International School of Business & Media

Pune, Maharashtra

Mahindra Truck and Bus Division

“Project Title”
Developing and Driving Effective Sales Promotional
Strategies for Tapping Potential Market for Mahindra
Buses

Project Report
Submitted on partial fulfilment of the requirements
For the award of
The Master’s Degree in Business Administration
(A TWO YEAR FULL TIME PROGRAM IN MANAGEMENT)

Submitted By-Umang Arora

Roll No.15057
Batch-2014-16
Developing and Driving Effective Sales
Promotion Strategy for Tapping Potential
Market for Mahindra Buses

Acknowledgement
The internship opportunity I had with Mahindra Bus and Truck Division was a
great chance for learning and professional development. Therefore, I consider
myself as a very lucky individual as I was provided with an opportunity to be a
part of it. I am also grateful for having a chance to meet so many wonderful
people and professionals who led me though this internship period.

Bearing in mind previous I am using this opportunity to express my deepest

gratitude and special thanks to Mr. Manoj Landge (Area Business Manager-
ROM) Mr Ganoo Sagar (Regional Manager- Pune) who in spite of being
extraordinarily busy with his duties, took time out to hear, guide and keep me
on the correct path and allowing me to carry out my project at their esteemed
organization and extending during the training.

I express my deepest thanks to [Mr Apoorv Jain], for taking part in useful
decision & giving necessary advices and guidance and arranged all facilities to
make life easier. I choose this moment to acknowledge his contribution
gratefully.

It is my radiant sentiment to place on record my best regards, deepest sense of

gratitude to Mr Harbhajan Singh, Mr Shishir Sharma, for their careful and
precious guidance which were extremely valuable for my study both
theoretically and practically.

I perceive as this opportunity as a big milestone in my career development. I

will strive to use gained skills and knowledge in the best possible way, and I will
continue to work on their improvement, in order to attain desired career
objectives. Hope to continue cooperation with all of you in the future,
Sincerely,

Umang Arora

Place: Pune

Date: 1-07-2015

INDEX
Topic Page No.
Introduction to the topic 1-3
Automotive industry worldwide 4-5
Automotive industry in India 6-15
Role of automotive industry in Indian GDP 15-17
Role of automotive industry in foreign investment 17-18
Mahindra group 19-23
Mahindra and Mahindra limited 24-26
Mahindra truck and bus division 27-29
Theoretical background of project 30-31
Objective of study 32-33
Scope of study 34
Limitation 35
Research methodology 36-41
Data analysis 42-44
Observation and conclusion 45-58
Recommendation 55-56
Bibliography 57
Annexure 58

Introduction to the topic

As part of the marketing mix, promotion includes all activities that involve
communicating with the customer about the product and its benefits and
features. Once a company has worked on the product and price elements, it is
time to start a conversation with the consumer about the product. This
includes raising awareness through different mediums to increase sales, as well
as to create and foster brand loyalty.
Information provided to the customer at this stage helps them in making
purchase decisions regarding the product. Often, there is substantial cost
associated with promotional activities. But since the result is often an increase
in sales or customer loyalty, there is thought to be long term return on this
investment. There are many ends that a company may try to reach through a
promotion including but not limited to an increase in sales, acceptance of new
products, brand equity creation and brand positioning, addressing competitor
actions and rebranding

Every business organization reaches to the customers through their goods or

services. To sell the products to the customers a number of activities are being
performed. This is called marketing and it is an important function. Marketing
is the performance of business activities that directs the flow of goods and
services from producer to the customer. It is the activity that directs to satisfy
the human needs through exchange process. Marketing starts with the
identification of a specific need of customers and ends with satisfaction of that
need. The customer is found in the beginning and end of marketing process. In
marketing a large number of activities are performed. For easy understanding
these activities are divided in 4 groups for products and 7 groups for services.
These elements are product, price
Promotion, placement for products and three additional elements for services
are process, people and physical evidence. These are called elements of
marketing mix.

