1.1 INTRODUCTION

The marketing era began in the mid 1950s. Companies, for the first time identified the importance of

consumer needs and wants in the exchange process between the buyer and the seller. Thus, a period of

customer orientation began. At this stage, companies focused on marketing, rather than on selling: they

also embraced the concept of coordinated marketing management, which was directed towards the twin

goals to customer orientation and production.

The American marketing association defines marketing as “the process of planning and executing the

conception, pricing, promotion and distribution of ideas, goods and services to create exchanges that

satisfy individual and organizational goals”.

In a business organization, the marketing division generates the revenues essential for the survival

and the growth of the firm. The finance department manages these revenues and the departments like

R&D, production etc. use them to create products and services. But the real challenge to marketers lies in

generating those revenues profitably by satisfying customers in a socially responsible manner. In this

period of globalization, factors like economic crisis, differences in standards of living, imbalances in

income distribution, environmental degradation, political unrest and a plethora of other social and

economic problems tend to create the challenges and threats faced by companies and nations. While these

factors can be threats to business marketers, try continuously to convert them into opportunities. Thus

marketing plays a significant role in successfully running a business.

Today, it’s commonly accepted that strong brands accelerate business performance, with the power to

lift the companies, their products and services from obscurity commodity status to positions of

prominence in their market places. Brand can be defined as ‘ the internalized sum of all the impressions

received by the customers and consumers resulting in a distinctive position in their minds eye based on

perceived emotional and functional benefits’

Ideally the brand that emerges is a positive one, leading to trust, loyalty and advocacy for your offerings,

increasing shareholder value and establishing long term advantage in the market place. Now branding is

an integrating business practice. The act of associating a product or service with a brand has become a part

of pop culture. Most products have some kind of brand identity, from common table salt to designer

clothes.

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India is the second largest producer of fruits and vegetables in the world. India’s

food processing sector covers fruits and vegetables, meat and poultry, milk and milk products,

alcoholic beverages, fisheries, plantation, grain processing and other consumer product groups.

The food processing industry is one of the largest industries in India. It is ranked fifth in terms of

production, consumption, export and expected growth.

As today’s life style has changed tremendously, there has been a wide change in

the eating habits of the people. Food manufacturers are developing new products to meet the

changing tastes, texture and health and wellness consideration of consumers. The popularity of

ready to eat packs and the bottom lines of eateries have a story to tell. Traditional dominance of

women in the kitchen is getting diluted with instant food, offering convenience of easy and simple

working.

Keeping these aspects in mind, Manjilas food products have started to cater the

changing taste and appetite of the consumers. Manjilas group have 50 years of experience in rice

industry. Their core business is rice and rice based products marketed under the brand name of

‘Double Horse ‘which is the first brand introduced in rice and rice products in Kerala.

Double Horse has over 14 varieties of rice. The company with a turnover of Rs60

Cr. and with a market share of nearly 20.5,Manjilas currently touches 20 lakh households through

5000 plus retail dealers worldwide.

Rightly sensing the fast changing life style and eating habits of keralites, due

emphasis is given to instant foods and ready to eat products by Manjilas. At the same time, this

would help to promote the taste of traditional Kerala food among the new generation as well.

This project titled, The study on THE IMPACT OF THE CUSTOMER

BRAND AWARENESS ON CONSUMER BUYING BEHAVIOR, WITH SPECIAL

REFERENCE TO MANJILAS GROUP OF COMPANYS AGRO FOODS PVT LTD, is

intended to access and to acquire knowledge of how much customer AWARE a product and how

his preference influences the buying decision. At the same time this project also shows light on

price preference, quality, consumption rate etc, of customers and retailers.

Customer awareness in general describes people’s perception and cognitive

reaction to a condition or event. Awareness does not necessarily imply understanding as it is an

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abstract concept. Awareness may be focused on an internal state, such as an instinctive feeling, or

on external events such as sensory perception.

Customer awareness is the capacity of the consumers to recognize or remember a

product and there is a linkage between the brand and the product class, but the link does not have

to be strong. Customer awareness is the process from where the customer is just known to a level

when the customers have put the product on the higher rank the product has become the “top of

mind”

This project is intended to measure the customer awareness on the double horse food products and

to give necessary suggestions to create and gain loyal customers.

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1.2 RESEARCH PROBLEM

In the present scenario, customers are considered as a ‘king’. The existence of every

business organization depends up on it’s ability to attract potential customers and to retain the

existing customers. The title of the project as a “study on the impact of the customer brand

awareness on customer buying decision, with special reference to manjilas group of companies Pvt

Ltd.

Manjilas group of companies is a private company, dealing in rice and rice based products.

Manjilas group have 50 years of experience in rice industry. Their core business is rice and rice

based products marketed under the brand name of ‘Double Horse ‘which is the first brand

introduced in rice and rice products in Kerala.

The comprehensive statement of the problem can be thus stated as:

Whether the brand awareness impact on customer buying decision?

1.3. SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

The study was conducted to analyze the customer awareness about ‘double horse food

products of manjilas Pvt Ltd’. The problem under study was to understand how far the customers

are aware of double horse food products and the influence of awareness on buying decisions.

Brand awareness is not everything. Brand awareness is vitally important for all

brands but high brand awareness without an understanding of what sets you apart from the

competition does you virtually no good. Many marketers experience confusion on this point.

It also helps to understand to what extend brand awareness matters when purchase

decision is being made. According to the theories consumers choose a brand they recognize, before

an unfamiliar brand. If not what are the factors that have a greater effect while making the

decisions and also help to measure the satisfaction level of the consumer on the product offered.

Consumer awareness is the capacity of the consumers to recognize or remember a product, and

there is a linkage between the brand and the product class, but the link does not have to be strong.

Customer awareness is a process from where the customer is just known to a level when the

consumers have put the product on a higher rank, the product has become the ‘top of mind’.

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This study helps in understanding customer awareness of Double horse food products. It also

reveals the price at which the product is demanded and is consumed in the market. Consumers

often judge the quality of a product on the basis of variety of informational clues. In the absence of

direct experience or other information, consumer often relay on price as an indicator of quality.

This study also helps the researcher in analyzing the brand image of the product. The product or

services that are perceived favorably have a much better chance of being purchased than the

product with unfavorable or neutral image.

1.4. SCOPE OF THE STUDY

The scope of the study is to determine how much the customers are awared about the

double horse food products. The study focus on the double horse food products, which is the

brand product of manjilas group of companies private ltd. The study is mainly focused on

customer and retailer awareness of the product. The study also focuses to evaluate the price

preference of the product. The study also centered in analyzing the consumption rate of customers

and retailers. The scope of the study more over lies in finding out the perception of customers in

thrissur in responses taken by 50 customers during a period of 21 days, and highlighting the key

areas which require some concern on part of manjilas group of companies pvt ltd, and improving

upon which the company may strengthen its customer base. The present study, analysis, findings

and suggessions put forward my me is expected to have immense use for future research with

similar studies in the same concerned area.

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1.5. OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY

Main objective

To identify the influence of brand awareness in customer buying decision

Secondary objective

To identify the role of promotional activities creating brand awareness.

To find out the preference of customers on double horse food product with compared to other

competitors

To find out the perception of the customers on double horse food products

1.6 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

To define any research problem and give a suitable solution for the problem, a sound

research plan is inevitable. Research methodology underlines the various steps involved by the

researcher in systematically solving the problem with the objective of determining various facts.

1.6.1 Research Design

A research work will be successful, only with a sound research design .The research

design for the purpose of the study is Descriptive in nature. The major purpose of descriptive

research is description of the state of affairs as it exists at present. The main characteristics of this

method are that researcher has no control over the variables. The researcher can only report what

has happened or what is happening.

