DNYANSAGAR INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT & RESEARCH

MBA – II SEM - IV

ASSIGNMENTS FOR MARKETING MANAGEMENT

SUBMISSION DATE: 14th

APRIL 2018

_____________________________________________________________________________

Note for writing the answer:

All answers need to be written on assignment sheets which are available in

stationary book store.

First page write your name, cell no, mail id and our Institute name, Semester and

your subject name & code.

All assignments should be written nicely and presented cleanly.

All questions are compulsory.

Refer the books for answers

SERVICES MARKETING (403MKT)

1. "One of the most significant differences between goods and services is that in goods search

qualities dominate while services are dominated by experience and credence qualities." Discuss

the above statement with suitable examples. (Handwritten)

2. Discuss 'Inseparability' and 'Perishability' as characteristics of services. Also describe their

marketing implications for an amusement theme park. (Handwritten)

3. Briefly describe the GAP model of service quality How can it be applied to turn around the

quality of public sector banks? (Handwritten)

4. Enlist the different pricing strategies being followed by service organizations. Discuss any

four of these strategies in detail with suitable examples. (Handwritten)

5. Assume you manage a movie theatre in a metro city: (Handwritten)

a. Explain the underlying pattern of demand fluctuations likely to occur at the theatre and the

challenges it would present to you as a manager. Is the pattern of demand predictable or random?

(b) Explain demand-oriented and capacity- oriented strategies you would undertake to smoother

the peak and valleys of demand.

6. Explain briefly the procedure for service design with activities in each stage. (Handwritten)

7. Discuss the importance of 'Internal Marketing' for a service organisation. (Handwritten)

8. Discuss the importance of people, process andphysical evidence for the following:

(Handwritten) (i) Airline and (ii) Amusement park

9. You have been appointed as a marketing consultant by a multi-specialty corporate hospital.

Prepare a note for the hospital management explaining: (Handwritten)

(a) Why it would be necessary for doctors as well as nursing staff to be marketing oriented?

(b) Importance of word of mouth communication for the hospital.

(c) How the pricing of health services is different from pricing of goods?

10. Rockland Group has entered into the health care during the last decade, during the time

when large Health care companies like Apollo, Forties, Max and many others were already

established. Rockland decided not to go for very large size hospitals but to have a network of

relatively smaller size properties. (Handwritten)

(a) What could be possible 'Distribution' related strategies Rockland has adopted, which might

give them an advantage over its competitors?

(b) What are the various non-monetary costs relating to Health Care Services? Explain.

(c) Suggest a suitable promotion mix for the Rockland Hospitals.

11. CASE STUDY (MS WORD)

Premier Courier Ltd.

Premier Courier Ltd. (PCL) is an innovative overnight delivery company that helped change the

way companies do business. It was the first company to offer an overnight delivery system, but

the company markets more than just a delivery service. What PCL really sells is on-time

reliability. The company markets risk reduction and provide the confidence that people shipping

packages will be "Absolutely, positively, certain their packages will be there by 10.30 in the

morning".

In fact, PCL sells even more than reliable delivery. It designs tracking and inventory

management systems for many large companies. In other words, its customers buy more than just

delivery service they buy a solution to their distribution problems. For example, a warehouse

designed and operated by PCL is part of the distribution centre for a very large computer firm. In

other organisations, customers can place an order for inventory as late as midnight, and the

marketer, because of PCL's help, can guarantee delivery by the next morning. PCL has

positioned itself as a company with a service that solves its customers' problems,

Questions (submit the power presentation for the same)

(a) What is PCL's product? What are the tangible and intangible elements of this service

product?

(b) What are the elements of service quality for a delivery service like PCL?

(c) In what way does technology influence PCL's service quality?

12. Develop a flow chart to depict the delivery of the following services (state your assumptions

if made) (Make an A3 size poster)

i. Hotel catering

ii. Banking

8. Draw the service blue print for the following services. (Make an A3 size poster)

i. logistic company

ii. Air-lines

13. Explain ServQual Gap model with special reference to an education institute. Identify the

gaps and also specify the strategies needed to fill the gap.( submit the power presentation for

the same).

