Volume XXXVII • Number  12 • December  2007

The Consequent Consumer Behaviour in Cosmetic Industry - A Study of Lakme's Competitive Position and Advertisement Effectiveness & Awareness of Lakme Beauty Salon in Baroda City

Cosmetic Industry in India plays a significant role in economic development and growth of the country. The Cosmetic and personal care industry has been growing at an average rate of 15-20 percent for the last few years. HLL's brands spread across 20 distinct consumer categories touch the lives of two out of three Indians. The objectives of the study were to identify effect of Cosmetic advertisements on pattern of customer, Lakme’s brand image, impact of print media advertisement and broad casting media advertisement on purchasing pattern of customer, awareness of Lakme Beauty Salon in Baroda city. The primary data was collected by interview method by using a structured questionnaire with 200 female respondents in Baroda city.Findings suggested that there are more users of Lakme products especially in Lipsticks, Nail polish and Hair conditioner in compare with Revlon and L'Oreal. Brand image and Advertisements are key factors behind the purchasing of Lakme products. Very few people were aware about the inauguration of the 'Lakme Beauty Salon at Baroda city. Company should give more focus on Lakme Beauty Salon awareness, as there is difference between products and service sector. Lakme has already built the brand so it would be beneficial to take advantage of Lakme product brand to extend Lakme as a service brand for Lakme Beauty Salon.

Bijal Zaveri
Faculty Member
Parul Institute of Technology
Baroda,Gujarat

Financial Feasibility of Investments in Contract Poultry Farming

In the 1970s, '80s, and '90s, when cotton production in the South and other parts of the India dwindled as a business for farmers, people turned to poultry farming. Through cross-breeding, scientists were able to produce a fast-growing, bigger bird. In the 1990s, businesses began to take over the production of the poultry process, and the contract system in effect was born. The research paper analyse the cost and effect relationship in poultry contract farming in Coimbatore district. At present he contract farmers are earning Rs.1.50 per broiler reared. The education is not constraint for them. The yield per square feet comes around Rs.7.50 per year. The return on investment is around 11.5% in the beginning stages and 20 % in latter on stages. The farmers having number broiler rearing use the advantage of large scale operation. Since the marketing risk is covered by the integrators, the farmers are safe and earning is almost equally spread throughout the year. The researcher identified the break-even chicks to be reared and Internal Rate of Return a farmer can gain through the poultry farming. The researcher concludes that due to increase in consumption pattern of meet and export, the contract poultry farmers will reap more steady income in coming years and it is a viable alternative for uneducated farmers also.

Emerging Retail Trends in India

Retail is India’s largest industry, accounting for over 10 percent of the country’s GDP and around eight per cent of the employment. Retail industry in India is at the crossroads. It has emerged as one of the most dynamic and fast paced industries with several players entering the market. But because of the heavy initial investment required, breakeven is difficult to achieve and many of these players have not tasted success so far, However, the future is promising; the market is growing, government policies are becoming more favorable and emerging technologies are facilitating operations.Retailing in India is gradually inching its way toward becoming the next boom industry .The whole concept of shopping has altered in terms of format and consumer buying behavior, ushering in a revolution in shopping in India. Modern retail has entered India as seen in sprawling shopping centers, multi-storied malls and huge complexes offer shopping, entertainment and food all under one roof. The Indian population is witnessing a significant change in its demographics. A large young working population with median age of 24 years, nuclear families in urban areas, along with increasing working –women population and emerging opportunities in the services sector are going to be the key growth of the organized retail sector in India.

G.Laxmi Prabha
Faculty 
Department of Business Management
Osmania University PG College
Nalgonda
Andhra Pradesh

Internal Marketing - Case Studies

In the present era, it is said that the consumer is the king and all marketing efforts should be directed towards satisfying the consumers. As such even until the past few years, marketing was viewed only as an external oriented concept whereby the focus was the external party, i.e., the consumers. But it has been observed by various researches and investigations that if the internal party, i.e., the EMPLOYEES of an organization are motivated and satisfied only then they can satisfy the consumers effectively.Keeping this basic need in view, a new concept emerged known as ‘Internal Marketing’ which works on the fundamental principle of “Employees First!” All the strategies, practices, tools and techniques used to satisfy the employees of an organization are known as Internal Marketing. Internal marketing is an ongoing process that occurs strictly within a company or organization whereby the functional process aligns, motivates and empowers employees at all management levels to consistently deliver a satisfying customer experience. Inter Marketing is an important ‘implementation tool’. It aids communication and helps us to overcome any resistance to change. It is simple to construct, especially if one is familiar with traditional principles of Marketing. Internal Marketing obeys the same rules and has a similar structure to external marketing. The main differences here are that the customers are the staffs of the organization. The same principles that apply to keeping external customers happy apply to keeping internal customers happy too. 

