A

PROJECT REPORT
ON

“A STUDY OF CONSUMER BUYING PREFERENCE TOWARDS

LAPTOPS WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO SATNA CITY”

SUBMITTED TO

AWADHESH PRATAP SINGH UNIVERSITY, REWA (M.P.)

FOR THE AWARD OF

BACHELOR OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION
BBA (SEMESTER-VI)

SUBMITTED BY

MR. SANJAY PANDEY

UNDER GUIDANCE OF
DR. FAHIM SIDDIQUI

VINDHYA INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT & SCIENCE,

SATNA (M.P.)
 2013- 2014

VINDHYA INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT & SCIENCE,

SATNA (M.P.)

PRINCIPAL’S RECOMMENDATION

To,
The Registrar,
Awadhesh Pratap Singh University,
Rewa.

Sub: Request for approval of BBA (Semester-VI) Project Report.

Sir,

I am recommending the project report entitled “A STUDY OF CONSUMER BUYING

PREFERENCE TOWARDS LAPTOPS WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO SATNA CITY”
prepared by MR. SANJAY PANDEY under the guidance of MR. FAHIM
SIDDIQUI for the partial fulfillment of university requirements for the award
of Bachelor Of Business Administration (BBA) degree of AWADHESH PRATAP
SINGH UNIVERSITY, REWA.

Thanking You.

Place: Satna Dr. (Mrs.) Shraddha Mishra

2
Date: / / 2014 (Principal)

3
 VINDHYA INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT & SCIENCE,
SATNA (M.P.)

H. O. D’S CERTIFICATE

This is to certify that MR. SANJAY PANDEY has satisfactorily

completed the project work on “A STUDY OF COMSUMER BUYING PREFERENCE

TO WORDS LAPTOPS WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO SATNA CITY” under the

guidance of DR.FAHIM SIDDQUI for the partial fulfillment of BBA

(Semester-VI) submitted to Awadhesh Pratap Singh University, Rewa during

the academic year 2013-2014.

To best of my knowledge and belief the matter presented by her is

original work and not copied from any source. Also this report has not been

submitted earlier for the award of Degree of Awadhesh Pratap Singh

University, Rewa.

Place: Satna DR. Fahim Siddiqui

Date: / / 2014 (H.O.D., Dept. of BBA)

4
 VINDHYA INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT & SCIENCE,
SATNA (M.P.)

GUIDE’S CERTIFICATE
This is to certify that MR. SANJAY PANDEY has satisfactorily completed

the Project work on“A STUDY OF COMSUMER BUYING PREFERENCE TO WORDS

LAPTOPS WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO SATNA CITY” under my guidance for the

partial fulfillment of BBA (Semester-VI) submitted to Awadhesh Pratap Singh

University, Rewa during the academic year 2013-2014.

To best of my knowledge and belief the matter presented by her is original

work and not copied from any source. Also this report has not been submitted

earlier for the award of any Degree of Awadhesh Pratap Singh University, Rewa.

Place: Satna DR. Fahim Siddiqui

Date: / / 2014 (Project Guide)

5
 VINDHYA INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT & SCIENCE,
SATNA (M.P.)

DECLARATION

I undersigned, hereby declare that this project report entitled “A STUDY OF

COMSUMER BUYING PREFERENCE TO WORDS LAPTOPS WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE

TO SATNA CITY” prescribed by AWADHESH PRATAP SINGH UNIVERSITY, REWA

during the academic year 2013-2014 under the guidance of DR. Fahim Siddiqui is

my original work.

The matter presented in this report has not been copied from any source. I

understand that any such copying is liable to be punishable in any way the

university authorities deem to be fit. Also this report has not been submitted

earlier for the award of any Degree or Diploma of Awadhesh Pratap Singh

University, Rewa or any other University.

This work humbly submitted to Awadhesh Pratap Singh University for the

partial fulfillment of Bachelor of Business Administration (Sem-VI).

PLACE: SATNA MR.

SANJAY PANDEY

6
DATE: / / 2014

VINDHYA INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT & SCIENCE,

SATNA (M.P.)

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

Whenever we are standing on most difficult step of the dream of our life,
we often remind about The Great God for His blessings & kind help and he
always helps us in tracking off the problems by some means in our lifetime. I feel
great pleasure to present this project entitled
I am grateful to those people who help me a lot in preparation of this
project report. It is their support and blessings, which has brought me to write
this project report. I have a deep sense of gratitude in my heart for them.
I would give sincere thanks to Mr. K. P. Tripathi, Asst. Professor, VIMR for his
valuable support and guidance.
I am very thankful to my project guide DR. Fahim Siddiqui for his whole-
hearted support and affectionate encouragement without which my successful
project would not have been possible.
Finally, I am very grateful to Mighty God and inspiring parents whose
loving & caring support contributed a major share in completion of my task.

