Final Sip Report at Tata Teleservices-_(Consumer Behavior During Taking New Mobile Connections)...

CONSUMER BEHAVIOR DURING TAKING NEW MOBILE CONNECTIONS

TATA TELESERVICES

2008-10

CONSUMER BEHAVIOR

DURING TAKING New

MOBILE CONNECTIONS FINAL SUMMER INTERNSHIP REPORT BY-

SAURABH SINGH

Module B & C, 3rd floor Fortune Towers, Chandrasekharpur, Bhubaneswar - 751023

of 96

A REPORT

ON

SUBMITTED BY:

SAURABH SINGH

“Consumer Behavior during Taking New Mobile Connections”

of 96

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

I wish to acknowledge my indebtedness to my project guide Mr. Amitosh Roy and my Faculty guide Prof. Tanmay Kumar Pattnaik. The project could not have been a success without their able support and guidance. Thanking them is a small gesture for the generosity shown.

I am grateful to SIP Coordinator, Mr. Rajkishore Naik for providing me the chance to do my SIP in a reputed organization like ‘Tata Teleservices’. I will always be obliged to my Company guide Mr. Amitosh Roy and faculty guide Prof. Tanmay Kumar Pattnaik who had given their precious support and guidance in every step of the project otherwise it would have been difficult on my part to bring this project work to completion. I am sure the knowledge imparted will go in a long way in enriching my career.

DATE: 16 May, 2009 Saurabh Singh Batch of 2008-10(MBA)

of 96

Declaration

I do hereby declare that the project entitled “Consumer Behavior during Taking New Mobile Connections” is submitted as a part of my Summer Internship Program for the MBA program.

The project has been done under the able guidance of Mr. Amitosh Roy, Asst. Manager (Retail)-Tata Teleservices (Company guide) and Prof. Tanmay Kumar Pattnaik- (Faculty guide).

This project has not been submitted in full elsewhere for the award or any degree.

Saurabh Singh

Batch of 2008-10(MBA)

of 96

CONTENTS:

PAGE NO. CONTENTS

3. ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

4. DECLARATION

6. ABSTRACT

7. ABOUTUT TATA TELESRVICES

8.

10.

COMPANY PROFILE

INTRODUCTION:

CONSUMER BUYING BEHAVIOR FACTORS EFFECTING CONSUMER BUYINGBEHAVIOR CONSUMER BUYING DECISION PROCESS

17. ABOUT THE PROJECT

OBJECTIVE OF THE PROJECT SCOPE OF THE PROJECT STATEMENT OF PROBLEM

2O. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

21. LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY

23.

32.

33.

64.

65.

83.

84

ANALYSIS OF MOBILR COMMUNICATION SPREAD AND ITS IMPLICATIONS IN INDIA FINDINGS ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION CALCULATION OF SATISFACTORY SCORES CHI SQUARE TEST FINDINGS FROM PERCENTAGE ANALYSIS FINDINGS FROM CHI SQARE TEST

of 96

85.

86.

87.

90.

93.

SUGGESTIONS CONCLUSION QUESTIONNAIRE –1 QUESTIONNAIRE 2 BIBLIOGRAPHY

of 96

ABSTRACT Consumer behavior during taking new mobile connections is a vast topic to study. In order to analyze the subject minutely the topic is being divided into three parts. First part of my project is all about designing a suitable questionnaire so that the various variable factors that the consumer behavior and their effectiveness in molding the same can be studied. The next part is dedicated to selection a suitable sample size of consumers using mobile connections and taking their feedback through the questionnaire. Well in the last part of my study is devoted on doing the analysis and interpretation from the feedback collected from the respondents. Then application of suitable statistical tool is decided on to arrive at some results. Based on these results, a conclusion will be drawn thereafter which will stand as an ultimate result of my study in the concerned field so called “CONSUMER BEHAVIOR DURING TAKING NEW MOBILE CONNECTIONS” The services structure can be renewed based on the provide suggestions and recommendations which can help to increase the client base and increase the market share in the concerned field as the findings will basically revolve around the most favored services by the investors and locate the core areas where the services can be improved further according to the market demand.

of 96

ABOUT TATA TELESERVICES-

Communications is the Tata Group’s largest investment and the Group’s objective is to provide end-to-end telecommunications solutions for business and residential customers across the nation, and internationally. The Group’s communications activities are currently spread primarily over four companies—Tata Teleservices Limited (TTSL) and its associate Tata Teleservices (Maharashtra) Limited (TTML), Tata Communication (erstwhile VSNL) and Tata Sky. Together, these companies cover the full range of communications services, including:

Telephony Services: Fixed and Mobile

Media and Entertainment Services: Satellite TV

Data Services: Leased Lines, Managed Data Networks, IP/MPLS VPN, Dial-up Internet, Wi-Fi and Broadband

Value-Added Services: Mobile and Broadband Content/Applications, Calling Cards, Net Telephony and Managed Services

Infrastructure Services: Submarine Cable Bandwidth, Terrestrial Fiber Network and Satellite Earth Stations and VSAT Connectivity

of 96

PROFILE-

Tata Teleservices is part of the INR Rs. 2, 51,543 Crore Tata Group that has over 80 companies, over 3, 30,000 employees and more than 3.2 million shareholders. With a committed investment of INR 36,000 Crore (US$ 7.5 billion) in Telecom (FY 2006), the Group has a formidable presence across the telecom value chain.

Tata Teleservices spearheads the Group’s presence in the telecom sector. Incorporated in 1996, Tata Teleservices was the first to launch CDMA mobile services in India with the Andhra Pradesh circle.

Beginning with its acquisition of Hughes Telecom (India) Limited in December 2002 [now renamed Tata Teleservices (Maharashtra) Limited], which provides services in the Mumbai and Rest of Maharashtra telecom circles, the company has swung into expansion mode and currently has a pan-India state-of-the-art network.

Having pioneered the CDMA 2000 technology platform in India, Tata Teleservices has established a 3G-ready robust and reliable telecom infrastructure in partnership with Motorola, Ericsson and Lucent. The company has also received the license from the Department of Telecommunications to launch GSM services as well. With this launch set for early 2009, TTSL is on the threshold of emerging as a true-play dual technology telecom operator.

In November 2008, Tata Teleservices entered into an agreement with Japanese telecom major NTT DOCOMO, as part of which the Japanese company acquired a 26% stake in TTSL for USD 2.7 billion. The transaction marks a key step in the strategic evolution of Tata Teleservices, as it moves towards a pan-India dual network presence. On a broader level, the transaction is also expected to mark the

of 96

beginning of a relationship of broader co-operation between Tata companies and the Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation (NTT).

The potential benefits and synergies from the alliance with DOCOMO cut across marketing, handset development and technical support, all of which are expected to create new opportunities for both companies. The alliance will also accelerate Tata Teleservices’ GSM plans and help the company penetrate the market with advanced technology and new VAS offering.

Tata Teleservices’ bouquet of telephony services includes mobile services, wireless desktop connections, public booth telephony and wireline services. Other services include value-added services such as voice portal, roaming, post-paid Internet services, 3-way conferencing, group calling, Wi-Fi Internet, USB Modem, data cards, calling card services and enterprise services.

Some of the other products launched by the company include prepaid wireless desktop connections, public phone booths, new mobile handsets and new voice and data services such as BREW games, voice portal, picture messaging, facebook, M commerce applications, polyphonic ring tones, interactive applications like news, cricket, astrology, etc

of 96

INTRODUCTION-

As the title of my project is “Consumer Behavior During Taking New Mobile Connections” first of all we need to understand that “What is consumer buying behavior?”

Before business can develop marketing strategies, they must understand what factors influence buyer’s behavior and how they make purchase decisions to satisfy their needs and wants. Buyers are moved by a complex set of deep and subtle emotions.

Their behavior result from deeply held values and attitudes; their perception of the world and their place in it, from common sense, impulse or just plain whimsy.

There are also several stages through which the consumer exhibit before deciding to purchase goods or services. These include 5 steps which are: problem or need recognition, information search, alternative evaluation, purchase and post-purchase evaluation.

IMPORTANCE OF CONSUMER SATISFACTION

The needs to satisfy customer for success in any commercial enterprise is very obvious. The income of all commercial enterprise is derived from the payments received for the products and services supplied to its customers. If there is no customer there is no income and there is no business. Then the core activity of any company is to attract and retain customers. It is therefore no surprise that Peter F Drucker the renowned management Guru, has said “to satisfy the customers is the mission and purpose of every business”. Satisfaction of customer is essential for retention of customer’s and for continuous sales of the products and services of the company to customers. This establishes the needs for and the importance of customer satisfaction. The satisfaction of consumers is different from one to another. Became, each consumer has the different behavior in their life. So, the marketer satisfies the consumer, he must very well know the behavior of consumer.

of 96

CONSUMER BUYING BEHAVIOR

Consumer behavior refers to the mental and emotional process and the observable behavior of consumers during searching, purchasing and post consumption of a product or service.

Consumer behavior involves study of how people buy, what they buy, when they buy and why they buy. It blends the elements from psychology, sociology, socio-psychology, anthropology and economics. It also tries to assess the influence on the consumer from groups such as family, friends, reference groups and society in general.

Buyer behavior has two aspects: the final purchase activity visible to any observer and the detailed or short decision process that may involve the interplay of a number of complex variables not visible to anyone.

