MARKETING :

Marketing is an integrated communications-based process through which

individuals and communities discover that existing and newly-identified
needs and wants may be satisfied by the products and services of others.
Marketing is defined by the American Marketing Association as the activity,
set of institutions, and processes for creating, communicating, delivering,
and exchanging offerings that have value for customers, clients, partners,
and society at large. [1] The term developed from the original meaning which
referred literally to going to market, as in shopping, or going to a market to
buy or sell goods or services.
The Chartered Institute of Marketing, which is the world's largest marketing
body, defines marketing as "The management process responsible for
identifying, anticipating and satisfying customer requirements profitably."[2]
Marketing practice tended to be seen as a creative industry in the past,
which included advertising, distribution and selling. However, because
marketing makes extensive use of social sciences, psychology, sociology,
mathematics, economics, anthropology and neuroscience, the profession is
now widely recognised a science, allowing numerous universities to offer
Master-of-Science (MSc) programmes. The overall process starts with
marketing research and goes through market segmentation, business
planning and execution, ending with pre and post-sales promotional
activities. It is also related to many of the creative arts. The marketing
literature is also infamous for re-inventing itself and its vocabulary according
to the times and the culture.
National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) is expected to open the price
bids for the proposed expansion of Kayamkulam power plant project in the
first week of May 2004, according to Mr S V Moorthy, executive director,
southern region.

STRATEGY
SHIFTING TRENDS
Wedding industry buzzing with bridal, lifestyle expos
Money is not a constraint, but people do not find the time to go places to do
trousseau shopping More

China's Chery eyeing Indian compact car market

In talks with North India-based group to launch compact model QQ More
NTPC plans power auctions from four new `merchant plants'
To consumers ready to shell out the highest tariffs for designated `power
blocks' More
CyberMedia acquires 49% stake in US content provider
CyberMedia has acquired a 49 per cent stake in American content service
provider Publication Services Inc (PSI) through its wholly owned US
subsidiary, CyberMedia India LLC. "We are excited about our partnership with
PSI and, together, we can ... More
S Kumars to launch foreign luxury brands
S Kumars, which recently launched the economy brand Belmonte to cater to
garment and fabric market, is to introduce two foreign luxury brands in early
2007 to target the high net worth segment, a top company official said. The
luxury brands, ... More
Fossil in 50:50 joint venture with Rajesh Exports
To manufacture, market brands in India More

EVENTS
Meet on marketing methods
Dhruva College of Management is organising a seminar on pedagogical tools
and research methods in marketing for faculty and researchers on December
6. Dr H.S. Rao Unnava, a well-known professor from the Fisher College of ...
More

PROMOTIONS & OFFERS

Book in advance and fly for less
Book in advance and you could fly between Delhi and Chennai for Rs 1,425
or 90 per cent off the normal fare of Rs 14,290. As part of the 13th
anniversary celebration, Air Sahara is offering tickets at fares that are as low
Rs 1,125 or 90 per ... More

RETAILING
No hurdles seen in way of Bharti, Wal-Mart retail plan
The proposed alliance between Bharti Enterprises and Wal-Mart Stores for a
joint retail venture is unlikely to face any regulatory hurdles. The existing FDI

guidelines support such an alliance where the arrangements could result in a

win-win ... More
`Indian retail industry likely to emerge the largest'
The Indian retail industry is likely to emerge as the largest in the world
according to experts speaking at an international conference on Private
Labelling in Food Gaining Shelf Space and Market Share organised by the
Confederation of ... More
`Consumers, suppliers should gain from retail sector policy'
Despite the Union Government's decision to go slow on allowing foreign
direct investment in the retail sector, it continues to be in the news with the
entry of bigwigs such as Reliance and the Bharti-Wal-Mart tie-up. Keeping the
rapid growth ... More
National workshop on retail
Pacific Institute of Management, Udaipur in association with Indian Retail
School, New Delhi, is organising a national-level workshop called `Retail
Revolution in India: Reality, Rationale and Repercussions.' The All-India ...
More

OUTLOOK
Sleepins Apparels plans to launch Bia
First few exclusive stores to come up in Pune More
NEW PRODUCTS & SERVICES
Epson unveils multimedia projectors
BANGALORE: Epson on Monday unveiled a multimedia projector range. The
EMP-1705 and EMP-1715 support the three most common wireless protocols.
They come with multi-screen display that allows users to simultaneously
transmit images from a .
NTPC eyes direct sales to bulk users
NTPC Ltd is planning to unshackle the hegemony of State electricity boards
(SEBs) in its customer base and is looking at direct sale of power to bulk
consumers. The State-owned company the country's largest power
generator is targeting at least five to seven per cent sale of electricity
directly to industrial consumers over the next five years.

As a step in the direction, NTPC is looking to setting up merchant plants and

earmarking unallocated power from its new projects to bulk consumers,
either through spot market deals or bilateral arrangements. India Inc can,
thereby, buy power from the utility directly without having to go through the
SEBs, thereby getting assured quality power, while NTPC, which currently
sells its entire generation to SEBs at break-even cost through the power
purchase agreements (PPA) route, stands to get better price from industrial
consumers

Tenders for NTPC super critical units

Projects Today reported that NTPC is likely to invite tenders to procure equipment
for eleven supercritical thermal power units with a cumulative capacity of 7,260 MW
by September 2009.
The 11 units comprise two 660 MW units of Damodar Valley Corporation and 9 units
of 660 MW each of NTPC. DVC and NTPC have already received the technoeconomic clearance to buy INR 21,000 crore power equipment for their upcoming
thermal power generation plants from CEA.
The equipment will be procured through the International Competitive Bidding
route. The bidders should have a manufacturing base in India.

NTPC ready to buy gas from RIL without marketing

My Iris reported that NTPC has agreed to buy natural gas from Reliance Industries
but is opposed to paying marketing margin to RIL and wants to use the fuel at
plants other than Kawas and Gandhar that were identified by the government.
It is learnt that the government had allocated 2.67 million cubic meters of gas a day
of natural gas from RILs Bay of Bengal KG-D6 fields to NTPC but it refused to sign a
purchase agreement.
NTPC was initially unwilling to take the allocation it had intensely fought for, on
grounds that it may compromise its court case against the Mr Mukesh Ambani firm
for non performance of a 2004 tender.
It has now agreed to buy the fuel but wants to renegotiate the terms. NTPC doesnt

want to pay USD 0.12 per million British thermal unit marketing margin and wants
changes in penalty clause to make RIL liable for defaults.

Product mix price bid

National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) is expected to open the price
bids for the proposed expansion of Kayamkulam power plant project in the
first week of May 2004, according to Mr S V Moorthy, executive director,
southern region.
Briefing the media here on the southern region's performance on Tuesday, Mr
Moorthy said that the company had opened the technical bids in March 2004.
The project had already received the no-objection certificate from the Kerala
State Pollution Control Board. The cost of the project is pegged at Rs 7,584
crore, and the entire project will be operational by the July 2009. The
expansion project is part of the Eleventh Plan envisaging a capacity
expansion from the existing 350 MW to 2,300 MW by the year 2009.