7
 Mr. SANJAY PANDEY

TABLE OF CONTENTS

S.N. Contents Page No.

1 Introduction 8-13

2 Company Profile 14-18

3 Objectives 19-20

4 Review of Literature 21-24

5 Research Methodology 25-28

6 Data Analysis & Interpretation 29-43

7 Findings & Suggestions 44-46

8 Limitations 47-48

9 Conclusion 49-50

10 Bibliography 51-52

Annexure
11 53-56
Questionnaire

8
 CHAPTER-I

INTRODUCTION OF PROJECT

9
INTRODUCTION:

CONSUMER BUYING PREFERENCE

The most crucial issue for the marketers is to identify the needs of the consumers. Only the
identification of needs is of no value unless and until this is transformed in to a meaningful
and appropriate satisfiers. For this whole process of converting needs into actual satisfaction
one needs to understand the complete make up of consumer’s mind, and this process is
known as consumer behavior. Let’s also discuss some of the definitions of consumer
behavior.

According to Schiffman and Kanuk “Consumer behavior encompasses all of the

behaviors that consumers display in searching for, purchasing, using, evaluating and
disposing of products and services that they expect will satisfy their needs”.

Wells and Prensky defines that Consumer behavior is the study of consumers as they
exchange something of value for a product or service that satisfies their needs.

Hawkins, Best and Coney describes “The field of consumer behavior is the study of
individuals, groups, or organizations and the processes they use to select, secure, use, and
dispose of products, services, experiences, or ideas to satisfy needs and the impacts that these
processes have on the consumer and society”.

On the basis of above definitions, it can be concluded that consumer behavior is the
study of consumers regarding what they buy, when do they buy, from where they buy, how
frequently they buy, and how they use certain products. But the study does not stop here as it
also goes further to study the post purchase and evaluations of the consumers. So, it addresses
all the issues related from pre-purchase to post purchase behavior of the consumers.

The study regarding consumer behavior can be divided into two parts i.e. consumer
buying dynamics and dynamics of business buyers.

10
CONSUMERS’ BUYING DYNAMICS

Perception: Perception is the process by which an individual selects stimuli, organizes

information about those stimuli, and interprets the information. Perception poses powerful
implications for marketers. What is perceived by an individual, it determines how he or she
behaves? No consumer purchase can take place unless a consumer perceives that the product
or service will offer the benefits he or she needs. Accordingly, marketers must understand
how perception works in order to communicate successfully a product’s benefits. Regardless
of the fact that a product is innovative or advertisement is effective, it will fail if it is not
perceived favorably by the potential consumers.

Learning: Learning is a continuous process by which individual acquires knowledge so that

it causes a permanent change in behavior. Learning is a kind of process that evolves over a
time and cannot be directly observed. When a person perceives new stimuli in the
environment, it is related with the existing pond of knowledge. Therefore, learning reflects
both current experiences and past back ground. Learning is essential to the consumption
process. In fact, consumer behaviour is largely learned behavior. We acquire most of our
attitudes, values, tastes, preferences, symbolic meanings and feeling through learning. Human
culture and social class, institutions such as schools and religious organizations, family,
friends, mass media and advertising provide learning experiences that influence the kind of
life style the consumers seek and the products they consume. Marketers spend considerable
effort to ensure that consumers learn of their existence as well as about their products.
Companies that make their consumers learn about their products and services in an effective
and efficient manner often obtain a long-term competitive advantage them that of their
competitors.

(c) Personality: Personality is defined as those inner psychological characteristics that both
determine and reflect how a person responds to his environmental stimuli. Personality is
enduring and ensures that a person’s responses are consistent over time. But personality
cannot be considered as a unified whole, for that purpose different personality traits are to be
studied by the marketers. For example, dogmatism is a personality trait that measures the

11
degree of rigidity among individuals. If a person is highly dogmatic, it’s very difficult to
convenience him regarding the innovative products and brands. They are move likely to
choose well established brands and can not be convinced by celebrities in the advertisements.
Rather these kinds of people are influenced by the authoritative appeals. On the contrary,
those who possess the trait of innovativeness are move receptive to new products, new
services and new practices. They are prone to newer experiments. There could be some other
personality traits like inner directed consumes and other directed consumers. So, on the basis
of these personality traits, the process of segmentation can effectively be performed.

ORGANISATIONAL BUYING BEHAVIOUR

Industrial organizations do not engage only in selling. They also buy certain kind of
things like materials, manufactured parts, plant & equipments and different services etc.
Therefore, they require the services of other organizations and such organisations need to
understand these organizations’ needs, resources, polices, and buying procedures. So, in this
section we will examine few questions like-what is business market and how it differs from
consumer market, what kind of buying situations occur and who involves in the buying
business forecast etc. Let’s look into these questions one by one.

