A PROJECT REPORT ON

MARKETING STRATEGY OF TATA STEEL

SUBMITTED BY
UNDER THE PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF
M.COM PART-1 (SEMESTER-I)
UNDER THE GUIDANCE OF
ACADEMIC YEAR
2015-16
K.G.JOSHI OF ARTS AND N.G.BEDEKAR
COLLEGE OF COMMERCE

DECLARATION
I Aditya Harihar Iyer, Roll No. 35. Here by declares that the project titled MARKETING
STRATEGY OF TATA STEEL is true and fair up to my knowledge. I have not copied the
entire project from direct source.

Place:-Thane

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
I take this opportunity to express my gratitude and acknowledge to all the individuals involved
both directly and indirectly for their valuable help and guidance.
This project has been an attempt to give information about the MARKETING STRATEGY
OF TATA STEEL.
I expressed my deep since of gratitude to founder and president of Vidya Prasarak Mandal. I
express my heartful thanks to our honourable Principal, for her constant support and motivation.
I am also thankful to Sir, co-ordination of self-financed courses for giving us valuable guidance
and information time to time.
I express special thanks to my guide under whose guidance the project conceived, planned, and
executed.
I would also like to thank my family members for encouragement during this Endeavour.
Special thanks to Library staff for providing me various books as and when demanded.
Finally, I am thankful to all my friends without whom this project never had been possible.

1-INTRODUCTION
Marketing is the important aspect of an organisation. The success of the organisation is largely attributed to
the performance of the marketing. Therefore, there must be suitable marketing strategies in respect of the
following:
1. Product Strategy: Every organisation must have appropriate product strategy. The product strategy
enables to take decisions in respect of:
a. Product line/mix: A company may follow either a single product strategy or a multi-product
strategy. A company may concentrate on core product line or a diversified product line
business. For instance, a pharmaceutical company may concentrate on its core product linesdrugs and healthcare products, or it may also deal with other product lines such as toiletries
and cosmetics.
b. Development of new products: A firm must decide about the development of new products
or modified products to face the competition in the market and to meet the needs and wants of
the customers. In this connection, the firm must decide as to how many new products and at
what time intervals they must be introduced.
c. Other product policies: A firm must decide on other product policies in respect of:
i. Policies relating to product packaging.
ii. Policies relating to branding and brand extension.
iii. Policies relating to product positioning, etc.
2. Pricing Strategy: A firm must decide about pricing strategy. While fixing prices, a firm may
consider several factors such as cost of the product, demand for the product, competition in the
market, the nature of product, the nature of consumers, objectives of the firm, etc. There are several
pricing strategies such as:
a. Skimming pricing strategy: In this case, high prices are charged in order to earn high profit
margins. A firm may follow either:
i. Rapid skimming: where high price are charged and there is a heavy promotion, or
ii. Slow skimming: where high prices are charged and there is low promotion.
b. Penetration pricing strategy: In this case, low prices are charged, in order to capture a good
market share. A firm may follow either:
i. Rapid penetration: where low prices are charged and there is heavy promotion, or
ii. Slow penetration: where low prices are charged and there is low promotion.
c. Other pricing strategies: There are several other pricing strategies such as:
i. Follow the leader pricing,
ii. Standard pricing (for all markets same price),
iii. Differential pricing (differential pricing for different markets),
iv. Trial Pricing (initially lower at the product launch)
v. Probe Pricing (initially higher pricing to probe the demand)
3. Distribution Strategy: A firm must frame strategy in respect of distribution. The distribution
strategy needs to be framed in respect of:

a.
b.
c.
d.

Channels of distribution: whether direct channels, or indirect channels.

Areas of distribution: whether local, regional, national, or international.
Dealers network: the number of dealers, area-wise, product-wise.
Dealers training: training to the staff of dealers, especially in the case of consumer durables,

so that they are familiar with the features and operations of the product.
e. Dealers incentives and compensation: commission to be paid to the dealers, and additional
incentives to push sales in the market.
4. Promotion Strategy: A firm must frame policies in respect of promotion. The various promotion
strategies are in respect of the following:
a. Advertising strategy: A firm must frame strategy in the area of advertising in respect of:
i. Advertising budget strategy: brand-wise, area-wise, period-wise and media-wise.
ii. Media scheduling strategies: bursting, flighting, pulsing, etc.
iii. Media selection strategy: depending upon several factors, such as nature of product,
competitors advertising, consumers, advertising budget, advertising objectives, etc.
b. Sales Promotion Strategy: A firm must give proper emphasis on sales promotion techniques.
Therefore, a firm must frame sales promotion strategy in respect of:
i. The amount of funds to be spent on sales promotion techniques like discounts,
exchange offers, free gifts, free samples, premium offers, samples, etc.
ii. Decision on areas like after-sale-service, guarantees, etc. in respect of period,
products, selection and training of service staff, etc.
iii. The duration and timing of sales promotion offers-whether during specific season or
festival periods, etc.
iv. The products or brands, and the market areas, which needs to be given more focus in
respect of sales promotion.
c. Publicity: Now-a-days, publicity plays an important role in promotion of goods and services.
Therefore, a firm needs to frame proper publicity strategy in respect of:
i. The media to be concentrated for publicity.
ii. The period or timing of publicity.
iii. The relationships with various media people.
iv. The amount of funds to be allocated for publicity purpose, such as on event marketing
during product launch, gifts to the media people, etc.
d. Personal Selling Strategy: It plays an important role in promoting the sales of products,
especially in the case of industrial goods. Therefore, proper decisions must be taken in respect
of:
i. The number of sales force, selection and training.
ii. The compensation to the sales force.
iii. The products, which require personal selling efforts.
iv. The market or areas, where personal selling is required, etc.
5. Marketing Research Strategy: Now-a-days, marketing research plays an important role in
marketing of goods and services. A firm must decide in respect of:
a. The products, which requires market research.
b. The markets, where marketing research to be conducted.

c. The type of marketing research, such as sales research, product research, consumer research,
d.
e.
f.
g.

pricing research, etc.

The amount of funds to be invested in marketing research.
The duration and timing of marketing research.
Whether marketing research to be conducted in-house, or by an external agency.
If in-house, selection and training of marketing research staff.

Marketing strategy is the fundamental goal of increasing sales and achieving a sustainable competitive
advantage. Marketing strategy includes all basic, short-term, and long-term activities in the field of
marketing that deal with the analysis of the strategic initial situation of a company and the formulation,
evaluation and selection of market-oriented strategies and therefore contributes to the goals of the company
and its marketing objectives.