1.6.2 Sources of Data Collection

Data used for the research will be collected from both primary as well as secondary

sources.

1.6.2.1 Primary Source

Primary data will be collected through questionnaires from customers.

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1.6.2.2 Secondary Source

Secondary data on the other hand includes those data, which are collected from some

earlier research work, company records, commercial magazines and websites etc.

1.6.2.3 Instrument of Primary Data Collection

Questionnaire, with customers will be held as the instrument of primary

data collection.

1.6.3 Sampling Design

A sample design is a definite plan for obtaining a sample from a given

population. Decisions regarding what, when, where, how much, by what means concerning an

inquiry or a research study constitute a research design.

1.6.4 Sampling Unit

The research will be done at Thrissur in the state of Kerala. All the samples

under study is selected from the above mentioned unit.

1.6.5 Sample Size

As a part of the study population sample of 50 customers from as sample will be selected

ofor data collection. All the necessary data will be collected from the selected sample using

questionnaires.

1.8.6 Sampling procedure

The sampling procedure adopted in the present study is convenience sampling. In this the

population is classified into rural and urban areas.

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1.7 LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY

Every study or project has 2 faces. One that states its advantages while the other reveals its

limitations. The present project is no exception. In spite of precautionary measures and meticulous

planning of the schedule for undertaking the project, there may be inevitable limitations, which are

as follows:

Personal bias and prejudice of the respondents could have affected the result of the study.

This study is an academic effort and so is limited by, cost and coverage.

The sample is taken from single district only. It could have been taken from different

District for more relevant result.

The sample size selected for the research study is only 50.

Some respondents have not given their explicit opinion

Though with these limitations, I am satisfied with the work conducted as it is

carefully administered keeping in line with the advice of my experts.

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2.1. LITERATURE REVIEW

Customer

A customer refers to individuals or households that purchase goods and services generated within

the economy. The word historically derives from “custom” meaning “habit”, a customer was

someone who frequented a particular shop, who made it a habit to purchase goods there, and with

whom the shop keeper had to maintain a relationship to keep his or her “custom” meaning

expected purchases in the future.

Customer needs may be defined as the goods or services a customer requires to achieve specific

goals. Different needs are of verifying importance to the customer. Customer expectations are

influenced by cultural values, advertising marketing , and other communications, both with other

sources.

Both customer needs and expectations may be determined through interviews, surveys,

conversations, data mining or other methods of collecting information. Customers at times do not

have a clear understanding of their needs. Assisting in determining needs can be a valuable service

to the customer. In the process, expectation may be set or adjusted to correspond to known product

capabilities or service.

Brand

The word "brand", when used as a noun, can refer to a company name, a product name, or a unique

identifier such as a logo or trademark.

In a time before fences were used in ranching to keep one's cattle separate from other people's

cattle, ranch owners branded, or marked, their cattle so they could later identify their herd as their

own.

The concept of branding also developed through the practices of craftsmen who wanted to place a

mark or identifier on their work without detracting from the beauty of the piece. These craftsmen

used their initials, a symbol, or another unique mark to identify their work and they usually put

these marks in a low visibility place on the product.

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Not too long afterwards, high quality cattle and art became identifiable in consumers’ minds by

particular symbols and marks. Consumers would actually seek out certain marks because they had

associated those marks in their minds with tastier beef, higher quality pottery or furniture,

sophisticated artwork, and overall better products. If the producer differentiated their product as

superior in the mind of the consumer, then that producer's mark or brand came to represent

superiority.

Today's modern concept of branding grew out of the consumer packaged goods industry and the

process of branding has come to include much, much more than just creating a way to identify a

product or company.

Branding today is used to create emotional attachment to products and companies. Branding

efforts create a feeling of involvement, a sense of higher quality, and an aura of intangible qualities

that surround the brand name, mark, or symbol.

Brand awareness

Brand awareness is when people recognize your brand as yours. This does not necessarily mean

they prefer your brand (brand preference), attach a high value to, or associate any superior

attributes to your brand, it just means they recognize your brand and can identify it under different

conditions.

Brand awareness consists of both brand recognition, which is the ability of consumers to confirm

that they have previously been exposed to your brand, and brand recall, which reflects the ability

of consumers to name your brand when given the product category, category need, or some other

similar cue.

Aided awareness occurs when you show or read a list of brands and the person expresses

familiarity with your brand only after they hear or see it.

Top-of-mind awareness occurs when you ask a person to name brands within a product category

and your brand pops up first on the list.

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Brand awareness is vitally important for all brands but high brand awareness without an

understanding of what sets you apart from the competition does you virtually no good. Many

marketers experience confusion on this point.

When you think about facial tissue, gelatin, and adhesive bandages, do the brands Kleenex®,

Jello®, and Band-Aid® come to mind? These brands enjoy strong top-of-mind awareness in their

respective categories.

Advertising a useful tool for creating customer awareness

Advertising is a form of communication that typically attempts to persuade potential customers to

purchase or to consume more of a particular brand of product or service. Many advertisements are

designed to generate increased consumption of those products and services through the creation

and reinforcement of “brand image” and “brand loyalty”. For these purpose, advertisements

sometimes embed their persuasive message with factual information. Every major medium is used

to deliver these messages, including television, radio, cinema, magazines, newspapers, video

games, the internet and billboards. Advertising is often placed by an advertising agency on behalf

of a company or other organization.

Advertisements are seen on the seats of shopping carts, on the walls of an airport walkway, on the

sides of buses, and are heard in telephone hold messages and in-store public address systems.

Advertisements are often placed anywhere an audience can easily or frequently access visual,

audio and printed information.

Organizations that frequently spend large sums of money on advertising that sells what is not,

strictly speaking, a product or service include political parties, interest groups, religious

organizations, and military recruiters. Non- profit organizations are not typical advertising clients,

and may rely on free modes of persuasion, such as public service announcements.

Advertising spending has increased dramatically in recent years. In 2006, spending on advertising

has been estimated at $155 billion in the United States and $385 billion world wide, and the latter

to exceed $500 billion by 2010.

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HOW MARKET ENVIRONMENT AFFECTS CUSTOMER AWARENESS

The market environment is a marketing term and refers to all of the forces outside of marketing

that affect marketing management’s ability to build and maintain successful relationship with

target customers. The market environment consist of both the macro environment and micro

environment

The micro environment refers to the forces that are close to the company and affect its ability to

serve its customers. It includes the company itself, it’s suppliers, marketing intermediaries,

customer markets, competitors and publics.

The company aspect of micro environment refers to the internal environment of the company. This

includes all departments, such as management, finance, research and development, purchasing,

operations and accounting. Each of these departments has an impact on marketing decisions. For

example, research and development have inputs as to the features a product can perform and

accounting approves financial side of marketing plans and budgets.

The suppliers of a company are also an important aspect of the micro environment because even

the slightest delay in receiving suppliers can result in customer dissatisfaction. Marketing

managers must watch supply availability and other trends dealing with suppliers to ensure that

product will be delivered to customers in the time frame required in order to maintain a strong

customer relationship.

Marketing intermediaries refers to resellers, physical distribution firms, marketing services

agencies, and financial intermediaries. These are the people that help the company promote, sell,

and distribute its products to final buyers. Resellers are those that hold and sell the company’s

product. They match the distribution the customers and include places such as Wal-mart, target,

and best buy. Physical distribution firms are places such as warehouses that store and transport the

company’s product from its origin to its destination. Marketing services agencies are companies

that offer services such as conducting marketing research, advertising, and consulting. Financial

intermediaries are institutions such as banks, credit companies, and insurance companies.