Do Refer: Books

Services Marketing by Zeithami, Bitner, Gremler&Pandit TMGH, 4th

Edition

Services Marketing by Rampal& Gupta

SALES & DISTRIBUTION MANAGEMENT (404MKT)

Q.1 Assume you are a regional sales manager of Bajaj Auto Ltd.& you are asked by your GM to

submit your „Sales Planning‟ & „Sales force strategy‟ to achieve an increase in sales volume by

25% for the next financial year (make assumptions, if required) (Handwritten)

Q.2 Design the market channel system for a Pharmaceutical company‟s „Anti-cancer‟ division,

with its channel policies, choice of the channel & organizational pattern in the channel.

(Handwritten)

Q.3 Some nationalized banks like SBI, PNB recruit only experienced persons or promote from

within the organizations. Some others like ICICI & Axis bank recruit extensively from

Management Institutes. Explain the selection procedure & the differences in sources used by

these financial organizations selling the same kind of financial services & products.

(Handwritten)

Q.4 If you are appointed as a „Sales Trainer‟ for a „mobile handsets strategic business unit‟ of a

large MNC company with 100 sales people, how would you decide their specific training needs?

(Handwritten)

Q.5 Assume you are a Regional Sales Manager of HUL with a wide range of FMCG products

like soap, toothpaste, cosmetics etc. Design the reporting formats for Primary & Secondary sales,

monthly sales plan, coverage plan, daily sales call report, order booking report, monthly &

quarterly sales report for your sales team. (Handwritten)

Q.6 Explain various specialized techniques used in selling like mobile marketing, online

marketing, e-commerce with appropriate examples. (Handwritten)

Q.7 „Monginis‟ is a well-established cake brand. It has chosen a way of giving franchisee as their

channel decision. What are the advantages of choosing Franchise as a marketing channel & what

would be the process of appointment of a Franchisee for „Monginis‟? (Handwritten)

Q.8 For an Ayurvedic company based in Kerala how important is the role of Marketing

Channels? Explain the role and structure of its channel institutes like C & F agents &

Wholesalers so as to ensure availability of their products across India. (Handwritten)

Q.9 Discuss the current scenario of Retail industry in India & try to identify the operational

differences in the organised and unorganized formats of retail industry with suitable examples.

(Handwritten)

Q.10 Take a case of „Amway‟, which has successfully set a new way marketing with its multi-

level marketing model. Elaborate on its role and significance as compared to other marketing

techniques. (MS WORD)

BOOKS TO REFER

Sales and Distribution Management by

Havaldar & Cavale, TMGH

Sales Management by Still, Cundiff & Govani, Pearson Education

Sales and Distribution Management, SL Gupta, Excel books

Retailing Management by Michael Levy & Barton Weitz, TMGH, 5th

Edition

Retail Management by Gibson Vedamani , Jaico Books

Retailing Management by Swapna Pradhan , TMGH

RETAIL MARKETING – (405MKT)

1. Compare the nature of retail formats employed and their impact on retail penetration of any

two FMCG companies. (Handwritten)

2. Discuss the types of retail formats that exist in the following product categories.

(Handwritten) (i) Garments

(ii) Grocery

(iii) Durable goods

3. The organized formats in the Indian retail market have been increasing over the last – decade.”

what are the emerging trends in organized retailing and its importance in Indian economy?

(Handwritten)

4. Case Study: . (MS WORD)

Margin Free Market Private Ltd.

Subhiksha in Chennai, Margin free in Kerala, Bombay Bazaar in Mumbai, RPG'S Giant in

Hyderabad, and Big Bazaar in Kolkata, Hyderabad, and Bangalore have one thing in common -

they all price their products below MRP. Discount stores are slowly arriving in India and

industry insiders feel they will spearhead a revolution in organized retailing. On the list of top

retailers in the world, quite a few are discounters. Around 60% of the business abroad come s

from this format. Incidentally, the largest retailer in the world, Wal-Mart, is a discount store.

Margin Free was registered as a co-operative society in 1993 in Kerala and entered the

supermarket business in 1994. It is run by the Consumer Protection and Guidance Society, a

charitable organization based in Thiruvananthapuram. Today, it has emerged as India's number

one supermarket chain with 150 stores and a turnover of Rs. 450 crores. Margin Free purchases

directly from manufacturers at ex-factory price and sells at lower prices than the MRP, as it

eliminates the margin accrued in the traditional manufacturer-stockist-wholesaler-retailer

network.