Developing a marketing strategy:

The process generally begins with a scan of the business environment, both internal and external, which
includes understanding strategic constraints. It is generally necessary to try to grasp many aspects of the
external environment, including technological, economic, cultural, political and legal aspects. Goals are
chosen. Then, a marketing strategy or marketing plan is an explanation of what specific actions will be taken
over time to achieve the objectives. Plans can be extended to cover many years, with sub-plans for each year,
although as the speed of change in the merchandising environment quickens, time horizons are becoming
shorter. Ideally, strategies are both dynamic and interactive, partially planned and partially unplanned, to
enable a firm to react to unforeseen developments while trying to keep focused on a specific pathway;
generally, a longer time frame is preferred. There are simulations such as customer lifetime value models
which can help marketers conduct "what-if" analyses to forecast what might happen based on possible
actions, and gauge how specific actions might affect such variables as the revenue-per-customer and the
churn rate. Strategies often specify how to adjust the marketing mix; firms can use tools such as Marketing
Mix Modeling to help them decide how to allocate scarce resources for different media, as well as how to
allocate funds across a portfolio of brands. In addition, firms can conduct analyses of performance, customer
analysis, competitor analysis, and target market analysis. A key aspect of marketing strategy is often to keep
marketing consistent with a company's overarching mission statement.
Marketing strategy should not be confused with a marketing objective or mission. For example, a goal may
be to become the market leader, perhaps in a specific niche; a mission may be something along the lines of
"to serve customers with honor and dignity"; in contrast, a marketing strategy describes how a firm will
achieve the stated goal in a way which is consistent with the mission, perhaps by detailed plans for how it
might build a referral network, for example. Strategy varies by type of market. A well-established firm in a

mature market will likely have a different strategy than a start-up. Plans usually involve monitoring, to
assess progress, and prepare for contingencies if problems arise.

Diversity of Strategies:
Marketing strategies may differ depending on the unique situation of the individual business. However, there
are a number of ways of categorizing some generic strategies. A brief description of the most common
categorizing schemes is presented below:
Strategies based on market dominance - In this scheme, firms are classified based on their market share or
dominance of an industry. Typically there are four types of market dominance strategies:

Leader

Challenger

Follower

Nicher

According to Shaw, Eric (2012). "Marketing Strategy: From the Origin of the Concept to the Development
of a Conceptual Framework". Journal of Historical Research in Marketing, there is a framework for
marketing strategies.

Market introduction strategies

"At introduction, the marketing strategist has two principle strategies to choose from: penetration or niche".

Market growth strategies

"In the early growth stage, the marketing manager may choose from two additional strategic alternatives:
segment expansion (Smith, Ansoff) or brand expansion (Borden, Ansoff, Kerin and Peterson, 1978)".

Market maturity strategies

"In maturity, sales growth slows, stabilizes and starts to decline. In early maturity, it is common to employ a
maintenance strategy (BCG), where the firm maintains or holds a stable marketing mix".

Market decline strategies

At some point the decline in sales approaches and then begins to exceed costs. And not just accounting costs,
there are hidden costs as well; as Kotler (1965, p. 109) observed: 'No financial accounting can adequately
convey all the hidden costs.' At some point, with declining sales and rising costs, a harvesting strategy
becomes unprofitable and a divesting strategy necessary".

Early marketing strategy concepts:

Borden's "marketing mix"

"In his classic Harvard Business Review (HBR) article of the marketing mix, Borden (1964) credits James
Culliton in 1948 with describing the marketing executive as a 'decider' and a 'mixer of ingredients.' This led
Borden, in the early 1950s, to the insight that what this mixer of ingredients was deciding upon was a
'marketing mix'".

Smith's "differentiation and segmentation strategies"

"In product differentiation, according to Smith (1956, p. 5), a firm tries 'bending the will of demand to the
will of supply.' That is, distinguishing or differentiating some aspect(s) of its marketing mix from those of
competitors, in a mass market or large segment, where customer preferences are relatively homogeneous (or
heterogeneity is ignored, Hunt, 2011, p. 80), in an attempt to shift its aggregate demand curve to the left
(greater quantity sold for a given price) and make it more inelastic (less amenable to substitutes). With
segmentation, a firm recognizes that it faces multiple demand curves, because customer preferences are
heterogeneous, and focuses on serving one or more specific target segments within the overall market".

Dean's "skimming and penetration strategies"

"With skimming, a firm introduces a product with a high price and after milking the least price sensitive
segment, gradually reduces price, in a stepwise fashion, tapping effective demand at each price level. With
penetration pricing a firm continues its initial low price from introduction to rapidly capture sales and market
share, but with lower profit margins than skimming".

Forrester's "product life cycle (PLC)"

"The PLC does not offer marketing strategies, per se; rather it provides an overarching framework from
which to choose among various strategic alternatives".

Corporate strategy concepts:-

Andrews' "SWOT analysis"

"Although widely used in marketing strategy, SWOT (also known as TOWS) Analysis originated in
corporate strategy. The SWOT concept, if not the acronym, is the work of Kenneth R. Andrews who is
credited with writing the text portion of the classic: Business Policy: Text and Cases (Learned et al., 1965)".

Ansoff's "growth strategies"

"The most well-known, and least often attributed, aspect of Igor Ansoff's Growth Strategies in the marketing
literature is the term 'product-market.' The product-market concept results from Ansoff juxtaposing new and
existing products with new and existing markets in a two by two matrix"

Porter's "generic strategies":Porter generic strategies strategy on the dimensions of strategic scope and strategic strength. Strategic
scope refers to the market penetration while strategic strength refers to the firm's sustainable competitive
advantage. The generic strategy framework (porter 1984) comprises two alternatives each with two
alternative scopes. These are Differentiation and low-cost leadership each with a dimension of Focus-broad
or narrow.

Product differentiation

Cost leadership

Market segmentation

Innovation strategies:Innovation strategies deal with the firm's rate of the new product development and business model
innovation. It asks whether the company is on the cutting edge of technology and business innovation. There
are three types:

Pioneers

Close followers

Late followers

Growth strategies:-

In this scheme we ask the question, "How should the firm grow?". There are a number of different ways of
answering that question, but the most common gives four answers:

Horizontal integration

Vertical integration

Diversification

Intensification

These ways of growth are termed as organic growth. Horizontal growth is whereby a firm grows towards
acquiring other businesses that are in the same line of business for example a clothing retail outlet acquiring
a food outlet. The two are in the retail establishments and their integration lead to expansion. Vertical
integration can be forward or backward. Forward integration is whereby a firm grows towards its customers
for example a food manufacturing firm acquiring a food outlet. Backward integration is whereby a firm
grows towards its source of supply for example a food outlet acquiring a food manufacturing outlet.