Promotion is one of the elements of marketing mix. Promotion decisions are

taken simultaneously with other decisions like finding target group,
determining objectives, budgeting for promotion, launching of new products,
distribution etc. Promotion is one of the variables through which information
regarding products or services is being communicated to customers to change
their attitude and behaviour. Marketers are concerned with effective
utilization of promotion-mix to increase sales and market share. Methods of
promotion include advertising personal selling, publicity, sales promotion and
packaging. Sales Promotion is the activity that aims directly to influence buyers
to buy products and increase sales. In sales promotion mainly three parties are
involved i.e. consumers, traders
And sales force. Sales promotion refers to many kinds of incentives and
techniques that are directed towards consumers, traders and sales force
With the intention to increase sales in short term.

“Sales promotions include incentive offering and interest creating activities

which are generally short term marketing events other than advertising,
personal selling, publicity and direct marketing. The purpose of sales
promotion is to stimulates, motivate and influence the purchase and other
desired behavioural responses of the firm’s customers”.

The main objective of sales promotion is to increase the sales of products in

short term by influencing behaviour of buyers. Sales promotion methods are
many and these are selected as per the target groups. For this purpose, a sales
promotion strategy is to be prepared to achieve the objectives effectively. The
strategy is a game plan that is needed to perform the tasks effectively and get
competitive advantages over others in market. Sales promotion strategy
directs the manager in selection of parties, methods of sales promotion,
implementation of methods and measuring effectiveness of whole efforts
regarding sales promotion. In competitive situation, it is very difficult to
increase sales or profit. But with sales promotion strategy sales can be
increased in short – term. Strategy is the game plan to achieve the targets as
per planning. It explains what, when, where, who and how to do so that
objectives of the planning are achieved. Without the strategy the task may not
be completed effectively. Sales promotion strategy would help to neutralize
the effective of competition and defend the company in the market in
performing the sales related tasks. The importance of sales promotion strategy
is increasing day by day and in future higher level of competition it would
increase further.

Most of the companies have applied various elements of promotion mix.

Promotion mix elements include advertising, publicity, sales promotion,
personal selling and packaging. Sales promotion is one of them and it is our
concerned topic. In present competitive situation most of MNCs had
developed sales promotion strategy in selection of parties, techniques and
managing sales promotion techniques effectively and efficiently. This strategy
provides competitive advantage to the companies in the market to grow,
stabilize and excel in business performance. Therefore, sales promotion
strategy is very significant for companies to earn bread and butter. This
attracted me to select and study this topic.

Rationale of the Study

In present situation not only in one industry but also all sectors are facing
tough competition. It has become very difficult to grow, stabilize and excel in
business performance. It is required to influence the attitude and behaviour of
buyers. A lot of promotional activities are needed. The leading companies are
using difference techniques for promotion. These are advertising, publicity,
sales promotion, personal selling and packaging. These are serving the
difference objectives. Sales promotion is one of them and gives a great impact
on customer buying behaviour to increase sales in short term. It contributes to
neutralize the competition effect. To achieve the objective a strategy is needed
for effective application of sales promotion. The contribution of sales
promotion strategy is significant in present time to stay in business in
competitive market.

Automotive Industry worldwide

 The automotive industry is a wide range of companies and organizations
involved in the design, development,manufacture, marketing,
and selling of motor vehicles. It is one of the world's most important economic
sectors by revenue. The automotive industry does not include industries
dedicated to the maintenance of automobiles following delivery to the end-
user, such as automobile repair shops and motor fuel filling stations.

The automotive industry began in the 1890s with hundreds of manufacturers

that pioneered the horseless carriage. For many decades, the United States led
the world in total automobile production. In 1929 before the Great Depression,
the world had 32,028,500 automobiles in use, and the U.S. automobile
industry produced over 90% of them. At that time the U.S. had one car per
4.87 persons. After World War II, the U.S. produced about 75 percent of
world's auto production. In 1980, the U.S. was overtaken by Japan and became
world's leader again in 1994. In 2006, Japan narrowly passed the U.S. in
production and held this rank until 2009, when China took the top spot with
13.8 million units. With 19.3 million units manufactured in 2012, China almost
doubled the U.S. production, with 10.3 million units, while Japan was in third
place with 9.9 million units.