Another aspect of micro environment is the customers. These are different types of customer

markets, business markets, government markets, international market, and reseller markets. The

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consumer market is made up of individuals who buy goods and services for their own personal use

or use in their house hold. Business markets include those that buy goods and services for use in

producing their own products to sell. This is different from the reseller market which includes

business that purchases goods to resell as is for a profit. These are the same companies mentioned

as market intermediaries. The government market consists of government agencies that buy goods

to produce public services or transfer goods to others who need them. International markets

include buyers in other competitors are also a factor in the micro environment and include

companies with similar offerings for goods and services. To remain competitive a company must

consider who their biggest competitors are while considering its own size and position in the

industry. The company should develop a strategic advantage over their competitors.

The final aspect of the micro environment is publics, which is any group that has an interest in or

impact on the organization’s ability to meet its goals. For example, financial publics can hinder a

company’s ability to obtain funds affecting the levels of credit a company has. Media publics

include newspapers and magazines that can publish articles of interest regarding the company and

editorials that may influence customer’s opinion. Government publics can affect the company by

passing legislation and laws that put restrictions on the company’s actions. Citizen-action publics

include environmental groups and minority groups and can question the actions of a company and

put them in the public spotlight. Local publics are neighborhood and community organizations and

will also question a company’s impact on the local area and the level of responsibility of their

actions. The general public can greatly affect the company as any change in their attitude, whether

positive or negative, can cause sales to go up or down because the general public is often the

company’s customer base. And finally, the internal publics include all those who are employed

within the company and deal with the organization and construction of the company’s product.

The macro environment refers to all forces that are part of the larger society and affect the micro

environment. It includes concepts such as demography, economy, natural forces, technology,

politics and culture.

Demography refers to studying human population in terms of size, density, location, age, gender

race, and occupation. This is a very important factor to study for marketers and helps to divide the

population into market segments and target market. An example of demography is classifying

groups of people according to the year they were born. These classifications can be referred to as

baby boomers , who are born between 1946 and 1964 , generation x , who are born between 1965

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and 1976 , and generation y , who are born between 1977 and 1994. Each classification has

different characteristics and causes the find important. This can be beneficial to a marketer as they

can decide who their product would benefit most and tailor their marketing plan to attract that

segmet. Demography covers many aspects that are important to marketers including family

dynamics , geographic shifts , workforce changes and levels of diversity in any given area.

Another aspect of the macro environment is the economic environment. This refers to the

purchasing power of potential customers and the ways in which people spend their money. Within

this area are two different economies , subsistence and industrialized. Subsistence economies are

based more in agriculture and consume their on industrial output. Industrial economies have

markets that are diverse and carry many different types of goods . each is important to the markrter

because each has a highly different spending pattern as well as distribution of wealth.

The natural environment is another important factor of the macro environment. This includea

the natural resources that a company uses as inputs and affects their marketing activities. The

concern in this area is the increased pollution, shortage of rawmaterials and increased

governmental iintervention .as rawmaterials become increasingly scarcer , the ability to create a

companies products gets much harder. Also, pollution can go as far as negatively affecting a

company’s reputation if they are known for damaging the environment. The last concern

government intervention can make it increasingly harder for a company to fulfill their goals as

requirements get more stringent.

The technological environment is perhaps one of the fastest changing factors in the macro

environment. This includes all developments from antibiotics and surgery to nuclear missiles and

chemical weapon s to auto mobiles and credit cards. As these market develop it can create new

market and new uses for products. It also requires a company to stay ahead of others and update

their own technology as it becomes outdated. They must stay informed of trends so they can be

part of the next big thing, rather than becoming out dated and suffering the consequences

financially.

The political environment includes all laws, government agencies, and groups that influence or

limit other organizations and individuals within a society. It is important for marketers to be aware

of these restrictions as they can be complex. Some products are regulated by both state and federal

laws. These are even restrictions for some products as to who the target market may be, for

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example, cigerrates should not be marketed to younger children. These are also many restrictions

on subliminal messages and monopolies. As laws and regulations change often, this is often, this is

a very important aspect for a marketer to monitor.

He final aspect of the macro environment is the cultural environment, which consist of institutions

and basic values and beliefs of a group of people. The values can be further categorized in to core

beliefs, which passed on from generation to generation and very difficult to change, and secondary

beliefs, which tend to be easier to influence. As a marketer, it is important to know the difference

between the two and to focus your marketing campaign to reflect the values of a target audience.

When dealing with the marketing environment it is important for a company to become proactive.

By doing so, they can create the kind of environment that the will prosper in and can become more

efficient by marketing in areas with the greatest customer potential. It is important to place equal

emphasis on both the macro and micro environment and to react accordingly to changes within

them.

Customer orientation another way to create customer awareness:

Customer orientation is the set of beliefs in sales that says that customer needs and satisfaction are

the priority of an organization. It focuses on dynamic interactions between the organization and

customers as well as competitors in the market and its internal stake holders. It involves a

continuous improvement in business process. It is “the business seen from the point of view of its

final result, that is, from the customer’s point of view”. Customer orientation and sales orientation

are two extremes in dealing with customers. Aa salesperson can never adopt both attitudes in

serving a customer.

Customer orientation places n emphasis on listening to customers(e.g, I try to find out what kind of

product would be most help ful to a customer) and dialogue (e.g, I try to get customer to discuss

their needs with me). Customer – oriented sales people tend to exhbit behaviors that enhance long

term customer satisfaction, possibly at the expense of immediate sales.

On the other hand, sales orientation encourages opportunistic means if these are necessary to make

the sale. Sales-orientad sales people tend to focus on immediate sales regardless of customer

benefit, possibly at the expense of long term satisfaction.

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Seven Tips To Boost Brand Awareness

1) Focus On Your Newsworthy Attributes

The news hook is an important information trigger that actually interests news editors and

reporters, not something contrived or self-serving that you think should interest the media. You’ll

have far greater success garnering news coverage if your announcement is based on a proven news

hook, rather than being full of puffery and information only of interest to you.

2) Keep Your PR Tool Kit Up-To-Date

The basic tools for being reporter friendly are: well-written news releases, media/press kit (both

online and hardcopy), fact sheets and Q&A documents, backgrounders and history documents,

bios of key employees, milestone recap and related timeline, photography (high resolution required

for print reproduction), and technical documents such as white papers and case studies. The more

information you are able to provide an interested reporter, the more likely your encounter will

result in thorough, accurate and engaging coverage.

3) Utilize Newswire Services

Newswires – effectively selected, written and timed – turn up the volume on your media

announcement. Specialized dissemination services -- such as PR Newswire, Business Wire, PR

Web, PR.com and PR Leap – can give your news release added exposure to both the media and

potential customers searching the Internet for your products or services as the release remains

posted online.

4) Become Skilled At E-mail Campaigns

E-mail is, on the whole, the most preferred form of communication for reaching the news media

(versus unsolicited phone calls, text messages or podcasts to busy journalists). Where do you get

the e-mail addresses? Check the contact section of the media outlet’s website or subscribe to a

media contact data source such as Bacon's MediaSource, Burrelles Luce MediaContacts or Bulldog

Reporter MediaBase

.

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5) Make Use Of Leads Services

The leads service is a special PR tool that allows reporters on deadline to reach out to companies

and individuals for information and interviews. Examples of these services, available by

subscription, are PR Newswire’s ProfNet and PRSourceCode. Here’s an example of a recent

Profnet Query: “I am writing a story for a national business publication roughly titled 'Sales 2.0.'

