Big Bazaar Report Essay Example

Big Bazaar Report Essay Example Big Bazaar Report Essay Big Bazaar Report Essay Essay Topic: Bound Feet and Western Dress The Book Of the City Of Ladies The Joy Luck Club A PROJECT REPORT ON â€Å"CUSTOMER PERCEPTION – A STUDY AT BIG BAZAAR MYSORE ROAD BANGALORE† In partial fulfilment for the award of the degree of Master of Business Administration By SHIVANAND REG. NO: 09JRCMA040 GUIDE Dr. H. S. MAHABALESHWAR BHATTA PRINCIPAL, RRMBA RAJARAJESHWARI COLLEGE OF MANAGEMENT STUDIES COMPUTER APPLICATIONS No. 14, Ramohalli cross, Mysore Road, Banglore-74 (2009-2011) RR COLLEGE OF MANAGEMENT STUDIES AND COMPUTER APPLICATIONS Page 1 CHAPTER-I INTRODUCTION RR COLLEGE OF MANAGEMENT STUDIES AND COMPUTER APPLICATIONS Page 2 INTRODUCTION Introduction to retail market: Today’s retail market is facing their toughest competition, that Big Bazaar can outperform the competition. If they can move from a product and sales philosophy to a marketing philosophy. The Big Bazaar can go about winning customers and outperforming competitors by performing a better job of meeting and perceiving customers needs. The ultimate success of any marketing programme depends upon how the customer behaves and Weather his/her behaviour is indicated of the acceptance of the product or service offering from the firms. Today even Big Bazaar is pouring in a lot of money for undertaking researches to have a better understanding of their customer perception. Marketing process begins with customers and ends with customers. It means marketing process aims at delivering maximum perception to customer. In doing so, it takes care about purchase perception with the loyalty of the customer. Marketing is responsible for driving the rest of the Big Bazaar to be customers oriented and market drives customers care without them, the Big Bazaar ceases to exist. Plans must be laid to acquire and keep customer and because of many malls affect customer perception. Many of which lie outside the scope of marketing department such as delivery, reliability, sales process after sales service. Big Bazaar must work hard to ensure that it delivers as per customer expectations the service required by them. Customer’s expectations are increasing day by day in case of products life. Products, which are used for daily purpose, involves complex decision making. After sales, service is important in winning the confidence of the customer. Every customer wants to enjoy full benefits of a purchase over the excepted life of the product. To ensure this, Big Bazaar effort towards customer perception is very important. RR COLLEGE OF MANAGEMENT STUDIES AND COMPUTER APPLICATIONS Page 3 INDUSTRY PROFILE In India, the retail sector is the second largest employer after agriculture. The retailing sector in India is highly fragmented and consists of predominantly of small, independent, and owner-managed shops. The organised retail sector in India is only 2%. The Proportion of sales through organised retailing is estimated to increase to around 6% by 2010. There are some 12 million retail outlets in India; the retail business in India is expected to reach Rs. 19069. 3 billion by 2010. Over 50 of the Fortune 500 and 25 of the Asian top 200 companies are retailers. Retail is India’s largest industry; it contributes for over 10 per cent 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 investments required, break even is difficult to achieve and many of these layers 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 opertaions. 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 b ehavior, 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 retailing sector is at an inflection point where the growth of organized retailing and growth in the consumption by the Indian population is going to take a higher growth trajectory. 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 an emerging opportunities in the services sector are going to be the key growth drivers of the organized retail sector in India. According to this year’s Global Retail Development Index, India is positioned as the leading destination for retail investment. This followed from the saturation in eastern retail markets and we find big western retilers like Wal-mart and Tesco entering into Indian market. India’s retail industry accounts for 10 percent of its GDP and 8 percent of the RR COLLEGE OF MANAGEMENT STUDIES AND COMPUTER APPLICATIONS Page 4 Employment to reach $17 billion by 2010. There are about 300 new malls, 1. 500 supermarkets and 325 departmental stores being in the cities very soon. A shopping revolution is ushering in India where, a large population between 20-34 age groups in the urban regions is boosting demand by 11. 1 percent in recent years to an Rs 23,308 purchasing power. This has resaulted in huge international retail investment and a more liberal FDI. India represents an economic opportunity on a massive scale, both as a global base and as a domestic market. Indian Retail sector consists of small family-owned stores, located in residential areas, with a shop floor of less han 500 square feet. At present the organized sector accounts for only 2 to 4% of the total market although this is expected to rise by 20% to 25% year on year basis. Retail growth in the coming five years is expected to be stronger than GDP growth, driven by changing lifestyles and by strong income growth, which in turn will be supported by favorable demographic patterns and the extent to which organized retailers succeed in reaching lower down scale to reach potential consumers towa rds the bottom of the consumer pyramid. Growing consumer credit will also help in boosting consumer demand. The structure of retailing will also develop rapidly. Shopping malls are becoming increasingly common in large cities, and announced development plans project at least 150 new shopping malls by 2012. The number of department stores is growing much faster than overall retail, at an annual 24%. Supermarkets have been taking an increasing share of general food and grocery trade over the last two decades. However, Distribution continues to imporve, but it still remains a major inefficiency. Poor quality of infrastructure, coupled with poor quality of the distrubtion sector, results in logistics costs that are very high as a proportion of GDP, and inventories, which have to be maintained at an unusually high level. Distribution and marketing is a huge cost in Indian consumer markets. It’s a lot easier to cut manufacturing costs than it is to cut distribution and marketing costs. Also, government has relaxed regulatory controls on foreign direct investment (FDI) considerably in recent years, while retailing currently remains closed top FDI. However, the RR COLLEGE OF MANAGEMENT STUDIES AND COMPUTER APPLICATIONS Page 5 Indian government has indicated in 2005 that liberalization of direct investment retailing is under active consideration. It has allowed 51% FDI in â€Å"Single Brand† retail. The next cycle of change in Indian consumer markets will be the arrival of foreign players in consumer retailing. Although FDI remains highly restricted in retailing, most companies believe that will not be for long. Indian companies know Indian markets better, but foreign players will come in and challenge the locals by sheer cash power, the power to drive down prices. India’s vast middle class and its untapped market are the key attractions for the foreign players by changing lifestyle and strong income growth. Retail reform The government regulations allow 100 percent FDI in cash and carry through automatic route and 51 percent in single brand. Besides, the franchise route is available for big operators. Now, the Government also proposes further liberalization in the retail sector allowing 51 percent FDI in consumer electronics and sports goods. The retail road ahead The Indian retail market is estimated at US$ 350 billion. But organized retail is estimated at only US$ 8 billion. However, the opportunity is huge- by 2010, organized retail is expected to grow to US$ 22 billion. With the growth of organized retiling estimated at 40 percent (CAGR) over the next few years, Indian retiling is clearly at a tipping point. India is currently the ninth largest retail market in the world. And it is names of small towns like Dehardun, Vijayawada, Lucknow and Nasik that will power India up the ranking soon. The main competition for the organized retail industry which at this point of time is 2%-4% comes from the unorganized sector. But this scenario is going to change in the future. The existing players in the market such as LandMark, TATA group, Pantaloon group, RPG group are trying to strengthen thier market. Where as the new entrants like the Reliance group which is trying to enter the market in the most aggressive manner and the some others include the Bharti group with the tie up with the Wal-Mart. As the markets open up for the multi brand retiling then the competition from the unorganized sector will reduce gradually and the competition among the organized sector will become intense. So in the coming years the retailing is going to drive the economy by RR COLLEGE OF MANAGEMENT STUDIES AND COMPUTER APPLICATIONS Page 6 providing employment in a huge magnitude and thus becoming the major contributor to the GDP of the country. As the western markets are saturated the big global players in retailing are eyeing India, for the other reasons such as growing middle class population and increasing awareness and other changes in the life styles and shopping patterns. At present all the formats are not yet being practicewd in full fledge, once the formats are defined and retailer’s rollover in full fledges then the patterns will evolve and will be practiced in a proper manner. So in the next five to seven years the industry is going to be intense as big players are entering and eyeing the huge untapped market. Major Competitors: 1) RPG Group- Spencer’s 2) Reliance Retail 3) Vishal Group 4) Tata Group 5) Aditya Birla group Reliance Fresh is the retiul chain division of Relaince Industries of India which is headed by Mukesh Ambani. Reliance plans to invest Rs 25000 Crores in the next 4 years in their retail division and plans to begin retail stores in 784 cities across the country. The Reliance Fresh supermarket chain is RIL’s Rs 2500 crore venture and it plans to add more stores across different, and eventually have a pan- India footprint by year 2011. Vishal Mega Mart is a conglomerate encompassing 100 showroom in 67 cities / 20 states. RPG Group is planning to double its total retailing space from the existing level of 10 lakh sq. ft. Within the next 18 months. Retailing encompasses the business