Strategic models:Marketing participants often employ strategic models and tools to analyze marketing decisions. When
beginning a strategic analysis, the 3C's model can be employed to get a broad understanding of the strategic
environment. An Ansoff Matrix is also often used to convey an organization's strategic positioning of their
marketing mix. The 4Ps can then be utilized to form a marketing plan to pursue a defined strategy.
Marketing Mix Modeling is often used to simulate different strategic flexing go the 4Ps. Customer lifetime
value models can help simulate long-term effects of changing the 4Ps, e.g.; visualize the multi-year impact
on acquisition, churn rate, and profitability of changes to pricing. However, 4Ps have been expanded to 7 or
8Ps to address the different nature of services.
There are many companies, especially those in the consumer package goods (CPG) market, that adopt the
theory of running their business centered around consumer, shopper and retailer needs. Their marketing
departments spend quality time looking for "growth opportunities" in their categories by identifying relevant
insights (both mindsets and behaviors) on their target consumers, shoppers and retail partners. These growth
opportunities emerge from changes in market trends, segment dynamics changing and also internal brand or
operational business challenges. The marketing team can then prioritize these growth opportunities and
begin to develop strategies to exploit the opportunities that could include new or adapted products, services
as well as changes to the 7Ps.

Real-life marketing:Real-life marketing primarily revolves around the application of a great deal of common-sense; dealing with
a limited number of factors, in an environment of imperfect information and limited resources complicated
by uncertainty and tight timescales. Use of classical marketing techniques, in these circumstances, is
inevitably partial and uneven.
Thus, for example, many new products will emerge from irrational processes and the rational development
process may be used (if at all) to screen out the worst non-runners. The design of the advertising, and the
packaging, will be the output of the creative minds employed; which management will then screen, often by
'gut-reaction', to ensure that it is reasonable.
For most of their time, marketing managers use intuition and experience to analyze and handle the complex,
and unique, situations being faced; without easy reference to theory. This will often be 'flying by the seat of
the pants', or 'gut-reaction'; where the overall strategy, coupled with the knowledge of the customer which
has been absorbed almost by a process of osmosis, will determine the quality of the marketing employed.
This, almost instinctive management, is what is sometimes called 'coarse marketing'; to distinguish it from
the refined, aesthetically pleasing, form favored by the theorists.
An organization's strategy combines all of its marketing goals into one comprehensive plan. A good
marketing strategy should be drawn from market research and focus on the right product mix in order to
achieve the maximum profit potential and sustain the business. The marketing strategy is the foundation of a
marketing plan.
Every time you speak to someone about your business you are involved in marketing. Any conversation
about your firm is an opportunity to promote your business and increase sales.
A marketing strategy will help you focus. It will identify the different ways you can talk to your customers,
and concentrate on the ones that will create most sales.
It tells you what to say, how to say it and who to say it to in order to make more sales. Because timing is
critical, it will tell you when to say it, too.
Objectives:Your marketing objectives will focus on how you increase sales by getting and keeping customers.
To explain how to do this, experts talk about how best to package your products and services, how much to
charge for them and how to take them to market.

A marketing strategy will help you tailor your messages and put the right mix of marketing approaches in
place so that you bring your sales and marketing activities together effectively in an effective marketing
plan.
Knowing your customers:A successful marketing strategy depends on understanding your customers, what they need and how you can
persuade them to buy from you.
There's no substitute for knowledge. Experience and regular two-way communication will tell you a lot
about your customers. But targeted market research will build a more detailed picture of customer segments
with similar needs. It will help you understand how to target these people so you're not wasting time on
people who aren't interested in your offer.
But you'll also need to understand how your market works - where do your customers find out about your
offer, for example? Your strategy should even tell you how you measure up against the competition and what
new trends to expect in your market.
Making a plan:A marketing plan explains how to put your strategy into action. It will set marketing budgets and deadlines,
but it will also tell you how you're going to talk to your target customers - whether that's through advertising,
networking, going to trade shows, direct marketing, and so on.
Crucially, it will tell you when to talk to your customers. Timing your activities to fit their buying cycles will
save money and maximize sales.
Finally, your marketing plan should look to the future: it should outline how you follow up sales and what
you're doing to develop your offer.
As with any plan, progress should be regularly measured and reviewed to see what's working and what isn't,
so you can set new targets as your market changes.
FACTORS IN MARKETING STRATEGY
The companys position in the market: Factors like market share or sales volume should be
analyzed, that is to say, every aspect which can contribute to determine the level of of strength of the
company respecting customers and competitors. It is also to take into account the following factors:

 The companys mission, policies, objectives and resources: This shows the importance of the
values in the foundation of the company; reason why it will center bound aspects to products and
services as well as to marks and marketing strategies.
Your competitors marketing strategies: We should not only know our company but also the
behavior of the competitors' potential and the capacity to add and remove it in products, segments,
markets, distribution channels, etc.. From my point of view one of the clearest indicators that a
company thinks, and it acts with mentality of strategic marketing it is the level of depth that makes of
its competitors.
The projected life cycle stage: The implications of the product life are key when defining the
marketing strategy since they try to foresee (with a certain level of inaccuracy) which will be the
evolution of the sales in the future. Offering a simile with the biological cycle of life.
General economic conditions in which you must do business: Should we look for turbulent
markets or should we escape from them? How they will affect us such questions as the evolution of
the rents in our consumers? Is the company prepared at cultural level to enter in cost strategies?

MARKETING MIX
INTRODUCTION
The marketing mix is one of the most famous marketing terms. The marketing mix is the tactical or
operational part of a marketing plan. The marketing mix is also called the 4Ps and the 7Ps. The 4Ps are price,
place, product and promotion. The services marketing mix is also called the 7Ps and includes the addition of
process, people and physical evidence.
The concept is simple. Think about another common mix a cake mix. All cakes contain eggs, milk, flour,
and sugar. However, you can alter the final cake by altering the amounts of mix elements contained in it. So
for a sweet cake add more sugar!
It is the same with the marketing mix. The offer you make to your customer can be altered by varying the
mix elements. So for a high profile brand, increase the focus on promotion and desensitize the weight given
to price.
Another way to think about the marketing mix is to use the image of an artists palette. The marketer mixes
the prime colors (mix elements) in different quantities to deliver a particular final color. Every hand painted
picture is original in some way, as is every marketing mix. Lets look at the elements of the marketing mix in
more detail. Click on the links to go to the lesson on each element.