According to Webster and Wihel “Organizational buying is the decision-making

process by which formal organizations establish the need for purchased products and services
and identify, evaluate, and choose among alternative brands and suppliers”.

S.J. Skinner defines “Organizational buying behavior refers to the actions and
decision process of producers, resellers, and governments in deciding what products to buy”.

So, on the basis of above definitions it can be concluded that organizational buying is
the decision-making process in which one organization receives the resources from the other
organization and the providers identify the need for products and services and the receivers
identify, evaluate, and choose among alternative brands and suppliers.

THE ORGANIZATIONAL BUYING DECISION PROCESS

12
 Because organizational decisions typically involve more individuals in more complex
decision tasks than household or individual decisions, marketing efforts to affect this process
are much more complex. There are different stages in the decision-making process from
problem recognition to post purchase performance evaluation. Let’s discuss these stages one
by one.

1. Problem Recognition: Like any other decision-making process, the first stage of
the organizational buying decision process involves problem recognition, where one or more
persons recognize a problem. It may occur under a variety of circumstances. For example, the
sales manager and office manager of an office play a key role in recognizing the need to add
computers to their office. Recognition of this problem, however, can come up in several
ways. In this particular instance, a continuing problem between field sales agents and internal
administrative staff may lead the office manager and sales manager to recognize the problem.
The continuation of these sources of influence eventually leads to an increased level of
importance and the subsequent stage of information search.

2. Information Search: Information search can be both formal and informal. Site
visits to evaluate a potential vendor, laboratory tests of a new product or prototype, and
investigation of possible product specifications are part of formal information search.
Informal information search can occur during discussions with sales representatives, while
attending trade shows, or reading industry specific journals. Business buyers search for
information both to help make the best decision and to support their actions and
recommendations within the organization.

3. Evaluation and Selection: The evaluation of possible suppliers and selection of a

supplier often follows a two-stage decision process. The first stage is making the buyer’s
approved suppliers list. In this case, a conjunctive decision process is very common. Using
this kind of process, the organizations screen out potential suppliers that do not meet all its
criteria.

A second stage of organizational decision making could involve other decision rules
such as disjunctive and lexicographic etc. In the disjunctive decision rule, a minimum level of
performance for each important attribute is established. All brands that surpass the

13
performance for any key attribute are considered acceptable. The lexicographic decision rule
requires the business buyer to rank the criteria in order of importance. The buyer then selects
the supplier/product that performs best on the most important attribute. If two or more brands
tie on this attribute, they are evaluated on the second most important attribute. This process is
further complicated by the fact that different members of the decision-making unit have
different evaluation criteria.

4. Purchase and Decision Implementation: Once the decision to buy from a

particular organization has been made, the method of purchase must be determined. From the
seller’s point of view, it means how and when they will get paid. In many cases, payment is
not made until delivery. Others involve progress payments. For a construction or builders’
firm that takes years, the method of payment is critical. On international basis, purchase
implementation and method of payment are even more critical.

5. Post purchase performance evaluation: In the final stage of business buying

division process, the new product’s performance is evaluated. The product’s actual
performance is compared to specifications and necessary adjustments are made of the product
that does not function as per expectations, the organization can ask the supplier to replace it.
At the same time, the supplier’s performance is also evaluated. If it is found to be
unacceptable, the buyer will seek corrective action from the supplier or he will search out for
a new supplier.

14
 CHAPTER-II

COMPANY PROFILE
(FEATURES OF LAPTOPS)

15
The laptop computers are made for increasing the convenience of users.
The laptop computer is portable equipment. The laptop computers are portable due to light
weight. They have many features when they are compared with desktop computers. Laptop
computers are operated using built in batteries. These batteries are made for long life. The
laptop computer has a built in touch pad so that it can be operated without a mouse. The key
board and monitor have also been built in so that the equipment facilitates all functions.

The laptop computers are smaller and energy efficient. The parts used to make them are
expensive. The facilities provided in a laptop computer are similar to that of a desktop
computer. Different versions of laptops are available in the market with large screens, high
capacity graphic cards etc.
The specialty in laptop computers includes light weight and lower energy consumption. Also
they are less noisy and easy to handle. Similar to desktop computers the laptop computers
include mother board, processor, hard disk, memory, graphic card, keyboard, mouse and
display device.
The major benefits of a laptop computer are that it is lighter in weight and can be used while
travelling. The disadvantage of a laptop computer is that it does not support for expansion or
upgrade. The laptop computers are equipped with built in wireless network cards. It
facilitates users to connect to the Internet without a cable.

Processor, graphics and memory

Processor (CPU)
The processor, usually Intel or AMD, is the main brain of your computer and has the biggest
effect on how your laptop will run.