The article looks at how some of the new tools such as LinkedIn, Jigsaw, and other Web 2.0 tech

stuff are changing the way companies prospect for sales, contact and woo sales, close sales, and

then keep customers happy. I am only interested in talking to small and medium-sized businesses

(with 1,000 employees or less).”

6) Share Your Expertise Via Articles

Bylined articles, like you’re reading now, are when you write articles for the print media (usually

at the invitation of the editor) about your area of expertise. Opportunities can range from a 250-

word squib to a 2,000-word feature. A short paragraph at the end of the article usually recaps the

author’s credentials, explains his/her company or organization title and affiliation, and provides the

reader with website contact information.

7) Win Awards To Attract Attention

Receipt of an industry or community award is a legitimate news hook that can help attract the

attention of editors and reporters and ultimately gain valuable media exposure. The focus of the

award gives the recipient a reason to expand on the particular topic by providing additional

information and related photography. Quite frequently, the prestige of receiving one or several

industry awards offers the “awareness lift” necessary to secure a profile or full feature about your

company or organization.

WHAT IS BUYER BEHAVIOUR?

  The wealth of products and services produced in a country make our economy strong. Almost all

the products, which are available to buyers, have a number of alternative suppliers: substitute

products are available to consumers, who make decision to buy product. Therefore a seller most of

his time, seeks buyers and tries to please them. In order to be successful, a seller is concerned with.

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Who is the customer?

What do consumers buy?

When do consumers buy?

How do consumers buy?

From where do consumers buy?

Why do consumers buy?

A buyer makes a purchase of a particular product or a particular brand and this can be termed “

product buying motives” and the reason behind the purchase from a particular seller is “ patronage

motives”

    When a person gets his pay packet, and if he is educated ,sits down along with his wife and

prepares a family budget, by appropriating the amount to different needs. It may happen that after

a trip to the market, they might have purchased some items, which are not in the budget, and thus

there arises a deviation from the budgeted items and expenditure. all  the behaviour of human

beings during the purchase may be termed as “buyer behaviour”.

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3.1 INDUSTRY PROFIL E

3.1.1 Food industry

Throughout history rice has been one of man’s important foods. Today, this unique grain helps

sustain two-thirds of the world’s population. Archeological evidence suggests that rice has been

feeding mankind for more than 5,000 years. Today agriculture is the backbone of India’s

economy, providing direct employment to about 70% of working people in the country. It forms

the basis of many premier industries in India, Including the textile, jute, and sugar industries.

The high nutritional value low fat content, easy digestibility and above all, the rich, distinct aroma

of rice give the enviable stature. Little wonder then, that Indian rise can turn even the most

ordinary dishes into delicacies. Rice is the staple food from breakfast to dinner dessert, Rice caters

to every application in the lives of the people especially of south India rice is available in a wide

range of varieties that suit various taste-brown rice and white rice in round grained and long

grained varieties. Besides these, there are specialty rice varieties for the varied traditional users of

rice in kitchen all over the world.

3.1.2 Growth Promotional Activities

Rice is the is the backbone of India’s economy providing direct employment to about 70% of

working people in the country. It forms the basis of many premier industries of India. Through a

combination of increasing in the area under cultivation and increase in cropping intensity. Today

India is self sufficient in rice. Adoption of modern varieties(MV).rice production exceeds 100

million tones annually since 1988.

India is one of the worlds’ major food producers, but accounts for less than 1.5 percent of

international food trade. Food processing involve any types of value addition to agriculture or

horticulture produce and also include processes such as grading, sorting, packaging etc. which

enhance shelf life of food products. The food processing industry provides vital linkages and

synergies between industry and agriculture. The food processing industry sector in India is one of

largest in terms of production, consumption, export and growth prospects. The Government has

accorded it as a high priority, with a number of fiscal incentives to encourage commercialization

and value addition to agricultural produce, for minimizing pre/post harvest wastage, generating

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employment and export growth. India’s food processing sector covers a wide range of products

like fruit and vegetables, meat and poultry; milk and milk products, alcoholic beverages, fisheries,

plantation products, soya based products mineral water, high protein foods etc.

India produces about 200 million tones of different food grains every year. All major grains-

paddy, wheat, maize, barley and millets like jowar (great millet), bajra (pearl millet) and ragi

(finger millet) are produced in the country. The country is self sufficient in grain production and is

the second largest rice producer in the world, with a 20 per cent share.

In 2005 -06, the total area under paddy stood at 2.76 lakh hectares as against around 7.53 lakh

hectares in 1961 – 62. This means that the state witnessed a decrease of 63 percent in paddy area

over a period of 44 years, according to the latest report of the Department of Economics and

Statistics.

The total production of rice has also come down in tandem: it stood at 6.3 lakh tones in 2005-06

compared to 13.39 lakh tones in 1981-82. Thus, over a period of 24 years, the rice production has

fallen by more than 50 percent. At 6.3 lakh tones as on the last count, it can meet only around one

fifth of the states total annual consumption of 30 lakh tones.

Production in Asia is now forecasted at 570 million tones, only half a million tone less than last

season’s level, but well below earlier expectations. Adverse growing conditions in the form of

typhoons, floods, drought, diseases and insect attacks severely undermined paddy production

prospects in 2006. As a result, little overall growth is currently expected in the region. Several

countries, however, may witness an increase, particularly in Bangladesh, where heavy rainfall in

August brought relief to the main crop, but also Cambodia, Indonesia, the Islamic Republic of Iran,

Myanmar, the Philippines and Vietnam. By contrast, major setbacks are expected to depress output

below last season’s level in the Democratic Republic of Korea, India, Japan, Malaysia, Nepal,

Korea, Thailand and Viet Nam. In India, the 2006 monsoon season, which ended in September,

has been erratic and several important rice producing states, such as Assam, Tamil Nadu and Uttar

Pradesh received below normal precipitation, while rainfall was above average in Orissa. FAO is

consequently anticipating production in the country to harvest 1.35 to1.5 million tones less than

last season. Crops in China were also affected by droughts, floods and disease problems with the

result that production is now forecast to rise only marginally compared with 2005.

20

3.1.3 Rice industry - origin and history

The origin and history of rice industry probably dates back to the antiquity. As per archeological

evidences, India and Burma should be regarded as the origin of cultivated rice. It had probably

been the staple food and the first cultivated crop in Asia.

Nutritional value of rice

Rice is primarily a high energy or high caloric food. The protein content is less than wheat. The

protein content of milled rice is usually 6.17 percent. The biological value of this protein is high.

Rice contains low fat about 2 to 2.5 percent. In milling process much of the fat is lost. The calcium

content in rice is generally low. B group vitamins are found in rice grains as in wheat. Valuable

protein, vitamins and minerals are lost in the milling process of rice. The embryo and aleuronic

layer of rice are removed during the course of milling. However much of the loss of nutrients can

be avoidable through parboiling process.

Types of Rice

There are primarily four distinct types of rice:

India accounts for more than 75% of global trade, Japonica rice that accounts for around

12% of global rice trade, Basmati rice accounts for around 10% of global trade and glutinous rice

accounts for most of the remainder.

RICE POWDER

The essential ingredient of the daily diet is the rice after the morning dose of coffee; a typical

malayali house hold serves breakfast that may either consist of soft idlies, prepared out of a paste

of fermented rice and black pulses, or dosa, an oval spread of the same ingredients. Well seasoned

appams and periappams, made by mixing this pastes with tomatoes, onions and other morning

culinary delights. Rice powder based industry is an essential rice based industry in India. Rice

powder is an important exporting food. Whole over the world especially malayalies are the regular

user of rice powder.