activities involved in selling goods and services to consumers for their personal, family, or household use. It includes every sale to the final consumer. RR COLLEGE OF MANAGEMENT STUDIES AND COMPUTER APPLICATIONS Page 7 Characteristics of retailing: Retailing can be distinguished in various ways from other businesses such as manufacturing. Retailing differs from manufacturing in the following ways: There is direct end-user interaction in retailing. It is the only point in the value chain to provide a platform for promotions. Sales at the retail level are generally in smaller unit sizes. Location is a critical factor in retail business. In most retail businesses services are as important as core products. There are a larger numbers of retail units compared to other members of the value chain. This occurs primarily to meet the requirements of geographical coverage and population density. For Effective Retail Marketing Strategy we need to focus on†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ ? Maintaining consistent branding across different channels. ? Optimizing the media mix. ? A Partner to support Marketing Strategies promotions. ? Use of Effective Campaign Management Techniques. ? Managing the relationship with the customers. ? Increasing the brands share of usage within a household Classification of Retail Operations: Ownership:? ? Independent Retailers Chain Stores Franchises RR COLLEGE OF MANAGEMENT STUDIES AND COMPUTER APPLICATIONS Page 8 Level of Service:Types of Stores and Their Characteristics:Hypermarket:A hypermarket is a superstore which combines a supermarket and a department store. The result is a gigantic retail facility which carries an enormous range of products under one roof, including full lin es of groceries and general merchandise. When they are planned, constructed, and executed correctly, a consumer can ideally satisfy all of his or her routine weekly shopping needs in one trip to the hypermarket. Hypermarkets, like other big-box stores, typically have business models focusing on high-volume, low-margin sales. Due to their large footprints - a typical Wal-Mart Supercenter covers 150,000 square feet, a typical Carrefour 210,000 square feet - and the need for many shoppers to carry large quantities of goods, many hypermarkets choose suburban or out-of-town locations that are easily accessible by automobile. RR COLLEGE OF MANAGEMENT STUDIES AND COMPUTER APPLICATIONS Page 9 Statement of the problem: ‘A Study on customer perception towards Big Bazaar’ It is important for any company to know how customer perceives their products, service or the organization as a whole. The understanding of customer’s perception is a very difficult and vital task for the organization. If the organization makes an attempt to find the customer perception, it is easy to offer the service according to customers. OBJECTIVES OF STUDY 1. To know the frequency of the customer visiting the stores 2. To understand the customer profile of Big Bazaar. 3. To know the factor influencing the customer purchase decision 4. To know the customer perception towards Big Bazaar 5. To know overall satisfaction of customer. SCOPE OF STUDY The scope of the study is limited only to the customers of Big Bazaar (Mysore road) This study helps to know the perception of customers towards Big Bazaar. The study helps to know the customer satisfaction level. Period of study: The study was undertaken during the period of 2011 from 28 thJanuary 2011 to 28 Feb. 2011, a total of 4 weeks. RR COLLEGE OF MANAGEMENT STUDIES AND COMPUTER APPLICATIONS Page 10 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY The word ‘method’ indicates the mode or the way of accomplishing an objective. The study was description type of research as it describes the current market situation. Sampling:Sampling is bsimple process of learning about the population on the basis of a sample drawn from it. Thus, in sampling technique instead of every unit of universe only a part of universe is studied and the conclusions are drawn on the basis for the entire universe. Sample design In this study simple random sampling method is used to select the respondents. Simple random sampling refers to sampling technique in which each an every unit of the population has an equal opportunity of being related in the sample. Sample size The total sample size for the study was 100 respondents. SOURCES OF DATA There are two types of data collection methods that are being used in this research: a) Primary data b) Secondary data Collection of primary data: RR COLLEGE OF MANAGEMENT STUDIES AND COMPUTER APPLICATIONS Page 11 Primary data is that type of data which includes the first hand information which is being collected from the respondents through observation or through direct communication with respondents in one form or another or through personal interviews. In this research personal interviews were conducted to get primary data. Collection of secondary data The secondary data includes data from various external and internal sources of the organisation. PLAN OF ACTION ? Planning the study ? Devising the question and making the questionnaire ? Selecting the type of sample ? Using the questionnaire to obtain the information ? Organizing the data ? Making the finished tables and charts ? Analyzing the findings Tools for data collection The tool used for collecting the data is a structured questionnaire. Tools used for Analysis: Percentage analysis Bar charts/pie chart Limitation of the study: RR COLLEGE OF MANAGEMENT STUDIES AND COMPUTER APPLICATIONS Page 12 The limitations of this research are: 1. The opinion of the respondent visiting the store may not represent the whole population. 2. Due to the limitation of time, it was unable to cover larger base of respondent where in sample was limited. 3. The customer opinion might have been bias ed and may not represent the whole population opinion. 4. Most of the customer was busy in shopping they were reluctant to fill the uestionnaire. 5. Analysis and interpretation of date obtained from the questionnaire was done on the assumption that the data given by the customer was correct and honest. Company profile Pantaloon Retail (India) Limited, is India’s leading retailer that operates multiple retail formats in both the value and lifestyle segment of the Indian consumer market. Headquartered in Mumbai (Bombay), the company operates over 10 million square feet of retail space, has over 1000 stores across 61 cities in India and employs over 30,000 people. The company’s leading formats include Pantaloons, a chain of fashion outlets, Big Bazaar, a uniquely Indian hypermarket chain, Food Bazaar, a supermarket chain, blends the look, touch and feel of Indian bazaars with aspects of modern retail like choice, convenience and quality and Central, a chain of seamless destination malls. Some of its other formats include, Depot, Shoe Factory, Brand Factory, Blue Sky, Fashion Station, all, Top 10, bazaar and Star and Sitara. The company also operates an online portal, futurebazaar. com. A subsidiary company, Home Solutions Retail (India) Limited, operates RR COLLEGE OF MANAGEMENT STUDIES AND COMPUTER APPLICATIONS Page 13 Home Town, a large-format home solutions store, Collection I, selling home furniture products and E-Zone focused on catering to the consumer electronics segment. Pantaloon Retail was recently awarded the International Retailer of the Year 2007 by the US-based National Retail Federation (NRF) and the Emerging Market Retailer of the Year 2007 at the World Retail Congress held in Barcelona. Pantaloon Retail is the flagship company of Future Group, a business group catering to the entire Indian consumption space. Pantaloon is not just an organization it is an institution, a centre of learning development. We believe that knowledge is the only weapon at our disposal and our quest for it is focused, systematic and unwavering. At Pantaloon, we take pride in challenging conventions and thinking out of the box, in travelling on the road less travelled. Our corporate doctrine ‘Rewrite Rules, Retain Values’ is derived from this spirit. Over the years, the company has accelerated growth through its ability to lead change. A number of its pioneering concepts have now emerged as industry standards. For instance, the company integrated backwards into garment manufacturing even as it expanded its retail presence at the front end, well before any other Indian retail company attempted this. It was the first to introduce the concept of the retail departmental store for the entire family through Pantaloons in 1997. The company was the first to launch a hypermarket in India with Big Bazaar, a large discount store that it commissioned in Kolkata in October 2001. And the company introduced the country to the Food Bazaar, a unique bazaar within a hypermarket, which was launched in July 2002 in Mumbai. Embracing our leadership value, the company launched all in July 2005 in Mumbai, making us the first retailer in India to open a fashion store for plus size men and women. Today we are the fastest growing retail company in India. The number of stores is going to increase many folds year on year along with the new formats coming up. The way we work is distinctly Pantaloon. Our courage to dream and to turn our dreams into reality – that change people’s lives, is our biggest advantage. Pantaloon is an invitation to join a place where there are no boundaries to what you can achieve. It means never having to stop asking questions; it means never having to stop raising the bar. It is an opportunity to take risks, and it is this passion that makes our dreams a reality. Come enter a world where we promise you good days and bad days, but never a dull moment! RR COLLEGE OF MANAGEMENT STUDIES AND COMPUTER APPLICATIONS Page 14 Future Group Future Group is one of the country’s leading business groups present in retail, asset management, consumer finance, insurance, retail media, retail spaces and logistics. The group’s flagship company, Pantaloon Retail (India) Limited operates over 10 million square feet of retail space, has over 1,000 stores and employs over 30,000 people. Future Group is present in 61 cities and 65 rural locations in India. Some of its leading retail formats include, Pantaloons, Big Bazaar, Central, Food Bazaar, Home Town, eZone, Depot, Future Money and online retail format, futurebazaar. com. Future Group companies includes, Future Capital Holdings, Future General India Indus League Clothing and Galaxy Entertainment that manages Sports Bar, Brew Bar and Bowling Co. Future Capital Holdings, the group’s financial arm, focuses on asset management and consumer credit. It manages assets worth over $1 billion that are being invested in developing retail real estate and consumerrelated brands and hotels. The group’s joint venture partners include Italian insurance major, Generally, French retailer ETAM group, US-based stationary products retailer, Staples Inc and UK-based Lee Cooper and India-based Talwalkar’s, Blue Foods and Liberty Shoes. Future Group’s vision is to, â€Å"deliver Everything, Everywhere, Every time to Every Indian Consumer in the most profitable manner. The group considers ‘Indian-ness’ as a core value and its corporate credo is- Rewrite rules, Retain values. Mr. Kishore Biyani Managing Director (FUTURE GROUP) RR COLLEGE OF MANAGEMENT STUDIES AND COMPUTER APPLICATIONS Page 15 Major Milestones/ Achievements 1987 Company incorporated as Men’s Wear Private Limited. Launch of Pantaloons t rouser, India’s first formal trouser brand. 