Most are at least dual-core - two processors on one chip sharing the workload. Some Intel's
processors use 'Hyper-threading', boosting the dual core processor to act like a quad-core one.

16
Processor clock speed (in GHz) has some impact on performance - the higher the figure, the
faster the computer.

If you’re looking for a high-performance laptop, or something that'll last you for a good few
years, go for a faster processor.

Memory (Ram)
Ram (random access memory) is your laptop's short-term memory, storing information while
you're using the laptop (the hard drive is used for long-term file storage).

The amount of Ram your laptop has determines how many tasks it can accomplish
simultaneously.

Aim for as much Ram as you can afford – ideally at least 4GB to make it easier to rip music
while you're surfing the net, updating your security software, and sending and receiving
emails.

With some laptops you can add more Ram later, but it’s more complicated than adding Ram
to a desktop PC.

Graphics card
Laptops come with either integrated or dedicated graphics.

Laptops with integrated graphics use a chunk of the laptop’s memory (Ram). This is fine if
you’re just planning to do basic, everyday tasks, but if you want to play games or use video-
editing software, for example, it’s best to go for a laptop with a separate graphics card,
freeing up your Ram.

Expect to pay more for a laptop with a dedicated graphics card.

Laptop storage

Hard disk drive (HDD)

The hard disk provides memory for long-term data storage – measured in gigabytes (GB).

It stores the operating system and applications (programs) as well as files including music,
photos and documents.

We recommend a minimum of 500GB hard disk space - storing video, high-resolution

photos, music and software uses up a lot of space.

If in doubt, go for more hard drive space if you can afford it.

17
Solid state drive (SDD)
Solid state drives work like hard drives. There are no moving parts – so they don’t’ get as hot
– and should help produce faster start-up times and processing, and also extend battery life.
The downside is it doesn't offer as much space as a hard disk drive.

Many premium laptops, such as ultrabooks, have a solid state drive (the most common size is
128GB), or a hybrid of SSD and hard disk storage.

Hybrids often take the form of a 16GB solid state cache to boost loading speeds while
keeping the larger storage capacity with the normal hard drive. In this case you can’t save
files to the SSD.

Optical drive
Some laptops come with a CD/DVD drive. All but the cheapest models include DVD burners
as well as CD burners, so you can save to CD or DVD.

A DVD burner is useful for making your own videos and backing up large amounts of data -
DVDs hold much more data than CDs.

Higher-end laptops include a Blu-ray drive so you can watch high-definition (HD) films on
the move. Slot-load drives are preferable to tray-mounted drives, as they’re less prone to
breakage on the move.

Many ultrabook, or ultra slim, laptops don’t have a disk drive, so they’re slimmer and lighter.
With these laptops you may want to consider getting an external drive or cloud storage for
backing up.

USB, HDMI and memory card

18
USB is the most common type of connection. You’ll usually get two or three USB ports on a
laptop so you can connect peripherals such as a mouse or external hard drive and save to a
USB stick.

They may be USB 2 or the faster USB 3 ports, or a mix of the two.

An HDMI output lets you hook your laptop up to a TV.

Some laptops also have memory card slots, making it easy to get photos off of your camera’s
memory card.

Wi-fi and Gigabit Ethernet

Most laptops include a port for connecting to the internet, either a wired 100Mbps or a faster
gigabit ethernet connection.

Most laptops will now use the latest 802.11n wireless protocol.

Laptop screen
A 15-inch screen is the average size for a laptop.

A desktop replacement-type laptop might come with a 17-inch display, while ultra-portables
might go as low as the 11-inch mark. You will find options in between too.

If you're planning to use your laptop on the move, it might be worth considering a matte
screen. Glossy displays tend to suffer from reflections.

Touchscreens are becoming the norm with Windows 8 laptops, certainly on mid and high-end
models.

Keyboard

19
A laptop’s keyboard is smaller than a desktop computer’s - keys are closer together, and may
also be smaller.

Many 13-inch models don’t have room for a separate number pad. It’s a good idea to try out a
laptop’s keyboard before you buy if you can, to ensure you get one you're comfortable with.

Laptop battery life

The best standard laptops have a battery life of around five to six hours.

Larger, desktop replacement laptops may only last around three hours though, while the
longest laptop battery life on the best ultraportable models runs closer to seven hours.
Adjusting the power settings within the laptop can preserve the battery.

How important battery life is to you depends on where you are planning to use your laptop -
if it's mainly at home near a power point, battery life isn’t top priority.

CHAPTER-III

OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY

20
OBJECTIVES

This research is based on the study of consumer buying preference towards laptops. The
objectives of my study are as follows:

1. To analyze the customer preference level associated with different laptops.

2. To find out the customer preference towards the various laptops.
3. To study the factors influences decision–making while purchasing a laptop.
4. To know which advertising media puts more impact on the buying decision of
consumer.