MEANING
The process of marketing or distribution of goods requires particular attention of management because
production has no relevance unless products are sold. Marketing mix is the process of designing and
integrating various elements of marketing in such a way to ensure the achievement of enterprise objectives.
The elements of marketing mix have been classified under four headsproduct, price, place and promotion.
That is why marketing mix is said to be a combination of four Ps. Decisions relating to the product include
product designing, packaging and labelling, and varieties of the product. Decision on price is very important
because sales depend to a large extent on product pricing.
Whether uniform price will be charged or different prices will be charged for the same product in different
markets are examples of decision pertaining to the price of the product. The third important element is place,
which refers to decision regarding the market where products will be offered for sale.
Promotion involves decisions bearing on the ways and means of increasing sales. Different tools or methods
may be adopted for this purpose. The relative importance to be attached to the various methods is decided
while concentrating on the element of promotion in marketing mix.
In short, marketing mix involves decisions regarding products to the made available, the price to be charged
for the same, and the incentive to be provided to the consumers in the markets where products would be
made available for sale. These decisions are taken keeping in view the influence of marketing forces outside
the organization
DEFINITION
According to Philip Kotler, marketing mix is the mixture of controllable marketing variable that the firm
uses to pursue the sought level of sales in the target market

Therefore, the marketing mix indicates the appropriate combination of four Psproduct, price, promotion,
and placefor achieving marketing objectives. The components are also known as marketing mix variables
or controllable variables as they can be used according to business requirements. In 1960, E. Jerome
McCarthy in his book, Basic Marketing, popularized a four-factor classification, the so-called four Ps
product, price, place, and promotion.
FEATURES
1. Marketing mix is the crux of marketing process: Marketing mix involves many crucial decisions
relating to each element of the mix. The impact of the mix will be the best when proper weightage is
assigned to each element and they are integrated so that the combined effect leads to the best results.
2. Marketing mix has to be reviewed constantly in order to meet the changing requirements: The
marketing manager has to constantly review the mix and conditions of the market and make
necessary changes in the marketing mix according to changes in the conditions and complexity of the
market.
3. Changes in external environment necessitate alterations in the mix: Changes keep on taking
place in the external environment. For many industries, the customer is the most fluctuating variable

of environment. Customers tastes and preferences change very fast. Brand loyalty and purchasing
power also change over a period. The marketing manager has to carry out market analysis constantly
to make necessary changes in the marketing mix.
4. Changes taking place within the firm also necessitate changes in marketing mix: Changes within
the firm may take place due to technological changes, changes in the product line or changes in the
size and scale of operation. Such changes call for similar changes in the marketing mix.
5. Applicable to business and non-business organization: Marketing mix is applicable not only to
business organizations but also to non-business organizations, such as clubs and educational
institutions. For instance, an educational institution is expected to provide the right courses (product),
charge the right fees (price), promote the institution and the courses, and provide the courses at the
right place.
6. Helps to achieve organizational goals: An application of an appropriate marketing mix helps to
achieve organizational goals such as profits and market share.
7. Concentrates on customers: A thorough understanding of the customer is common to all the four
elements. The focus point of marketing mix is the customer, and the marketing mix is expected to
provide maximum customer satisfaction.

Nature of Marketing-Mix (Components)

1.

Product: A product is any good or service that consumers want. It is a bundle of utilities or a cluster of
tangible and intangible attributes. Product component of the marketing- mix involves planning,
developing and producing the right type of products and services. It deals with the dimensions of
product line, durability and other qualities.
Product policy of a firm also deals with proper branding, right packaging, appropriate color and other
product features. The total produce should be such that it really satisfies the needs of the target market.
In short, product-mix requires decisions with regard to (a) size and weight of the product, (b) quality of
the product, (c) design of the product. (d) Volume of output, (e) brand name, (f) packaging, (g) product
range, (h) product testing, and (j) warranties and after sale services, etc.

2.

Price: Price is an important factor affecting the success of a firm. Pricing decisions and policies have a
direct influence on sales volume and profits of business. Price is, therefore, an important element in the
marketing-mix. In practice, it is very difficult to fix the right price. Right price can be determined
through pricing research and test marketing.

A lot of exercise and innovation is required to determine the price that will enable the firm to sell its
products successfully. Demand, cost, competition, government regulation, etc. are the vital factors that
must be taken into consideration in the determination of price. Price-mix involves decisions regarding
base price, discounts, allowances, freight payment, credit, etc.
3.

Promotion: Promotion component- of the marketing-mix is concerned with bringing products to the
knowledge of customers and persuading them to buy. It is the function of informing and influencing the
customers. Promotion-mix involves decisions with respect to advertising, personal selling and sales
promotion. All these techniques help to promote the sale of products and to fight competition in the
market.
Advertising is a major tool used to communicate a message (called advertising copy) through;
newspapers, magazines, radio, television and other media of advertising. Advertising component of the
promotion-mix requires several decisions with regard to the theme of advertising, the media to be used,
the advertising budget, etc. Large firms employ advertising agencies and specialists to run advertising
campaigns and to prepare individual advertisements.
Personal selling is an effective means of communication with consumers. It involves direct face-to-face
contact between salesmen and consumers. Sales managers plan, direct and control the efforts of
individual sales persons.
Advertising cannot aim directly at the prospect to win his patronage. Therefore, personal selling is
required to complement advertising. Personal selling is particularly useful when the product is of a
technical nature or where goods are to be sold to industrial and commercial establishments.
Sales promotion consists of all forms of communication with the customers except advertising and
personal selling. Free samples, prize contests, premium on sale, displays, shows and exhibitions, etc. are
the main techniques of sales promotion.
No single method of promotion is effective alone and, therefore, a promotional campaign usually
involves a combination of two or more promotional methods. Growing competition and widening
market have made simultaneous use of more than one promotional method all the more necessary.
Combination of two or more methods in a single promotional campaign requires an effective blending of
promotional inputs so as to optimize the expenditure on each. There is no one ideal promotional-mix
that fits all situations. While devising a promotional-mix nature of product, type of customers, the
promotion budget, stage of demand, etc. should be taken into consideration.

4.

Distribution: This element of the marketing-mix involves choice of the place where products are to be
displayed and made available to the customers. It is concerned with decisions relating to the wholesale
and retail outlets or channels of distribution.
The objective of selecting and managing trade channels is to provide the products to the right customer
at the right time and place on a continuing basis. In deciding where and through whom to sell,
management should consider where the customer wants the goods to be available.
A manufacturer may distribute his goods through his own outlets, he may employ wholesalers and
retailers for this purpose. Irrespective of the channel used, management must continuously evaluate
channel performance and make changes whenever performance falls short of expected targets. In
addition, management must develop a physical distribution system for handling and transporting the
products through the selected channel.
In the determination of distribution-mix or marketing logistics, a firm has to make decisions with regard
to the mode of transporting of goods to middlemen, use of company vehicles or a transporter, the route
over which the goods are to be moved, type of warehouses where the goods are to be stored, etc.

5.

People: People are the most important element of any service or experience. Services tend to be
produced and consumed at the same moment, and aspects of the customer experience are altered to meet
the 'individual needs' of the person consuming it. Most of us can think of a situation where the personal
service offered by individuals has made or tainted a tour, vacation or restaurant meal. Remember, people
buy from people that they like, so the attitude, skills and appearance of all staff need to be first class.
This is especially true when it comes to complaint handling. Studies have shown that where people in a
company handle a complaint exceptionally well, the customer can come away more satisfied than they

6.

originally could have.