Margin Free takes extreme care while pricing the products through its entire stores. It has

employed software which evaluates the price by minimizing profits. Every store is computerized

and utilizes the software to determine the pricing. This helps in ensuring that the products are

rationally priced .

Margin Free has found exceptional success in its scalable franchised model. It is now looking to

upgrade to a central warehouse concept. which will help it manage growth further. The success

of Subhiksha and Margin Free indicate that the discount war will hot up in the coming months

but it will be the customer who will emerge as the final winner.

Margin Free also gets an average credit of 20-22 days from suppliers, which it sells, on an

average in 10 days, thereby even earning a notional interest on its sales also. Its strategy has

made it flush with funds, which can finance further expansion.

Margin Free uses its customer base as a bargaining power to strike discount deals. Any dealer

who wants to set up a Margin Free store has to buy at least rupees one lakh worth of share of the

main Margin Free holding company. Margin Free has a consumer base of 6 lakhs and it sells

them consumer cards at Rs. 40 per year

Customers who buy using this card get discounts on bulk purchases and also on government

subsidized products is like Rs. 2 per kg rice. The stores are now opting for a major expansion

drive. A key part of this is the introduction of private labeling, which is the sea son's flavour in

the retailing industry. For the purpose they have shortlisted 15 items - all generic labels like rice,

sugar, etc. - and will add to the list in future.

Hence, they will be in a better position to provide quality stuff at considerably low prices within

easy reach of an average middle-class family. For example, a packet of tea which sells for an

MRP of Rs. 120 at one of the corporate retailers, will be available for Rs. 90 at the Margin Free

stores.

The chain is now planning to open huge Margin Free hyper markets, The first such hyper market,

featuring an array of wares and spread over 50,000 square feet of well-laid out space, is planned

to open at Ernakulam. The two other hyper markets would be opened in Thiruvananthapuram

and Kozhikode.

If the success of retail activity is measured in the number of outlets, the existing 240-odd chain

of franchisees must have already made Margin Free the largest 'pure retail chain' (as distinct

from retailers who are manufacturers) in the private sector Even going by the number of

footfalls, the Kerala-based retailer must have already beaten competition by a handsome margin.

The hyper markets will feature almost all conceivable retailing products under one roof - textiles,

leather, cosmetics, provisions, electronic goods, consumer durables, grains; and grocery. As for

ambience and class, the y are most likely to resemble the Giant retailing chain operating out of

Hyderabed and other cities.

The hyper market would not dabble in imported items - Chinese or otherwise - that are flooding

the retail market right now. The cooperative society is in the process of mobilizing resources for

the hyper market initiative. It plans to rope in outside investments over and above what the

Consumer Protection and Guidance Society hopes to raise on its own.

The Society chose Ernakulam first because it happens to be the most commercialized city in the

state Also, the comparable purchasing capacities are higher there. The nomenclature for the

hyper market has a Margin Free prefix to it, seeking to build on the enormous trust that the

discount chain has been able to build over a span of eight years of existence.

The management feels that the Margin Free retail chain has been able to earn the wholesale trust

of consumers in a very short span. However, in its journey to success, the Margin Free stores

have made life slightly uncomfortable for entrenched interests who have, on one hand, been

fleecing consumers and on the other, resorting to indiscriminate under invoicing to avoid tax.

The latter leads to loss of crores of rupees in realizable revenue for the state government.

Every month, Margin Free is opening upto 12 stores and the number has grown to 241 at last

count. The chain has spread to literally all parts of Kerala. It has seven franchisees in

neighboring Tamil Nadu already and two in Karnataka. The overall turnover has grown to Rs.

600 crore.

Questions :

(a) What has been the role of pricing strategy in the success of Margin Free Markets?

(b) What are the salient features of Margin Free Market pricing strategy?

(c) Analyse the external and internal factors that have made it possible to sustain the present

pricing strategy of Margin Free Market.