1991 Launch of BARE, the Indian jeans brand. 1992 Initial public offer (IPO) was made in the month of May. 994 The Pantaloon Shoppe – exclusive menswear store in franchisee format launched across the nation. The company starts the distribution of branded garments through multibrand retail outlets across the nation. 1995 John Miller – Formal shirt brand launched. 1997 Pantaloons – India’s family store launched in Kolkata. 2001 Big Bazaar, ‘Is se sasta aur accha kahi nahin’ India’s first hypermarket chain launched. 2002 Food Bazaar, the supermarket chain is launched. 2004 Central – ‘Shop, Eat, Celebrate in the Heart of Our City’ India’s first seamless mall is launched in Bangalore. 005 Fashion Station the popular fashion chain is launched a LL– ‘a little larger’ exclusive stores for plus-size individuals is launched 2006 Future Capital Ho ldings, the company’s financial arm launches real estate funds Kshitij and Horizon and private equity fund in division. Plans forays into insurance and consumer credit. Multiple retail formats including Collections, Furniture Bazaar, and Shoe Factory, E-Zone, Depot and futurebazaar. com are launched across the nation. Group enters into joint venture agreements with ETAM Group. 007 Pantaloon Retail wins the International Retailer of the Year at US-based National Retail Federation convention in New York and Emerging Retailer of the Year award at the World Retail Congress held in Barcelona. RR COLLEGE OF MANAGEMENT STUDIES AND COMPUTER APPLICATIONS Page 16 2008 Future Capital Holdings becomes the second group company to make a successful Initial Public Offering in the Indian capital markets. Big Bazaar crosses the 100-store mark, marking one of the fastest ever expansion of a hypermarket format anywhere in the world. Total operational retail space crosses 10 million square feet mark. 2009 CNBC Awaaz Consumer Awards 2009 Most Preferred Multi Product Chain Big Bazaar Most Preferred Multi Brand Food Beverage Chain Big Bazaar Images Fashion Forum 2009 Most Admired Fashion Group of the Year Future Group Most Admired Private Label Pantaloons, the lifestyle format Critics Choice for Pioneering Effort in Retail Concept Creation Central Coca-Cola Golden Spoon Awards 2009 Most Admired Food Grocery Retailer of the Year Most Admired Food Court, Most Admired Food Professional Our culture At Pantaloon, Empowerment is what you acquire and Freedom at Work is what you get. We believe our most valuable assets are our People. Young in spirit, adventurous in action, within average age of 27 years, our skilled qualified professionals work in an environment where change is the only constant. Powered by the desire to create path-breaking practices and held together by values, work in this people intensive industry is driven by softer issues. In our world, making a difference to Customers’ lives is a Passion and performance is the key that makes it possible. Out of the Box thinking has become a way of life at Pantaloon and living with the change, a habit. Leadership is a value that is followed by one and all at Pantaloon. Leadership is the quality that motivates us to never stop learning, stretching to RR COLLEGE OF MANAGEMENT STUDIES AND COMPUTER APPLICATIONS Page 17 reach the next challenge, knowing that we will be rewarded along the way. In the quest of creating an Indian model of retailing, Pantaloon has taken initiatives to launch many retail formats that have come headed for serve as a benchmark in the industry. Believing in leadership has given us the optimism to change and be successful at it. We do not predict the future, but create it. At Pantaloon you will get an opportunity to handle multiple responsibilities, and therein, the grooming to play a larger role in the future. Work is a unique mix of preserving our core Indian values and yet providing customers with a service, on par with international standards. At Pantaloon you will work with some of the brightest people from different spheres of industry. We believe it’s a place where you can live your dreams and pursue a career that reflects your skills and passions. New discoveries in retail In the financial year 2006-07, the company’s retail businesses discovered new categories across formats, new sets of consumers and fresher and contemporary merchandise. We have been able to offer more in the established businesses and gain favourable acceptance with new concepts. In addition, concerted expansion plans saw retail space increase to over 5. 2 million square feet at the end of 2006-07. This expansion mode was characterized by a two pronged approach. By dominating the cities the company was already present in and by bringing the benefits of modern retail to towns and cities like Mangalore, Palakkad, Surat, Indore, Kanpur, Haldia, Agra, Coimbatore, Jaipur and Panipat. The company has also undertaken significant private label initiatives in food, in general merchandise and in the consumer durables and electronics Categories. Strategic alliances have also been forged with established domestic and international brands. However, the most significant development was the internal realignment the company undertook within each of its retail businesses. To embark on a more detailed approach towards value creation and increasing efficiency, the company reviewed its business operations and adopted a more focused approach by creating RR COLLEGE OF MANAGEMENT STUDIES AND COMPUTER APPLICATIONS Page 18 an integrated support unit or Line of Business. Augmenting the retail front-end team, Line of Business (Lob) units have been created in the three most critical businesses – food, fashion and general merchandise. Formed during the second half of 2006-07 these business units focus on introducing optimum operational efficiencies. Thus, these units ensure that back end measures are appropriately taken care of and the right kind of merchandise reaches the stores in the best possible time, at the right price. These teams focus on product consolidation and suitability, margin improvement, and vendor rationalization, thereby ensuring that the sourcing benefits are made available to the front end team. The company’s efforts over the next couple of years would entail a combination of expansion and process up gradation and implementation. The emphasis will be on the next discoveries to be made in the retail space that will lead to expansion. At the same time, there will be an increased focus on micro detailing aspects including process, product and operational efficiencies thereby contributing positively to the company’s bottom-line. Discovering fresh fashion RR COLLEGE OF MANAGEMENT STUDIES AND COMPUTER APPLICATIONS Page 19 It was the first Pantaloons store in Kolkata that set off a chain of discoveries that have led us to where we are today. Ten years later, we have launched our largest Pantaloons store in Kankurgachi in Kolkata. Spread across 85,000 square feet, the store is the first among a series of large format stores that will be launched across the nation. After consolidating its Fresh Fashion positioning, Pantaloons embarked on a major expansion during the year 200607. In 8 cities, 11 Pantaloons stores were opened with 7 of them opening in the single month of March 2007. The total count of Pantaloons stores as on 30th June 2007 stood at 31 with the total area under retail close to 1 million square feet. In order to maintain the top of the mind association with fashion in India, Pantaloons continued to be the title sponsor for the Femina Miss India 2007 pageant. In addition, Bipasha Basu and Zayed Khan were roped in as brand ambassadors in the month of August 2006. The success of this initiative was evident in the increased sales for the ‘Haldi Gulal’ range as well as the ‘Svayam Utsav’ summer collection that were endorsed by Bipasha and Zayed. The private label apparel share during the year was in excess of 70 percent. The year also witnessed categories like Winter-wear and Ethnic Ladies-wear strengthening their presence in the stores. The increasing success of the store brand is evident from the fact that the store’s loyalty programme, Green Card, added 200,000 new members. RR COLLEGE OF MANAGEMENT STUDIES AND COMPUTER APPLICATIONS Page 20 Pantaloons will see a significant expansion during the coming year with an increase of nearly 0. 50 million square feet of retail space and an addition of about 15 stores. Pantaloons will look at dominating cities where it has a first entrant advantage and will scale up sizeably with larger stores, additional categories and retail formats. The year 2007-08 will witness considerable focus in the North and East regions. Delhi and the NCR area along with Punjab, Chandigarh and Ludhiana will see the next stage of expansion. Cities like Ranchi, Guwahati and Siliguri in the East will also discover Fresh Fashion. Discovering more value In 2006-2007, more Indians discovered the value of shopping in Big Bazaar. And with the launch of each store, we discovered more value in terms of operational efficiency. Big Bazaar launched 27 new stores in 22 cities, covering over 1. 