FACTORS AFFECTING CONSUMER BUYING BEHAVIOR-

Consumer buying behavior is influenced by the major three factors:

1. Social Factors

2. Psychological Factors

3. Personal Factors.

A. SOCIAL FACTORS

Social factors refer to forces that other people exert and which affect consumers’ purchase behavior. These social factors can include culture and subculture, roles and family, social class and reference groups.

Example:

By taking into consideration Reference group, these can influence/ affect the consumer buying behavior. Reference group refers to a group with whom an individual identifies herself/ himself and the extent to which that person assumes many values, attitudes or behavior of group members. Reference

of 96

groups can be family, school or college, work group, club membership, citizenship etc.

Reference groups serve as one of the primary agents of consumer socialization and learning and can be influential enough to induce not only socially acceptable consumer behavior but also socially unacceptable and even personal destructive behavior. For example, if fresher student joins a college / university, he/she will meet different people and form a group, in that group there can be behavior patterns of values, for example style of clothing, handsets which most of group member prefer or even destructive behavior such as excessive consumption of alcohol, use of harmful and addictive drugs etc. So, according to how an individual references him / her to that particular reference group, this will influence and change his/her buying behavior.

B. PSYCHOLOGICAL FACTORS

These are internal to an individual and generate forces within that influence her/his purchase behavior. The major forces include motives, perception, learning, attitude and personality.

Example:

Attitude is an enduring organization of motivational, emotional, perceptual and cognitive processes with respect to some aspect of our environment.

Consumer form attitude towards a brand on the basis of their beliefs about the brand. For example, consumers of Sony products might have the belief that the products offered by Sony are durable; this will influence those customers to buy Sony products due to this attitude towards the brand.

C. PERSONAL FACTORS

These include those aspects that are unique to a person and influence purchase behavior. These factors include demographic factors, lifestyle, and situational factors.

of 96

Example:

Lifestyle is an indicator of how people live and express themselves on the basis of their activities, interests, and opinions. Lifestyle dimension provide a broader view of people about how they spend their time the importance of things in their surroundings and their beliefs on broad issues associated with life and living and themselves. This is influenced by demographic factors and personality.

E.g. A CEO or Manager is likely to buy more formal clothes, ties and shoes or PDAs and less informal clothes like jeans as compared to a Mechanic or Civil engineer. So according to their lifestyle and profession, the buying behavior of people differs from one another.

CONSUMER BUYING DECISION PROCESS

Consumer buying decision process is the processes undertaken by consumer in regard to a potential market transaction before, during and after the purchase of a product or service.

Consumer decision making process generally involves five stages-:

Problem Recognition

Purchase decision making process begins when a buyer becomes aware of an unsatisfied need or problem. This is the vital stage in buying decision process, because without recognizing the need or want, an individual would not seek to buy goods or service.

of 96

There are several situations that can cause problem recognition, these include:

Depletion of stock Dissatisfaction with goods in stock Environmental Changes Change in Financial Situation Marketer Initiated Activities

Example:

It’s when a person recognizes that she cannot make a call from her mobile phone that’s when she recognizes that her phone has been damaged i.e. the phone has hardware problems and needs to be repaired or buying a new piece.

Information Search

After the consumer has recognized the need, he / she will try to find the means to solve that need. First he will recall how he used to solve such kind of a problem in the past, this is called nominal decision making. Secondly, a consumer will try to solve the problem by asking a friend or goes to the market to seek advice for which product will best serve his need, this is called limited decision making.

Sources of information include:

Personal sources Commercial Sources Public sources Personal experience

Example: (continuing from previous…)

The user of the phone after recognizing that her phone is damaged, she will eventually try to find out how she can repair her phone. If she cannot repair it herself she will ask a friend to help out, if the friend cannot solve the problem

of 96

she will go to mobile repair shop, if they also cannot repair it then she will try to find which mobile phone is good and that can serve her need. In this process of information collection it will yield awareness of set of brands of mobile connections she can buy.

Alternatives evaluation

Consumers’ evaluates criteria refer to various dimension; features, characteristics and benefits that a consumer desires to solve a certain problem. Product features and its benefit is what influence consumer to prefer that particular product. The consumer will decide which product to buy from a set of alternative products depending on each unique feature that the product offers and the benefit he / she can get out of that feature.


When that user got enough information concerning the different brands of mobile connections available in the market, she will decide which kind of a mobile phone and brand she’s going to buy depending upon her need for that particular mobile, either a mobile for multimedia and entertainment, Smartphone or classic phone.

Purchase Action

This stage involves selection of brand and the retail outlet to purchase such a product. Retail outlet image and its location are important. Consumer usually prefers a nearby retail outlet for minor shopping and they can willingly go to a far away store when they purchase items which are of higher values and which involve higher sensitive purchase decision. After selecting where to buy and what to buy, the consumer completes the final step of transaction by either cash or credit.

of 96


After selecting brand of the phone and model from different alternatives of mobile connections, she will make a final decision of where to buying that phone and make the final transaction procedures.

Post-purchase Actions

Consumer favorable post-purchase evaluation leads to satisfaction. Satisfaction with the purchase is basically a function of the initial performance level expectation and perceived performance relative to those expectations. Consumer tends to evaluate their wisdom on the purchase of that particular product. This can result to consumer experiencing post purchase dissatisfaction. If the consumer’s perceived performance level is below expectation and fail to meet satisfaction this will eventually cause dissatisfaction, and so the brand and/ or the outlet will not be considered by the consumer in the future purchases. This might cause the consumer to initiate complaint behavior and spread negative word-of-mouth concerning that particular product.


If she decided to buy a multimedia phone she will try to compare the quality of music it provides and pictures taken if they meet her expectations. If she will find that her expectation are meeting she will be satisfied, if she found that there are more additional features that she did not expect this mobile phone to have, she will be delighted, otherwise, she will be dissatisfied.

Since my title is “Consumer behavior during taking new mobile connections”, I need to do the survey of existing/new consumers of the service of different cellular service providers. Hence, my project is totally based on comparative analysis of different attributes shaping the consumer behavior during taking new mobile connections. Till date I have completed the survey of 150 consumers of different cellular service providers and I got many Suggestions & Recommendations from the customers.

of 96

OBJECTIVE-

Objectives of the study:

1. To ascertain the attributes which influenced the customer’s in selecting a particular cell phone services provider.

2. To study the consumer’s satisfaction towards different cellular service providers.

3. To assess the general problems faced by the cellular service users. 4. To offer valuable suggestions to improve the customer base of Tata

Indicom.

Need of the study:

Exchange of information becomes the necessity of life to a common man.

In the modern world an individual tends to communicate anything to everything right from the place where he/she stands. Even while riding a vehicle he / she wants to communicate within a fraction of second at quick speed with clear voice, without any disturbance like line crossing, out of order, etc ; most of which lack in the connectivity given by the department of tele-communication. Cellular service providers emerge as a boon quench such a thirst, thus by providing facilities, which a common man cannot imagine. Though the telecom industry has its origin in the recent past and the growth has been excellent.

Day by day many new competitors enter the market with new attractive schemes, provide additional facilities, add new features to existing ones, reduce the charges of incoming and outgoing calls, introduce varieties of handsets, models a healthy competition that benefits the subscribers. Hence in this context, it is important to study the various attributes or factors which shape the consumers mind during taking or switching over to new mobile connections.

of 96

In terms of value- addition to the organization, this study will definitely help the Company to grow in future.

As, we all are aware of the fact that a fierce competition is going on, in order to stay alive in the market place. In this situation, one competitor tries to penetrate through the loop holes of the other competitor. This project will visualize all sorts of loop holes which the Tata Indicom possesses right now and will also give a complete insight to all types of problems such as, whether the products & services are competent enough to fight back their competitor’s products & services or not.

Scope of this study:

The present study is contained to Bhubaneswar and it is decided to consider Airtel, Tata Indicom and other cell phone service rendered to the customers.

In Bhubaneswar there are six cellular services available - Airtel, Aircel Tata Indicom, BSNL, Vodafone and Reliance Comm. The main objectives of this study is to analyze the customer behavior during taking new mobile connections and consumers of different cellular service providers of Bhubaneswar city has been taken for the current research work.

Statement of problem:

In our country the growth of service marketing especially telecom industry is still in its infancy stage, as compared to the industrially advanced countries. It is for the fact that the economy of our country has been in the developing stage. There are various cellular service services providers in our country and they are playing an essential role in fulfilling the needs of the customers.

Now-a-days, the customers are more dynamic. Their taste, needs and preference can be changing as per current scenario. Hence the development of cellular industry mainly depends on the customer satisfaction. However the following questions may arise regarding customer satisfaction

of 96

1. Does the cell industry satisfy the social responsibility? 2. What are the expectations by the customer’s regarding service

provided by the cell phone service provider? 3. Whether the service provided by cell phone industry is satisfying

the customers? 4. Are the facilities available adequate to satisfy the customers?

REVIEW OF LITERATURE

A brief literature would be of immense help to the researcher in gaining insight into selected problem. The researcher would gain good background knowledge of the problem by reviewing certain studies.

A reference to these entire studies will be related in the context of the shaping the present study.

1. Samuel, “customer satisfaction for cellular services, a study with a reference to BPL and Aircel mobile connections and services”, an unpublished M.Phil. Dissertation, submitted to Bharathiar University, Coimbatore, December 2002.