(d) Discuss the limitations of the existing pricing strategy of Margin Free Market. Suggest

appropriate changes

5. Case Study: . (MS WORD)

Mr.Kamesh, a middle aged graduate business man owns and runs a 12M 50 years old gift items

emporium which he had inherited from his late father about a decade back. This emporium is the

oldest shop located in one of the busiest and highly commercial markets of South Delhi, which is

surrounded by a series of modern retail shops each of them offering a variety and specialized

merchandise from mobile accessories to premium brand of apparels and other services to the

customers. The emporium as mentioned earlier is the oldest out let yet strategically located in the

market place and stocks reasonably good merchandise. However, the outlet is very old and has a

traditional look without any changes since its inception. Since the last couple of years

Mr.Kamesh, was keenly observing and realized that despite being the oldest shop offering a wide

range of merchandise at value for money prices and with a reasonably loyal clientele found that

the business was slowing down consistently signaling the onset of poor demand and thereby

affecting the sales and profits. Disheartened by the current state of the business Mr.Kamesh was

trying to identify and figure out the reasons for its poor performance and is all set to improve the

foot falls in the near future if he gets the right guidance and direction to turn around.

Questions:

a)What kind of alternative strategies would you recommend to be undertaken to make the

emporium more attractive for the shoppers?

b)Elaborate on the key atmospheric components that Mr.Kamesh should focus upon.

6. Case Study: . (MS WORD)

The cola wars had become a part of global folklore something all of us took for granted.

However, for the companies involved, it was a matter of 'fight or succumb.' Both print and

electronic media served as battlefields, with the most bitter of the cola wars often seen in form of

the comparative advertisements.

In the early 1970s, the US soft-drinks market was on the verge of maturity, and as the major

players, Coke and Pepsi offered products that 'looked the same and tasted the same,' substantial

market share growth seemed unlikely. However, Coke and Pepsi kept rejuvenating the market

through product modifications and pricing/promotion/distribution tactics. As the competition was

intense, the companies had to frequently implement strategic changes in order to gain

competitive advantage. The only way to do this, apart from introducing cosmetic product

innovations, was to fight it out in the marketplace. This modus operandi was followed in the

Indian markets as well with Coke and Pepsi resorting to more innovative tactics to generate

consumer interest. In essence, the companies were trying to increase the whole market pie, as the

market-shares war seemed to get nowhere. This was because both the companies came out with

contradictory market share figures as per surveys conducted by their respective agencies - ORG

(Coke) and IMRB (Pepsi). For instance, in August 2000, Pepsi claimed to have increased its

market share for the first five months of calendar year 2000 to 49% from 47.3%, while Coke

claimed to have increased its share in the market to 57%, in the same period, from 55%. Media

reports claimed that the rivalry between Coke and Pepsi had ceased to generate sustained public

interest, as it used to in the initial years of the cola brawls worldwide. They added that it was all

just a lot of noise to hard sell a product that had no inherent merit

Questions:

a) Discus how to generate consumer interest.

b) How to create competence advertisement in external market.

BOOKS TO REFER

Retailing Management by Michael Levy & Barton Weitz, TMGH, 5th

Edition

Retail Management by Gibson Vedamani , Jaico Books

Retailing Management by Swapna Pradhan , TMGH

Retailing Management by Arif Sheikh & Kaneez Fatima

RURAL MARKETING – (408MKT)

1. Briefly discuss the rural environment in terms of the infrastructure available for marketing.

How does this environment affect the marketing decisions and opportunities? (Handwritten)

Explain with reference to

(a) Marketing of banking services

(b) Marketing of consumer necessities like toilet soap and detergents

2. What are the major features in the problem recognition, information search and alternative

evaluation process that as a marketer of utility products like cycles, you can expect in case of

rural customers? (Handwritten)

3. How do factors like social class, reference groups and lifestyle vary between urban and rural

markets? What implications do these differences have for a marketer of insurance services?

Explain. (Handwritten)

4. Explain the important communication concepts relevant to the rural markets. What is the

significance of usage of symbols and pictures, colour and music in rural marketing

communication? Discuss with suitable examples. (Handwritten)

5. What are the key behavioural dimensions that must be considered while planning rural

distribution strategy? (Handwritten)

Explain with respect to:

(a) Economy range of detergents

(b) Cold drinks

6.What pricing method would you suggest for the following rural products : (Handwritten)

(i) Colour TV

(ii) Hair Oil

6. CASE STUDY . (MS WORD)

Read the case given below and answer the questions given at the end of the case.