The automobiles sector is compartmentalized in four different sectors which

are as follows:

 Two-wheelers which comprise of mopeds, scooters, motorcycles and

electric two-wheelers
 Passenger Vehicles which include passenger cars, utility vehicles and
multi-purpose vehicles
 Commercial Vehicles that are light and medium-heavy vehicles
 Three Wheelers that are passenger carriers and goods carriers.

The auto manufacturing industry is considered to be highly capital and labour

intensive. The major costs for producing and selling automobiles include:

Labour - While machines and robots are playing a greater role in

manufacturing vehicles, there are still substantial labour costs in designing and
engineering automobiles.
Materials - Everything from steel, aluminium, dashboards, seats, tires, etc. are
purchased from suppliers.

Advertising - Each year automakers spend billions on print and broadcast

advertising; furthermore, they spent large amounts of money on market
research to anticipate consumer trends and preferences.

Key players
In North America, the automobile production market is dominated by what's
known as the Big Three:

 General Motors - Produces Chevrolet, Pontiac, Buick and Cadillac,

among others.
 Chrysler - Chrysler, Jeep and Dodge.
 Ford Motor Co - Ford, Lincoln and Volvo.

Commercial vehicle players in India

Automobile Industry in India

The automotive industry in India is one of the largest automotive markets in

the world. It had previously been one of the fastest growing markets globally,
but is currently experiencing flat or negative growth rates. India's passenger
car and commercial vehicle manufacturing industry is the sixth largest in the
world, the industry’s turnover touched US$ 40.6 billion in 2012–13 and is
expected to reach US$ 115 billion by 2020–21. The Indian Automobile industry
acts as a catalyst and gives great impetus to the economic growth of the
country. The Indian Automobile industry is estimated to grow at a compound
annual growth rate (CAGR) of 14 per cent during 2013–2021. In addition, the
industry recorded exports worth US$ 9.3 billion in 2012–13 and is projected to
touch US$ 30 billion by 2020–21, according to the Automotive Component
Manufacturers’ Association (ACMA). India is also set to become Mercedes
Benz’s fastest-growing market worldwide ahead of China, the US and Europe.
The passenger vehicles production in India touched 3.23 million units in 2012–
13 and is expected to reach 10 million units by 2020–21. The industry is
estimated to grow at a CAGR of 13 per cent during 2012–2021. In addition, the
industry recorded exports worth US$ 9.3 billion in 2012–13 and is projected to
touch US$ 30 billion by 2020–21, according to Automotive Component
Manufacturers’ Association (ACMA).The cumulative foreign direct investment
(FDI) inflows into the Indian automobile industry during April 2000 to October
2013 was recorded at US$ 9,079 million, amounting to 4 per cent of the total
FDI inflows.
The world standing for the Indian automobile sector, as per the Confederation
of the Indian industry is as follows:

 Largest three-wheeler market

 Second largest two-wheeler market
 Tenth largest passenger car market
 Fourth largest tractor market
 Fifth largest commercial vehicle market
 Fifth largest bus and truck segment

However, the year 2013-2014 has seen a decline in the industry’s otherwise
smooth-running growth. High inflation, soaring interest rates, low consumer
sentiment and rising fuel prices along with economic slowdown are the major
reason for the downturn of the industry.