21
 CHAPTER-IV

REVIEW OF LITERATURE

22
Review of Literature:

The researcher made an attempt to collect information from the prior researches and relevant
studies conducted in the area of consumer behavior and buying preference so that the
important variables for the study could be identified and analyzed. The review of literature
has been presented in a summarized and precise manner.

Consumer Behaviour by Hawkins, Best, Coney and Mokherjee: The authors of the book
discussed various factors affecting consumer behaviour for buying such as demographic and
social influences (family and household), group influence, impact of advertising and internal
influences (learning, perception, attitude etc.).

Consumer Behaviour by Leslie Lazar and Schiffman: The authors suggested consumer
behaviour as individual differs as from group. The family decision for a purchase decision is
entirely different from individual decision making. The authors discussed various variables
that affect consumer purchase decision. The book focused on family life cycle and various
needs of consumer during different life stages. The family decision making process as a

23
group decision making is elaborated and it is recommended to segment the market according
to family need hierarchy.

Consumer Behaviour by Bitta and Della: The authors proposed that consumer behaviour
studies play an important role in deciding marketing segments and marketing strategies. The
authors recommended that consumer is often studied because certain discussions are
significantly affected by their behaviour or expected actions. For this reason such consumer
behaviour is said to be an applied discipline. Such applications can exist at two levels of
analysis. Market segmentation, consumer decision making and buying behaviour is
considered as core marketing activities in designing effective marketing strategies.

The micro perspective involves understanding consumers for the purpose of helping a firm or
organisation to accomplish its objectives. On the other hand macro or societal perspective
consumers collectively influence economic and social conditions within an entire society. The
authors discussed factors affecting consumer behaviour at micro and macro level for making
a purchase decision.

Consumer Behavior by Karunik and Schiffman: The book highlights dynamic business
environment is turbulent as never before and the service industry as promising as never
before. In this era of intense competition companies understand the customer is the king in
the market and success depends a lot on the efficiency of the managers in delivering the
promised product or services. The responsibility lies on the organisations to develop a
culture, ethics, responsibility, value and quality services should be offered to achieve higher
level of customer satisfaction. Dynamic consumer behaviour is required to analyse various
factors affecting consumer purchase decision directly or indirectly.

Consumer Behaviour by Batra, S, K & Kazmi,: The book has described consumer
decision making process, buyers black box and importance of consumer behaviour studies for
marketers in order to understand what satisfy the ultimate consumer. The book described vital
characteristics of Indian consumer and competitive advantages in Indian context for the
marketers. The consumer decision process, buying roles and consumer black box are
discussed in detail. The various steps evolving consumer decision making are linked with the
24
life stages. Young buyers, women and children considered as uprising consumers groups as a
part of competitive market situations.

Marketing Management by Philip Kotler: The customer is always considered as a core of

business activity. Author discussed in this book that marketing is only one factor in attracting
and keeping customers. Peter F. Drucker observed that a company‟s first task is “to create
customers.” Customer estimate will deliver the most value. The book highlighted consumer
decisions making process and buying roles. The book considered customers as value
maximiser within the bounds of search costs, limited knowledge, mobility and income.6
Services Marketing by C. Lovelock and J. Writz: The book emphasised on services
marketing as a broad area and places marketing issues within a broader general management
context while offering a balanced focused on close ties that link marketing, operations and
human resource marketing. It also relates the understanding of consumer behaviour function
to develop appropriate marketing strategy. Service triangle, feature of services and service
marketing strategies are discussed in this book with detailed explanation of service quality
model.

Services Marketing by Lovelock: The book is emphasised on advancements and challenges

in services marketing. The book discussed role of consumer in designing services, delivering
and performing quality service to the consumers for deriving customer satisfaction. The book
focused on complexity of designing service marketing strategies and establishing service
standards. Various threats and challenges in designing service marketing strategies have been
discussed with required solutions in turbulent marketing situations.

Services Marketing by Zeithaml and Bitner: The book emphasised on various ingredients
of services marketing such as consumer behaviour in services, services designs and
standards, delivering and performing service and managing service promises. The book
focused on various challenges and issues of service marketing, the GAPS model of service
quality and customer defined service standards. The book discussed service quality models
and service preference models in detail. The book also recommended uniformity in quality
standards should be implemented.

25
 CHAPTER-V

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

26
Research Methodology:

This project is prepared with the help of theoretical knowledge as well as practical
knowledge & a crumb of advises & suggestions from the concerned professors. As far as
practical is concerned, all the information about the companies information available on
internet. The theoretical pert taken from the various books & magazines available on this
subject. And other recent happing in marketing is taken from magazines & news paper.
Overall this mission has been completed with the combination of all those things & it had
been with the best of my facts & information.