In a study conducted by ICICI it was found that:

Only 40 per cent of shops in small towns have electricity, while in feeder villages this

figure was 11 per cent.

Shops in towns were located on rented premises. while in interior villages in 88 per cent

of the cases the shops were located on owned premises and lacked electricity

In feeder villages, four fifths of the shops have one person working full time, while in

interior villages 70 per cent have two or three persons working on a part–time basis.

Over two-fifths of the retail outlets stocked eight to nine standard product categories.

It was found that three –fourths of the outlets that stocked eight to nine product categories

kept four items or less in each category, while one–fourth had five to six items in each

category.

The total number of items stocked in retail outlets was about 50 in interior villages and

115 in feeder villages.

The stock turnover ratio in the study is the number of times the stock is sold in a month.

This is obtained by dividing the stock level by monthly off-take. The ratio for toiletries in

interior villages was close to unity, while in the feeder villages two thirds had a ratio in

the range of two to three. The ratio of one indicates that on average interior village shops

had stocks for one month, while shops in feeder villages maintained stocks for two or

three months. The value of the stock turnover ratio in towns had a wider spread and

higher values in the range of three or even. five because of the wide variety of products

stocked.

Questions:

(a) Critically evaluate the above rural retail scenario for the marketer of consumer products.

(b) What implications does the above scenario have for the long – term distribution system

design of a multi–product necessity Goods Company wanting to make a foray into the rural

markets?

7. Read the case carefully and answer the questions at the end. . (MS WORD)

Tobacco to hotels giant ITC Ltd. has been trying to find a solution to an old problem for years.

The company used to buy soya bean for export. Like everyone else, the corporation had no

option but io source its supplies from the local mandis. This created into problems. One, quality

was not guaranteed, and two, since supplies were sourced through middlemen, the company had

no contact with the growers which is a crucial precondition for orders to many European

countries. Direct contact with farmers was all but impossible given the fact that they lived in far–

flung villages in Madhya Pradesh. ITC‟s problem was that it did not have a mechanism to

approach them directly - and, as importantly, cost effectively.

The company looked for the solution in information technology, through a project called e-

choupal, launched one-and-a half years ago- A classic click-and-mortar business, the idea behind

e-choupal was to offer an alternative distribution and supply chain system to the rural market.

How does it work? Soya bean farmers in Madhya Pradesh can now come to the e–choupal,

which is nothing but an Internet kiosk set up usually in the house of an influential man (usually

the headman) in the village. The village official is appointed by the company and is known as the

sanchalak. The site provides farmers with real-time information on the latest weather report,

prices in various mandis, world prices and even best farming practices.

More importantly, it offers a price at which ITC is willing to buy the soya from them direct

through the sanchalak. Says S Sivakumar chief executive of ITC's international business

division: "The biggest problem for farmers is that middlemen have blocked information flow.

Now the price discovery is met through the kiosk and it is transparent." The farmers have the

choice of selling their product in the mandi or to ITC. If a farmer accepts the company price, the

order is confirmed promptly by the sanchalak on the net. But the e-choupal is not merely an

instrument for effective supply chain management for ITC. By using the power of information

technology the company has converted the computer into the popular US concept of a "Meta

market" or a one-stop shop right in the village, where farmers can sell their produce, buy

products (from farming inputs to daily items for household use) receive all the information

needed to improve their fields and even get a better price for their produce.

For ITC, it opens up new windows of opportunities. It allows it to source more products directly

from farmers through a more efficient price discovery mechanism. It also provides a platform for

it to sell its products directly to the customer. This, in turn, provides the company with some

direct information on consumer needs in the booming rural markets and reduces dependence on

wholesalers. Explaining the logic behind the move, Sivakumar says: "What started as a cost-

effective alternative supply chain system to deal directly with the farmer to buy products for

exports is slowly going to expand into an alternative distribution mechanism for rural India."