The Automotive Mission Plan 2016 launched by the Indian Government seeks
to grow the industry to a size of US $145bn by 2016 and make it contribute 10
percent to the nation’s GDP.India is emerging as a strong automotive R&D hub
with foreign players like Hyundai, Suzuki, General Motors setting up base in
India. This move is further enhanced by the Indian Government’s support
towards setting up centres for development and innovation. Also there are
opportunities of growth available in alternative segments like electric cars,
vehicles run on natural gas, etc.
Export
India's automobile exports have grown consistently with United Kingdom being
India's largest export market followed by Italy, Germany, Netherlands and
South Africa but Exports in India decreased to 26100 USD Million in October of
2014 from 28903.28 USD Million in September of 2014. Exports in India
averaged 4109.61 USD Million from 1957 until 2014, reaching an all time high
of 30541.44 USD Million in March of 2013 and a record low of 59.01 USD
Million in June of 1958. Exports in India are reported by the Ministry of
Commerce and Industry, India.

Automobile Exports Trends (Numbe

r of 
Vehicle
s)
Category 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 2013-14
Passenge 3,35,72 4,46,14 4,44,32 5,08,78 5,59,41 5,93,50
r Vehicles 9 5 6 3 4 7
Commerc
ial
Vehicles 42,625 45,009 74,043 92,258 80,027 77,056
Three 1,48,06 1,73,21 2,69,96 3,61,75 3,03,08 3,53,39
Wheelers 6 4 8 3 8 2
Two 10,04,1 11,40,0 15,31,6 19,75,1 19,56,3 20,83,9
Wheelers 74 58 19 11 78 38
Grand 15,30,5 18,04,4 23,19,9 29,37,9 28,98,9 31,07,8
Total 94 26 56 05 07 93

 Exports of automobiles from India have been falling and September has been
a particularly bad month with most auto makers posting double-digit drop in
shipments. While some companies cite increased domestic focus for the slide
in export numbers, industry experts say the advantage that India enjoyed
because of its low cost of manufacturing is slowly eroding, making vehicles
manufactured here less competitive in the international market.
Korean major Hyundai Motor, the top auto exporter from India, as well as
Japan's Nissan Motor and French Renault have shifted exports of some models
out of India, even as the government is pressing to boost local manufacturing.
To attract manufactures including auto makers when regions like Eastern
Europe are offering cost-effective alternative options, industry experts say
India must first fix its creaky and inadequate infrastructure such as ports and
roads and clear other bottlenecks, including an unfriendly tax structure.  For
Renault, its joint facility with Nissan near Chennai was the manufacturing base
to export mid-size sport-utility vehicle Duster to the UK. But it now decided to
ship the Duster to the British market from Romania. "It is important for us to
first serve the local market and then any spare capacity would be channelized
for exports," Renault's India head.

Hyundai's Indian unit also stopped manufacturing vehicles for exports to

Europe. The Korean major now supplies cars to the European market from
Turkey. Hyundai Motor India's exports are expected to drop 25% to about
190,000 units this year. 
Role of automobile industry in India GDP
The Role of Automobile Industry in India GDP has been phenomenon. The
Automobile Industry is one of the fastest growing sectors in India.

The increase in the demand for cars, and other vehicles, powered by the
increase in the income is the primary growth driver of the automobile industry
in India. The introduction of tailor made finance schemes, easy repayment
schemes has also helped the growth of the automobile sector.

The automotive sector in India, comprising of the automobile and auto

component sub sectors, is one of the key segments of the economy having
extensive forward and backward linkages with other key segments of the
economy. It contributes about 4% to India’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and
5% to India’s industrial production. The well-developed Indian automotive
industry ably fulfils this catalytic role by producing a wide variety of vehicles
like passenger cars, light, medium and heavy commercial vehicles, multi-utility
vehicles such as jeeps, scooters, motorcycles, mopeds, three wheelers, tractors
etc

Automobiles represent freedom and economic growth.