Physical Evidence: Physical evidence is the material part of a service. Strictly speaking there are no

7.

physical attributes to a service, so a consumer tends to rely on material cues such as:
Packaging
Internet/web pages
Paperwork (such as invoices, tickets and despatch notes)
Brochures
Furnishings
Signage (such as those on aircraft and vehicles)
Uniforms
Business cards
The Premises (such as the importance of clean or prestigious premises for a restaurant)
Process: For the purposes of the marketing mix, process is an element of service that sees the customer
experiencing an organizations offering. It's best viewed as something that your customer participates in

at different points in time. Variables which can affect a customers enjoyment of a service during a
process may include; the greeting, the waiting periods, the booking system and the payment process.
Hence, process is the intangible experience that also influences customers perception of your product or
service.

Determining the Marketing-Mix:

The purpose of determining the marketing is to satisfy the needs and wants of the customers in the most
effective and economical manner. As the needs of the customers and the environmental factors change, the
marketing-mix also changes and it cannot remain static. Marketing-mix is, thus, a dynamic concept. In the
words of Philip Kotler, Marketing mix represents the setting of the firms marketing decision variables at a
particular point of time.
The process of determining the marketing-mix (or marketing decision-making) consists of the following
steps:
1. Identification: First of all, the marketing department must identify the target customers to whom the
sales are to be made.
2. Analysis: Once the target market is identified, the next step is to discover and understand the needs
and desires of the customers. Marketing research is used in locating and analyzing the target market.
It is necessary to know the number, location, buying power and motives of customers. In addition,
the nature of competition, dealers behavior and government regulations must be analyzed.
3. Design: On the basis of the knowledge obtained through identification and analysis, an appropriate
mix of product, price, promotion and channel is designed. Design involves not only the determination
of each component but the proper integration of individual variables so that they reinforce one
another.
4. Testing: It is desirable to make a test run of the marketing-mix designed by the marketing
department. The designed mix may be used in a small group of customers. The reaction of customers
will indicate the adjustments required in the mix.
5. Adoption: After the necessary modifications, the marketing-mix is adopted and put into use. The
adopted mix should be evaluated from time-to-time and it must be adapted to changes in the
environment of business.

DEVELOPING A MARKETING MIX

Intuition and creative thinking are essential job requirements for a marketing manager. But relying on just
these can lead to inaccurate assumptions that may not end up delivering results. To ensure a marketing mix

that is based in research and combines facts with innovation, a manager should go through the following
systematic process:
Step 1: The first item on the marketing managers agenda should be to define what the product has to
offer or its unique selling proposition (USP). Through customer surveys or focus groups, there needs
to be an identification of how important this USP is to the consumer and whether they are intrigued
by the offering. It needs to be clearly understood what the key features and benefits of the product are
and whether they will help ensure sales.
Step 2: The second step is to understand the consumer. The product can be focused by identifying
who will purchase it. All other elements of the marketing mix follow from this understanding. Who is
the customer? What do they need? What is the value of the product to them? This understanding will
ensure that the product offering is relevant and targeted.
Step 3: The next step is to understand the competition. The prices and related benefits such as
discounts, warranties and special offers need to be assessed. An understanding of the subjective value
of the product and a comparison with its actual manufacturing distribution cost will help set a
realistic price point.
Step 4: At this point the marketing manager needs to evaluate placement options to understand
where the customer is most likely to make a purchase and what are the costs associated with using
this channel. Multiple channels may help target a wider customer base and ensure east of access. On
the other hand, if the product serves a niche market then it may make good business sense to
concentrate distribution to a specific area or channel. The perceived value of the product is closely
tied in with how it is made available.
Step 5: Based on the audience identified and the price points established, the marketing
communication strategy can now be developed. Whatever promotional methods are finalized need to
appeal to the intended customers and ensure that the key features and benefits of the product are
clearly understood and highlighted.
Step 6: A step back needs to be taken at this point to see how all the elements identified and planned
for relate to each other. All marketing mix variables are interdependent and rely on each other for a
strong strategy. Do the proposed selling channels reinforce the perceived value of the product? Is the
promotional material in keeping with the distribution channels proposed? The marketing plan can be
finalized once it is ensured that all four elements are in harmony and there are no conflicting
messages, either implicit or explicit.

4 Principles of Marketing Strategy In The Digital Age

Life for marketers used to be simpler. We had just a few TV channels, some radio stations, a handful of top
magazines and a newspaper or two in each market. Reaching consumers was easy, if you were able craft a
compelling message, you could move product.
Ugh! Now weve got a whole slew of TV channels, millions of web sites and hundreds of thousands of
Apps along with an alphabet soup of DMPs, APIs and SDKs. Marketing was never easy, but technology
has made it a whole lot tougher.
What used to be a matter of identifying needs and communicating benefits now requires us to build
immersive experiences that engage consumers. That means we have to seamlessly integrate a whole new
range of skills and capabilities. Its easy to get lost among a sea of buzzwords and false gurus selling snake
oil. Here are 4 principles to guide you:
1. Clarify Business Objectives
Theres so much going on in the marketing arena today, everybody is struggling to keep up. At the same
time, every marketing professional feels pressure to be progressive and actively integrate emerging media
into their marketing program.
However, the mark of a good marketing strategy is not how many gadgets and neologisms are crammed into
it, but how effectively it achieves worthy goals. Therefore, how you define your intent will have a profound
impact on whether you succeed or fail.
Unfortunately, there is a tendency for marketers to try to create a one size fits all approach for a portfolio
of brands or, alternatively, to want to create complicated models to formulate marketing objectives.
However, most businesses can be adequately captured by evaluating just three metrics: awareness, sales and
advocacy (i.e. customer referral).

Some brands are not widely known, others are having trouble converting awareness to sales and still
others need to encourage consumer advocacy. While every business needs all three, it is important to
focus on one primary objective or your strategy will degrade into a muddled hodgepodge.
2. Use Innovation Teams to Identify, Evaluate and Activate Emerging Opportunities
Marketing executives are busy people. They need to actively monitor the marketplace, identify business
opportunities, collaborate with product people and run promotional campaigns. It is unreasonable to
expect them to keep up with the vast array of emerging technology and tactics, especially since most of
it wont pan out anyway.
Therefore, it is essential to have a team dedicated to identifying emerging opportunities, meeting with
start-ups and running test-and-learn programs to evaluate their true potential. Of course, most of these
will fail, but the few winners will more than make up for the losers.