The tobacco giant has already set up over 700 choupals covering 3,800 villages in four states –

Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh - dealing with soya bean, coffee,

acquaculture products and wheat. Last year it transacted business of over Rs. 80 crore through

the e–choupals all across the country. The bigger plan is to spend some Rs. 150 crore to expand

the number of kiosks so that the company is able to reach over 1,00.000 villages and cover 10

million farmers in 14 states in five years.

Is the business big enough to justify this level of spending and planning? To understand that,

consider why a farmer would opt for the e-choupal over the regular mandi. Farmers who strike

deals on the Internet kiosk with ITC have a choice. They can either bring their produce to the

ITC warehouse or factory and get reimbursed for the transportation cost or they could give their

supplies to one of the collection centres that have been set up by the company for a cluster of

villages or even deliver it to the sanchalak. Both ITC and the farmers make a neat saving by

bypassing the middleman in the mandi. For instance, the farmer saves as much as Rs. 250 per

tonne on soya bean because he does not incur costs such as bagging, transportation, loading and

unloading, to haul his goods to the mandi.

The company, on the other hand, saves over Rs. 200 a ton by avoiding transporting the produce

from the mandi to the company outlet even after reimbursing the farmer for transport. And the

sanchalak, the local level entrepreneur, also makes money by getting a 0 5 per cent commission

on the total transaction made through his kiosk. But the kiosk can be used for reverse trading also

- for companies to sell products and services needed by farmers directly. And ITC is already

putting together a strategy to leverage the infrastructure to market and distribute goods and

services that farmers require. The facility will be available for selling both ITC products as well

as those of other companies – of course, at a price. The company has taken some initial steps to

get agricultural input companies to sell their products directly to farmers through e-choupals.

It has already roped in US seeds giant Monsanto, fertilizer companies like BASF and Nagarjuna

Fertilizers and state–owned MP State Seeds Corporation to take orders and market their products

through the site. These companies can display their products on the net, train farmers on how to

use them, offer special prices, book orders from farmers and - through the sanchalak - deliver it

at the village. Of course, ITC does not provide the service free. Companies have to pay a 10 per

cent fee on the face value of the transaction and the Tobacco Company pays the sanchalak 5 per

cent of the sales as commission for any product sold on his kiosk.

But companies point out that the experience has paid rich dividends. Says a spokesperson for

Monsanto: The model offers us an opportunity to work closely with farmers and promote our

offerings. Additionally, our cost of reach is also reduced." Monsanto also makes the point that

the company s corporate reputation and brand image has been greatly enhanced as a result of its

association with the model. "Close association with the farmers, through this model, encourages

them to see us as a first preference." he says. ITC is also experimenting with using the kiosk to

sell fast moving consumer goods (FMCG). As the first step, it is selling gas lanterns and

packaged vegetable oil. At the moment these are being manufactured by third parties on behalf

of ITC.

Orders by farmers are being booked by the sanchalak who also arranges to have them delivered

to the farmer's doorstep. If the idea clicks, the platform would be available for other companies

too, which could help ITC generate healthy revenues. More importantly, the new distribution

system could be an effective tool for the company, which is planning a major foray in the foods

business. Says Arun Sharma, a rural marketing expert in the advertising agency Bates India: "For

its foods foray, ITC cannot depend on cigarette distributors who are already overloaded to

penetrate rural markets. The e-choupal could provide an effective alternative."

The third initiative is to leverage the e choupal to sell services. Talks are already on with various

insurance companies for using the e choupal as a medium for both educating and selling

Insurance products to the farmer - in which the sanchalak becomes the insurance agent. If this

experiment is successful, ITC officials say there is no reason why the array of services being

offered to farmers cannot be extended. Says a senior ITC executive, "There is no reason why

banks providing micro-credit to farmers, health services companies and educational services

companies cannot leverage the power of the Meta market.” If all this sounds like a rural market's

dream, consider the possible drawbacks. Says Pradeep Kashyap, president of Marketing and

Research Team, a rural marketing consultancy outfit in Delhi: “As a collection centre for

agricultural goods, it is a cost-effective way. But I don‟t think the availability of FMCG products

at his doorstep for the farmer is an issue or a particularly high priority since he visits the local

town often and picks up what he wants.