40 million square feet. As of June 2007, there were 56 Big Bazaar stores across 43 cities. While Big Bazaar continued to expand in the large cities, it also tapped consumption potential in smaller cities like Agra, Allahabad, Coimbatore, Surat, Panipat, Palakkad, Kanpur and Kolhapur. The year under review also witnessed realigning of business teams with shared Experience in category management, sourcing, front-end operations and business planning. In addition, separate teams have been formed to look into all aspects of new store launches and to manage mature stores. This provides more flexibility and focus in expansion plans. RR COLLEGE OF MANAGEMENT STUDIES AND COMPUTER APPLICATIONS Page 21 The increase in SKUs in existing categories and the introduction of new categories encouraged the opening of larger stores or Super Centres, measuring 100,000 square feet or more. There are now 5 Big Bazaar Super Centres. Considering this scale of expansion, technology plays a significant facilitating role. The introduction of SAP in 2005-06 and its roll out during the year positively impacted the business. Big Bazaar has initiated the process of Auto Replenishments Systems, thus improving operational efficiencies and productivity. The company has also rationalized nearly 250 vendors through better vendor management in terms of potential to expand, and for inclusion and up gradation to the online B2B platform. The company plans to open over 60 stores across India in FY 2008, and the opening of the 100th Big Bazaar store will mark the fastest ever expansion by a hypermarket format. Discovering the new consumer Based on the company’s in-house consumer data and research, and in cognizance with observations on customer movements and the shopping convenience factor, Food Bazaar has initiated certain refurbishments and layout design across all stores. The intention is to continuously change with the times and demands of the evolving Indian consumer. Food Bazaar also witnessed healthy expansion during the year 2006-07, making its presence felt in nearly 26 cities and adding 40 stores during the year under review. The total count of Food RR COLLEGE OF MANAGEMENT STUDIES AND COMPUTER APPLICATIONS Page 22 Bazaars as on 30th June 2007 stood at 86 stores. The year under review witnessed the company’s private label programme gaining significant traction. The brands have been very competitive vis-a-vis the established brands in quality and price terms, and have in fact scored better than national or international players in certain categories. The shares of private labels as a percentage of total Food Bazaar revenues has increased significantly and comprise nearly 50 merchandise categories. While Fresh Pure brand entered categories like cheese slices, frozen peas, honey, packaged drinking water and packaged tea, the Tasty Treat brand received a very favourable response in new categories like namkeens and wafers. In the home care category, Caremate launched aluminium foil and baby diapers while clean mate launched detergent bars and scrubbers. A new format ‘BB Wholesale Club’ was launched and 4 such stores have been opened so far. To be managed by Food Bazaar from the ensuing financial year, this format sells only multipacks and bulk packs of a select range of fast moving categories and caters to price sensitive customers and smaller retailers. The company has also forged tie-ups with established companies like ITC, Adanis, DCM Group, USAID and other farm groups in Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh to source directly from them. These alliances are expected to drive efficiencies as well as bring better products to consumers. By the end of FY 07-08, the total number of Food Bazaar stores is expected to be 200. Future ideas Discovering new opportunities Future Ideas is the Innovation, Design Incubation cell within Pantaloon Retail that stems from the core proposition ‘Protecting and preserving the soul of a small business or RR COLLEGE OF MANAGEMENT STUDIES AND COMPUTER APPLICATIONS Page 23 enterprise within a large organisation. ’ Future Ideas deals with the whole aspect of idea creation, scenario planning activities, alternate approaches to an issue, providing varied outcomes and solutions to a problem and handholding the activity till its success parameters are satisfied. A unique initiative in corporate India, Future Ideas rests on a tripod that can be classified as Innovation driven, Design Management approach and an Incubation chamber, each with its own uniqueness, yet with common objectives. The Design Management team looks at each observation made by the Innovation team, and brainstorms by using a collaborative and holistic approach. The resultant ideas are then nurtured within the Incubation cell. The Incubation team comprises of business teams, mentored by the Innovation and Design teams. They are people who are released from their original businesses or concepts and made part of the entire ideation process at Future Ideas. They remain at Future Ideas till project completion stage when the success parameters for running the business are met. Future Ideas draws inspiration for most of its activities and projects, keeping in mind the new genre of inspirational Indians. At any point of time Future Ideas would work on about 20 varied projects within the Future Group. Some of the formats that are now being incubated by this team include Top10, Depot, Star Sitara and Talwalkars’ Fit Active. The team is also working on ideas around small format no-frills stores, rural retailing, and fashion for the masses and on projects involving women and self-help groups. Discovering new segments Depot, in many cities, is the first modern retailer in books and music and the Response has been overwhelming. The core differentiators of Depot are its young, colourful and vibrant RR COLLEGE OF MANAGEMENT STUDIES AND COMPUTER APPLICATIONS Page 24 stores, strong regional range, affordability and a private label publishing rogram Depot Exclusives. In its first year of operation, Depot has launched 6 stand-alone stores and 50 cutins. Along with its expansion in major cities, Depot debuted in smaller towns like Rajkot, Vadodara, Haldia, Thrissur, Palakkad and Tiruvanantharam. The Depot Exclusives (released solely in Depot) catalogue expanded rapidly with over 100 titles across genres like children’s books, cookery, regional literature etc. Reputed authors/ imprints like Nita Mehta and S anjeev Kapoor in cookery, Disney in children’s books etc. have been associated with the company. Depot has also tied-up with the UK based publisher of Children’s books, Small World, to co-publish a series of toddlers’ interactive books. In FY 2007-08, the total Depot footprint should cross over 100 stores. The Health, Beauty Wellness business opened 35 new outlets in the beauty products, services and holistic health care formats Multiple formats operate in this segment, including Tulsi, the pharmacy chain and Star Sitara, the beauty products cut-ins and Star Sitara Salons. The largest format, Beauty Free offers unique combination of products, services and holistic health offerings. To capture the increasing consumption spend on wellness and preventive health care, the joint venture between Pantaloon Retail (I) Limited and Talwalkar Better Value Fitness opened its first ‘Talwalkars Fit Active’ health centre at Orchid City Centre, Mumbai in April 2007. Spread over 5,200 square feet, it is the country’s first health centre to offer health, fitness and gym services within a modern retail and consumption environment. The venture is also looking at innovative value added offerings in the fitness space as well as developing a Spa model for the Fit Active brand across the country, by increasing its presence to nearly 50 such centres in the near future. Human Resources Discovering talent diversity The company strongly believes that its sustainable competitive advantage lies in the values that it cherishes the culture that it imbibes and spirit of enterprise that resides within the organization. Talent management therefore continues to be the core focus for the company. Considering the Multiple businesses and rapid expansion expected across the business, the company saw merit in taking a fresh guard to the way in which business would run in order to meet the next leg of expansions. RR COLLEGE OF MANAGEMENT STUDIES AND COMPUTER APPLICATIONS Page 25 During the year 2006-07, the company conducted an extensive review of in-house talent management, which involved mapping every managerial position in the organization for their skill sets, competence and attitudinal aspects as well as taking an inventory check of the existing talent base and addressing their development needs. Development Centres were created with in-house assessors, which further aided in identifying potential resources and helped chalk out post assessment development plans. Continuing with its policy of strategic alliances, the company is collaborating on joint degree programs with 15 management schools, design institutes and institutes of higher learning in areas like food business, supply chain management, design experience management etc. This ‘Seekho’ programme for external and internal candidates has ensured a steady stream of mid level, well trained retail professionals every year. The company’s ‘Gurukool’ programme provides the front-end employees an opportunity to imbibe the company’s values and a sense of ownership to the company. The company has also created an Employee Growth Trust Fund that was launched during the last financial year for the senior management. Equal Opportunity The company believes that in order to build a sustainable business environment, the composition of its talent base needs to reflect the diversity that exists in our country and among its customers. Therefore the company ensures that the proportional representation of different communities in the Indian population is mirrored in its employee profile. The majority of employees in the company come from socially and economically marginalized sections of the society. Close to 46% of the employees in the organization are women and the average age within the organization is 27 years. The effectiveness of its talent management initiatives is reflected in the fact that the annual rate of attrition is 8. 