Once an emerging opportunity has performed successfully in a pilot program, it can then be scaled up
and become integrated into the normal strategic process as a viable tactic to achieve an awareness, sales
or advocacy objective.
3. Decouple Strategy and Innovation
Unfortunately, in many organizations, strategy and innovation are often grouped together because they
are both perceived as things that smart people do. Consequently, when firms approach innovation,
they tend to put their best people on it, those who have shown a knack for getting results.
Thats why, all too often, innovation teams are populated by senior executives. Because innovation is
considered crucial to the future of the enterprise (and also due to the institutional clout of the senior
executives) they also tend to have ample resources at their disposal. They are set up to succeed.
Failure, all too often, isnt an option.
However, strategy is fundamentally different from innovation. As noted above, a good strategy is one
that achieves specific objectives. Innovation, however, focuses on creating something completely new
and new things, unfortunately, tend to not work as well as standard solutions (at least at first). The truth
is that innovation is a messy business.

2-MAIN CONTENT
COMPANY PROFILE:About Tata Steel
Established in 1907 as Asia's first integrated private sector steel company, Tata Steel Group is among the
top-ten global steel companies with an annual crude steel capacity of over 29 million tonnes per annum. It is
now the world's second-most geographically-diversified steel producer, with operations in 26 countries and a
commercial presence in over 50 countries. The Tata Steel Group, with a turnover of Rs. 1, 48,614 crores in
FY 14, has over 80,000 employees across five continents and is a Fortune 500 company.
Tata Steels larger production facilities comprise those in India, the UK, the Netherlands, Thailand,
Singapore, China and Australia. Operating companies within the Group include Tata Steel Limited (India),
Tata Steel Europe Limited (formerly Corus), Tata Steel Singapore and Tata Steel Thailand.
The Tata Steel Groups vision is to be the worlds steel industry benchmark in Value Creation and
Corporate Citizenship through the excellence of its people, its innovative approach and overall conduct.
Underpinning this vision is a performance culture committed to aspiration targets, safety and social
responsibility, continuous improvement, openness and transparency.
In 2008, Tata Steel India became the first integrated steel plant in the world, outside Japan, to be awarded the
Deming Application Prize 2008 for excellence in Total Quality Management. In 2012, Tata Steel became the
first integrated steel company in the world, outside Japan, to win the Deming Grand Prize 2012 instituted by
the Japanese Union of Scientists and Engineers.
Indian Operations

Tata Steel founded Indias first industrial city, now Jamshedpur, where it established Indias first integrated
steel plant in 1907. The Jamshedpur Works currently comprises of a 9.7 mtpa crude steel production facility
and a variety of finishing mills.
Two new Greenfield steel projects are planned in the states of Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh. Kalinganagar
project is underway, it is set to augment production capacity by 3 MnTPA in the first phase.
Mines and collieries in India give the Company a distinct advantage in raw material sourcing. Iron Ore
mines are located at Noamundi (Jharkhand) and Joda (Odisha) both located within a distance of 150 km
from Jamshedpur. The Companys captive coal mines are located at Jharia and West Bokaro (Jharkhand).
European Operations

Tata Steel Europe (erstwhile Corus) has a crude steel production capacity of 18 mtpa. Tata Steel Europe has
manufacturing operations in Western Europe, plants in UK, Netherlands, Germany, France and Belgium,
backed by a sophisticated global network of sales offices and service centres.

South East Asian Operations

Tata Steel started its operations in SEA in 2004 with investments in NatSteel Singapore (Tata Steel
Singapore) and Millennium Steel (Tata Steel Thailand).
With over 40 years of Steel making experience, Tata Steel Singapore is one of the most prominent steel
producers in the Asia Pacific region. It caters to the growing construction industry through its manufacturing
presence in Singapore, Thailand, China, Malaysia, The Philippines and Australia.
Tata Steel Thailand is the largest producer of long steel products in Thailand.

Management Speak:
It is in times of challenge, that guidance of the leadership is needed the most. The last year saw
unprecedented turbulence in different areas. Tata Steels leadership team has steered the Company with
astute strategy and solutions, while opening up new opportunities. Through this, it has never veered away
from the Groups stated mission of being a global benchmark in operational excellence, sustainability and
creating long-term value.
Mr. T. V. Narendran (Managing Director, Tata Steel India & South-East Asia), Dr. Karl-Ulrich Koehler
(Managing Director & Chief Executive Officer, Tata Steel Europe) and Mr. Koushik Chatterjee [Group
Executive Director (Finance & Corporate)] respond on last years strategies and performance.
Q1. Why was the performance of Tata Steel India in Financial Year 2014-15 not as good as the previous
year?
During the Financial Year 2014-15, Indias economy went through a mix of highs and lows. While the
headline India GDP numbers showed an increase, many large infrastructure projects announced by the
government are yet to take-off and this has resulted in subdued domestic demand. Apart from this, there was
a surge in imports from China, Japan and Korea, especially during second half of the year which adversely
affected the supply demand balance and led to a sharp drop in domestic steel prices. This had a direct impact
on our revenues.

The Company also had to face disruption in its mining operations due to regulatory headwinds and for the
first time in its history had to purchase iron ore from domestic and international sources. As a result, we
faced significant pressures on our supply chain which adversely affected costs.
Despite this unprecedented situation, we were able to mobilise internal resources effectively to mitigate the
impact on profitability. Measures related to sourcing, logistics and manufacturing were taken to reduce cost
impact. We quickly established relationships with domestic ore suppliers and ramped up our ore stacking
capacity at the plant to minimise disruption to the supply chain. Logistics related costs were controlled by
designing a coastal network, opening seven ports and providing inland rail transport for imported ore. We
also undertook measures to reduce manufacturing costs, like increasing the variability of input fines in the
pellet plant and scrap charges in steel making.
To counter tepid demand conditions and the surge in supply due to imports, we focussed on product
enrichment and strengthening our marketing franchisee which has now grown to 65 distributors and over
9,000 dealers. All of this helped us limit the impact of the sharp drop in steel prices.
Q2. The mining sector in India has gone through a paradigm shift with the MMDR Amendment Act and the
Coal Mines Bill. How will this impact Tata Steel and how much will royalty linked costs increase in the near
term?
The Coal Mines Bill was passed in Rajya Sabha on 19 March, 2015 and the MMDR Amendment Act, 2015
was notified in the Gazette on 27 March, 2015. We have since been working with the respective State
Governments of Jharkhand and Odisha on completing the necessary documentation for extension of its
mining lease as provided in the MMDR Amendment Act.
The MMDR Amendment Act and Coal Mines Bill have paved the way for clarity on captive mining in India
and also should help resolve disruptions to mining due to regulation. In the long term, they are expected to
benefit the end use sectors like steel, cement and power etc., through improved access to raw materials via
auctions for an increased duration. It should increase private participation in mining resulting in increased
competition when the existing Tata Steel captive mines are auctioned.
In the near term though, the MMDR Amendment Act will increase the landed cost of ore which reaches the
plant. The captive miners like Tata Steel which saw increase in the royalty rate for iron ore last year from
10% to 15% will also have to bear additional levies as per Section 9 of the Act. District Mineral Foundation
tax/levy at up to 100% of existing royalty rates and National Mineral Exploration Trust tax/levy at 2% of the
royalty rates have been introduced. While clarity is awaited, it increases the overall tax rate on mining in
India to approximately 79%, the highest taxation rate on mining across the mining countries.
Q3. What is the issue about pensions in UK?