2. Sree Nandhini, in her study shows that attitude of the respondents using cell connections was not influenced by either education or occupation and income.

3. Sree Nandhini, “an investigation of user perception and altitude to cellular phone in Coimbatore”, an unpublished submitted to Bharathiar University, December, 2001.

4. P. Adhavan (2003), in his study “existing customer relation” found that the dealer’s service regarding Aircel cellular is highly satisfactory.

5. Hutchison’s managing director Asin Ghosh 2005 says in the article, “Telecommunication” telecommunication is such a huge sector and it is so easy to be reduced by its different points, but thankfully we were”

6. Asin Glosh, “telecommunication” business world 27th January 2003.

of 96

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY –

Research is a systematic effort to gain new knowledge.

Research is a movement of knowledge from known to unknown from the available place to the required place.

Research methods:

Those methods which are used by the researcher during the course of studying are research problem are termed as research methods.

Research methodology:

The research methodology, not only the research methods are but also consider the logic behind the methods. They are in the contest of our research studied. And explain why we are using a particular method or techniques and we are not using others.

Descriptive research design:

In includes surveys, and facts finding enquires of different kinds. The major purpose of descriptive research is description of state of affairs as it exists at present. The main character of this method is that the researcher has no control over the variables. He can report what has happened? Or what is happening?

Nature of data:

In this study primary data are used.

Collection of data:

The data were collected from the respondents through the distribution of questionnaire. Area of the study- This study covers Bhubaneswar city only. Sample size - The sample size covered for the purpose of this study is 190.

of 96

DEVELOPING THE QUESTIONNAIRE:

The following four questions need to be answered in designing an effective set of questions or a questionnaire:

1) Will the respondent have the information/knowledge needed to answer the questions?

2) Will the respondent understand the questions?

3) Will the respondent likely to give a true answer?

4) Will the formulation of the question bias the response

Basically in the beginning some sample questionnaires were developed and where administered directly on the clients. This was the trail method included for pilot testing and the final questionnaires were prepared thereafter assessing the feedback and result of the test.

In the initial phase of my survey I developed a questionnaire, but later I realized that a single questionnaire is not sufficient to judge all the variable factors governing consumer behavior during taking new connections, so for this purpose I framed another questionnaire.

of 96

Tools for analysis:

Along with the usual statistical tools such as tables, percentages, bar-charts, I have used chi-squire test for analyzing the data and arriving at the conclusion.

Limitations of the study - Though the detailed investigation is made in the present study, still there are following limitations.

This study is restricted only to the Bhubaneswar. So, the results may not be applicable to other areas.

This study is based on the prevailing customer’s satisfaction. But the customer’s satisfaction may change according to time, fashion, technology, development, etc.

As per the population of the study is huge, a sample size of 190 sample respondents is only covered till now.

Lack of awareness about the Company’s products & services among the customers may hamper the primary data collection.

Data collection of exact data for the research is not possible because there is a gap between what respondent say and what they actually do.

Information provided by the customers may not be accurate. They may hide some of the information at the time of filling up the questionnaires.

of 96

ANALYSIS OF MOBILE COMMUNICATION SPREAD AND ITS

IMPLICATIONS IN INDIA

History of Cellular Telephony in India Initially Department of Telecommunications (Dot) was the only monopoly operator in the country. Telecommunication sector was recognized by the Government of India as one of the few basic infrastructure sectors for the country. Under the Government policy of economic liberalization, privatization and competition in India, private sectors have been allowed to enter the public telecommunication field (where Government was a monopoly). In 1992 telecommunication sector in India was liberalized to bridge the gap through government spending and to provide additional resources for the nation’s telecom target. The objective of the reform was making the telecommunications within the reach of all, thereby achieving universal service, covering all villages and bringing the telecommunication services to the world standard, while protecting the defense and security needs of the country.

In 1993 the telecom industry got an annual foreign investment of Rs 20.6 million. In 1994 license for providing cellular mobile services was granted by the Government of India for the Metropolitan cites of Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and Chennai. Initially Cellular mobile services were duopoly (i.e. not more than two cellular mobile operators could be licensed in each telecom circle), under a fixed license fee. In 1995, government opened up 19 more telecom circles and issued mobile licenses.

To regulate and settle disputes Telecom Regulatory Authority of India was set up in 1997 and in 1999 National Telecom Policy was announced by the Government of India. In order to speed up the development of the telecom sector, all telecom services were opened up for private sector participation.

Unrestricted entry is allowed in the basic services, national and international long distance service, in global mobile personal communication by satellite (GMPCS) service, VSAT and Public Mobile Radio Trunked Service (PMRTS). All

of 96

telecom sectors under Dot was handed over to new public Sector Undertaking viz, Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) which was registered under Company’s Act in 1st October 2005.BSNL covers the entire country except Delhi and Mumbai Metros which are under Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Limited (MTNL).

Major Service providers in India Two different technologies are deployed by the mobile operators in India namely GSM and CDMA.The GSM service providers are Bharti, BSNL, Hutch, IDEA, Aircel, Reliance, Spice, MTNL and BPL, whereas the CDMA service providers are TATA, HFCl, Shyam, and Reliance. Figure 1 shows the market share of each service provider in India. India’s mobile market is dominated by foreign companies for high end telecom equipments, handsets; transmission equipments etc., Nokia, Samsung, and Motorola are the three important vendors for handsets. Other vendors who have their share in this market are L.G, Alcatel, Sony Ericsson, Siemens, National Panasonic, Philips, Mitsubishi, and Sagem.

MOBILE SUBSCRIBER STATISTICS

Recently, mobile connections in India have crossed the 100- million mark, which means over nine in 100 Indians have a phone. Adding on to this benevolent and happy information, telecom companies are anticipating the number will nearly treble in the next two years. According to a survey, by 2006, the cellular networks are expected to cover 3, 50,000 (out of 6, 07,000) villages, covering 450 million people.

of 96

Market Share of both mobile and wire line Service Providers in India

GSM Subscribers The cumulative All India GSM subscriber base rose to 72.12 million in April 2006 from 69.19 million in March 2006 which is a growth of 4.23% for a month under review. Table I shows the subscribers growth rate for one month along with market share of each provider with coverage

CDMA Mobile Subscribers The total cumulative all India CDMA subscriber base rose by 0.97 million from 23.25 million in March 2006 to 24.22 million in April 2006, representing a growth of 4.2% in the month under review.

TELECOM IN RURAL INDIA

India has an urban population of about 26.8% and rural population is about 73.2%. And there are over 600,000 villages in India. But a vast section of the rural sector is still cut off from the benefits of telecom services. The rural population of around 700 million is waiting for its share of economic growth. Initially the big telephone companies focused only on urban centers, which they felt were more profitable. However,

of 96

this mindset is gradually changing with the realization that there is equal, if not bigger money in rural areas.

FUTURE OF MOBILE COMMUNICATION IN INDIA

India initially started with GSM technology for mobile communication. Being a technology neutral country, India later allowed for CDMA technology also. Now 2.75G EDGE technologies has been implemented and used. BSNL has got license for bringing 3G into operation. Trials are being conducted for 3G implementation in the four metropolitan cities of India. Commercial 3G will be started by March 2007

With the dwindling revenues of the operators from the data and voice there is a need to look at newer applications to fuel growth of the telcos.TV on Mobile has emerged as a solid and potent answer to this consumer yearning. South Korea, China, South Africa, Australia and Europe have seen this need and have acted upon the same by implementing TV on Mobile.

India is around the corner for implementation of similar technology for the benefit of consumers, operators, content providers and Government. It promises to be a USD 1 billion industry by 2010, if roadmaps are created and implemented properly.

DETAILS ABOUT SERVICE PROVIDERS:

Aircel: Aircel is now a period part of Maxis, an international conglomerate and the leading cellular service provider in Malaysia with over 7 million subscribers and a firm commitment to providing seamless connectivity and superior technology to every customer. A recipient of multiplicity accolades, maxis has been deemed as the brand of the year 2006 in Malaysia. Aircel is rapidly spreading across the state of Tamilnadu with connectivity in 1000 towns and 11,000 villages, serving, serving over 50 lakh happy subscribers. Known for its superior tariff offering and cutting-edge technology, Aircel has recently been honored as the No.1 operator across a metro circles for customer satisfaction by Voice and Data magazine’s survey in 2006. Currently, Aircel has a marked presence in the North and North East circles of the country including rest of

of 96

West Bengal, Orissa, Sikkim, Manipur, Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Bihar. Bharti Airtel: Telecom giant Bharti Airtel is the flagship company of Bharti Enterprises. The Bharti Group has a diverse business portfolio and has created global brands in the telecommunication sector. Bharti has recently forayed into retail business as Bharti Retail Pvt. Ltd. under a MoU with Wal-Mart for the cash & carry business. It has successfully launched an international venture with EL Rothschild Group to export fresh agro products exclusively to markets in Europe and USA and has launched Bharti AXA Life Insurance Company Ltd under a joint venture with AXA, world leader in financial protection and wealth management. Airtel comes to you from Bharti Airtel Limited, India’s largest integrated and the first private telecom services provider with a footprint in all the 23 telecom circles. Bharti Airtel since its inception has been at the forefront of technology and has steered the course of the telecom sector in the country with its world class products and services. The businesses at Bharti Airtel have been structured into three individual strategic business units (SBU’s) – Mobile Services, Airtel Telemedia Services & Enterprise Services. The mobile business provides mobile & fixed wireless services using GSM technology across 23 telecom circles while the Airtel Telemedia Services business offers broadband & telephone services in 94 cities. The Enterprise services provide end-to-end telecom solutions to corporate customers and national & international long distance services to carriers. All these services are provided under the Airtel brand. BSNL Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd. formed in October, 2000, is World’s 7th largest Telecommunications Company providing comprehensive range of telecom services in India: Wire line, CDMA mobile, GSM Mobile, Internet, Broadband, Carrier service, MPLS-VPN, VSAT, VolP services, IN Services etc. Within a span of five years it has become one of the largest public sector units in India. BSNL has installed Quality Telecom Network in the country and now focusing on improving it, expanding the network, introduces 3g new telecom services with ICT applications in villages and wining customer’s confidence. Today, it has about 47.3 million line basic telephones.

