights to the use of the brand name in perpetuity.Chitra Balasubramanium (2003) has reported that market potential for AC is Rs.3000 Crores in the Industry market according to the findings given by Mckinsey & Co. The report has brought out three fold bounds and barriers in the industry in terms of costs such as lifecycle cost of ownership of air conditioners, running costs of electricity and annual maintenance costs. By keeping pace with solving these problems, the projected growth rate is 55 percent in household air conditioners and about 20 percent in commercial air conditioning and refrigeration. Further, it is informed that the export market and service business has the potential to grow to Rs. 1200 Crores and Rs.500 Crores respectively.
A.Selvarasu Lecturer(Senior Scale) Department of Business Administration Annamalai University Tamil Nadu	S.Senthil Kumar Research Scholar Department of Business Administration Annamalai University Tamil Nadu
Andhra Pradesh State Minorities Finance Corporation(APSMFC): A Survey of Beneficiaries
The proportion of self-employed persons among minorities, especially Muslims, is quiet considerable. Their access to different sources of financial assistance is an important pre-requisite for enabling them to survive in the present day competitive business environment. With a view to facilitate this process the Government of Andhra Pradesh established Andhra Pradesh State Minorities Finance Corporation in 1985, to lend financial assistance to the needy among the minorities and to take up productive activities.
	Ali Shabbir MBA, Osmania University Hyderabad Andhra Pradesh
Consumer Behaviour in Rural Areas: A Microlevel Study on Buying Behaviour of Rural Consumers in Kavali Mandal
In recent days, consumer India is at the point where there is a multiplicative effect of income growth, aspiration to consume and a changed consumption friendly ideology/social discourse across the income board, especially in rural India. Hence, the buying behaviour of rural consumers has became a hot-topic for discussion because rural India, in recent days, is enthusiastically consuming everything from shampoo to motor cycles and this " rural predilection" is being considered as one of the significant topics of market analysis. Besides, we know well that purchase decisions in Indian homes have become a collective process, with women and teenage children playing a major role on product and ‘brand choices’. Decision-making has become a joint process in the family. Woman is the initiator and product evaluator, man the financier and child, an influencer. Hence, the market analysts are adopting both the" product window" approach and "Consumer or People Window" approach for getting an insight into the structure and drivers of consumer demand particularly in rural India. The first approach deals with the perspective of" how much of what is being bought" and the latter deals with " how many of what kind of people are buying”. The thrust is on not just what is being bought but also who is buying and the analysis has to be made considering both "product segments" and "consumer segments"
	Dr.B.Nagaraja Assitant Professor Department of Economics S.V.U. PG Centre Nellore,Andhra Pradesh
Brand Preference of Talcum Powder
Both men and women have been using cosmetics for thousands of years. Cosmetics are those articles which are intended to be rubbed, poured, sprinkled, or sprayed or otherwise applied to the human body or any part thereof for beautifying, promoting attractiveness, or altering the appearance. Cosmetics may cleanse the skin or change its colour, but they do not prevent or cure any dermal condition. Talcum powder is one of the popular cosmetics used both by men and women. It has been traditionally used for its fragrance and feeling of freshness.There are numerous companies marketing their talcum powder under different brand names. The major ingredients are more or less the same. However, the brand name of a product plays an important role in determining the product success or failure. Hence, an attempt is made to study the brand preference of talcum powder consumers. The study is undertaken with reference to Maduraites.
Dr.K.Chidambaram Prof and Head Department of Commerce Madurai Kamaraj University Madurai, Tamil Nadu	Dr.S.Ganesan Resource Person Department of Commerce Madurai Kamaraj University Madurai,Tamil Nadu