The British Steel Pension Scheme (BSPS) is the largest defined benefit scheme within Tata Steel Europes
portfolio. Due to historically low interest rates in the UK, the valuation placed on the Schemes liabilities has
increased significantly since the last actuarial valuation in 2011 leading to a greatly increased funding
deficit.
This along with difficult business conditions in UK meant that Tata Steel Europe consulted on certain
changes to the pension scheme so that it remains affordable and sustainable going forward whilst still
providing competitive benefits for employee members.
The Company has been in talks with the UK unions since late 2014 about the challenges to the pension
scheme and although these discussions have been challenging, the unions have agreed to recommend a
modified pensions package to their members who achieves the Companys objectives around cost and risk.
At the time this report went to press, the unions were carrying out a consultative ballot of members on this
recommended package.
Q4. Tata Steel raised US$ 7 billion of debt during the year. Can you explain the rationale and the benefits?
The Company believes in proactive management of the Balance Sheet and strives to ensure a balance
between our growth aspirations and prudent financial performance.
International finance markets in 2014 were extremely buoyant and we decided to use the opportunity to
refinance some of our existing debt. We also decided to use this opportunity to diversify our sources of
capital and tapped the international bond market through a successful debut bond offering of US$ 1.5 billion.
The bond issue had a 5 year and a 10 year tranche and the bonds were widely distributed to investors in
South-East Asia and Europe.
The refinancing has secured better terms, extended our debt maturity profile and helped us de-risk our
Balance Sheet.
Q5. Can you explain the impairment charge taken by the Company during the Financial Year 2014-15 and
any other significant one-offs?
As per Indian Accounting Standards, an assessment needs to be carried out, annually or whenever there are
triggers for existence of an impairment i.e., fixed assets being recognised in the financial statement at a
higher value than recoverable. In such a situation, an impairment charge has to be recognised as loss in Profit
& Loss Statement.
The annual assessment of fixed assets was undertaken during the Financial Year 2014-15, taking into
consideration the global economic environment, the changing landscape of the global steel industry and raw
materials.

Europe steel demand saw moderate growth last year but it continues to remain well below sustainable levels
for steelmakers. Steel demand in Europe was the worst hit due to global economic downturn and is still 25%
below the pre-financial crisis levels. This coupled with higher import levels squeezing margins means that
the growth trajectory will be gradual and will affect cash flows of steelmakers. These factors along with
performance of Long Products Europe triggered an impairment charge in Tata Steel Europe. Apart from this,
we also considered a write-down at Benga, Mozambique after considering the future outlook for coal prices.
Coal prices impacted by oversupply and reducing demand from China have declined by nearly 50% in the
last 3 years and a material recovery looks unlikely.
Based on the above and few other minor charges, the Group recorded an impairment charge of ` 6,392 crores
in its Profit & Loss Statement. The impairment charge will not impact the Groups financial covenants or
liquidity position.
Q6. What is the status of the KPO? How will it create value for shareholders?
We believe, that in the long term, the intensity of steel use in India should rise from its current level as
economic growth boosts demand from steel end-use sectors. To ensure it is well positioned to benefit from
this growth, we are looking to expand our steel capacity at regular intervals.
A few years ago, we initiated our 6 million tonnes per annum Greenfield project at Kalinganagar, Odisha
which is being implemented in phases. This is one of the largest Greenfield projects in India in recent times
and apart from increasing our production capacity, it will widen our product portfolio, diversify our customer
base, help us serve our customers better and generate returns for our shareholders.
We continue to make good progress on the completion of Phase 1 of the project. We have started heating of
the coke ovens in the second week of May and these kick-starts the commissioning sequence, which will
take six months to complete. We have received all clearances from the government, at both the State and the
Centre levels. Commercial production is expected to commence in the second half of Financial Year 201516. We have spent ` 20,900 crores so far on the project as of 31 March, 2015.

Strategies and Strategic Objectives:Tata Steel has taken several strategic initiatives to leverage its strength and counter challenges in all its
geographies.

Some key initiatives in India include the greenfield expansion project at Odisha; entry into the steel
doors segment under the brand name Pravesh; Kar Vijay Har Shikhar (KVHS) operations programme
led to improvement projects across the value chain resulting in savings of ` 1800+ crores; Shikhar 25,

expected to achieve 25% EBITDA in next 3-4 years and the Find it-Own it- Fix it Safety Campaign.
In Europe, the Company's market differentiation strategy will help develop a sustainable long-term
position in its chosen markets; and the New Product Development pipeline is enabling the launch of

new products. 30 new products were launched during Financial Year 2013-14. In Financial Year
2014-15 another 35 products were launched. In addition, an innovative new iron making technology

is being piloted which could improve resource efficiency.

Various initiatives in Thailand include tighter working capital management; increasing proportion of
rebar sales in regional areas; developing differentiated products and services; an increase in volume

of downstream products; completion of Procurement Excellence Project along with Renoir.

NatSteel is countering Chinese slowdown by sourcing billets at competitive prices and addressing
pressure on margins with a two pronged strategy:
o Enhancing value to customers by moving towards 100% value-added products. The
Singapore downstream sales grew 3.7%. It continues to enhance its downstream products and
services offering to create further value. The introduction of a new Carpet Reinforcement
product is an example.
o Growing its downstream business in Xiamen (China), Johor Bahru (Malaysia), as well as set
up a new JV in Hong Kong; expand its rebar/wire rod exports into higher margin regions to
maximise profitability.

THE MINING CHALLENGE - LOSS OF STRATEGIC ADVANTAGE

THE CHALLENGE

Captive iron ore supply was stopped due to mine closures in Noamundi, Joda & Khondbond.
Reduced supply of 5.2 million tonnes of iron ore impacted Jamshedpur operations.

THE SOLUTION
SOURCING
A cross functional task force was set up for procuring compatible iron ore from different domestic and
international sources.
LOGISTICS

As rail logistics infrastructure is not designed to receive iron ore through the Tatanagar railway

station route, special liaisoning was done to modify the scheduling system.
All the major east coast ports were utilised to handle additional 3.5 million tonnes of imported ore.

