Indian Journal of Marketing May 2005

Volume XXXV • Number 5 • May 2005

A Study of Preferences of Consumer Packs for Toffees/Candies
Most Physical products have to be packaged and labeled. Many marketers have called packaging a fifth P, along with price, products, place and promotion. Most marketers treat packaging as an element of product strategy. Packaging includes the activities of designing and producing the container for a product. Packaging has become a potent marketing tool. Well-designed package can create convenience and promotional value. Various factors have contributed to growing use of packaging as a marketing tool.
G. Harnath Asstt. Professor Dept of Business Admin Sreenivasa Institute of Technology & Management Studies Chittor	Dr. S. E. V. Subrahmanyam Associate Professor Dept of Business Admin Sreenivasa Institute of Technology & Management Studies Chittor
An Objective Study of Customer Behaviour in BPL Mobile Cellular Ltd
In the period since 1999,the notification of TTO 1999 he CMTS (or cellular) industry has witnessed changes in terms of both its size and competitive characteristics. To a large extent, the witnessed changes are the outcome of diverse service and price options, decline in the cost of networks and policy to allow additional service providers into market. According to cellular operators Association of India, there is a drastic rise in the number of subscribers from 1.14 million in 1999 to 3.27 million at the end of January 2001.Now it has almost doubled to 6.4 million subscribers in the year 2002.The Indian government classified the country’s telecom into “metro” and “A”, “8” and “C” circles or zones based on subscriber potential.
K. Francis Sudhakar Faculty Member Centre for Management Studies National Institute of Technology Warangal, Andhra Pradesh	Mrs. Lydia Nutan Faculty Member Dept of Management Vagdevi PG College Warangal, Andhra Pradesh
Services Marketing - Stop, Observe, Go
So you, your organization, have decided to go for services marketing. The field is lucrative, the entry is easy, the potential almost unlimited, the profitability very high. And if you really are willing to service your customers, your clients, the competition is almost nonexistent. But, please wait. Services marketing is not every one’s cup of tea. “Yeh vo nagma hai jo har saaz pe gaya nehin jata” (this is a song that cannot be played on each and every musical instrument).So before you take the plunge ,before you commit yourself, please ask yourself the following four questions and answer them honestly.
Dr. A. K. Agrawal Reader Faculty of Management Studies BHU, Varanasi aka@banaras.ernet.in
CONSUMERISM: Where Does Consumer See Himself?
The Indian Consumers gained focus, only after disgruntled consumers started reaching and voicing their grievances against unscrupulous traders and manufacturers of goods and service. Government of India has accorded high priority for consumer protection. The legislative measures in India cover various aspects of consumer protection since 1930 up to the enactment of Consumer Protection Act, 1986. Consumerism is a national problem afflicting every section of the society, men and women whether old, youth or child, rich or poor, rural or urban, literate or illiterate. Consumer protection is a form of social action, which is designed to attain the well being of one group within a society namely the consumers.
DR. S. B. SADAR Senior Lecturer Department of Business Administration and Management Amravati University Amravati	DR. T. U. FULZELE Deputy Director, Regional Centres Indira Gandhi National Open University New Delhi
Is Indian Economy a Knowledge Economy?
Agrarian, industrial and services were some of the key words innovated by development economists of past few centuries to classify the nations of the world. In those days, land labour, natural resources and organization were the major factors of production. But, the scenario has slowly changed. Now-a-days, every one is casually using prefixes like digital, information, network, new etc., to identify a particular phase of transition of economies. These terms even occupied a prime place in modern dictionaries in order to connote some special meaning. The dawn of the 21st century has enthusiastically welcomed this concept viz., ‘Knowledge Economy’. Eminent people of this field accepted that this transition is a regular phase of change. In some economies knowledge occupies the position as the prime factor of production. Creation of wealth, which is considered as the basic function of economic development, depends fully upon generation and exploitation of knowledge. Unlike the agrarian or industrial economy, knowledge is the main resource for income generation in such economies. Nations that are qualified under this category are known as ‘Knowledge Economies’.
Dr. N. Sasikala Devi Lecturer Department of Management Park’s College, Tirupur
A Study on Consumer Behaviour Towards Cell Phone Users in Thuthookudi City
Consumer is the pivot around which the entire system of marketing revolves. A consumer may be referred to anyone engaged in evaluating, acquiring, using or disposing of goods and services which he expects will satisfy his wants. If any producer makes out the marketing programme ignoring the consumer preferences, he cannot possibly achieve his ultimate objective. A manufacturer must plan his production and distribution to suit the consumers convenience rather than his own. Therefore, a marketer or a manufacturer must know more and more about the consumers so that the products can be produced in such a fashion to give satisfaction to them.
Dr. V. M. Selvaraj Reader in Commerce AKGS Arts College Srivaikuntam	Mrs. Ganeshan Malathi Lecturer Department of Business Administration VOC College, Thoothukudi
Marketing Cost of Banana in Theni District, Tamilnadu
Banana being a highly perishable fruit is to be marketed within a short span of time. Therefore, a systematic package of practices in banana production will greatly improve productivity and enable the growers to reap maximum benefit. Similarly a well-organised marketing system for banana will give a suitable reward to people actually participating in the system. Marketing cost is the cost incurred in cleaning, packing, transporting and other incidental charges paid in marketing the produce. It is the actual expenses incurred in bringing goods and services from the producer to the consumer. The marketing cost is a vital factor in determining the profitability of the banana growers and middlemen.
Dr. A. Mohamed Jaffer Reader in Commerce H.K.R.H. College Uthamapalayam, Tamil Nadu	Dr. N. Namasivayam Prof & Head Department of Commerce DDE, Madurai Kamaraj University Madurai, Tamil Nadu
Scope and Possibilities of Production and Marketing of Aromatic Oils with respect to Globalizing World
India is blessed with many positive factors, which enables it to stand at a unique position in agriculture-based products. After achieving self-dependence in agriculture, India is in a position whereby it has become the net exporter of agriculture based products. Aromatic plants are a very important part of agriculture and have been grown in India for their fragrance and therapeutic use from ages. In last four decades due to efforts of Universities and industrial houses many crops could be cultivated on a large scale and many of them have achieved stupendous success. Mint is the very live example of it, which made India no. 1 producer of the same driving away very strong competing country like China and Brazil. Many advanced countries like Germany and Japan with very strong production base of synthetics are finding it very difficult to compete on price and quality with Indian produced natural Menthol. This shows very clearly that if planned efforts are put India can be no. 1 player in this field with very strong position in agriculture fields which can be considered as “LABORATORY UNDER SUN”. There is urgent need for strategy and planning for the essential oil segment so that we can achieve this goal. Here, first we have to take in consideration competition from synthetic materials, which are derived from turpentine, and petroleum feed stock like isoprene. These materials are processed on a very large scale so economy of scale favors final prices of this synthetic derived molecule at present compared to its equivalent natural isolates. However, we should take in consideration following factors for future, which can favour production of these isolates, derived from natural essential oils.
Tara Shankar Guest Faculty Lectuer Department of Agricultural Economics Bihar Agricultural College, Sabour Bhagalpur, Bihar