2%, much below industry levels. The company plans to strengthen its employee platform to about 30,000 people by FY 08, from nearly 18,000 people as on FY 07. Human Resource Initiatives RR COLLEGE OF MANAGEMENT STUDIES AND COMPUTER APPLICATIONS Page 26 Pantaloon Retail believes that one of its sustainable competitive advantages will continue to be the people who are part of the organization. Being in service industry, the Company places a lot of focus is placed on attracting, and training , incentivising and retaining talent. The vision is To provide an environment that creates happy people who have a meaningful life and add value to business and society. With over 18000 employees at an average age of 27 years, the Company prides itself on being a young and energetic organization, driven through the The Pantaloon People Management System. This is Built on 5 pillars of people based growth, namely Culture Building, Performance Management through Balanced Scorecard, People Processes, Management Processes and Leadership Brilliance. Training A competent Learning Development Team is responsible for training employees at all the levels across the country, focusing on primary and secondary research into various aspects of retail and assessment of training needs across Knowledge, Skills Attitude areas. The emphasis is on creating product and process knowledge through well defined programs like Praarambh and Parikrama. For the critical front line staff, the Companys unique outbound residential training program Gurukool focuses on integrating the mind, body and soul and brings about measurable attitudinal and behavioural changes. The program has covered nearly 4,500 employees. The SMILE initiative for training of new Store Managers has been created and disseminated to over 100 store managers by this team Group Vision ? Future Group shall deliver Everything, Everywhere, Every time for Every Indian Consumer in the most profitable manner. Group Mission We share the vision and belief that our customers and stakeholders shall be served only by creating and executing future scenarios in the consumption space leading to economic development. We will be the trendsetters in evolving delivery formats, creating retail realty, making consumption affordable for all customer segments – for classes and for masses. We shall infuse Indian brands with confidence and renewed ambition. RR COLLEGE OF MANAGEMENT STUDIES AND COMPUTER APPLICATIONS Page 27 We shall be efficient, cost- conscious and committed to quality in whatever we do. We shall ensure that our positive attitude, sincerity, humility and united determinatio n shall be the driving force to make us successful. Core Values Indianness: Confidence in ourselves. Leadership: To be a leader, both in thought and business. Respect Humility: To respect every individual and be humble in our conduct. Introspection: Leading to purposeful thinking. Openness: To be open and receptive to new ideas, knowledge and information. Valuing and Nurturing Relationships: To build long term relationships. Simplicity Positivity: Simplicity and positivity in our thought, business and action. Adaptability: To be flexible and adaptable, to meet challenges. Flow: To respect and understand the universal laws of nature. RR COLLEGE OF MANAGEMENT STUDIES AND COMPUTER APPLICATIONS Page 28 CHAPTER-4 DATA ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION RR COLLEGE OF MANAGEMENT STUDIES AND COMPUTER APPLICATIONS Page 29 Analysis and interpretation Table No. 1. 1:-Showing classification of respondents based on which source they Come to know about Big Bazaar. Particulars News papers. Magazines. Friends/word of mouth Internet Other Total No of respondent 49 10 25 3 13 100 % Of Respondent 49 10 25 3 13 100 Analysis:From the above table it is clear that majority of the respondents came to know about Big Bazaar with the help of News Papers. This shows that Big Bazaar is giving importance for advertisement to attract customers. RR COLLEGE OF MANAGEMENT STUDIES AND COMPUTER APPLICATIONS Page 30 Chart-1. 1:-Respondents based on which sources they come to know about Big Bazaar:- Interpretation The following is the percentage of respondents, through which they have come to know about the Big Bazaar 49% of respondents through News papers, 10% of respondents through Magazines, 25% of respondents through Word of mouth, 3% of respondents through Internet. The remaining 13% of respondents through other source like TV, Radio and by direct observation RR COLLEGE OF MANAGEMENT STUDIES AND COMPUTER APPLICATIONS Page 31 Table No 1. 2:- Showing frequency of customer visiting stores Particulars Twice in a week Once in a week Once in a fortnight Once in a month Special occasion First time Total No of respondent 13 18 22 17 24 06 100 % Of Respondent 13 18 22 17 24 06 100 Analysis:From the above table maximum no. of respondents visited the stores in special occasion. This shows that Big Bazaar is giving discounts or offers during festivals and public holidays. Chart-1. 2:-Frequency of customer visit Big Bazaar:RR COLLEGE OF MANAGEMENT STUDIES AND COMPUTER APPLICATIONS Page 32 Interpretation The following is the percentage of frequency of customer visiting to store. 6% of customers are first time visitors, 24% of customers visit only at special occasions, 17% of the customers visit once in a month, 22% of the customers visit once in a fortnight, 18% of the customers visit once in a week, 13% of the customers visit twice in a week. RR COLLEGE OF MANAGEMENT STUDIES AND COMPUTER APPLICATIONS Page 33 Table No1. 3:- Showing classification of customers with whom they would like to shop. Particulars Alone with friends With family With spouse Any others No of respondent 12 38 44 06 00 % Of Respondent 12 38 44 06 00 Analysis:From the above table it is found that majority of respondents like to do shopping in Big Bazaar with family rather than visiting with friends. This shows that they are maintaining good environment. RR COLLEGE OF MANAGEMENT STUDIES AND COMPUTER APPLICATIONS Page 34 Chart-1. 3: showing the customers with whom they would like shop:- Interpretation Following is the percentage of customers with whom they would like to shop. 6% of customers would like to shop with Spouse, 12% of customers would like to shop Alone, 38% of customers would like to shop with Friends, and 44% of customers would like to shop with Family. RR COLLEGE OF MANAGEMENT STUDIES AND COMPUTER APPLICATIONS Page 35 Table No 1. 4:- showing classification of respondents based on distance from Big Bazaar to their residence. Particulars Less than 1km 1-3 Km 3-5 Km More Than 5 Km Total No of respondent 10 38 43 09 100 % Of Respondent 10 38 43 09 100 Analysis:From the above table it shows that majority of respondents have their residence near to Big Bazaar. So they are visiting frequently and get all the products in one place. RR COLLEGE OF MANAGEMENT STUDIES AND COMPUTER APPLICATIONS Page 36 Chart-1. :-The respondents based on distance from Big Bazaar to their residence:- Interpretation The following is the percentage of customers, how far they are located from Big Bazaar. 9%of customers are located above 5km, 10% of customers are located within one kilometre, 38% of customers are located between one to three kilometres, 43% of customers are located between three to five kilometres. RR COLLEGE OF MANAGEMENT STUDIES AND COMPUTER APPLI CATIONS Page 37 Table No 1. 5:- Showing opinion of respondent about prices of products in big bazaar when compared to other retail stores. Particulars High Affordable Low Total No of respondent 46 39 15 100 % of respondent 46 39 15 100 Analysis:From the above table it is clear that maximum no. of respondents said that the price of products in Big Bazaar is high when compared to other retail stores. RR COLLEGE OF MANAGEMENT STUDIES AND COMPUTER APPLICATIONS Page 38 Chart-1. 5:-The opinion of respondent about prices of products in big bazaar when compared to other retail stores. Hence majority of customers have the favourable opinion towards Big Bazaar prices. Interpretation 6% of customers have perceived that Big Bazaar prices are high, 39% of customers have perceived that Big Bazaar prices are Affordable, 15% of customers have perceived that Big Bazaar prices are low. RR COLLEGE OF MANAGEMENT STUDIES AND COMPUTER APPLICATIONS Page 39 Table No1. 6:-Showing no of respondent’s rate the product quality of big bazaar when compared to other retail stores Particulars 5 4 3 2 1 Total No of respondent 8 25 51 10 6 100 % o f respondent 8 25 51 10 6 100 Analysis:From the above table it is said that more no. of respondents experienced that quality of products in Big Bazaar is average when compared to other retail stores. RR COLLEGE OF MANAGEMENT STUDIES AND COMPUTER APPLICATIONS Page 40 Chart-1. 6:-No of respondent’s rate the product quality of big bazaar when compared to other retail stores: Interpretation 6% of customers have perceived that product quality is Very low, 8% of customers have perceived that product quality is Very good, 10% of customers have perceived that product quality is below average, 25% of customers have perceived that product quality is above average, 51% of customers have perceived that product quality is Average. RR COLLEGE OF MANAGEMENT STUDIES AND COMPUTER APPLICATIONS Page 41 Table No1. 7:-Showing comparison of brand big bazaar with other retail stores Particulars Value for money Quality of products Wide variety of product Good shopping experience Any other Total No of respondent 26 12 37 14 1 100 % of respondent 26 12 37 14 1 100 Analysis:From the above table it is clear that majority of respondents said that wide variety of products are more when compared to other retail stores. This shows that Big Bazaar is giving importance to more number of brands when compared to other retail stores. RR COLLEGE OF MANAGEMENT STUDIES AND COMPUTER APPLICATIONS Page 42 Chart-1. :-Comparison of brand big bazaar with other retail stores:- Interpretation 1%0f customers have perceived that the brand Big Bazaar is affordable compared to other retailers, 12%of customers have perceived that the brand Big Bazaar has quality products compared to other retailers, 14%of customers have perceived good shopping experience in Big Bazaar compared to other retailers, 26%of customers wo uld like to compare brand Big Bazaar as value for money than other retailers, 37%of customers have perceived that the brand Big Bazaar has got wide range of product compared to other retailers. RR COLLEGE OF MANAGEMENT STUDIES AND COMPUTER APPLICATIONS Page 43 Table No 1. 8:-Showing opinion about discount offered by the Big Bazaar when compared to other retailers. Particulars Very good Good Fair Satisfied Bad Total No of respondent 5 34 55 6 00 100 % of respondent 5 34 55 6 00 100 Analysis: From the above table it shows that maximum number of respondents said the discount offered by Big Bazaar was fair when compared to other retailers. This shows that Big Bazaar is giving importance to price to attract customers. RR COLLEGE OF MANAGEMENT STUDIES AND COMPUTER APPLICATIONS Page 44 Chart-1. :-Opinion about discount offered by the Big Bazaar when compared to other retailers:- Interpretation 5%of customers have perceived that the discounts offered by the Big Bazaar are very good, 34%of customers have perceived that the discounts offered by the Big Bazaar are good, 55%of customers have perceived that the discounts offered by the Big Bazaar are Fair, 6% of customers have perceived that the discounts offered by the Big Bazaar are satisfied. RR COLLEGE OF MANAGEMENT STUDIES AND COMPUTER APPLICATIONS Page 45 Table No 1. 