of 96

capacity, 4 million WLL capacity, 20.1 million GSM capacity, more than 37382 fixed exchanges, 18000 BTS, 287 Satellite Stations, 480196 km of OFC Cable, 63730 km of Microwave Network connecting 602 Districts, 7330 cities/towns and 5:5 Lakh villages. BSNL is the only service provider, making focused efforts and planned initiatives to bridge the Rural-Urban Digital Divide ICT sector. In fact there is no telecom operator in the country to beat its reach with its wide network giving services in every nook and corner of country and operates across India except Delhi and Mumbai. Whether it is inaccessible areas of Siachen glacier and North-eastern region of the country, BSNL serves its customers with its bouquet of telecom services. BSNL is number one operator of India in all services in its license area. The company offers vide ranging and most transparent tariff schemes designed to suite every customer. BSNL cellular service, Cellone, has more than 17.8 million cellular customers, garnering 24 percent of all mobile users as its subscribers. That means that almost every fourth mobile user in the country has a BSNL connection. In basic services, BSNL is miles ahead of its rivals, with 35.1 million basic phone subscribers, that is, 85 percent share of the subscriber base and 92 percent share in revenue terms. BSNL has more than 2.5 million WLL subscribers and 2.4 million internet customers who access internet through various modes namely, Dial-Up, Leased Line, DIAS, Account Less Internet (CLI). BSNL has been adjudged as the number one ISP in the country. BSNL has set up a world class multi-gigabit, multi-protocol convergent IP infrastructure that provides convergent services like voice, data and video through the same Backbone and Broadband Access Network. At present there are 0.6 million Data One broadband customers. The company has vast experience in Planning, Installation, network integrating and maintenance of Switching and Transmission Networks and also has a world class ISO 9000 certified telecom training institute. Scaling new heights of success, the present turnover of BSNL is more than Rs.351, 820 million (US $8 billion) with net profit to the tune of Rs.99, 390 million (US $2.26 billion) for last financial year. The infrastructure asset on telephone alone is worth about Rs.630, 000 million (US $14.37 billion). BSNL plans to expand its customer base from present 47 million lines to 125 million

of 96

lines by December 2007 and infrastructure investment plan to the tune of Rs.733 crores (US $16.67 million). Reliance The late Dhirubhai Ambani dreamt of a digital India – an India where the common man would have access to affordable means of information and communication. Dhirubhai, who single-handedly built India’s largest private sector company virtually from scratch, had stated as early as 1999:”Make the tools of information and communication available to people at an affordable cost. They will overcome the handicaps of illiteracy and lack of mobility”. It was with this belief in mind that Reliance Communications (formerly Reliance Info Comm) started laying 60,000 route kilometers of a pan-India fiber optic backbone. This backbone was commissioned on 28 December 2002, the auspicious occasion of Dhirubhai’s 70th birthday, though sadly after his unexpected demise on 6th July 2002. Reliance Communications has a reliable, high-capacity, integrated (both wireless and wire line) and convergent (voice, data and video) digital network. It is capable of delivering a range of services spanning the entire Info Comm (information communication) value chain, including infrastructure and services – for enterprises as well as individuals, applications, and consulting. Today, Reliance Communications is revolutionizing the way India communicates and networks, truly bringing about a new way of life. Tata Teleservices Tata Teleservices is part of the INR Rs.120000 Crore (US$ 29 billion) Tata Group, that has over 87 companies, over 330,000 employees and more than 2.8 million shareholders. With a committed investment of INR 36,000 Crore (US$ 7.5 billion) in Telecom (FY 2006), the group has a formidable presence across the telecom value chain. Starting with the major acquisition of Hughes Tele.com (India) Limited [now renamed Tata Teleservices (Maharashtra) Limited] in December 2002 the company swung into an expansion mode. With the total investment of Rs.19,924 Crore, Tata Teleservices has created a pan India presence spread across 20 circles that includes Andhra Pradesh, Chennai, Gujarat, Karnataka,

of 96

Delhi, Maharashtra, Mumbai, Tamil Nadu, Orissa, Bihar, Rajasthan, Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh (E), Uttar Pradesh (W), Kerala, Kolkata, Madhya Pradesh and West Bengal. Tata Teleservices has a strong workforce of 6000. In addition, TTSL has created more than 20,000 jobs, which will include 10,000 indirect jobs through outsourcing of its manpower needs. Today, Tata Teleservices Limited along with Tata Teleservices (Maharashtra) Limited serves over 21 million customers in over 4000 towns. With an ambitious rollout plan both within existing circles and across new circles, Tata Teleservices offers world-class technology and user-friendly services in 20 circles. TTML Organization Tata Teleservices Maharashtra Limited (TTML) spearheads the Tata Group’s presence in the Indian telecom sector by being the premier telecommunication service provider, licensed, to provide services in Maharashtra (including Mumbai) and Goa. Formerly Hughes Tele.com (India) ltd., the company was renamed to Tata Teleservices Maharashtra Ltd subsequent to the acquisition of 70.83% equity shareholding by TATA Group in December 2002. The company’s shares are traded on the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) and the National Stock Exchange (NSE). Tata communications Ltd. unites the industry and market expertise VSNL, VSNL international, Teleglobe, Tata Indicom Enterprise Business Unit, VGSL and CIPRIS to become the leading integrated provider of telecommunications solutions. The global reach and industry expertise of Tata communications drives and delivers a new world of communications. The company leverages its Tata Global Network, vertical intelligence and leadership immerging markets to deliver value-driven, globally managed solutions. Vodafone Vodafone, the world’s leading international mobile communications company, has fully arrived in India brand will be lunched in India from 21st September onwards. The popular and endearing brand, Hutch, will be transitioned to Vodafone across India. This marks a significant chapter in the evolutic brand

of 96

change over the next few weeks will be unveiled nationally through a high profile campaign covering all important media. Vodafone, the world’s leading mobile telecommunication company, completed the acquisition of Hutchison Essar in May 2007. Asim Ghosh, managing director, Vodafone Essar, said “We have had a great innings as Hutch in India and today marks a new begin that created Hutch, but an acceleration into the future with Vodafone’s global expertise..” the Vodafone mission is to be the communications leader in an increasingly connected world – enriching customers lives, helping increased by delivering their total communication needs. About Vodafone Essar Limited: Vodafone Essar in India is a subsidiary of Vodafone Group plc and commenced operations in 1994 when its predecessor Hutchison tele Vodafone Essar now has operations in 16 circles covering 86% of India’s mobile customer base, with over 34.1 million customers. Over the year, Vodafone Essar, under the hutch brand, has been named the Most Respected Telecom Company, the Best Mobile sender effective advertiser of the year. Vodafone is the world’s leading international mobile communications company. It now has operation network with over 200 million customers worldwide. Vodafone has partnered with the Essar Group as its principal joint venture partner. The Essar Group is a diversified business corporation with interests spanning the manufacturing and service sectors like steel, energy, construction. The group has an asset base of over Rs.400 billion and employer over 20,000 people.

of 96

CONCLUSION India has one of the world’s largest telecommunication networks. The telecom story continues to be the best evidence of the efficacy of the reforms process. In just six years, the number of mobile subscribers has gone from just about one million to 100 million, a subscriber base that only four other countries China, the US, Japan and Russia can boast of. None can doubt the correlation between this explosive growth in numbers and the steep decline in the cost of the mobile phone and of its usage. Effective tariffs have dropped from over Rs.14 a minute to Re 1, bringing the phone within reach of people even below the middle-class. The Government may have, therefore, landed itself a winner in the mobile phone, but the task of taking telecom to the other 90 per cent of the population will call for even greater innovation in policymaking, technology and marketing. Still three-fourths of the land mass is not illuminated by a cellular signal and the price of the instrument is beyond the reach of a substantial section of the population let alone the charges for its use. These issues, of course, can be resolved by decisive policy action, such as a creative use of the Universal Services Obligation fund that now has over Rs.70 billion, releasing adequate spectrum to operators in the metros, and a proactive investment policy that invites many more equipment manufacturers to set up base in this country. The road for India achieving the top most position in telecommunication is no longer a dream as India is nearing China in all aspects in few years India will over power all countries and achieve its target of top most position in telecom industry.

of 96

MAIN TEXT Since my title of my project is “consumer behavior during taking or switching over to new mobile connections”, I am doing the survey on both existing as well as new customer who have subscribed to different cellular service providers in Bhubaneswar to know the attributes which shape the consumer behavior during taking new mobile connections.