21

By-products

The by- products of rice milling are used for a variety of purposes. Rice bran is the most valuable

by- product of rice milling industry. It is obtained from the outer layers of the brown rice.

Generally, rice bran consists of pericarp, aleuronic layers, germ and a part of endosperm. Bran

removal amounts to 4 to 9 percent of the weight of paddy milled and is abundant in oil. Raw rice

bran contains about 18 to 20 percent oil whereas parboiled rice bran contains about 22 to 25

percent oil. The de-oiled bran, which is a rich source of protein (about 17 percent) and vitamins

(vitamins A and E), is used as cattle feed and poultry feed. It is a good source of foreign exchange

earnings. Rice hustles can be used in manufacture of insulation materials, cement and card board.

It is also used as litter in poultry keeping. Rice straw is used as cattle feed and it is also used a

slitter during winter season.

3.1.4 Growth stage

Rice production in India has increased during the last 51 years by nearly 44 percent or 4.4 times

from 20.58 million tones in 1950 to nearly 91.05 million tones during 2001-02.Rice is the most

important crop of India. And it occupies 23.3 percent of gross tropical area of the country. Rice

contributes 43 percent of total food grains production and 46 percent of the total cereal production.

It continues to play vital role in the national food grain supply.

Asia accounts for 90percent and 92 percent of world’s rice area and production respectively.1/3 rd

of Asia’s rice production is consumed in china and 1/5th in India Among the rice growing

countries in the world, India has the largest area under rice crop and ranks second in production

next to china. Other important rice producing countries are Indonesia, Bangladesh, Vietnam,

Myanmar, Thailand, Japan, Brazil etc.

22

3.2 COMPANY PROFILE

Manjilas rice saga began from the humble environs of the rice bazaar, Thrissur which is the

cultural capital of Kerala. It was here late Sri M.O John started his rice vending outlet in the year

1959. He was a visionary who brought about a great revolution in the rice industry. He was the

founder general secretary of Vyapari Vyasai Ekopana Samithi, as association of the business

community of Kerala. He was also the president of Chamber of Commerce, Thrissur (1993 – 2000)

Thanks to the wide vision of this great man, Manjilas make about 14 varieties of rice and about 50

varieties of food products under the famous brand name Double Horse.

Today Manjilas is the first ISO 9002 company in the rice industry in Kerala and presently the

company has been awarded with ISO 9001:2000 certificate. Manjilas has 7 manufacturing units,

employing 600 people. These units use the state of the art imported technology. A strong R & D

department and special development kitchen has helped to launch many innovative products giving

novelty to the customers taste and appetite.

DOUBLE HORSE is available across length and breadth of India, Middle East, USA &Europe.As

the brand logo suggests the horse is galloping to reach great heights. For the last two years the

company is on track of profit making with the introduction of more rice items as well as food

products like puttu podi,pickles etc.All the products are of high quality. The quality of the products

are much fine that they have gained fame abroad.

Countries: US, Canada, Gulf countries are the export target of this company

3.2.1 History of the company

When M.O John started Manjilas mill in 1959, he had the only intention of providing the pure rice

to malayalees.

Years ago the ancestors of M.O John were dedicated to deliver rice for the Royal family. They

were doing these processes through buying raw rice from agriculture farms and making transform

raw rice to rice. They gave importance to quality because they have to deliver the rice to the royal

family. Now, there were no ruling and Manjilas give that much importance to quality.

23

In the ancient time M.O John’s father commenced rice trading and started it as a business. By

starting his own rice mill M.O John gave an introduction to the rice industry in Kerala. By starting

a modern rice mill in 1976 he brought up his business in a new turning point. Innovation should

brought up in the business but don’t be over aggressive. This was his concept about business. Rice

being an inevitable food item he had the vision that rice should be available in at ordinary rate and

for the growth of business he was not ready to raise the price.

Manjilas introduced branded rice in the market. By introducing rice powder in 1994 they started

differentiation of products. In the olden days the keralites have been buying rice from the shop

and after washing it they gave it to the mill for getting rice powder. Because of these, all market

analysts were having the doubts regarding the success of the rice powder from Manjilas group.

But within 6 months Manjilas got a favorable reply from customers. After rice powder, by

introducing idli mix,dosa mix, easy palappam and instant idiayappam, Double Horse can lead the

market according to the needs of the society.

Food processing industry is one o the fast changing industry in the world. To utilize the

opportunities out of the changes, Manjilas used product innovation and regular research. The

children of M.O John implemented the new technologies in rice industry and they brought the rice

industry into new meaning. Now they are leading with their father M.O John’s long perceptiveness

and insight. After the death of M.O John, Double Horse products entered into diversification under

the able guidance of his sons. Now, the research and developments department are working

continuously for developing new products.

3.2.2 Establishment

Manjilas food products were founded in the year 1995. As today’s life style has changed

tremendously, there has been a wide change in the eating habits of people. Keeping this aspects in

mind Manjilas food products has entered to the cater the changing taste and appetite of the

consumers. The unit produces various rice based value added products, instant mixes, ready to eat

products etc. in the famous brand name ‘Double Horse’.

Manjilas has 6 manufacturing units employing 450 people. The unit used the state of art imported

technology. A strong R & D department and special developed kitchen had helped to launch many

innovative products giving novelty to the customers taste and appetitive. The unit has a capacity of

10 tones per day and has 45 dedicated staff who are always on the look out to give the best quality

24

products throughout. The unit uses state of art packaging technologies to maintain the freshness

and aroma of the products.

Vision

To be the leader in the food industry

Mission

To make every malayalee in India a Double Horse customer by the year 2008.

To make every malayalee in the world Double Horse customer by the year 2010

Manjilas personnel policy and objectives.

The intention of the company is to provide a suitable, safe and healthy working environment to

each employee of Manjilas group.

As the policies are the plan of actions, organization needs to evolve personnel policies as they

ensure consistency and uniformity in treating people. They help to motivate and build loyalty.

Policies become benchmark to compare and evaluate performance. A policy is more specific and

commits the management to a definite course of action.

Quality policy

Manjilas is committed to give total satisfaction to their customers through continuous

improvement of products, processes and distribution. They always maintained an equilibrium on

the quality of products provided on various segments

Quality assurance.

Right from the purchase point to the sales there are quality checks. They also believed that “a

good output depends up on good input”. Company personnels travel extensively through the paddy

fields during the harvest season and great care is taken to see that only the best available paddy is

purchased. The paddy purchased is properly dried and stocked in paddy go downs.

Certifications

Manjilas is the first ISO 9001: 2000 certified rice mill in Kerala. The company has also been

certified with ISO 9002.

25

3.2.3 Recent developments

In today’s cut throat competition it’s a great note that Manjilas group is shining brighter day by

day. Even though they have started building their selves in the overseas market. Slowly they are on

the fastest track of development. Now the time is not far away for Double Horse to gallop to the

top most position .For this giant gallop in the very near future, the export development will get the

utmost concentration from management as well as from the production department.

Now, just have a look at the overseas market, they had representations in Bahrain, Jeddah &

Dammamm (KSA) Kuwait, Qatar and UAE. They appointed distributors for unrepresented areas

such as Riyadh (KSA) and Muscat. They were able to introduce a number of products in the over

seas market. Last year they made a sale of Rs.60 crore and now their target is Rs.20 crore and 70

percent of it has been achieved.

Manjilas rice plant

Manjilas group founded in the year 1959 has three rice milling units.