Rural Consumers' Behaviour Regarding Non Durable Goods: A Study In Erode District of Tamil Nadu

Marketing plays a pivotal role in the growth and development of a country irrespective of size, population and the concepts are so interlinked that, in the absence of one, another virtually cannot survive. It is a historical fact that the development of marketing has always kept pace with the Economic growth of the country. Both have experienced evolutionary rather than revolutionary change. The objective of modern marketing is to make profits through satisfying consumer’s needs and wants. Hence, the marketers have to understand the real needs, wants, beliefs and attitudes of the consumers towards their products and services. Today, network marketing is a multi-billion dollar business. A number of companies have adopted this business model. It has grown into one of the driving forces of the 21st century economy. Network marketing is now regarded by many business leaders as the business for future. But this marketing method was misunderstood as a get rich-quick scheme. It is also too common for network marketer’s world wide to answer the legality and soundness of their business.

Challenges of Cargo Container Services in Major Ports in India

The impact of containerization in the economy of any nation cannot be over emphasized. To add the Indian container services is relatively in-efficient due to low level of productivity and inefficient processes and procedures when compared with its counterparts, The cost of handling containers through Indian ports is much higher than other regional ports like Bangkok, and Singapore. The hub of container industry in India viz., Cargo Container Service Stations maintained in the port complex do not live upto the expectations. The port labour often suspend their support by way of labour strike during traffic seasons. 

S.Subramanian
Lecturer in Commerce
Annamalai University
Tamil Nadu

Dr.D.Ilangovan
Professor in Commerce
Annamalai University
Tamil Nadu

Roles of Agricultural Marketing Institutions in Mizoram

Mizoram is an agricultural State where the cultivators constituted 53.91 per cent of the total main workers in 2001. The total income of the State during 1998-99 was estimated at Rs.1, 13,896.00 lakhs of which 29.39 per cent came from the agriculture and allied industries, while the figure for India stood at 26.03 per cent. In the absence of development in such other sectors as agro-based industries and other allied manufacturing agencies and tertiary sector, agriculture still continues to be the main occupation of the people of Mizoram. Jhum or Shifting Cultivation continues to be the principal and prevalent method of cultivation. In this scenario, amongst others, Ginger, Chillies and Squash (chow chow) form the major list of outputs marketed. The other being Sesame, Pineapple, Oranges, Hatkora and Passion fruits. As of now, when we speak of agricultural marketing, marketing of these 8 important commodities assume an added importance in the State. For, they are the only farm produces of the State that the internal markets could not absorbed at present. Since ginger and chillies are the most important traded commodities outside the state, they have been selected for the study. The present discourse is an attempt to analyse how agricultural marketing is conducted in Mizoram; and the roles played by marketing institutions were also touched upon. Originally the survey was conducted in connection with my Ph.D thesis on Marketing of Agricultural Produce in Mizoram under Mizoram Universiry. I obtained the degree in 2004 The present study is based upon the published literatures on the subject, secondary data collected from various sources. 

Sustainable Marketing: Challenges and Opportunities

This paper examines sustainable marketing with ethical bases and are discussed that directly relate to sustainability. Sustainable marketing is defined both in European and American front and the relationship with the marketing mix element is also established. The bridge between short-term consumer satisfaction and long term consumer welfare is made. The paper also includes the future of sustainable marketing with both positive and negative aspects. Finally, the marketing system of the world should be shown with great adaptability and responsiveness. The same spirit needs to be applied to sustainable marketing and hopefully, much more progress and prosperity can be achieved in the times to come. The paper concludes with the position that sustainability challenges traditional marketing practice.