FINDINGS – Apart from demographic Questions, My first questionnaire contains 12 questions in a structured way. My second questionnaire contains 14 questions. After doing the survey of about 190 customers; following findings are described as follows:

of 96

ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION

TABLE NO.-1

CONSUMER PREFERENCE TOWARDS CELL PHONE SERVICE PROVIDERS

S.NO

NAME OF THE CELLULAR SERVICE PROVIDER

NUMBER OF RESPONDENTS

PERCENTAGE OF RESPONDENTS

1.

AIRCEL

26

13.68

2.

AIRTEL

65

34.21

3.

TATA INDICOM

17

8.94

4.

RELIANCE

39

20.52

5.

BSNL

34

17.89

6.

VODAFONE

9

4.736

TOTAL 190 100

INFERENCE:

Most of the respondents are using Airtel (34.21%) and 20.52% of the respondents are using Reliance Com. About 17.89% are using BSNL, while 13.68% are using Aircel. Others are used different cell phone service provider.

of 96

TABLE NO: 2 Consumer’s preference towards cell phone service providers on the basis of age group

S.NO

NAME OF CELLULAR SERVICE PROVIDER

UPTO 25 YEARS 25-35 YEARS 35-55 YEARS MORE THAN 55 YEARS

TOTAL

NO. OF RESPON- DENTS

% OF RESPON-DENTS


% OF RESPON-DENTS


% OF RESPON-DENTS


% OF RESPON-DENTS


% OF RESPON-DENTS

1.

AIRCEL

11

13.75

6

10

8

18.18

1

16.67

26

13.68

2.

AIRTEL

32

40

15

25

16

36.36

2

33.33

65

34.21

3.

TATA

INDICOM

11

13.75

4

6.67

2

4.54

0

0

17

8.94

4.

RELIANCE

13

16.25

17

28.33

8

18.18

1

16.67

39

20.52

5. BSNL

7

8.75

15

25

10

22.72

2

33.33

34

17.89

6. VODAFONE

6

7.5

3

5

0

0

0

0

9

4.736

TOTAL

80

100

60

100

44

100

6

100

190

100

INFERENCE: Among respondents up to 25 years of age group, majority of them (i.e. 40%) are using

Airtel followed by Reliance users (20%). Consumers in the age group of 25 – 35 years 28.33% of respondents mostly prefer

Reliance and 25% of the respondents are using BSNL. 36.36% of customers, who are in the age group of 35 – 55 years are using Airtel. In (above – 55 years) 33.33% respondents are using Airtel and BSNL .16.67% of

respondents are using Reliance and Aircel.

of 96

TABLE NO: 3

COMPOSITION OF RESPONDENTS ON THE BASIS OF

MARITAL STATUS S.NO

MARITAL STATUS



1.

MARRIED

92

48.42

2.

UNMARRIED

98

51.57

TOTAL

190

100

INFERENCE: The married respondents using mobile connections are about 48.42%, and the unmarried respondents using mobile connections are about 51.57%.

of 96

TABLE NO: 4

COMPOSITION OF RESPONDENTS ON THE BASIS OF

EDUCATION QUALIFICATION S.NO EDUCATIONAL

QUALIFICATION NUMBER OF RESPONDENTS


1.

UNDERGRADUATE 38 20

2. GRADUATE 89 46.84

3. POST GRADUATE 26 13.68

4. PROFESSIONAL 37 19.47

TOTAL 190 100

INFERENCE: The majority of the respondents 46.84% (graduates) are Using mobile connections and 20% (undergraduates) respondents are using mobile connections.

of 96

COMPOSITION OF RESPONDENTS ON THE BASIS OF EDUCATION QUALIFICATION

of 96

TABLE NO: 5

COMPOSITION OF RESPONDENTS ON THE BASIS OF OCCUPATION

S.NO OCCUPATION NUMBER OF RESPONDENTS


1. BUSINESS

48

25.26

2. PROFESSIONAL

12

6.31

3. EMPLOYEE

70

36.84

4. HOME MAKER

8

4.21

5. STUDENT

52

27.36

TOTAL

190

100

INFERENCE: The employees are using mobile connections in 36.84% and the students are using mobile connections in 27.36% only.

of 96

TABLE NO: 6

COMPOSITION OF RESPONDENTS ON THE BASIS OF INCOME (PER MONTH)

S.NO

INCOME



1. BELOW 5000 52 27.36

2. BETWEEN 5000-10000

28 14.736

3. BETWEEN 10000-15000

76 40

4. BETWEEN 15000-20000

21 11.05

5. ABOVE 20000 13 6.84

TOTAL 190 100

INFERENCE: About 27.36% of respondents get monthly income as less than Rs.5,000 and about 14.736 % of respondents get monthly income between Rs. 5000-10000, and 40% of respondents are get monthly income as between Rs.10000-15000.

of 96

TABLE NO: 7

TABLE SHOWING VARIOUS FACTORS INDUCING TO

PURCHASE THE MOBILE CONNECTIONS

S.NO INFLUENCING FACTOR



1.

FAMILY MEMBER

38 20

2.

NEIGHBOURS 9 4.73

3.

RELATIONS 21 11.052

4. FRIENDS 79 41.57

5. ADVERTISEMENT 16 8.42

6. DEALERS 19 10

7. OTHERS 8 4.21

TOTAL 190 100

INFERENCE: On the basis of purchasing the cellular connections 41.57% of the respondents are induced by their friends, and neighbors have the least effect on the respondents (4.73%) in inducing them to buy a particular mobile connection.

of 96

TABLE NO: 8

COMPOSITION OF RESPONDENTS ON THE BASIS OF PURPOSE OF PURCHASE OF THE CELL CONNECTIONS

S.NO P PURPOSE NUMBER OF RESPONDENTS


1. FOR BUSINESS

26 13.68

2. FOR PERSONAL

164 86.315

TOTAL 190 100

INFERENCE: It can be inferred from here that 13.68% of the respondents are using their cellular connection for their business, and 86.315% of the respondents are using cellular connection c for their personal usage.

of 96

TABLE NO: 9

CONSUMER’S PREFERENCE TOWARDS CELL PHONE SERVICE PROVIDER ON THE BASIS OF SCHEME

s. no Service providers

Prepaid Post paid Total

No. of Respondents

Percentage of Respondents

No. of respondents


No. of respondents


1. Aircel 24 15.18 2 6.25 26 13.68

2. Airtel 51 32.28 14 43.75 65 34.21

3. BSNL 27 17.08 7 21.87 17 8.94

4. Reliance 31 19.62 8 25 39 20.52

5. Tata Indicom

16 10.12 1 3.125 34 17.89

6. Vodafone 9 5.69 0 0 9 4.736

Total 158 32 190 100

INFERENCE: In prepaid, majority of the respondents are using Airtel (32.28%), 19.62% of the respondents are using Reliance Comm, 4.736% of the respondents are only using Vodafone. In post paid, majority of the respondents 43.75% are using Airtel while the least used cellular service in this category is Vodafone (0%).

of 96

TABLE NO: 10

COMPOSITION OF RESPONDENTS ON THE BASIS OF USEFULNESS OF MOBILE CONNECTIONS

S.NO USAGE NUMBER OF RESPONDENTS


1. INCOMING 8 4.21

2. OUTGOING 7 3.68

3. BOTH 171 90

4. SMS 4 2.105

TOTAL 190 100

INFERENCE: About 90% of the respondents are using cell connections for incoming and Outgoing both, but only 2.105% of respondents are only using cell connections for SMS.

of 96

TABLE NO: 11

INFLUENCING FACTORS TO PURCHASE THE CELL PHONE (ANOTHER VIEW)

S.NO

FACTORS NUMBER OF RESPONDENT S

PERCENTAGE OF RESPONDENT S

1. BRAND IMAGE 88 46.31

2. AVAILABILITY 8 4.21

3. CUSTOMER CARE SERVICE

28 14.73

4. SERVICE CHARGES

42 22.10

5. PRICE 24 12.63

TOTAL

190 100

INFERENCE: 46.31% of respondents are purchasing the particular service by its brand image, and 22.10% of respondents are choosing the particular service provider by their service charges.

of 96

TABLE NO: 12

CONSUMER’S SATISFACTION LEVEL ON THE BASIS OF PERFORMACE OF THE MOBILE CONNECTION SEVICE PROVIDERS

s.no NAME OF THE CELL PHONE SERVICE PROVIDER

HIGHLY SATISFACTORY

SATISFACTORY NON-SATISFACTORY

TOTAL

NO. OF RESPO- NDENTS

PERCE- NTAGE OF RESPO- NDENTS







1. AIRCEL 2 3.70 19 22.61 5 9.61 26 13.68

2. AIRTEL 31 57.40 18 21.42 16 30.8 65 34.21

3. BSNL 4 7.407 21 25 9 17.30 34 17.89

4. RELIANCE Comm

8 14.81 19 22.61 12 23.07 39 20.52

5. TATA INDICOM

3 5.56 5 5.95 9 17.30 17 8.94

6. VODAFONE 6 11.11 2 2.38 1 1.92 9 4.736

TOTAL 54 100 84 100 52 100 190 100

INFERENCE: From the above table it can be inferred that in highly satisfied customer segment Airtel is leading with about 57.40% of the respondents while Tata Indicom is lagging behind with only5.56% of the respondents. In the satisfied customer segment Aircel and Reliance Comm are enjoying 22.61% share.