9:- Showing no of respondent purchasing product in Big Bazaar. Particulars Apparels Accessories Food Beverages Home durables Electronic goods Personal care Cosmetics All of the above Total No of respondent 21 31 8 24 10 6 100 % of respondent 21 31 8 24 10 6 100 Analysis:From the above table it is clear that majority of respondents said food and beverages were purchased more when compared to other item. This shows that Big Bazaar is giving importance to food and beverages when compared to other items. RR COLLEGE OF MANAGEMENT STUDIES AND COMPUTER APPLICATIONS Page 46 Chart-1. 9:-No of respondent purchasing product in Big Bazaar:- Interpretation 6% of the customers purchase All of the Above, 8% of the customers purchase Home durables, 10% of the customers purchase personal care and cosmetics, 21% of the customers purchase Apparels, 24% of the customers purchase all Electronic goods, 31% of the customers purchase Food and Beverage. RR COLLEGE OF MANAGEMENT STUDIES AND COMPUTER APPLICATIONS Page 47 Table No 2:-Showing no of respondent are satisfied with the billing system of big bazaar. Particulars Yes No Need to be improved Total No of respondent 56 14 30 100 % of respondent 56 14 30 100 Analysis: From the above table it shows that maximum number of respondents said that the billing system of Big Bazaar is satisfied but it needs to be improvement. Billing counter should be increased. Chart-2:- No of respondent are satisfied with the billing system of big bazaar:RR COLLEGE OF MANAGEMENT STUDIES AND COMPUTER APPLICATIONS Page 48 Interpretation 14% of customers are not satisfied with the billing system, 30% of customers think that, the billing system needs to be improved, 56% of customers are satisfied with the present billing system Table No 2. :-Showing composition of factors in which they will shop in big bazaar RR COLLEGE OF MANAGEMENT STUDIES AND COMPUTER APPLICATIONS Page 49 Particulars Availability of products Convenience of location Shopping experience Reasonable price Parking facility Other Total No of respondent 40 14 18 25 3 00 100 % of respondent 40 14 18 25 3 00 100 Analysis:From the above table it shows that majority of respondents said that the availabili ty of products is more when compared to other composition. This shows that they are giving more importance for products rather than location, price and parking facility. Chart-2. 1:-Composition of factors in which they will shop in big bazaar:- RR COLLEGE OF MANAGEMENT STUDIES AND COMPUTER APPLICATIONS Page 50 Interpretation Following is the percentage of respondent’s reason to shop in Big Bazaar. 3% of customer purchase because of parking facility, 14% of customer purchase because of convenience of location, 18% of customer purchase because shopping experience, 25% of customer purchase because of reasonable price, 40% of customer purchase due to availability of product. Table No 2. 2:- Showing composition of factors influencing the respondent purchasing decision. Particulars Price No of respondent 23 % of respondent 23 RR COLLEGE OF MANAGEMENT STUDIES AND COMPUTER APPLICATIONS Page 51 Quality Brand Usage Any other Total 30 22 25 00 100 30 22 25 00 100 Analysis:From the above table it is clear that maximum number of respondents said that the quality of products is good when it comes to the matter of purchasing decision. This shows that product quality is tested and other factors are not justified. Chart-2. 3:-Composition of factors influencing the respondent purchasing decision:- RR COLLEGE OF MANAGEMENT STUDIES AND COMPUTER APPLICATIONS Page 52 Interpretation Following is the percentage of factors influencing the purchase decision. 22% of customers are influenced by Price, 23% of customers are influenced by Family, 25% of customers are influenced by Quality, 30% of customers are influenced by friends. Table No 2. 3:- Showing no of respondent satisfied with service of a big bazaar. Particulars No of respondent % of respondent RR COLLEGE OF MANAGEMENT STUDIES AND COMPUTER APPLICATIONS Page 53 5 4 3 2 1 Total 3 29 42 16 10 100 3 29 42 16 10 100 Analysis:From the above table it is clear that majority of the respondents are highly satisfied with the service provided by Big Bazaar. This shows that Big Bazaar is providing good service. Chart-2. 3:-No of respondent satisfied with service of a big bazaar:- RR COLLEGE OF MANAGEMENT STUDIES AND COMPUTER APPLICATIONS Page 54 Interpretation Following is the percentage of satisfaction with the service provided by the Big Bazaar. 3% of customers are highly dissatisfied, 29% of customers are dissatisfied, 42% of customers are highly satisfied, 16% of customers are neutral, 10% of customers are satisfied. Table No 2. 4:- Showing classification of respondent no the basis of age group. Particulars No of respondent % of respondent Page 55 RR COLLEGE OF MANAGEMENT STUDIES AND COMPUTER APPLICATIONS Less than 20 years 20 to 30 years 30 to 40 years Above 40 years Total 3 59 28 10 100 3 59 28 10 100 Analysis: From the above table it is said that the maximum number of respondents come to visit Big Bazaar are all at the of 20-30. This shows that average aged peoples are aware of Big Bazaar products and discounts when compared to others. Chart-2. 4:-Classification of respondent on the basis of age group:- RR COLLEGE OF MANAGEMENT STUDIES AND COMPUTER APPLICATIONS Page 56 Interpretation Following is the percentage of respondents’ age group visiting the Big Bazaar 3%of customers are belonged to less than 20 years, 10%of customers are belonged to above 40 years, 28%of customers are between 30 to 40 years, 59% of customers are between 20 to 30 years. Table No 2. 5:- Showing composition of respondent gender. Particulars No of respondent % of respondent Page 57 RR COLLEGE OF MANAGEMENT STUDIES AND COMPUTER APPLICATIONS Male Female Total 60 40 100 60 40 100 Analysis:From the above table it is clear that majority of them are males visiting Big Bazaar when compared to ladies. This shows that males are interested to do shopping in this retail store may be due to price discounts. Chart-2. 5:-Composition of respondent gender:- RR COLLEGE OF MANAGEMENT STUDIES AND COMPUTER APPLICATIONS Page 58 Interpretation 40% of respondents are Female, 60% of the respondents are Male Table No 2. 6:-Showing composition of marital status of the respondent. Particulars No of respondent % of respondent RR COLLEGE OF MANAGEMENT STUDIES AND COMPUTER APPLICATIONS Page 59 Single Married Total 58 42 100 58 42 100 Analysis:From the above table it shows that maximum number of respondents visiting Big Bazaar is unmarried. This shows that unmarried persons are willing to do shopping may be due to the availability of variety of brands in all products. Chart-2. 6:- Composition of marital status of the respondent:- RR COLLEGE OF MANAGEMENT STUDIES AND COMPUTER APPLICATIONS Page 60 Interpretation 42% of respondents are married, 58% of respondents are Single. Table No 2. 7:-showing composition of respondent occupation Particulars Student Professional Business man Home maker Govt employee No of respondent 33 28 21 7 7 % of respondent 33 28 21 7 7 Page 61 RR COLLEGE OF MANAGEMENT STUDIES AND COMPUTER APPLICATIONS Other Total 100 4 100 Analysis:From the above table it shows that majority of respondents visiting big bazaar are students when compared to professionals, and others. This shows that students are aware about this retail store when compared to others. Chart 2. 7:-Composition of respondent occupation:- RR COLLEGE OF MANAGEMENT STUDIES AND COMPUTER APPLICATIONS Page 62 Interpretation 4% of respondents a re belonged to other group, 7% of respondents are govt employees, 7% of respondents are home makers, 21% of respondents are Businessmen, 33% of respondents are students, 28% of respondents are professionals. Table No 2. 8:- Showing composition on annual income of respondent Particulars Less than 15000 1. 5 lakh-3 lakh 3lakh-5 lakh More than 5 lakh No of respondent 23 30 14 3 % of respondent 23 30 14 3 RR COLLEGE OF MANAGEMENT STUDIES AND COMPUTER APPLICATIONS Page 63 None Total 30 100 30 100 Analysis:From the above table it is clear that majority of respondents annual income is 1. 53 lakh. This shows that middle income group people are willing to do shopping in Big Bazaar. Chart 2. 8:-Composition on annual income of respondent:- RR COLLEGE OF MANAGEMENT STUDIES AND COMPUTER APPLICATIONS Page 64 Interpretation 3% of respondents have more than 5lakh income, 14% of respondents have income between 3-5lakh, 23% of respondents have less than 150000 income, 30% of respondents have income between 1. 5-3lakh, 30% of respondent don’t have any income. FINDINGS FROM THE STUDY Majority of the respondents felt that the billing system needs to be improved, as during weekends and in other occasions it takes a very long time for the customers to complete the billing procedures. Majority of respondents felt that the parking facility was not enough during the weekends and during other festive seasons. RR COLLEGE OF MANAGEMENT STUDIES AND COMPUTER APPLICATIONS Page 65 Some of the respondents also raised thier concern regarding the arrangement of the products within the product category, some respondents found it difficult to find the products which they require immediately, it took a lot of time for them to search for the products which they required. Some respondents did not find much space to shop during the weekends and in other festive seasons because the store will be crowded during these periods. So respondents found it uncomfortable to shop during the weekends and festive seasons. Some of the respondents also raised their concern regarding the seating arrangement; drinking water facility priority should be given towards these issues. Majority of the respondent are asking about the branded products, the store does not have so much of branded products. Conclusion The overall perception of the BIG BAZAAR store is good except in some areas like billing system during the festi val time, proper arrangements of the products, parking facility and seating arrangement. The target customer for the BIG BAZAAR is the middle class segment is growing due to high disposal income. Customers found the prices are affordable with a good variety of the products available less than one roof. RR COLLEGE OF MANAGEMENT STUDIES AND COMPUTER APPLICATIONS Page 66 Customer’s responded positively to the promotions offered at the store, with the sales during the weekends and festive seasons picking up nicely. The quality of the products offered at the store was also very well accepted by the