Automobiles are a liberating technology for people around the world. The
personal automobile allows people to live, work and play in ways that were
unimaginable a century ago. Automobiles provide access to markets, to
doctors, to jobs. Nearly every car trip ends with either an economic transaction
or some other benefit to our quality of life.
The auto industry is the single greatest engine of economic growth in the
world.
The global auto industry is a key sector of the economy for every major
country in the world. The industry continues to grow, registering a 30 percent
increase over the past decade.
Autos create jobs, jobs, jobs.
Building 60 million vehicles requires the employment of about 9 million people
directly in making the vehicles and the parts that go into them. This is over 5
percent of the world’s total manufacturing employment. It is estimated that
each direct auto job supports at least another 5 indirect jobs in the community,
resulting in more than 50 million jobs owed to the auto industry. Many people
are employed in related manufacturing and services. Autos are built using the
goods of many industries, including steel, iron, aluminium, glass, plastics, glass,
carpeting, textiles, computer chips, rubber and more.

Mercedes-Benz India plans to increase its investment to Rs850 crore (US$

158.88 million) by 2014. Volkswagen Group aims to increase output by 10-15
per cent on a €100 million (US$ 126.35 million) investment at its production
facilities in Aurangabad and Chakan in Maharashtra. Nissan plans to introduce
ten new passenger vehicles by the end of March2016. VE Commercial Vehicles
(VECV), the joint venture (JV) between Volvo and Eicher, is readying a whole
new range of trucks with new platforms, engines and cabins. Toyota Kirloskar
plans to increase capacity at its two plants inBidadi, Karnataka, from 310,000
units to 400,000 units a year. Capacity at the first plant would rise from 90,000
units to100, 000 units, at a cost of Rs 70 crore (US$ 13.08 million) and the
second plant's capacity is being increased from 120,000units to 210,000 units,
with an investment of Rs 830 crore (US$ 155.14 million) due to increase in
demand for its models especially the Etios and Fortuner. DC Design's Avanti
planning its first sports car to be designed and manufactured in India. The car's
prototype has been showcased at the 11th Auto Expo and has been priced at
Rs 2.5 million (US$ 46,728).Bajaj Auto Ltd has entered into an agreement with
Kawasaki Heavy Industries, under which Bajaj motorcycles will be assembled
and sold in Indonesia through Kawasaki’s distribution network as co-branded
products

The automobile industry is expected to witness strong growth through 2020.

As per the working group of Automotive Group for the 12th Five year plan the
growth expectations are as follows: (i) Projection of Passenger Vehicles as 5
million units in 2015 and by about 9 million units by 2020. This is essentially by
growth in Indian market and expectations of India as global hub for export of
small cars. (ii) The Commercial Vehicles to touch volumes of over 1.4 million by
2015 and over2.2 million units by 2020. (iii) Two and Three Wheelers expected
to double to 22 million units by 2015 and reach 30million units by 2020.
Role of Automotive Industry in India GDP-
Foreign Investment
The government of India has identified the automotive industry as a focus
industry for Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) given its importance from an
employment generation perspective. To accelerate and sustain growth in the
automotive sector, the “Automotive Mission Plan (AMP): 2006-2016” has been
prepared in order to make India a global automotive hub. The Plan, aims at
doubling the contribution of automotive sector to GDP by taking the turnover
to USD 145 billion (with special emphasis on export of small cars, MUVs, two
and three wheelers and auto components) and providing employment to 25
million people by 2016.

Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) up to 100% is allowed under automatic route

in the automotive sector.
Government to introduce new fuel mileage standards and labelling for new
cars beginning 2015, giving manufacturer’s time to introduce and invest in new
technology.

FDI has an important contribution in the growth of a developing country. It is

essentially through an investment in equity or starting a subsidiary company,
technology transfer with managerial skills and applying improved management
methods leading to cost reduction and may lead to increase in productivity. In
mid 80’s world over few countries allowed inward FDI for economic
development and in 1991 India needed foreign investments to accelerate
economic growth. This can also trigger in other areas in the developing
economy like India. Automobile Industry is one of the key roles played in GDP
factor of Indian economy. This paper will give details on the FDI and in-relation
to the development of production and export of Automobiles in India for the
last decade – 2001 - 02 to 2011 - 12. Automotive Mission Plan 2006-16 and
vision 2020.