MANUFACTURING
Sinter and Pellet Plant operations regime modified to accommodate multi source iron ore.
KALINGANAGAR PROJECT - SECURING Inclusive Growth

The Kalinganagar Project (KPO) in Odisha will drive an additional capacity of 3 million tonnes per annum
and give the Company leverage in catering to those markets which the Company is unable to cater to
currently because of capacity constraints.
Enhancing capacities
Commercial production from Kalinganagar will start in H2, Financial Year 2015-16. With this, Tata Steel
will reinforce its long term supply commitment to the automotive and other growth markets, and will enable
supply to high-end application products. At full ramp up of all facilities, Kalinganagar will be able to
produce 3 million tonnes per annum of HRC.
Ensuring sustainability
A focussed Rehabilitation & Resettlement (R&R) initiative in and around Kalinganagar, are making it a
model for R&R.
The Tata Steel Parivar is a concept that addresses:

Relocation and rehabilitation of families in specially created colonies.

Community issues like places of worship, spaces for festivals, burial grounds etc.
Health with medical services, ambulance facilities and dispensaries etc.
Education with schools, scholarships, technical training etc., for children and youth.
Women empowerment with schemes like Navjeevan - a womens self-help cooperative.

Opening new segments

The KPO capacities will open new segments such as API (X80 and X100), Heavy Engineering, Construction
Projects, Lifting and Excavation, Electrical Machineries, Boiler Plates, Capital Goods, Ship Building and
Defence which constitute market demand of 8,500k tonnes per annum in Financial Year 2014-15. This will
reach a market size of 11,000k tonnes per annum by Financial Year 2019-20. Post commissioning of the
KPO, not only will the Company be able to complement products of existing facilities, but also address the
entire range of HR market by enhancing its capability to produce up to 1200 MPa tensile, 2050mm wide and
25mm thick HR coils. In addition to this, the Company's ability to meet the emerging requirements in high
strength automotive grades such as DP1200 and TRIP steel will help enhances its Share of Business (SOB)
in the automotive market. The Company will be able to supply high-end application products in the market
(e.g. HS 800, DP 600, DP 1000, API X70/X80, S355, ASTM A572, etc.) and also develop unique grades
with tighter dimensional tolerance. The second phase expansion of the KPO will take the plant capacity to 6
million tonnes per annum.

Some technologies that are unique to KPO include CAS OB process for secondary refining in steel making;
twin Caster for Steel Casting; twin tippler for raw material handling.
JCAPCPL - CAPITALISING ON THE AUTOMOTIVE OPPORTUNITY
With an aim to become the most preferred supplier of high grade Cold Rolled Automotive Steel in India,
Tata Steel Ltd. and Nippon Steel & Sumitomo Metal Corporation (NSSMC) came together to form a Joint
Venture Company, Jamshedpur Continuous Annealing & Processing Company Pvt. Limited (JCAPCPL).
The venture will help Tata Steel improve its overall market share and expand its customer and product base.
The facility has been set up within the Jamshedpur works and includes a Continuous Annealing and
Processing Line (CAPL) with a capacity of 6,00,000 tonnes per annum along with two inspection lines. The
facilities are capable of producing High Strength Steel up to 590 MPa, along with various categories of mild
steel for Automotive Skin and Inner panels.
The shop floor logistics, product handling systems, dust and temperature proofing, inspection systems and
high-end process design are all customised to meet the stringent requirements of the automotive segment.
Tata Steel Minerals Canada - A NEW GREENFIELD INITIATIVE
Tata Steel Minerals Canada (TSMC) is a joint venture between Tata Steel Limited (80%) and New
Millennium Iron Corporation (20%). The Direct Shipping Ore project, the largest Greenfield investment of
Tata Steel outside India, encompasses mining and state-of-the-art iron ore processing facilities in Canada
including Rail and Port Logistics infrastructure, with an initial capacity of 6 million tonnes per annum.
Plans to ramp up the Wet Process Plant to approximately 80% production capacity by Financial Year 201516 are in place. Mine development activities include first time mining in the history of Schefferville from
Kivivic deposit. All critical Environmental Clearances have been obtained.
Other initiatives include an investment in a multi user Deep Sea Terminal in Quebec with a booked capacity
of 5 million tonnes per annum; 26 kms of Rail Line connecting the Rail Loop at the mine; investment of
US$ 10 million in rehabilitation of the Rail Line owned by First Nations Company, TSH (Tshiuetin Rail
Transportation Inc); acquisition of 100% in Howse Deposit; and impact benefit agreements signed with five
First Nation communities to enable inclusive business decisions.

3-SUMMARY
FINDINGS

Marketing is the important aspect of an organisation. The success of the organisation is largely

attributed to the performance of the marketing.

Marketing strategy is the fundamental goal of increasing sales and achieving a sustainable

competitive advantage.
The process generally begins with a scan of the business environment, both internal and external,

which includes understanding strategic constraints.

Ideally, strategies are both dynamic and interactive, partially planned and partially unplanned, to
enable a firm to react to unforeseen developments while trying to keep focused on a specific

pathway; generally, a longer time frame is preferred.

A well-established firm in a mature market will likely have a different strategy than a start-up.
Marketing strategies may differ depending on the unique situation of the individual business.
Innovation strategies deal with the firm's rate of the new product development and business model

innovation.
Horizontal growth is whereby a firm grows towards acquiring other businesses that are in the same

line of business for example a clothing retail outlet acquiring a food outlet.
Real-life marketing primarily revolves around the application of a great deal of common-sense;
dealing with a limited number of factors, in an environment of imperfect information and limited

resources complicated by uncertainty and tight timescales.

The process of marketing or distribution of goods requires particular attention of management
because production has no relevance unless products are sold.

CONCLUSIONS
Marketing strategy is the key to the successful proliferation; under a strategy where we incorporate
all the important points like identifying organizational goals; customer analysis; competitor analysis;
plan for specific product/services, etc. Finally, marketing is a strategic level activity; it needs senior
management involvement at all the levels and it must be on all agendas. Librarians and information
professionals must encourage and develop a marketing culture in their libraries and information
centers and be prepared to market their own very significant talents, experience and skills.
Marketing needs resources, human as well as financial, and it needs teamwork for a successful
implementation. It cannot be done alone, even where the library or information center employs, or
has access to, a designated marketing manager. Marketing is a recipe of success because through
marketing academic libraries can increase the reach of their services and promote themselves. The
investment needs to be serious, and the rewards are immense. So, marketing strategy is important for
every library and information product manager and service provider for success in the market.
In addition, in most cases HP-IT has a very significant role in the success of the projects. The HP
Labs team takes ownership of the development of underlying algorithms and core algorithmic
software engine development, while HP-IT is generally responsible for the integration of the core
analytical engine with back-end IT systems, database design and development, system architecture,
deployment and support of complete system.

BIBLIOGRAPHY
Website:

www.entrepreneurial-insights.com
www.friendsfirst.ie
www.yourarticlelibrary.com
www.marketing91.com
www.managementparadise.com
www.sites.google.com
www.google.com
www.wikipedia.com

Books:

Strategic Management-Michael Vaz