There is also the additional problem of the role of the sanchalak who could well replace the

despised middleman in the chain of things. Says Arun Sharma of Bates, "There is too much

dependence on the sanchalak who virtually becomes the new, powerful middleman replacing the

old one. Also, to develop such a distribution system is very expensive and might not be cost

effective after all, even though one can reach new markets." Preet Bedi, a director in the

advertising agency Lowe-Lintas, expects that it will take at least five to seven years for a

distribution platform of this nature to develop, "But it is a good way to understand the need of

the rural consumer". ITC is conscious of the infrastructure constraints in expanding the e-

choupal. For one, many villages aren't electrified, so how do you run a computer? For another,

connectivity to the web is unreliable and could be pretty expensive, a situation that has been

made more complicated by the sheer dispersion of villages in the country. Kumar says that the

other challenge is to build personalized content catering to individuals across a wide range of

income levels. No doubt the path towards a much-vaunted rural distribution El Dorado will be

paved with problems. But with the corporation trying to reduce its dependence on tobacco and

find more stable Income streams, e choupal might be its best bet yet.

Questions:

(a) Will e-choupals work as a new distribution strategy for ITC, which believes in a two-way

flow (urban to rural; rural to urban). If yes, why; and if no, why not?

(b) Is it a right move for ITC, which already has a presence in Indian villages with special tie-ups

with farmers for tobacco cultivation, to enter into e-ventures? Will this model run successfully in

the long run? What can ITC derive out of e-choupals?

(c) Will a company, which thinks of social marketing as its objective for rural development,

really succeed in winning the hearts of rural Indians? Is ITC going the right way in this initiative,

according to you?

REFER BOOKS

The Rural Marketing Book by Pradeep Kashyap & Siddhartha Raut

Rural Marketing by R.V. Badi, N.V. Badi

Rural Marketing – Concepts & Practices by Balram Dogra, Karminder Ghuman

INTERNATIONAL MARKETING – (408MKT)

Q1. Explain the concept of EPRG model in the evolution of global marketing with the help of

suitable examples. (Handwritten)

Q2. India has been the home of Ayurveda. But, until the early nineties, people preferred

Alopathy. The reason behind this preference was the feeling that allopath gives quick relief and

also it has a cure for practically everything. During this course, very little was done to market

Ayurvedic medicines in India. Obviously, the market got restricted. A Himalaya drug has been a

key player in Ayurvedic medicines in India. But its product never caught the fancy of Indian

customers, mainly due to the lack of information and other marketing deficiencies the company,

along with the brand name, did specify that the medicines are “proprietary Ayurvedic medicines

“. The consumers often overlooked the information and the market remained restricted. Also no

serious efforts were made to promote to brands.

In order to change the things in his favor to cash-in on the so called “Ayurveda fever “the

company changed its strategy. Instead of naming its products independently, the company used a

brand name viz. “Ayurvedic concepts” and started advertising the same. This immediately

caught the fancy of the customers and the market started expanding. One very important aspects

stressed by the company was that the company has no side effects.

a) What should the company do to maintain its position in the market? . (Handwritten)

b) Suggest any two strategies for a successful entry into the global market. . (Handwritten)

Q3.Study the case given below and answer the questions given at the end.. . (MS WORD)

A major cereal manufacturer produces and markets standardized breakfast cereals to countries

around the world. Minor modifications in attributes such as sweetness of the product are made to

cater to local needs. However, the core products and brands are standardized. The company

entered the Chinese market a few years back and was extremely satisfied with the results. The

company's sales continue to grow at a rate f around 50 percent a year in China and other Asian

countries, and based on the market reforms taking place, the company started operations in India

by manufacturing and marketing its products. Initial response to the product was extremely

encouraging, and within one year the company was thinking in terms of rapidly expanding its

production capacity. However, after a year, sales tapered off and started to fall. Detailed

consumer research seemed to suggest that while the upper-middle social class, especially

families where both spouses were working to whom this product was targeted adopted the

cereals as an alternative meal (i.e., breakfast) for a short time, they eventually returned to the

traditional Indian breakfast. The CEOs of some other firms in the food industry in India are

quoted as saying that non-Indian snack products and restaurant business are the areas where

MNCs can hope for success. Trying to replace a full meal with a non-Indian product has less of a

chance of succeeding. You are a senior executive in the international divisions of this food MNC

having post-graduate qualification in management from DIMR and several years of experience

of operating in various countries in a product management function. You have been appointed

head of the fact finding mission to determine answers to these specific questions. What, in your

opinion, would be answers to these questions?