Since independence (1947) to the FY 2012-13 (till October ’12) – automobile

industry in India has grown reasonably well, more developments took place
only after 1993. In 1950 the production was meagre 4000 vehicles and this
production figure in financial year ending 2012 has grown to over 20 million
vehicles with industry gross annual turnover of 10,620 million’s in the financial
year 2001-02 to 58,583 million USD in the financial year 2011-12 against the
projected target1 of 75,300million USD.
 Mahindra Group

The Mahindra Group is an Indian multinational conglomerate headquartered

at Mahindra Towers in Mumbai, India, with operations in over 100 countries
around the globe. The group has a presence in aerospace, agribusiness,
aftermarket, automotive, components, construction equipment, defence,
energy, farm equipment, finance and insurance, industrial equipment,
information technology, leisure and hospitality, logistics, real estate, retail, and
two wheelers. It is considered to be one of the most reputable Indian industrial
houseswith market leadership in utility vehicles as well as tractors in India

Mahindra & Mahindra was incorporated in 1945 by the brothers J.C. Mahindra
and K.C. Mahindra and Malik Ghulam Muhammad in Ludhiana, Punjab by the
name Mahindra & Muhammad to trade steel. Following the Partition of India
in 1947, Malik Ghulam Muhammad left the company and immigrated to
Pakistan. In 1948, K.C. Mahindra changed the company's name to Mahindra &
Mahindra. Building on their expertise in the steel industry, the Mahindra
brothers began trading steel with UK suppliers. They also won a contract to
manufacture Willys Jeeps in India and began producing them in 1947. By 1956,
the company was listed on the Bombay Stock Exchange, and by 1969 the
company had entered the world market as an exporter of utility vehicles and
spare parts.[5] Like many Indian companies, Mahindra responded to the
restrictions of the Licence Raj by expanding into other industries. Mahindra &
Mahindra created a tractor division in 1982 and a tech division (now Tech
Mahindra) in 1986. It has continued to diversify its operations ever since
through both joint ventures and Greenfield investments

By 1994, the Group had become so diverse that it undertook a fundamental

reorganization, dividing into six Strategic Business Units: Automotive; Farm
Equipment; Infrastructure; Trade and Financial Services; Information
Technology; and Automotive Components (known internally as Systech). [7] The
new Managing Director, Anand Mahindra, followed this reorganization with a
new logo in 2000 and the successful launch of the Mahindra Scorpio (a wholly
indigenously designed vehicle) in 2002. Together with an overhaul in
production and manufacturing methods, these changes helped make the
company more competitive, and since then the Group's reputation and
revenues have risen noticeably. Currently, Mahindra & Mahindra is one of the
20 largest companies in India In2009; Forbes ranked Mahindra among the top
200 most reputable companies in the world.

In January 2011, the Mahindra Group launched a new corporate brand,

Mahindra Rise, to unify Mahindra's image across industries and geographies.
The brand positions Mahindra products and services as aspiration, supporting
customers' ambitions to 'Rise.'

In April 2012, the Mahindra Group showed interest in purchasing the bankrupt
automobile company Saab, and actually placed several bids for Saab, though
was outbid by Saab's new owner National Electric Vehicle Sweden.

Major business ventures

Aerospace

 Mahindra Aerospace
 GippsAero
 Aero staff Australia

Aftermarket

 Mahindra First Choice

Agribusiness

 Mahindra Shubhlabh

Automotive

 Mahindra & Mahindra (Automobile Manufacturer)

 Mahindra Truck & Bus
 Mahindra Reva
 SsangYong Motors
 Mahindra Two Wheelers
Components

 Engines Engineering
 Mahindra Castings
 Mahindra Composites
 Mahindra Engineering
 Mahindra Gears and Transmissions
 Mahindra Forgings
 Mahindra Hinoday Ltd
 Mahindra Intertrade
 Mahindra Sona Ltd.
 Mahindra Steel Service Centre
 Mahindra Systech
 Mahindra Ugine Steel
 Metalcastello S.p.A

Consulting

 Mahindra Consulting Engineers

 Mahindra Logisoft
 Mahindra Special Services Group

Defence

 Mahindra & Mahindra - Military Defence Division

 Defence Land Systems

Education

 Mahindra United World College of India

 Mahindra École Central

Energy

 Mahindra & Mahindra - Energy Division

 Mahindra Solar One
 Mahindra EPC Services Pvt. Ltd.