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Communication is patterned within the â€Å"structural system† of organization as an integral part of interpersonal interactions and establishing of common objectives or synergy. As mentioned above, the Radisson has critical focus on the diversity of workforce through human development framework and created the multicultural development center. One that can exemplify organizational communication is Radissons multicultural development centers innovative training component which consistently provide a â€Å"corporate forum† that is work-centered and employee-focused in order to further develop organizational sensitivity and responsiveness. Business ethics It says that business ethics is the business value. In other words, doing business must conform with the ethical standards or implementing judicious business practices that depicts a healthy organization. However, it may not only the â€Å"center† of business that is judiciously undertaken but harnessing the values of corporate responsibility, thus, reaching out the overall source of business. This kind of business ethics through rekindling corporate responsibility could be cited from Radissons â€Å"tradition of service through volunteerism and philanthropy to community causes†, such as the World Childhood Foundation was created as a global charity organization for child-victims of abuse (The Radisson, 2008). Change management According to Change Consulting, the change management is aim to implementing effective organizational method and system. To cite, the â€Å"change† is to control the flow of management that is exemplified by re-structuring the organization from top to bottom level of personnel, in which the process is also referred to as â€Å"streamlining† or revamp of workforce in line with the innovative implementation of programs or operations (Nickols, 2006). As change management is essentially characterized by â€Å"organizational restructuring† correlating to make effective the performance of business, the Radissons diversified business operation is perceived to be adopting the process of change management as it continue to innovate the â€Å"business culture† of efficient service and indicative of its vision, mission and goals for â€Å"expanding global presence†. Conclusion The contemporary transitions of industry trends pattern the organizational performance.  Several archetypes of enterprises have found to be encouraged by a holistic approach of assimilating the business venture with communities. Like Radisson, the process of diversified venture has dwell on developing the diverse workforce as one of its corporate responsibilities. Todays diversified businesses keep abreast to the development of global economies and societies in order to benchmark the performance of market values. However, the market values may not be beneficial to the overall perspectives of consumerism without the incentives of social response from the business sector. Thus, corporate governance is found to be essential as a â€Å"social investment† to the welfare of consumers, aside from the direct-service patronage. It may be then said that the overall discussions depicted in this paper is a pretext to the basic processes of organizational effectiveness that may draw impact to the industry and transformative values in the life of the organization towards a dynamically efficient workforce and socially secured workplace.

The Paradox of Prison-Based Economic Development in Rural America :: Free Essays Online

The Paradox of Prison-Based Economic Development in Rural America Introduction Whereas prison facilities were once viewed with aversion as threats to a community’s well-being, prisons today are the focus of competitive bids by rural communities desperate for economic stability. As non-metro economies deteriorated and prison populations exploded over the last two decades, rural America and prison facilities have developed a symbiotic relationship. This paper investigates whether prison-based economic development policies in rural America provide benefits that exceed their costs. Proponents of the prisons-as-development strategy contend that prison jobs offer better wages and create more stability than the few industries that remain in non-metro America. Yet, critics cite higher crime rates and reduced property values as the social externalities and economic drawbacks that result from prison siting. Impact studies of prison-based development strategies, although far from conclusive, suggest that the truth may lie somewhere in the middle. However, it is also clear that the varied impacts this strategy has, both good and bad, are rarely if ever considered in the prison siting process. Nonetheless, the prison-as-development approach continues as a tactic to create jobs and to bring hope to the struggling communities of non-metro America. Two Trends: Rural Economic Deterioration and Rising Prison Populations Prison siting as a form of economic development resulted from the convergence of two unrelated trends in America: the economic downturn in rural America and the increase in U.S. prison populations. Over the last several decades, economic distress was brought on to non-metro regions as family farms were consolidated and manufacturing industries found cheaper labor elsewhere; Almost all sources of well-paying employment drained out of rural America. The consequence, as Huling identifies, was that the poverty rate of working rural families actually increased in the 1980s (4). With demoralized populations and stagnant economies, non-metro America looked to all but vanish by the end of the century. One of the few economic development strategies that remained was the acceptance of generally undesirable industries and facilities to create jobs. Samara suggests that rural communities were â€Å"priced out of contests to attract manufacturers, as local development agencies in more prosperous areas offer[ed] aggressive packages of tax breaks, cheap loans, free land and more† (27).

Only in Vegas

Replicated natural wonders of the world, indoor man-made waterfalls, simulated pirate ship battles, a dolphin habitat, and indoor gondola rides are a few of the small attractions that place modern day Las Vegas as a hotspot on the US map. In fact, there are so many small attractions blended with large attractions that the experience of Las Vegas itself has become an attraction. Disregarding traditional methods and exploring outrageous ideas in the areas of engineering, architecture, and planning, this city has become a very accepted destination that has become a marketing phenomenon.For a city that is in the middle of nowhere, it has a made quite an impression on the people it draws. It is no surprise that this city has had a history of prosperity and boom. The first main draw of the area known as Las Vegas was water. Water was not in over abundance compared to other cities, but the mere presence of spring water was a marvel for that region of the Mojave Desert. In the late 1820†™s, explorers on the Old Spanish Trail went into unexplored areas searching for the very thing that area known Las Vegas had to offer them, water.Water in the area had produced vegetation, and Las Vegas apparently flourished with it. The presence of water positioned Las Vegas on the map of the Old Spanish Trail. It shortened the path between Santa Fe and Los Angeles, and became a marked location on this increasingly traveled route. This area is repeatedly referred to as an oasis: Las Vegas was named accordingly, as its meaning in Spanish is â€Å"The Meadows. † Minerals were rich in the area, and according to local government history, Mining began in the late 1800’s.This, the railroad boom in the 1900’s, and a man name William Clark led to railroads being placed through the prime spot of Las Vegas because of its location between Salt Lake City and Los Angeles, the climate of the general area, and of course, its abundance of water and vegetation among the vast desert. Railroads required workers, and workers required the usual: a place to sleep, eat, and of course, drink and seek entertainment. This led to the earliest of saloons and markets, building toward a city.According to the City of Las Vegas government, â€Å"Las Vegas was founded as a city on May 15, 1905, when 110 acres of land situated between Stewart Avenue on the north, Garces Avenue to the south, Main Street to the west, and 5th Street (Las Vegas Boulevard) to the east, are auctioned off. † This auction allowed for more relocation of people into the town. â€Å"In 1911 a gas plant, power company, and telephone system were projected† (Durnke 263). Las Vegas was starting to grow. â€Å"The modern attitude of Las Vegas, along with the rest of the American West, favors more exclusiveness.In March, 1909, the Las Vegas Promotion Society was organized at a citizens' meeting attended by fifty persons at the Opera House. ‘ Its purpose, as stated in the opening res olutions, was to make known Las Vegas' resources and to encourage new enterprises and industries† (Durnke 264). Shortly after, a city government was formed, and railroads and mining continued. Later, in 1931, construction of the Hoover Dam began and led to a further influx of workers. The population was estimated according to Clark County records to stand around 8000 between the period of the completion of the Hoover Dam in 1935 and 1940.Water, convenience, and work led people into this city prior to 1931. Later, with World War II under way, many military installations were established in the desert due to its attractive resources, including its low-priced energy available from the Hoover Dam. Defense industry was started, and a further opportunity for workers emerged. After the war was over, the post industrial society took advantage of the amenities offered by Las Vegas, and the entrepreneurs did the same. Gambling had previously been around in many states. It managed to rec eive a discerning reputation in the public eye. There were moral issues, and scandals involved.States were hot and cold with respect to certain types of gaming and lotteries; this eventually led to prohibition in 1910. Nevada officially legalized gambling in 1931. This was at the time when the construction of the Hoover Dam began. Nevada capitalized on the expected tourism that the Hoover Dam would bring. They capitalized very well. Entrepreneurs saw the enormous returns on gambling as a great opportunity to develop casino and hotels. They did just that, and followed an immediate boom in tourism, especially from California, where gambling was illegal, but the desire to do so was very prominent.Profits from gambling funded the elaborate themes and designs of Las Vegas attractions. Service industries arose from their inevitable need, and the marketing of Las Vegas was underway. Tourism became the niche that Las Vegas acquired. In fact, the number of tourists according to the 2009 Exec utive Summary was just under 36. 