of 96

In the non-satisfied customer segment Reliance Comm is the loser with around 23.07% of the customers.

of 96

TABLE NO: 13

CONSUMER’S SATISFACTION LEVEL THE BASIS OF PERIODICAL OFFERS

PROVIDED BY THE SERVICE PROVIDERS

S.N O

NAME OF THE CELL PHONE SERVICE PROVIDER

HIGHLY SATISFACTORY


TOTAL

NO. OF RESPONDE- NTS

PERCENTAGE OF RESPOND- ENTS







1. AIRCEL 10 25.64 11 12.35 5 8.06 26 13.68

2. AIRTEL 18 46.15 33 37.07 14 22.58 65 34.21

3. BSNL 5 12.82 11 12.35 18 29.03 34 17.89

4. RELIANCE

3 7.69 21 23.59 15 24.19 39 20.52

5. TATA INDICOM

0 0 9 10.11 8 12.90 17 8.94

6. VODAF- ONE

3 7.692 4 4.49 2 3.22 9 4.736

TOTAL 39 100 89 100 62 100 190 100

INFERENCE:

of 96

On the basis of periodical offers 46.15% of Airtel respondents are highly satisfied, and no percentage of respondents is highly satisfied in Tata Indicom. 37.07% of the respondents are satisfied (average) of the Airtel’s periodical offers. 29.03% of the respondents are dissatisfied of the BSNL’s periodical offers and 9% of respondents are only dissatisfied about the Vodafone’s periodical offers.

of 96

TABLE NO: 14

of 96

CONSUMER’S SATISFACTION LEVEL ON THE BASIS OF OUTGOING CALL CHARGES OF SERVICE PROVIDERS

S.N O

NAME OF THE CELLULAR SERVICE PROVIDE R

HIGHLY SATISFACTORY


TOTAL


PERCEN TAGE OF RESPO NDENTS







1. AIRCEL 8 20 11 13.58 7 10.14 26 13.68

2. AIRTEL 15 37.5 28 34.56 22 31.9 65 34.21

3. BSNL 6 15 12 14.81 16 23.18 34 17.89

4. RELIANCE 7 17.5 17 20.98 15 21.73 39 20.52

5. TATA INDICOM

1 2.5 9 11.11 7 10.14 17 8.94

6. VODAFONE 3 7.5 4 4.93 2 2.89 9 4.736

TOTAL 40 100 81 100 69 100 190 100

INFERENCE: On the basis of outgoing call charges, 37.5% of Airtel respondents are highly satisfied and only 2.5% of respondents are satisfied for the outgoing call charges and Tata Indicom. 34.56% of respondents are satisfied (average) about the outgoing call charges of Airtel and 4.93% of respondents only satisfied (average) in Vodafone’s outgoing call charges. 31.9% of respondents are dissatisfied about the outgoing call charges of Airtel, 2.89% of the respondents are only dissatisfied about the outgoing call charges of Vodafone.

of 96

TABLE NO: 15

of 96

CONSUMER’S ATTITUDE TOWARDS THE

IMPORTANCE OF HAVING A MOBILE CONNECTION

S.NO NATURE NUMBER OF RESPONDENTS


1. NECESSITY 128 67.36

2. STATUS 21 11.05

3. LUXURY 9 4.736

4. COMPULSION 32 16.842

TOTAL 190 100

INFERENCE: 67.36% of the respondents are states that mobile connections are necessity, and 4.736% of respondents are only states that mobile connections are luxury.

of 96

67%

11%

5%

17%

CONSUMER’S ATTITUDE TOWARDS THEIMPORTANCE OF HAVING A MOBILE CONNECTION

NECESSITY STATUS LUXARY COMPULSION

of 96

CALCULATION OF SATISFACTORY SCORES

The Respondents were asked to state their level of satisfaction relating to some factors. Based on their responses the satisfaction score obtained by each respondent was found out. Points or scores were allocated based on the response. For each of the factor three levels of satisfaction were assigned namely high, medium and low. For high satisfied three points were given, for satisfied two and for not satisfied one point was given. The total scores secured by each respondent were thus arrived at. All the one hundred ninety respondents were classified based on their level of satisfaction. Those who have obtained up to 5 points were classified under low satisfaction category, Respondents with 3 – 8 points were classified under medium satisfaction category and those with more than 8 points were classified under high satisfaction category. The various factors on which the satisfaction level of the respondents was judged were as follows-: Highly Satisfactory Satisfactory Non-Satisfactory

Performance Periodical offers Schemes Outgoing call charges

NUMBER OF RESPONDENTS AND LEVEL OF SATISFACTION

LEVEL OF SATISFACTION

NO. OF RESPONDENTS

HIGH SATISFACTION

27

MEDIUM SATISFACTION

131

LOW SATISFACTION

32

TOTAL 190

of 96

CHI-SQUARE TEST Chi-square test is one of the simplest and most widely used nonparametric tests in statistical work. This test was first used by Karl Pearson in the year 1900. The quantity describes the magnitude of the discrepancy between theory and observation. It is a method to test the relationship between the theoretical (hypothesis) & the observed value. Chi – square test (X2) = Σ (O – E)2 / E Degrees Of Freedom = V = (R – 1) (C -1) Where,

‘O’ = Observed Frequency ‘E’ = Expected Frequency ‘R’ = Number of Rows ‘C’ = Number of Columns

For all the chi-square test the table value has taken @ 5% level of significance.

of 96

TABLE NO. 1

CHI-SQUARE ANALYSIS ON THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN GENDER AND SATISFACTION WITH REGARDING THE CELL

PHONE SERVICE PROVIDER

GENDER LEVEL OF SATISFACTION

TOTAL HIGH MODERATE LOW

MALE 23 97 38 158

FEMALE

9 18 5 32

TOTAL 32 105 43 190

HO: There is no significant relationship between gender and level of satisfaction. H1: There is significant relationship between gender and level of satisfaction.

O E O-E (O-E)2 (O-E)2/E 23 26.6105 -3.6105 13.036 .49 97 87.316 9.864 93.8 1.074 38 35.8 2.2 4.84 .135 9 5.39 3.61 13.03 2.417 18 17.7 0.3 .09 5.085 5 7.242 -2.242 5.027 .6941

TOTAL 9.8951

of 96

X2 = Σ (O-E)2 / E = 9.851 Number of degree of freedom: ndf = (row-1) (column –1) = (1) (2) = 2 Table value of x2 at 5% level of significance = 5.99

Conclusion: HO is rejected since the calculated value of x2 (9.8951) is more than the table value of x2(5.99) hence there is a significant relationship between level of satisfaction and gender.

of 96

TABLE NO. 2

CHI-SQUARE ANALYSIS ON THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN

AGE AND SATISFACTION WITH REGARDING THE CELL PHONE SERVICE PROVIDER

AGE LEVEL OF SATISFACTION TOTAL

HIGH MODERATE LOW

UPTO 25 11 56 13 80

25-35 9 34 17 60

35-55 4 35 5 44

GREATER THAN 55

0 4 2 6

TOTAL 24 129 37 190

HO: There is no significant relationship between age and level of Satisfaction. H1: There is significant relationship between age and level of Satisfaction.

of 96

O E O-E (O-E)2 (O-E)2/E 11 10.105 0.9 0.81 .080

9 7.6 1.4 1.96 .26

4 5.6 -1.6 2.56 .46

0 .8 -0.8 .64 .8

56 54.3 1.7 2.89 .053

34 40.73 -6.73 45.29 1.11

35 29.9 5.1 26.01 .87

4 4.07 -0.07 .0049 .0012

13 15.6 -2.6 6.76 .43

17 11.7 5.3 28.09 2.4

5 8.6 -3.6 12.96 1.506

2 1.17 .83 .69 .59

TOTAL 8.56

X2 = Σ (O-E)2 / E = 8.56 Number of degree of freedom: ndf = (row-1) (column

= (4-1) (3-1)

= 6

Table value of x2 at 5% level of significant = 12.59

Conclusion:

HO is accepted since the calculated value of x2 (8.56) is lesser than the table value of x2 (12.59) hence there is no significant relationship between level of satisfaction and age.

of 96

TABLE NO:3

CHI-SQUARE ANALYSIS ON THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN MARITAL STATUS AND SATISFACTION WITH REGARDING

THE CELL PHONE SERVICE PROVIDER

MARITAL STATUS

LEVEL OF SATISFACTION TOTAL

HIGH MODERATE LOW

MARRIED 23 51 18 92

UNMARRIED 14 67 17 98

TOTAL 37 118 35 190

HO: There is no significant relationship between marital status and

level of satisfaction.

H1: There is significant relationship between marital status and level

of satisfaction.

of 96

O E O-E (O-E)2 (O-E)2/E

23 17.9 5.1 26.01 1.45

14 19.08 -5.08 25.8 1.35

51 57.1 -6.1 37.21 .65

67 60.86 6.14 37.7 .619

18 16.94 1.06 1.12 0.067

17 18.05 -1.05 1.1025 .057 TOTAL 4.193

X2 = Σ (O-E)2 / E = 4.193

Number of degree of freedom: ndf = (row-1) (column –1) = (1) (2) = 2 Table value of x2at 5% level of significant = 5.99

Conclusion:

HO is accepted since the calculated value of x2 (4.193) is less than the table value of (5.99) hence there is no significant relationship between level of satisfaction and marital status.

of 96

TABLE NO. 4

CHI-SQUARE ANALYSIS ON THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN EDUCATIONAL QUALIFICATION AND SATISFACTION WITH

REGARDING THE CELL PHONE SERVICE PROVIDER

EDUCATIONAL QUALIFICATION


TOTAL

HIGH MODERATE LOW

UNDERGRADUATE 11 9 18 38

GRADUATE 22 25 42 89

POST GRADUATE 8 7 11 26

PROFESSIONAL 12 15 10 37

TOTAL 53 56 81 190

HO: There is no significant relationship between educational qualification and level of satisfaction.