Hospitality

 Club Mahindra
 Mahindra Holidays and Resorts
Industrial Equipment

 Mahindra Conveyor Systems

Information Technology

 Tech Mahindra
 Mahindra Satyam
 Mahindra Comviva
 Bristlecone
 CanvasM

Farm Equipment

 Mahindra & Mahindra - Farm Equipment Division

 Mahindra (China) Tractor Co
 Mahindra USA Inc
 Mahindra Yueda (Yancheng) Tractor Co
 Mahindra Tractors
 Mahindra Gujarat
 Jiangling Tractors

Financial Services

 Mahindra & Mahindra Financial Services Limited

 Mahindra Insurance Brokers
 Mahindra Rural Housing Finance

Logistics

 Mahindra Logistics

Luxury Boats

 Mahindra Ocean Blue

Real Estate

 Mahindra Life spaces

 Mahindra World City

Retail
  Mahindra Retail

Sports

 Mahindra Racing
 Mahindra-NBA Partnership
 Mahindra-Celtic Football Club Partnership

Defunct

 Mahindra Renault
Mahindra and Mahindra Limited (M&M)
From humble beginnings to a global presence, M&M journey has been more than 65 years in the
making.

Mahindra and Mahindra Limited (M&M)what began in 1945 as a Willy’s

Overland Jeep assembling setup has now grown to become one of the top 10
industrial houses and most trusted names in India. Mahindra and Mahindrais
an Indian multinational automobile manufacturing corporation headquartered
in Mumbai, Maharashtra, India. It is one of the largest vehicle manufacturers
by production in India and the largest manufacturer of tractors across the
world. It is a part of Mahindra Group, an Indian conglomerate.

It was ranked as the 10th most trusted brand in India, by The Brand Trust
Report, India Study 2014. It was ranked 21st in the list of top companies of
India in Fortune India 500 in 2011.

Its major competitors in the Indian market include Maruti Suzuki, Tata Motors,
Ashok Leyland, Toyota, Hyundai, Mercedes-Benz (Merc) and others.

Mahindra & Mahindra was set up as a steel trading company in 1945 in

Ludhiana as Mahindra & Mohammed by brothers K.C. Mahindra and J.C.
Mahindra and Malik Ghulam Mohammed. After India gained independence
and Pakistan was formed, Mohammed immigrated to Pakistan. The company
changed its name to Mahindra & Mahindra in 1948.It eventually saw business
opportunity in expanding into manufacturing and selling larger MUVs, starting
with assembly under licence of the Willys Jeep in India. Soon established as the
Jeep manufacturers of India, the company later commenced manufacturing
light commercial vehicles (LCVs) and agricultural tractors. Today, Mahindra &
Mahindra is a key player in the utility vehicle manufacturing and branding
sectors in the Indian automobile industry with its flagship Mahindra XUV500
and uses India's growing global market presence in both the automotive and
farming industries to push its products in other countries.
Over the past few years, the company has taken interest in new industries and
in foreign markets. They entered the two-wheeler industry by taking over
Kinetic Motors in India

Mahindra & Mahindra, branded on its products usually as 'Mahindra',

produces SUVs, saloon cars, pickups, commercial vehicles, and two wheeled
motorcycles and tractors. It owns assembly plants in India, Mainland China
(PRC), the United Kingdom, and has three assembly plants in the United States.
Mahindra maintains business relations with foreign companies like Renault SA,
France.