5 Million in 2009, down 3% from 2008. This small drop in tourism appears to have been heavily due to decreases early in the 2009 year, and has actually risen in the past 4 months of 2009. While tourism has risen since 2000, the population has risen as well.In 2000, according to the US Government Census, the population for Las Vegas and the surrounding metropolitan areas was over 1. 3 million and it is estimated that the 2008 population was over 1. 8 million. In the City alone, the 2000 population was 478,434 compared to the 2008 estimate of 558,383. Tourism is the main focus of Las Vegas, and it has had problems along with solutions to ensure that tourism remains high. One of the largest problems with Las Vegas was not that tourism was very high, but extremely seasonal and high at only peak times. Las Vegas used a superior marketing strategy that ensured its survival in the non-peak season.The Las Vegas Convention Center was built to attract visitors during these seasons of slow times. This ensured services offered by businesses a year round opportunity. The attempt to build consistency was a success. Many factors allowed for the convention center to become an ideal site for conventions and seminars. Among these were the desire to be in Las Vegas, the climate, landscape, incentives, inexpensive flights, rooms and convenience of transportation. This strategy to maximize occupancy year round has led to an 81. 5% occupancy rate year round in 2009 alone.Furthermore, having consistent visitors has allowed Las Vegas to offer permanent entertainment and resident performers. This has additionally furthered tourism. Another problem that Las Vegas has encountered is the deterioration of its downtown. Las Vegas was built on money and ideas, as long as both are around, newer and better things will come. â€Å"In he nearly 50 years since Bugsy Siegel built the Flamingo Casino, Las Vegas has indeed become a place unlike anything ever seen b efore- a city relentlessly reinventing itself as a caricature of itself, constantly trying to out-Vegas Vegas† (Goodman 91).This was apparent in the downtown of Las Vegas and something needed to be done about it. The Freemont Street Experience was introduced, and brought some life back to downtown. â€Å"In a further attempt to conquer the elements, a 100ft-high-canopy, called the ‘celestial vault’ has been erected over the city’s main street as part of a downtown revitalization project† (Goodman 88) This revitalization is a strategy to attract more attention back to this area. Cheaper rates in different areas have allowed Las Vegas to target all groups of people based on income.They have more recently targeted the college crowd for spring break. â€Å"‘We've been getting a relatively younger crowd down here on Fremont Street because they're beginning to discover we're here,’ said Golden Gate owner Mark Brandenburg. ‘The Fremont S treet Experience is pretty much an all-night party scene with free light shows, music entertainment and it's really an attractive place for spring break’† (Hillgrove 1). More recently, in the past few years, Las Vegas has drawn a more significant of spring breakers than other years. Las Vegas is currently the top destination for travel booked through Travelocity's site, pulling in 9 percent of the tickets booked on Travelocity for March 14 through April 26. In February, Travelocity named Las Vegas one of the ‘Top Eight Value Destinations for Spring Break,’ citing a 5 percent drop in average airfare and a 34 percent drop in average daily room rates from last year. † (1) Much of the downtown area offers these low rates in an attempt to build occupancy and remain open. Downtown is not the boom that it once was, but it remains open and has more plans in the future to continue to do so.It is just one example nationwide what happens to older areas, when bet ter planned modern areas are given the opportunity to develop. â€Å"The next generation of architects would do well to look beyond themed architecture and ironic formalism and to examine the story unfolding behind the neon light. We need to think of our cities not as hollow shells, good only a settings for marketing a fictionalized past, but as places where we can build centers of prosperity for a real future and real people† (Goodman 94).It will be very interesting to see what is in store for the downtown area in the future. Las Vegas does not have as many urbanization problems as one would initially expect for a city with tourism exceeding 36 Million visitors per year. This is probably due to the numerous amounts of suburbs in conjunction with the numerous amounts of ongoing projects. They face problems that any city would face with a large amount of tourism, but they successfully have the money to tend to most immediate problems, or they have accepted them as a way of lif e.According to the 2009 Executive Summary, Clark County had gaming revenues of almost 9 Billion Dollars last year, with just over 6 Billion from the strip and downtown Las Vegas. Apparently the only problems are those that can’t be immediately fixed with money. Ironically, the same thing that the early explorers sought this land for is the same thing that may be its next problem. Water shortage has become an issue due to the large growth of the city. It is estimated that the city and suburbs will reach over 2 million permanent residents by 2020. To meet the looming water crunch, the city, along with the Southern Nevada Water Authority (SNWA), proposes to build a 285-mile pipeline to haul groundwater from six valleys in eastern Nevada. The $2 billion project would mean sinking up to 195 production wells as deep as 1700 ft. below the surface to bring more than 50 billion gallons of water per year to the parched desert metropolis† (Hutchinson 1). This has been causing a de bate, and seems to be the biggest problem facing the city at the moment.The question will be whether pumping the water from the ground will be their best solution, or if it will see more heated debate. It seems that water may be the most valuable resource to the west in the near future. It will be interesting to see how a city this size will continue to grow with water shortages, and what lengths the city will go to for the purpose of ensuring this water supply. The city of Las Vegas has much to offer the rest of the world, and is very significant. It is well known across the world due to major publications, events, and movies that are based in Las Vegas.It is a place that can be easily recognized by its elaborate design, luminescent skyline of gorgeous hotels, and distinctive architecture. Las Vegas has set many trends and standards for gourmet dining, intricate theme based settings, and attractive shows. It sites â€Å"14 of the nations 15 largest hotels† according to the C lark County Government, and is also a very popular place to have anything from an inexpensive and quick wedding to one fit for a queen. It really is known as a place where anything can happen.Many other States have used the model of Las Vegas to design certain areas of their cities. The gaming model for instance has shown to be successful, and many new towns are opening up to lotteries and casinos simply to issue jobs and retain wealth for the education and the state and city. Ohio is an example of one of these recent candidates. This model is not only hoping to create jobs, but also influence and expansion of other service industries that can produce income and stimulate the local economies. Las Vegas is home of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, also known as UNLV.Las Vegas lies only 30 minutes from the Hoover Dam, a little over an hour to the Mojave National Preserve, 2 hours to Death Valley National Park, 3 hours to the south cove of Lake Mead, only 4 hours to Los Angeles, and roughly 6 hours to either the Grand Canyon National Park or Phoenix. If you are looking for an adventure, Las Vegas is a great hub to make the first stop on your excursion. Las Vegas is a city thriving on tourism built by money and gambling, but offers much more beyond the realm of casinos. It is an experience. I choose this city because it represents freedom and exploration in a natural form.One can go to Las Vegas and explore freely all it has to offer. One can explore not only the city, but the vast desert around with amazing national attractions waiting miles away. It is a way to experience the west in a fun and comfortable environment with so much perfection and beauty. I have experienced many trips to Las Vegas, and each was unique. I have taken trips for wilderness and exploration, others strictly for music or entertainment. I have gone on business; I have gone to visit friends and socialize. I have learned something about myself and loved it and every time.

What is Justice Humanism v. Law in Antigone Essay

Humanity is often faced with ambivalence towards law; at once, we find it a necessity in attempting to deal with a world which is constantly in some type of chaotic turmoil, and also as a glaring flaw in our society, which can at times result in more chaos than was originally had. This conflict is no more obvious than in Sophocles’ Antigone. Antigone, the character, represents half of the struggle between what the law says is just and what we inherently deem to be morally upstanding – Creon represents the opposing side which views law and power as the ultimate dictator of life’s unraveling. Though Antigone is ultimately thwarted, she is on the side of justice rather than blindly following the law. Antigone’s empathy while breaking the law†¦show more content†¦Not only that, but she is also able to recognize that her brother must also be buried properly in order to have an acceptable afterlife, so she usurps what has been arbitrarily set in place b y man and decides, based on her own morality and empathetic nature, to bury Polynieces. It is in this moment of selflessness that Antigone represents courage in the face of hardship, which only strengthens the notion of humanism as the ultimate ruler of just human behavior.(4) While Antigone represents a full devotion to humanism, her sister, Ismene, represents not only the rejection of it, but also passivity towards the notion of morality which, in a sense, is equivalent to Creon’s treachery towards what we hold morally sacred. Ismene has long been used as a symbol of both anti-politics and anti-humanism, which creates a dynamic plot by contrasting the cowardly fear to stand up for one’s concept of what is right with a brazen display of self-fulfilled justice. (2) What’s worse may be Ismene’s knowledge of her cowardliness and complete complacency, as seen when talking to Antigone about her plan to bury their slain brother when sharing her fear of punishment, Think how we’ll die far worse than all the rest, if we defy the law and move against the