Research methodology refers to search for knowledge. Redman and Mory define research as
a “Systematized effort to gain new knowledge. Research is an academic activity and such the
term should be used in technical sense. According to Clifford Woody, Research comprises

27
defining and redefining problem, formulating hypothesis or suggested solutions; collecting,
organizing and evaluating data; making deductions and research conclusions; and at last
carefully testing the conclusions to determine whether they fit the formulating hypothesis.

Research is thus an original contribution to the existing stock of knowledge making for its
advertisement. It is pursuit of truth with the help of study, observation, comparison and
experiment. In short the search for knowledge through objective and systematic method of
finding solution to problem is research.

RESEARCH DESIGN

A Research design is the arrangement of conditions for collection and analysis of data in a
manner that aims to combine relevance to the Research purpose with economy in procedure.
In fact the Research design is the conceptual structure within which Research is conducted: it
constitutes the blueprint for the collection measurement and analysis of data.

It must be able to define clearly what they want to measure and must find adequate methods
for measuring it along with a clear cut definition of population wants to study. Since the aim
is to obtain complete and accurate information in these studies, the procedure to be used must
be carefully planned. The research design must make enough provision for protection against
bias and must maximize reliability with due concern for the economical completion of the
search study.

Descriptive research is adopted for this study. It includes surveys and fact finding
enquires of different kinds. The major purpose of descriptive research is description of the
state affairs as it exists at present. The main characteristic of this method is that the researcher
has no control over the variables. He can only report what has happened or what is happened.

SAMPLING DESIGN

A sample design is a definite plan for obtaining a sample from the sampling frame, it refers to
28
the technique or procedure the researcher would adopt in selecting some sampling units from
which interferences about the population is drawn. Sampling type used is Simple Random
sampling technique.

POPULATION AND SAMPLE SIZE

A decision has to be taken concerning sampling unit before selecting sample. The population
for this study includes the employees from Birla Corporation Limited, Satna. 100 employees
were undertaken for the study.

DATA COLLECTION

For achieving the specific objectives of this study, data were gathered from both primary and
secondary sources.

Primary Sources:

 Direct conversation with the employees.

 Employee’s opinion towards recruitment and selection procedure of the company.

Secondary Sources:

 Various records of the Company.

 Different Types of system information.
 Different newsletters.

29
 CHAPTER-VI
DATA ANALYSIS & INTERPRETATION
30
 DATA ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION

1. Please rank the following features when you buy a new laptop.

a) Look

Rank No. of Percentage

respondent
1 4 4
2 16 16
3 8 8
4 40 40
5 4 4
6 4 4
7 - -
8 12 12
9 12 12

31
INTERPRETATION

The above graph shows rank wise percentage of customer’s preference for Look. It shows that
Look is not their first preference, 40% of the respondents have given 4th rank for Look whereas
only 4% have given 1st rank for the look.

b) Price:

Rank No. of Percentage

respondent
1 12 4
2 60 16
3 8 8
4 8 8
5 - -
6 - -
7 8 8
8 4 4
9 - -

32
INTERPRETATION

The above graph shows rank wise percentage of customer’s preference for Price. It shows that
Price is their second preference,60% of the respondents have given 2nd rank for Price, whereas
only 12% have given 1st rank for the Price.

c) Maintenance

Rank No. of Percentage

respondent
1 4 4
2 - -
3 56 56
4 16 16
5 4 4
6 8 8
7 - -
8 8 8
9 4 4

33
INTERPRETATION

The above graph shows rank wise percentage of customer’s preference for Maintenance. It
shows that Maintenance is not their First preference, 56% of the respondents have given 3rd
rank for Maintenance, whereas only 4% have given 1st rank for the Maintenance.

d) Company’s service:

Rank No. of Percentage

respondent
1 - -
2 - -
3 - -
4 12 12
5 12 12
6 12 12
7 16 16
8 44 44
9 4 4

34
INTERPRETATION

The above graph shows rank wise percentage of customer’s preference for company service. It
shows that company service is not their First preference, 44% of the respondents have given
8th rank for company service, whereas no one has given 1st rank for the company service.

e) Space:

Rank No. of Percentage

respondent
1 - -
2 - -
3 4 4
4 - -
5 40 40
6 8 8
7 4 4
8 12 12
9 32 32

35
INTERPRETATION

The above graph shows rank wise percentage of customer’s preference for Space. It shows that
Space is not their First preference, 40% of the respondents have given 5th rank for safety ,
whereas no one has given 1st rank for the safety features.

f) Ready availability:

Rank No. of Percentage

respondent
1 - -
2 - -
3 4 4
4 - -
5 40 40
6 8 8
7 4 4
8 12 12
9 32 32

36
INTERPRETATION

The above graph shows rank wise percentage of customer’s preference for Ready availability.
It shows that Ready availability is not their First preference, 40% of the respondents have given
5th rank for Ready availability, whereas no one has given 1st rank for the Ready availability.

g) Comfort:

Rank No. of Percentage

respondent
1 4 4
2 4 4
3 4 4
4 4 4
5 8 8
6 20 20
7 16 16
8 4 4
9 36 36

37
INTERPRETATION

The above graph shows rank wise percentage of customer’s preference for Comfort. It shows

that Comfort is not their First preference, 36% of the respondents have given 9th rank for

Comfort, whereas only 4% have given 1st rank for Comfort.