H1: There is significant relationship between educational qualification and level of satisfaction.

of 96

O E O-E (O-E)2 (O-E)2/E

11 10.6 .4 .16 .01509

22 24.82 -2.82 7.95 .320

8 7.25 .75 .5625 .078

12 10.32 1.68 2.82 .273

9 11.2 -2.2 4.84 .432

25 26.23 -1.3 1.69 .064

7 7.7 -0.7 .49 .063

15 10.9 4.1 16.81 1.54

18 16.2 1.8 3.24 .2

42 37.9 4.1 16.81 .44

11 11.08 -0.08 .0064 .00058

10 15.8 -5.8 33.64 2.12

TOTAL 5.55

X2 = Σ (O-E)2 / E = 5.5 Number of degree of freedom: ndf = (row-1) (column –1) =(3) (2) = 6 Table value of x2 at 5% level of significant = 12.59 Conclusion: HO is accepted since the calculated value of x2 (5.55) is less than the table value of x2 (12.59) hence there is no significant relationship between level of satisfaction and educational qualification.

of 96

TABLE NO. 5

CHI-SQUARE ANALYSIS ON THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN MONTHLY INCOME AND SATISFACTION WITH REGARDING

THE CELL PHONE SERVICE PROVIDER

MONTHLY INCOME


HIGH MODERATE LOW

BELOW 5000 5 44 3 52

BETWEEN 5000-10000

7 15 6 28

BETWEEN 10000-15000

8 52 16 76

BETWEEN 15000-20000

4 13 4 21

ABOVE 20000 1 7 5 13

TOTAL 25 131 34 190

HO: There is no significant relationship between monthly income and level of satisfaction. H1: There is significant relationship between monthly income and level of satisfaction.

of 96

O E O-E (O-E)2 (O-E)2/E 5 6.84 -1.84 3.3856 0.49

7 3.7 3.3 10.89 2.94

8 10 -2 4 .4

4 2.8 1.2 1.44 .514

1 1.71 -0.71 0.5041 .2947

44 35.9 8.1 65.61 1.82

15 19.30 -4.3 18.49 0.96

52 52.4 -0.4 .16 .00305

13 14.5 -1.5 2.25 .16

7 8.96 -1.96 3.8416 .428

3 9.30 -6.3 39.69 4.2

6 5.01 .99 .98 .196

16 13.6 2.4 5.76 .4

4 3.8 .2 .04 .01

5 2.32 2.68 7.1824 3.096

TOTAL 15.91175

X2 = Σ (O-E)2

/ E = 15.91175

Number of degree of freedom: ndf = (row-1) (column –1) = (4) (2) = 8 Table value of x2 at 5% level of significant = 15.507

Conclusion: HO is accepted since the calculated value of X2 (15.91175) is more than the table value of X2 (15.507) hence there is a significant relationship between level of satisfaction and monthly income.

of 96

TABLE NO. 6

CHI-SQUARE ANALYSIS ON THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN SERVICE PROVIDERS AND SATISFACTION

SERVICE PROVIDERS


HIGH MODERATE LOW

AIRCEL 4 19 3 26

AIRTEL 11 44 10 65

BSNL 0 26 8 34

RELIANCE 6 21 12 39

TATA INDICOM

0 11 6 17

VODAFONE 2 6 1 9

TOTAL 23 127 40 190

HO: There is no significant relationship between service providers and level of satisfaction. H1: There is significant relationship between service providers and level of satisfaction.

of 96

O E O-E (O-E)2 (O-E)2/E 4 3.147 0.853 0.728 0.231

11 7.87 3.13 9.8 1.24

0 4.116 -4.116 16.94 4.116

6 4.72 1.28 1.638 0.347

0 2.06 -2.06 4.24 2.06

2 1.09 0.91 0.82 0.75

19 17.38 1.62 2.62 0.1507

44 43.45 .55 0.302 0.0069

26 22.72 3.28 10.8 0.48

21 26.07 -5.07 25.7 0.99

11 11.36 -0.36 0.1296 0.0114

6 6.016 -0.016 0.000256 0.0000425

3 5.47 -2.47 6.1009 1.11

10 13.7 -3.7 13.69 0.99

8 7.16 0.84 0.70 0.09

12 8.21 3.79 14.36 1.75

6 3.6 2.4 5.76 1.6

1 1.9 -0.9 0.81 0.43

TOTAL 16.35

of 96

X2 = Σ (O-E)2

/ E = 16.35 Number of degree of freedom: ndf = (row-1) (column –1) =(5) (2) = 10 Table value of x2

at 5% level of significance = 18.307 Conclusion: HO is accepted since the calculated value of X2 (1.35) is less than the table value of X2 (18.307) hence there is no significant relationship between level of satisfaction and cellular service provider.

of 96

TABLE NO. 7

CHI-SQUARE ANALYSIS ON THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE USE OF MOBILE CONNECTION AND SATISFACTION LEVEL

PURPOSE


TOTAL

HIGH MODERATE LOW

BUSINESS 6 11 9 26

PERSONAL 22 114 28 164

TOTAL 28 235 37 190

HO: There is no significant relationship between the use of mobile connection and level of satisfaction. H1: There is significant relationship between the use of mobile connection and level of satisfaction.

of 96

O E O-E (O-E)2 (O-E)2/E

6 3.83 2.17 4.7089 1.229

22 24.17 -2.17 4.7089 0.195

11 17.105 -6.105 37.27 2.18

114 107.9 6.1 37.21 0.345

9 5.06 3.94 15.52 3.07

28 31.93 -3.93 15.44 0.5

TOTAL 7.519

X2 = Σ (O-E)2 / E = 7.519

Number of degree of freedom: ndf = (row-1) (column –1) =(2) (1) = 2 Table value of x2

at 5% level of significance = 5.991

Conclusion: HO is rejected since the calculated value of X2 (7.519) is more than the table value of X2 (5.991) hence there is a significant relationship between the level of satisfaction and use of mobile connection.

of 96

TABLE NO. 8

CHI-SQUARE ANALYSIS ON THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN TYPE OF CONNECTION AND SATISFACTION

TYPE OF CONNECTION


HIGH MODERATE LOW

POST PAID 5 17 10 32

PREPAID 27 110 21 158

TOTAL 32 127 31 190

HO: There is no significant relationship between types of connection and the level of satisfaction. H1: There is significant relationship between types of connection and the level of satisfaction.

of 96

O E O-E (O-E)2 (O-E)2/E

5 5.39 -0.39 0.1521 0.028

27 26.61 0.39 0.1521 0.0057

17 21.39 -4.39 19.27 0.9

110 105.6 4.4 19.36 0.183

10 5.22 4.78 22.84 4.38

21 25.8 -4.8 23.04 0.893

TOTAL 6.389

X2 = Σ (O-E)2 / E = 6.389

Number of degree of freedom: ndf = (row-1) (column –1) =(2) (1) = 2 Table value of x2

at 5% level of significance = 5.99

Conclusion: HO is rejected since the calculated value of x2 (6.389) more than the table value of x2 (5.99) hence there is a significant relationship between level of satisfaction and the type of connection.

of 96

FINDINGS, SUGGESTIONS AND CONCLUSION

INTRODUCTION:

This chapter is allocated to express the findings and conclusions in this study. Statistical tools are applied to analyze the data. It includes the result of each and every tables, charts and tests. FINDINGS FROM PERCENTAGE ANALYSIS: On the basis of consumer preference, majority of the peoples are

preferred Airtel. On the basis of age group, most of the respondents (40%) are using

Airtel, who are in the category of up to 25 years. On the basis of marital status mostly unmarried respondents are using

cell connections than married respondents. On the basis of educational qualification, most of the graduates are using

cell connections. On the basis of occupation, the employees are only used cell connections

in more level. On the basis of family income, 27.36% of the respondents are using cell

connections, which get family income of less than Rs.5, 000. Majority of the peoples buy the cell connections by influencing their

friends. 8.42% of respondents are only influenced by advertisements. Majority of the peoples are using cell connections for personal usage. Majority of the peoples are using prepaid scheme. Majority of the peoples are using cell connections for both incoming and

outgoing. Majority of the peoples are seeking brand image, for their service

provider. On the basis of performance, only two and three people are highly

satisfied with Aircel and Tata Indicom respectively. Only one person is dissatisfied about the performance of Vodafone

service provider. On the basis of periodical offers, majority of the peoples highly satisfied

in Airtel. On the basis of outgoing call charges, majority of people are highly

satisfied in Airtel.

of 96

Only one person is highly satisfied about the outgoing call charges of

Tata Indicom. On the basis of consumer’s attitude, majority of the people are states

that cell connections are necessity to all. 4.36% of the respondents are only states that cell connections are

luxury.

FINDING FROM CHI-SQUARE TEST:

Chi-square test reveals that there is no significant relationship between satisfaction level and age.