Manjilas Rice mill, Kottekad, Thrissur

Manjilas Agro foods Pvt. Ltd., Cheramangalam, Palakkad

Manjilas Food Tech Pvt. Ltd. Naripotta, Palakkad

The combined production capacity of these 3 units is 120 tones per day. The company uses the

imported technology from Satake Japan, Buhler Germany and Sortex England. Its high processing

facilities and hygienic warehouses ensure best quality for all seasons.

Two generations of experiences have helped Manjilas Group to be the trendsetter in this highly

competitive rice industry.

Double Horse rice brand

26

The DHR & Rice products are quiet familiar to the people of Kerala which shows that his brand is

positioned as a sign of quality and perception. The unique selling proposition of the company itself

is ‘the taste of keralites’.

In Kerala, the brand was launched in 1954 since then no other company was in the field till 1956.

In 1965 they started a mechanized mill to cater the need of keralites.

There are about 350 retail outlets of Manjilas brand. The retailers are paid as commission of 2.5

percent on the sales. The marketing network of the company is also elaborated. The retailers can

order the commodity through telephone or any other mean and the order will be processed and

delivered to the retailers as early as possible. Thus we can see that the company has got strong

supply chain management backed by all the modern infrastructure facilities.

The company’s main objective is to improve the quality from time to time. Their vision ie to

become the market leader in the industry.

DOUBLE RICE POWDER

WHITE PUTTU PODI

Double horse WHITE PUTTU PODI is excellent for making the traditional cereal break fast item

“puttu”in its best of colour, softness and taste, which makes it unique and acceptable

CHEMBA PUTTU PODI

Double horse CHEMBA PUTTU PODI is made by using different variety rice in a balanced

combination, which retains a perfect colour, aroma, flavor and taste. Chemba puttu podi is

nutritious, rich in B Complex, Vitamins and Iron.

27

3.3. DEPARTMENT PROFILE

The various departments of manjilas group of companies pvt ltd are:

3.3.1 Personnel Department

Personnel Management is one of the most complex and challenging field of endeavor. The scope

of personnel department is very vast. It includes all the major activity in the working life of a

worker from the time of his or her entry to an organization until he or she leaves, comes under this

department.

Personnel management is planning, organizing, directing and controlling of the procurement,

development, compensation, integration, maintenance and separation of personnel to the extend

the individual, organizational and social objectives are accomplished. Personnel department treats

people as an important asset to be used for the benefit of organization, employees and society. It is

emerging now as a distinct philosophy of management aiming at policies that promote mutual

goals, mutual respects, mutual rewards and mutual responsibilities.

3.3.2 Finance Department

Finance is the most important function to be carried to achieve the progress of the organization.

The functions of finance department are diverse with distinct procedures for account related to

personal purchase, stores marketing, work contract, costing, budgeting, central excise etc.

Payment for raw material and stores are being made in time. The company is at present making all

statutory payments in time. Finance department include finance manager, chief accountant and

accounts.

28

3.3.3 Production Department

The production department is crucial in any industrial organization. Production is the process by

which raw materials and other inputs are converted into finished products. Organizational wealth is

determined by production. In a specified period of time, the aggregate amount of goods and

services produced in an organization is known as wealth. The time frame may be short, medium or

long depending on the type of product or services produced.

Production of goods as the fabrication of the physical object is of the resources available to the

manager. These resources include men, material, money, methods and machines. Production of

services is nothing but the discharge of function which has some utility to somebody.

The interpretation of the production of goods and services is a broader one. In general, the

production is equated with manufacturing which is a myopic interpretation. Fundamentally, they

may look alike the position being maintained in that there is no difference between tangible and

something which provides advice, assistance, helper information. In both cases, outputs are not

similar.

3.3.4 Marketing and Sales Department

Marketing and Sales department consists of Marketing manager, north area and south area

managers, area sales managers, sales executives and marketing coordinator. The marketing and

sales department is headed by the Marketing manager.

Functions

Monitoring of sales in the area.

Monitoring of prices and terms of company products compared to competitors.

Processing credit proposals for dealers and institution.

Processing proposals for extending special incentives/ credit terms to dealers.

Committee work for appropriate cancellation of dealers.

Processing proposals for special arrangements/ sales terms with bulk buyers/ commodity.

29

Sales force motivation through internal and external training programmes.

Processing and sending replies to audit queries at divisional level.

Monitoring the MIS from market research department and from field establishments.

Monitoring over due and outstanding of area/ credit management.

Co- ordination of sales promotion and market development activities.

Supervising and controlling the sales promotion service department.

3.3.5 Quality Control Department

Quality control refers to the ways and means where quality standards are maintained. The aim of

quality control is not only to improve quality of products, but also to eliminate bad quality goods.

Once a quality standard is set, then it should be achieved and maintained in future and efforts

should be made to improve it further.

Manjilas group of companies have set up a quality control department for the purpose of

determining the quality of the product. Different types of tools are used for the purpose of

checking control. Department consists of 7 people, headed by quality control manager.

30

3.4. PRODUCT PROFILE

3.4.1 Rice

Rose matta.

Payasssam rice

Ponni rice

Raw rice meals

Jyothi matta

Single matta

Idli rice

Ghee rice

Matta brocken

Cherumani

Jaya rice

B.T meal

3.4.2 Rice powders

White puttu podi

Chemba puttu podi

Rosted pathiri powder

Dosa mix

Idli mix

Roasted white rice powder

3.4.3 Health products

Health puttu mix

Samba wheat puttu podi

Ragi puttu podi

31

Ragi vita

Instant giner coffee

Banana powder

Samba broken wheat

Corn puttu podi

3.4.4 Instant food varieties

Palappam mix

East palappam

Uppama mix

Vayyayappam podi

Idiyappam

3.4.5 Curry mixes

Chicken gravy mix

Chicken biriyani mix

Kerala chicken curry mix

Sambar mix

Kerala fish curry mix

Spices paste

Tamarind paste

Garlic paste

Ginger garlic paste

Ginger paste

3.4.6 Ready to eat products

Aval (beaten rice)

Avalose podi

Crunch flakes

3.4.7 Instant sweet dishes

Rice palada payasam mix

32

Palada payasam mix

Roasted vermicelli

Semiya payasam mix

3.4.8 Double Horse pickles / chammanthy

Coconut chammatnhy powder

Bitter gourd pickle

Mango pickle

Hot and sweet lime date pickle

Dates pickle

Gooseberry pickle

Ginger pickle

Lime pickle

Garlic pickle

Mixed vegetable pickle

Tender mango pickle

White lime pickle

Prawns chammanthy powder

Fish pickle

Chicken pickle

Mean pickle

Prawn pickle

Squid cutlet fish pickle

3.4.9 Other products

Roasted rava

Papaya candy

Peanut candy

Fruit n honey

Mainda ada

Pineapple candy

Ginger candy

33

Jiggery

Sago seeds

Tender coconut water

Pappad

Red beams

Asafetida powder

Coconut vinegar

34

3.5. ORGANISATION CHART

35

Cha

irm

Dir

ect

Mark

eting

Produ

ction

Admini

stration

HR Logis

tics

Mrktng

Manage

General

mngr

Senior

admin

HR

mngr

Logistic

mngr

North

area

South

area

Asst

mngr

Asst HR

mngr

Finance

mngr

Unit

mngr

QC

mngr

Chief

account

Area

sales

Account

s

Account

s

Sales

executiv

Mrktng

coordin

4. DATA ANALYSIS AND INTREPRETATION

1. Are you aware about double horse food products?

(Table 4.1.1)

AWARENESS

yes no0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

(Chart4.1.1)

INTREPRETATION

From the chart it is clear that 80 percentage of the people aware about double horse

food products. 20 percentage of the people are not awared

.