(a) Was entering the Indian market with a standardized product a mistake? Justify.

(b) Was it a problem of the product, or the way it was positioned?

(c) Given the advantages to be gained through leveraging of brand equity and product knowledge

on a global basis, and the disadvantages of differing local tastes, what would be your strategy for

entering new markets?

Q4. Explain the different kinds of channel partner options available before an international

marketer.. (Handwritten)

Q 5.Distinguish between direct and indirect distribution channels in international marketing..

(Handwritten)

Q6. (a) As a first time exporter of handicrafts, what are the options for receiving payment

available to you? Which mode of payment would you prefer and why?

(b) Explain various elements of cost for computing export pricing.. (Handwritten)

Q7.Differentiate between adaptation and standardization strategies in international advertising.

Explain the relative advantages and disadvantages of the two strategies in international

advertising.. (Handwritten)

Q8.Select any Indian company of your choice and study its marketing mix and its operations in

India and any one of the foreign countries. (MS WORD)

Q9. Select any foreign company of your choice and study its marketing mix and its operations in

its own country and in India. (MS WORD)

Q10. Make a comparative analysis for the above question on following parameters. (MS

WORD)

Business Model: International Market Entry Strategy

Target market. Consider the following:

Demographics (age, gender, income, occupation)

Psychographics (lifestyles, leisure time)

Geographic (town, state, region, etc.)

Consumer behaviour pattern

Product Strategies: Product design & benefits, managing product line, product life cycle,

new products introduced, branding, packaging & labeling

Pricing: factors affecting international price determination, terms of sales, pricing

strategies, the cost of transport, tariffs or import duties, exchange rate fluctuations

personal disposal incomes of the target market the currency they want to be paid in and

the general economic situation of the country and how this will influence pricing.

Distribution: structure of distribution system, channels, their roles and function. Selection

& managing overseas agents and international supply chain management.

Promotion : promotion tools used, push & pull strategy, global media strategy

REFER BOOKS

International Marketing by Cateora, Graham & Salwan, Mc Graw Hill, 13th Edition,

2008.

International Marketing by Rakesh Mohan Joshi, Oxford University Press, 2005.

International Marketing by Czinkota & Ronkainen, Cengage Learning, 8th Edition

(India), 2008.

International Marketing Management by Subhash Jain, CBS Publishers & Distributors,

3rd Edition, 1997.

International Marketing, 4th Ed., PK Vasudeva, Excel Books

International Marketing by Rajgopal, Vikas Publication, New Delhi

MARKETING TO EMERGING MARKETS & BOTTOM OF THE PYRAMID

(414MKT)

Q1. Are Emerging Markets the Next Developed Markets? (Handwritten)

Q2. a. Differentiate between emerging markets and BOP markets.(Handwritten)

b. C.K Prahalad‟s 12 Principle

Q3. What are the key behavioural dimensions that must be considered while planning rural

distribution strategy? Explain with respect to:(Handwritten)

(a) Economy range of detergents

(b) Cold drinks

Q4. The recent trends of Indian MNCs engaging NGO network and women groups in rural

marketing of FMCG products-Discuss(Handwritten)

Q5. Looking at the profile of the rural consumers in India today, what are the key challenges

posed for Indian marketers in the rural market segments? Discuss with reference to a consumer

durable product of your choice.(Handwritten)

Q6.A student hails from a small town of Maharashtra and has completed his Bachelor‟s degree

and is planning to peruse his further education in Pune. (MS WORD)

Identify his needs (course, hostel, etc), design a marketing strategy and campaign for any one of

the need. You can make your assumptions.

Submit in MS Word with maximum 3000 words. Hard copy and soft copy of report is

expected. Also have a power point presentation ready.

REFER BOOKS

The Fortune at the Bottom of the Pyramid, Prahalad, C.K., Pearson –Singapore.

We are like that only, Bijapurkar, R. (2007), New Delhi: Penguin Portfolio.