Chi-square test shows that there is no significant relationship between satisfaction level and gender.

Chi-square test indicates that there is no significant relationship between

the marital status and level of satisfaction. Chi-square test showing that there is no significant relationship between

education and level of satisfaction. Chi-square test shows that there is a significant relationship between

monthly income and level of satisfaction. Chi-square test indicates that there is no significant relationship between

service provider and satisfaction level. Chi-square test shows that there is a significant relationship between the

type of connection and level of satisfaction.

of 96

SUGGESTIONS

Tata Indicom and Vodafone should try to expand their customer’s

network. Vodafone and BSNL should try to attract the young people. (Up to

25years) Aircel, Tata Indicom and Vodafone should try to attract old peoples also.

All the service providers are made good advertisements for their service.

Because, advertisements are take little part for influencing the consumers.

All the service providers should try to increase post paid users.

75% of the peoples are unaware about the various services rendered by

their service provider. So the service providers should try to make awareness of their customer services to their customers.

Reliance, Tata Indicom should attract the customers by reducing their

price. Airtel, Reliance customers are highly dissatisfied about the performance

of the service provider. So they should try to add some advanced features towards their services.

Tata Indicom and Vodafone should give periodical offers to their

customers. Tata Indicom should decrease their outgoing call charges.

of 96

CONCLUSION:

This is an information era significance of information cannot be over emphasized. This study attempts to find out the factors effecting consumer behavior and the satisfaction of consumer regarding cell phone service providers. This decade, most of the peoples using cell connections. So, service providers are increasing in more level. So service provider are should over come another one’s competition. So, it leads to adding new features, schemes, periodical offers to their service. So, the consumers get maximum benefit from their service provider. Now-a-days, cell connections are a necessity to all. Because, along with bridging the communication gap it has given a sense of safety to the men and women also. And only few persons feel that cell connections are luxury one. India is rapidly evolving on the lines of other developed countries in the sphere of telecom service, so Tata if Indicom wants to leverage this opportunity it should give due attention on increasing its customer base rapidly. S – The strength of Tata Indicom lies in its technically robust network structure. It has almost all the latest technology needed for giving the customer a smooth and flaunt less service. W – The weakness of Tata Indicom lies in its unsatisfactory network coverage as compared to telecom leaders such as Bharti Airtel and BSNL. Its one major weakness is its poor signal strength in many interior areas. So it should give attention to this aspect. O – It has a ready technological platform for 3-G technology. It can leverage it in its favor to give its customers new services across its network. T – The possible threat to Tata Indicom comes from BSNL, Reliance and upcoming new CDMA players. It should strive hard to differentiate itself from others in a meaningful way. The perception of the general mass is also not very favorable about it, so it should actively involve itself in branding itself.

of 96

QUESTIONNAIRE: 1 Dear Sir/Madam, I am conducting a survey on consumer (existing/new) behavior during taking new mobile-connections. Kindly spare some of your valuable time to go through the questionnaire & give your view on this topic. The information provided by you would be kept confidential & only be used for improving customer service.

1) Please name the cellular service/connection you are currently using.

a) Airtel b) Tata Indicom c) Vodafone d) B.S.N.L e) Reliance Comm. f) Aircel

2) What factors influenced you in purchasing the cellular brand you are currently using. Rate the factors on a

scale of 1-4. a) Price/Tariff plan/ Offers b) Brand name c) Availability in store d) Signal Strength

3) While purchasing your preferred brand of cellular connection what sort of features you look forward in your

cellular service brand? a) Network coverage b) Tariff c) Price-Validity ratio d) Value added services

4) What is your preference?

a) Post-paid b) Pre-paid

5) For what reasons you opted for the above plan a) Convenience/Handset b) Cost control c) Value added services d) Discounts/Attractive schemes

of 96

6) How satisfied are you with the cellular service brand you own. Please tick the appropriate option s given below.

a) Extremely satisfied b) Somewhat satisfied c) Somewhat dissatisfied d) Dissatisfied 7) Did you experience any problem with your preferred cellular service brand?

a) Yes b) No

If yes please specify ______________________________________

8) If yes was the problem effectively taken care off immediately? a) Yes b) No

9) Did you switched over to any other network .if please specify the number of times.

a) 1 □ b) 2 □ c) 3 □ d) 4 □ e) more than 4 □ 10) How likely you are to recommend your preferred cellular service brand to your friends and relatives. a) Very Likely b) Somewhat Likely c) Somewhat Unlikely d) Very Unlikely

11) If you are a existing customer of Tata Indicom then which type of value added services do you want to

incorporate in Tata Indicom ____________________________________________________________________

12) As per your opinion how can you improve the existing brand you are using? Any recommendations for Tata

Indicom if you have to.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

of 96

13) Personal details (Put tick mark (√) in appropriate box.) a) Name _____________________ ________________________________ ______ b) Age □ 0-25yrs □ 25-35yrs □ 35-55yrs □ > 55yr. c) Gender: □ Male □ Female d) Occupation: _____________________ e) Qualification:

Undergraduate □ Graduate □ Post-graduate □ Professional degree (Specify) __ f) Income group Monthly income

i. Below 5000 ii. Between 5000-10000

iii. Between 10000-15000 iv. Between 15000-20000 v. Above -20000

Date: Thanking You Tata Indicom Signature:

QUESTIONNAIRE: 2

of 96

Dear Sir/Madam, I am conducting a survey on consumer (existing/new) behavior during taking new mobile-connections. Kindly spare some of your valuable time to go through the questionnaire & give your view on this topic. The information provided by you would be kept confidential & only be used for improving customer service.

1. Please name the cellular service/connection you are currently using a) Airtel □ b) Tata Indicom □ c) Vodafone □ d) B.S.N.L □ e) Reliance Comm □ f) Aircel □

2. Who influenced you to by the particular cell phone service provider?

a) Family Member □ b) Neighbors □ c) Relations □ d) Friends □ e) Advertisement □ f) Dealers □ g) Others□

3. Why do you buy the mobile connection?

a) For business □ b) For personal □

4. Which type of scheme is most preferable by you? a) Prepaid □ b) Postpaid □

5. If you have postpaid / prepaid connection mention Scheme, Name & Monthly rental charges. ____________________________________________________________________

6. For which purpose are you using your mobile connection (Service Provider) mainly for? a) Incoming □ b) Outgoing □ c) Both □ d) SMS Messaging □

7. Are you aware of the following details relating in your mobile connection

(Pre / Postpaid connection)

S. No Aware Neutral Unaware a) Scheme □ □ □

b) Balance of Talk charges □ □ □ c) Periodical offers □ □ □

8. Are you influenced by the following factors relating in your connection?

S. No Aware Neutral Unaware a) Monthly rental charges □ □ □ b) Charges for cell connections to land lines □ □ □ c) Signal of tower Networking □ □ □ d) Cost of scheme □ □ □

e) Incoming (in days) □ □ □

of 96

f) Number of outgoing calls □ □ □ g) Outgoings call charges □ □ □

9. What factor influenced you to decide your Cellular service provider? a)Brand Image □ b)Availability □ c)Customer care service □ d)Service charges □

10. Satisfaction level about your cell phone service provider?

S. No Highly Satisfied Satisfied Non-Satisfied a)Price □ □ □ b) Performance □ □ □ c) Schemes □ □ □ d) Periodical Offers □ □ □ e) Out going call Charges □ □ □

11. Do you face any difficulty in your cell phone connection? a) Yes □ b) No □

12. If yes, please point out the problem? a) Coverage □ b) Service □ c) Clarity □ d) Busy network □ e) Others □

13. You consider owing a mobile connection as a - a) Necessity □ b) Status □ c) Luxury □ d) Compulsion □

14. What is your valuable suggestion / opinion about your cell

phone service provider ? ____________________________________________________________________

of 96

15. Personal details (Put tick mark (√) in appropriate box.) g) Name _____________________ ________________________________ ______ h) Age □ 0-25yrs □ 25-35yrs □ 35-55yrs □ > 55yr. i) Gender: □ Male □ Female j) Marital status: married □ unmarried □ k) Occupation: _____________________ l) Qualification:

Undergraduate □ Graduate □ Post-graduate □ Professional degree (Specify) __ m) Income group Monthly income

vi. Below 5000 vii. Between 5000-10000

viii. Between 10000-15000 ix. Between 15000-20000

Date: Thanking You Tata Indicom Signature:

of 96

BIBLIOGRAPHY - BOOKS-

Philip Kotler, Marketing Management, 11th Ed, Princeton-Hall India 2003

Marketing Research-Naresh .K.Malhotra Marketing Management : ICMR Publication Business Research methods : ICMR Publication Marketing Management - V.S. Ramaswamy, Research Methodology - C.R.Kothari Operation Research – Vittal Business Week The Times Market Areas Analysis (Author: Dr. Jean-Paul Rodriguez).

JOURNALS-

Business India 4Ps of Marketing

INTERNET SOURCE-

http: www.google.com http:www.wikipedia.org http: www.yahoo.com http: www.economicstimes.indiatimes.com http :www.thehindubusinessline.com http :www.thehindubusinessline.com www.tataindicom.com

Final Sip Report at Tata Teleservices-_(Consumer Behavior During Taking New Mobile Connections)...

Documents

Transcript of Final Sip Report at Tata Teleservices-_(Consumer Behavior During Taking New Mobile Connections)...