36

awareness percentage Number of respondents

YES 80 40

NO 20 10

2. How did you come to know about Double Horse product?

Source of information Percentage Number of respondents

Advertisement 12 6

Word of mouth 52 26

Unexpected use 36 18

(Table 4.1.2)

12

52

36

Source of information

AdvertisementWord of mouthUnexpected use

(Table 4.1.2)

INTERPRETATION

Among the respondents 52 percent of the customers came to know about the product through word

of mouth. 36 percent came to know about through unexpected use and the rest 12 percent through

advertisement.

37

3. Are you the user of double horse food products?

USER percentage Number of

responds

YES 72 36

NO 28 14

(Table4.1.3)

USER

YESNO

INTREPRETATION (Chart 4.1.3)

From this chart we can easily understand that 72 percentages of the people are the user of the

double horse products. 28 percentages are not the user.

38

4. When do you the user of double horse food products?

particulars percentege Number of responds

always 18 9

sometimes 28 14

Shortage of other

products

32 16

Rise in other product’s

price

22 11

FREQUENCY OF PURCHASE (Table 4.1.4)

alwayssometimesshortage of other productsrise in other product's price

INTREPRETATION (Chart4.1.4)

From this diagram it is clear that, 18 percentage of the people are the always user of the double

horse foods, 28 percentage are the sometime users. 32 percentage will use this products when the

shortage of other products, 11 percentage people using this products only when rise in other

product’s price.

39

5. What are the motives behind your buying behavior of Double Horse rice?

Buying behavior

motives

Percentage Number of response

Money value 24 12

Social status 12 6

Experience 48 24

convenience 16 8

(Table4.1.5)

24

12

48

16

Buying behaviour motives

Money valueSocial statusExperienceconvienience

(Chart 4.1.5)

INTERPRETATION

For 48 percent customers motive behind the buying behavior is experience. 24 percent customer

says that the buying behavior motive is money value. 16 percent contributes to the convenience

and 12 percent the least contributes for the social status.

40

6. what is the reason for buying double horse food products?

reason percentage respondents

Brand image 60% 30

promotions 12% 6

availability 28% 14

(Table4.1.6)

reason for buying

brand imagepromotionsavailability

(Chart4.1.6)

INTREPRETATION

This diagram shows that 60 percentage of people are the users of double horse because of the

brand image, 12 percentage of the are the user because of promotional activities,and 18 percentage

of people are the users because of availability.

41

7. Are you satisfied with the quality of the product?

Satisfaction to the quality Percentage Number of respondents

Highly satisfied 26 13

Medium satisfied 22 11

Sometimes satisfied 18 9

Less satisfied 20 10

Not satisfied 14 7

(Table4.1.7)

satisfaction

highlymediumsometimeslessnot

INTREPRETATION (Chart 4.1.7)

From this diagram we can understand that 26 % of the people are highly satisfied with the

quality of the product, 22 % of the people are medium satisfied, 18 % are some times satisfied to this

42

quality, 20% are less satisfied to the quality, and 14 % of the people are not satisfied to the quality of the

product.

8. Have you ever switched over to any other food product?

Purchase of any other

product

percentage Number of respondents

often 24 12

rarely 14 7

once 10 5

More than once 22 11

no 30 15

(Table 4.1.8)

purchase of other product

oftenrarelyoncemore than onceno

INTREPRETATION (Chart 4.1.8)

43

From this diagram we can understand that 24% of people are often switched over to other

product, 14% are rarely switched over, 10 % of people are switched over only once, 22 % are

switched over more than once, and 30 % of people are not switched over to any other product.

9. If yes, with what consideration ? mention:

consideration percentage Number of respondents

availability 28 14

Price 16 8

Due to offers 34 17

For testing 22 11

(Table 4.1.9)

consideration

availabilitypricedue to offersfor testing

(Chart 4.1.9)

Interpretation

44

From this figure we understood that 28 percentage are switched over to other product because of

availability, 16 precentage because of price, 34 percentage because of due to offers, 22

percentage buy other products for testing

10 How long have you been using Double Horse products?

Time period Percentage Number of response

Below 1 year 16 8

1-2 year 26 13

2-5 year 38 19

Above 5 year 20 10

(Table 4.1.10)

16

26

38

20

Period of usage

Below 1 year1-2 year2-5 yearAbove 5 year

(Chart 4.1.10)

INTERPRETATION

45

From the chart it is clear that 38 percentage of the customers are using the product for 2-5 years.

20 percentage of the customers are using it for above 5 years. 26 percent of the customers are using

the product for 1-2 years. Finally just 16 percent are using the product below 1 year.

11. From where you buy the double horse food products ?

availability percentage Number of

respondents

Nearest shop 24 12

Super market 34 17

Distant shop 18 9

Door sales man 16 8

Whole sale shop 8 4

(Table 4.1.11)

46

availability

nearest shopsuper marketdistant shopdoor sales manwholesale shop

Interpretation (Chart 4.1.11)

From this figure we can clear that24 percentage purchase their product from nearest shop, 34

percentages from super market, 18 percentages from distant shop, 16 percentage of people from

door sales man, 8 percentage of people puechase from wholesale shop

12. Are you satisfied with the level of value of the price?

Satisfied to the price percentage Number of

respondents

Highly satisfied 26 13

On some product 32 16

Average satisfied 20 10

Minimum satisfied 12 6

Not satisfied 10 5

(Table4.1.12)

47

price of the product

highly satisfiedon some productaverage satisfiedminimum satisfiednot satisfied

INTREPRETATION (Chart4.1.12)

From this figure we can clear that 26 percentage of the people are highly satisfied with the

price of the product, 32 percentage satisfied the price on some product, 20 percentage are average

satisfied to the price, 12 percentage are less satisfied to the price, 10 percentage are not satisfied to

the price.

13. Are you attracted by the prominent offers?

Attraction to the offers percentage Number of

respondents

Highly attracted 26 13

Sometimes 18 9

Average 30 15

Less attracted 12 6

Not attracted 14 7

(Table4.1.13)

48

attraction to the offers

highlysometimesaveragelessnot

INTREPRETATION (Chart4.1.13)

From this diagram we can understand that 26 percentage of people are highly attracted to the

prominent offers given by doublehorse, 18 percentage are attracted sometimes, 30 percentage of

people are average attracted to the offers, 12 percentage ofpeople are less satisfied to the offers, 14

percentage are not satisfied to the offers given by double horse foods.

14. Which type of doublehorse products are you consumed?

Product consumption percentage Number of

respondents

Rice powder 32 16

Pickles 26 13

Curry powder 24 12

Other product 4 2

More than one product 14 7

(Table 4.1.14)

49

usage of product

rice powderpicklescury powderother productmore than one product

INTREPRETATION (Chart4.1.14)

This figure shows that 32 percentage of people are using the double horse rice powder, 26

percentage are using the pickles , 24 percentage of people are using the curry powders, 4

percentage of people are using other products of double horse, 14 percentage of people are using

more than one product

15. Which is the competitor from the following choices compared to double horse?

competitor percentage Respondents

pavizham 12 6

eastern 26 13

mariya 22 11

nirapara 40 20

(Table4.1.15)

50

competitor

pavizameasternmariyanirapara

INTREPRETATION (Chart4.1.15)

From this diagram we can understand that 12 percentage of people said pavizam is the competitor,

26 percentage said eastern is the competitor, 22 percentage said mariya is the competitor, and 40

percentage of people said nirapara is the close competitor to the double horse food products

5.1SUMMARY

From this study we can understand that most of the people are aware about double horse food

products. It is the brand which is leading in thrissur. The customers are satisfied with the

packaging, quality, price of the product. Their rice product is more demanded by the customers. A

survey in this regard reveal that most of the customers prefer double horse rice the reason is that

the proper response from manufacturer in reflex to the customers preferences or we can say as the

proper understanding of customer perception

51

To achieve better market Share Company should introduce new offers and new strategies. The

entry of some new firms in the rice industry and the launch of new product lines have increased the

challenges that are to be faced by the companies. From the present scenario it is experienced that

the needs of customers are changing very fast. In order to meet the needs of the customers

companies have to redefine their products and strategies to suit the changing dimensions.