38
2) What is your budget for a new laptop?

Purchasing power of the Number of Respondent in

respondent respondent Percentage
< Rs. 20000 20 20%
Rs. 20000-30000 64 64%
> Rs. 30000 16 16%

INTERPRETATION

The above graph shows that 20% of respondents are willing to spend less than Rs. 20000, 64%
of respondents are willing to spend between 20000-30000 rupees and 16% of respondents are
willing to spend more than 30000 rupees.

39
 3) Which of the following facilities/ services do you except from the dealer?

Facilities / Services No. Of Respondents

Quick service 84
1 Yr Free service 76
Discount on Accessories 12
Home Delivery 8
Installment Payment Facility 72

INTERPRETATION

According to customer preference quick service, 1 Yr Free service and installment payment
facilities are considered to be the most important facility / services from the dealer.

40
 4) Rank the following in the order of preference:

a) Accer Laptop:

Rank No. of Percentage

respondent
1 4 4
2 4 4
3 4 4
4 2 2
5 4 4
6 12 12
7 4 4
8 2 2
9 16 16
10 48 48

INTERPRETATION

The above graph shows rank wise percentage of customer’s preference for Accer Laptop. It
shows that Accer Laptop is not their First preference, 48% of the respondents have given
10th rank for Accer Laptop, whereas only 4% have given 1st rank for Accer Laptop.

41
 b) HP Laptop:

Rank No. of Percentage

respondent
1 4 4
2 4 4
3 12 12
4 4 4
5 12 12
6 4 4
7 4 4
8 8 8
9 48 48
10 - -

INTERPRETATION

The above graph shows rank wise percentage of customer’s preference for HP Laptop. It
shows that HP Laptop is not their First preference, 48% of the respondents have given 9th
rank for HP Laptop, where as only 4% have given 1st rank for HP Laptop.

42
 c) Dell Laptop:

Rank No. of Percentage

respondent
1 64 64
2 8 8
3 4 4
4 8 8
5 4 4
6 8 8
7 4 4
8 - -
9 - -
10 - -

INTERPRETATION

The above graph shows rank wise percentage of customer’s preference for Dell Laptop. It
shows that Dell Laptop is their First preference i.e. 64% of the respondents has given 1st
rank for Dell Laptop.

43
 5) Do you own a laptop?

Response No. of Respondent Respondents

in %
Yes 68 68%
No 32 32%

INTERPRETATION

The above graph shows that 68% of the respondents are owners of laptops and 32% of

respondent have not owned laptops but are prospect buyers.

44
 8) How did you get to know about a particular laptop?

Percentage
Awareness No. of respondent
TV Advertisement 26 38.24
Magazines / Newspaper 7 10.29
Friends 22 32.35
Existing Customers 9 13.24
Laptop Finance Companies 4 5.88

INTERPRETATION

The above graph shows that 38% of the respondents came to know about a particular laptop

through TV advertisement and 33% of the respondents came to know about the laptop

through friends.

45
 CHAPTER-VII
FINDINGS & SUGGESTIONS

46
 FINDINGS

It has been found that:

1. 64% of respondents are willing to spend between 20000-30000 rupees for buying
a new laptop.

2. 1 Yr Free service and installment payment facilities are considered to be the most
important facility / services from the dealer.

3. Dell Laptop is their First preference i.e. 64% of the respondents has given 1st rank
for Dell Laptop.

4. 68% of the respondents are owners of laptops and 32% of respondent have not
owned laptops but are prospect buyers.

5. 38% of the respondents came to know about a particular laptop through TV

advertisement and 33% of the respondents came to know about the laptop through
friends.

47
 SUGGESTIONS

It is found that in this segment the important features considered by the customers while
buying a laptop are its features, price & maintenance. So manufacturer has to consider
these
aspects to attract and retain customers thus making an effort to build a good brand image.

 Discount on accessories also act as influencing factors for purchase decision. So

dealer can give discounts on accessories, after sales for a period of a year or two
to stimulate the customers.
 Customers want service at their doorsteps but are unaware of the home delivery
facility provided by the dealers. So a measure has to be taken to create awareness
in this direction.
 Most of the customers buy laptops from bank loan rather than financial
companies. So the companies have to come up with attractive loan facilities to
their customers.
 Word of mouth is effective media of communication. Hence the dealer should
keep the existing customers happy by providing good service and make customers
talk good about their service provided.

48
CHAPTER-VIII
LIMITATIONS

49
LIMITATIONS:

1. Due to time constraints the sample size had to be confirmed to 100.

2. The respondents have replied to the queries recalling from their memory.
Therefore recall bias and personal bias are possible.

3. Since the data was collected using a schedule, the interviewer’s inability to
understand and record the responses correctly is possible.

4. The respondents were unable or unwilling to give a complete and accurate

response to certain questions

50
CHAPTER-IX
CONCLUSION

51
Conclusion:

Consumer behavior is the action and decision processes of people who purchase
goods and services for personal consumption. Consumer decision making is influenced
by social, psychological, and personal factors. Social factors are forces exerted by other
people that affect consumer behavior. A social class is a relatively homogeneous and
stable group of people with similar values, attitudes, and behaviors. A role is a set of
functions and activities that a person in a particular position is expected to perform.
Culture is learned values, behaviors, and meaningful symbols shared by members of a
society. A culture is further divided into several subcultures.

Psychological factors are internal forces within people that affect buying decisions. These
factors are motives, perception, learning and personality etc. Motivation research
involves analyzing the major motives that influence buying behavior. Perception is the
process by which an individual selects, organizes and interprets information inputs to
create meaning. An attitude is a person’s overall feeling towards some object.

52
CHAPTER-X
BIBLIOGRAPHY

53
 BIBLIOGRAPHY

BOOKS

Research Methodology : C.S.R. Kothari

Principles of Marketing : Philip Kotler, Prentice Hall of India

Fundamentals of Marketing : William J. Stanton, Mc Graw Hill, New Delhi

Websites:-

1) www.scribd.com
2) Slideshare.com
3) Wikepedia.com

54
CHAPTER-XI
ANNEXURE

55
Questionnaire

RESEARCH SURVEY QUESTIONNAIRE ON LABOR WELFARE FACILITIES

I am a student of A.P.S University, Rewa pursuing B.B.A. with Marketing Specialization.

I am currently doing a survey regarding “A Study of Customer Buying Preference
towards Laptops with special reference to Satna city”. Please spend your precious
time by filling up this questionnaire. Your feedback will be kept confidential. Your
answers are valuable to my research. Thank you for your kind cooperation.

Name:______________________________________________

Age:________________________________________________

Sex:________________________________________________

Occupation:__________________________________________

1. Please rank the following features when you buy a new laptop. (Starting from
1 to 9, 1 for the most preferred and 9 for the least preferred)

Look []

Operating system []

Price []

Maintenance []

Company Service []

Storage capacity []

Ready Availability []

Comfort []

56
 2. What is your budget for a new laptop?

< Rs. 20000 [ ] Rs. 20000-30000 [ ] >Rs. 30000 [ ]

3. Which of the following Facilities/Services do you expect from the dealer?

Quick Service [] 1 year free Insurance []

Discount on Accessories [] Home Delivery []

Vehicle Registration Process [ ] Installment Payment Facility [ ]

4. Which means of Finance would you prefer?

Employee Loan [] Bank Loan []

Laptop Finance Companies [ ] Co-operative Society [ ]

If any other Specify____________________________________________

5. Rank the following in the order of preference. (Starting from 1 to 10, 1 for the most
preferred and 10 for the least preferred)

Accer []

HP []

Dell []

Why do you rank the particular laptop as No. 1?

6. Do you own a laptop?

Yes [ ] No [ ]

(If No, skip the below Questions)

7. Do you find any difficulties in your Laptop?

Yes [ ] No [ ]

57
If yes, what are they?

Company Services [ ]

Service []

Battery Backup []

Storage []

Maintenance [ ]

Comfort []

58
9. Name and dealer of your Previous and Presently Owned laptop.

Name of the laptop: Previous 1____________2____________ Present ___________

Name of the dealer: Previous 1____________ 2 ____________ Present ___________

10. How did you get to know about this Laptop?(Tick any one).

T.V advertisement [] Magazines/Newspaper [ ]

Friends [] Existing Customers []

Laptop Finance Companies [ ] Any other please specify_____________________

11.Please tick the following attributes of your laptop.

a. Price: Expensive [] Reasonable []

b. Style: Stylish [] Simple []

c. Comfort: More comfortable [ ] Less comfortable []

d. Maintenance: Expensive [] Reasonable []

e. Battery Efficiency: Satisfactory [ ] Not-satisfactory []

12. Given a Second chance which laptop would you buy from the same budget?

13. Please suggest any areas for improvement in your laptop dealer.

Thank you for your Co-operation.

59