5.2 FINDINGS

60 percentage of people are the users of the double horse food products because of the

brand image

52

12 percentage of he people are the user of the double horse products because of the promotional

activities

18 percentage of the people are the users of double horse products because of the availability.

72 percentage of the people are the user of this products.

Advertisement for the brand is very poor. Its popularity was accelerated just through word of

mouth, just because of its quality.

Majority of respondents are highly satisfied with the packaging and brand image of Double Horse

food products.

Most of the persons are using the rice products of double horse

Majority of the respondents said price of the product offered by them is moderate

Nirapara is the close competitor for double horse in the market. But the customers choice was

double horse. Now double horse is on the top gear.

Better facilities for the availability of this brand is another plus point of this company for covering

the other brands in the market.

5.3 SUGGESTIONS

From the study it is clear that the advertisement for double horse rice is poor. So it is

suggested that company should give more importance in the advertisement. This will helps

to achieve better markets.

Develop a strong spokes person to increase the brand image.

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From the study it is clear that the company must concentrate on sales promotion efforts, to

make its customer feel that this Double horse brand is special as compared with their

competitors.

Collect feedback from the customers about quality, price, and availability at proper time

A price reduction strategy which may provide more competitive advantages to Double

Horse rice compared to others

The product availability should be concentrated more on super markets and big grocery

stores.

Organizing and sponsoring food festivals is a better means of getting market attention.

5.4 CONCLUSION

The project entitled “A study on the impact of awareness on customer buying decision” about was

undertaken with the main aim of finding the customer awareness of double horse food products of

Manjilas group of Pvt Ltd.There is considerable amount of customer awareness. This study has

proven that double horse foods has got good awareness among the consumers in the district of

thrissur.

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Creating customer awareness is one of the key steps in promoting a product. Advertisement is the

best method to create customer awarenessThe firm can apply new marketing strategies and

introduce newer products .

Globalization and liberalization helps to reduce government regulations and offer immense

opportunities or industrial and enterprise growth In the globalised world, market trend is favouring

branded products. Understanding the pulse of market, Manjilas companies started to cater the

changing taste and appetite of consumers. This study is to analyze the market potential of double

horse brand among retailers in Thrissur district .This study reveals that double horse products

enjoys a good brand image in the market

5.5 SCOPE FOR FURTHER RESEARCH

The study helps the people to the further research relating to this topic. It is important for a firm to

know the awareness of their product or brand among the customers in order to initiate a with

greater appropriate measures.

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The sample consisted of 50 customers. A research with greater sample would give a more

dependable and generalized result. It would give more significant end result.

The research was made with in thrissur district. It can be extended to other districts and make the

result more useful

In today world business is highly competitive. The greater demand for product and widely

available range of product make the competition “cut throat” in every field of business customer

are demanding much quality and quality in the products. The quality of values and services makes

a product much different and competition form other. In today’s highly busy world even one seeks

a further and highly qualitative service. If an organization succeeds in delivering this to their

esteemed customers the product of that organization is said to be successful in the market. All the

companies have that own Strategies. This may leads to success in the market.

APPENDIX

QUESTIONNAIRE

Respected Sir/Madam,

56

I am Athira.s.nair doing MBA in ELIJAH INSTITUTE OF

MANAGEMENT STUDIES, THRISSUR. As a part of our curriculum activity, am doing a

project on ,CUSTOMER AWARENESS ON DOUBLE HORSE FOOD PRODUCTS WITH

SPECIAL REFERENCE TO MANJILAS AGRO FOOD PVT LTD. This questionnaire is

prepared for supporting my project work. So I request you to provide me with true and honest

information through this questionnaire. I assure you that the information provided by you will be

kept confidential and will be used only for academic purpose.

Thanking you.

NAME:

AGE:

GENDER:

OCCUPATION:

INCOME PATTERN OF FAMILY: Single income/Dual income

1. Are you aware about double horse food products?

Yes

No

2. How did you come to know about Double Horse product?

Advertisement

Word of mouth

Unexpected use

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Other sources (Specify)

3. Are you the user of double horse food products?

Yes b) no

4. When do you the user of double horse food products?

Always

Sometimes

shortage of other products

rise in other product’s price

others

5. What are the motives behind your buying behavior of Double Horse food products?

Money value

Social status

Experience

Convenience

6. what is the reason fpr buying double horse products?

Brand imagr

Promotional activities

availability

7. Are you satisfied with the quality of the product?

highly satisfied

medium satisfied

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some times satisfied

less satisfied

not satisfied

8. Have you ever switched over to any other food product?

often

Rarely

Once

More than once

No

9. If yes, with what consideration ? mention:

10. How long have you been using Double Horse products

Below 1 year

1-2 year

2-5 year

Above 5 year

11. From where you buy the double horse food products ?

nearest shop

Super market

Distant shop

Door sales man

Wholesale shop

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12. Are you satisfied with the level of value of the price?

Highly satisfied

On some product

Average satisfied

Minimum satisfied

Not satisfied

13. Are you attracted by the prominent offers?

highly attracted

Sometimes

Average

Minimum

Not attracted

14. Which type of doublehorse products are you consumed?

[a]rice powder

[b]pickles

[c]currey power

[d]other product

[e]more than one product

15. Which is the competitor compared to double hosrse ?

Pavizam

Eastern

Mariya

nirapara

Suggestions, if any, for improvement

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*****THANK YOU*****

BIBLIOGRAPHY

BOOKS

Kothari C.R(1990)-Research methodology Methods and Techniques. (Second edition), New age

international Pvt Ltd publishers, New Delhi.

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Philip Kottler (2005)- Marketing management. (Eleventh edition), Pearson education Pvt Ltd, New

Delhi

WEBSITES:

http://scholar.google.co.in/scholar?

q=STUDYS+ON+CUSTOMER+awareness&hl=en&um=1&ie=UTF-8&oi=scholart

http://www. Manjilas.com

http:// www.wikipedia/customer awareness

http:// www,google.co.in/tips for the customer awareness

ABSTRACT

A study entitled “ A STUDY ON THE IMPACT OF BRAND AWARENES ON CUSTOMER

BUYING DECISIONS” with special reference to MANJILAS GROUP OF PVT LIMITED,

throws a light to the role of brand awareness in customer buying decision.

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In the present scenario, customer awareness is getting importance in every product that introduced

in market. The cost of retaining customers is less than the cost of creating customers. As we all

know there are number of drastic changes are occurred in the global markets and this iformation

should be important for the general public. Customer awareness plays vital role in creating

customers. Awareness about the product helps consumer to take correct buying decisions.

The objective is to identify the influence of brand awareness on customer buying decisions, this

study reveals that 60 percentage of people using this product because of the brand image, 12

percentage of people using this product because of the promotional activities of double horse

products, 18 percentage of people using this produc t because of the availability. Company should

take necessary steps to provide consistent amount of product knowledge to customers and more

advertisement should be through proper media that helps the company to increase sales.

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