M&M has a global presence [and its products are exported to several countries.
Its global subsidiaries include Mahindra Europe. based in Italy, Mahindra USA
Inc., Mahindra South Africaand Mahindra (China) Tractor Co. Ltd.

Mahindra started making passenger vehicles firstly with the Logan in April
2007 under the Mahindra Renault joint venture. M&M will make its maiden
entry into the heavy trucks segment with the Mahindra Truck and Bus Division,
the joint venture with International Truck, USA.

Mahindra produces a wide range of vehicles including MUVs, LCVs and three
wheelers. It manufactures over 20 models of cars including larger, multi-utility
vehicles like the Scorpio and the Bolero. It formerly had a joint venture with
Ford called Ford India Private Limited to build passenger cars.

Automobile Assembly Plants

 Bangalore, Karnataka, India
o Mahindra e2o

 Chakan, Maharashtra, India

o Mahindra Maxximo
o Mahindra XUV500
o Mahindra Pik-Up
o SsangYong Rexton

 Haridwar, Uttarakhand, India

 o Mahindra Bolero

 Nasik, Maharashtra, India

o Mahindra Thar
o Mahindra Xylo
o Mahindra Quanto
o Mahindra Bolero
o Mahindra Scorpio
o Mahindra Pik-Up
o Mahindra Verito
o Mahindra XUV500
Mahindra Truck and Bus Division
Mahindra Truck and Bus Division, formerly called Mahindra Navistar Mahindra
International, is an Indian commercial vehicle manufacturer formed in 2005
from a joint-venture between Navistar International (49%) of the United States
and Indian automobile maker Mahindra & Mahindra (51%).It has been
demerged into Mahindra & Mahindra ltd and became a separate division.

The 1960s was a time when India was importing vehicles and technology to
meet its transport and delivery needs. Clearly, the need of the hour was a
range of indigenously developed vehicles that were designed for the rugged
and unpredictable Indian terrain. That’s when Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd.
decided to use its manufacturing experience and knowledge of Indian roads
and combine it with expertise from all over the world to manufacture Light
Commercial Vehicles (LCVs)

Mahindra Truck and Bus has rolled out the entire spectrum of commercial
vehicles in India. Ranging from 3500 kgs to 49000 kgs GVW/GCW, these
vehicles aim at establishing new standards of reliability, efficiency and
customer centrism that are previously unheard of in the commercial vehicle
industry

Mahindra’s LCV range, currently consisting of the CRX trucks and

Touristeribuses, has a presence across India. These vehicles have diverse
applications. The CRX range is used for moving industrial and household
goods, used in infrastructure development, etc. The Touristeri series is being
used by governments and in the IT, education and transport sectors

Addressing the varied needs of people, Mahindra has been creating a strong
customer centric brand in the LCV segment. Mahindra occupy the premier
position in the school bus segment and the company has been ranked second
in customer satisfaction (by TNS – Truck Track). While working towards this,
Mahindra has become a leader in every category in which they offer products
in
Truly, through the length and breadth of India, goods,
people, and their needs and dreams, all move with Mahindra

Mahindra Truck and Bus aims to be a change agent by encouraging youth to

join the transport industry and thereafter, by empowering them. We intend to
equip the new generation of the transport industry with new techniques to
take their family business to newer heights. The idea is to EMPOWER them
with skills to improve current operations as well as to deliver the knowledge
for transforming the industry in the long term. To meet these objectives, we
have designed and pioneered a program called ‘MPOWER’, a management
development program for Youth Transport Entrepreneurs. To make sure that
they are well prepared for the competitive industry and deliver excellence at
the same time, we have formed a partnership with Knowledge Partners who
have the reputation of being the very best in their respective areas - Indian
Institute of Management, Ahmedabad (IIM-A), Indian Maritime University
(IMU) and Anantara Solutions Pvt. Ltd

Mahindra Truck and Bus Division offer three category of product range
tourister buses, truck and special vehicles

 Tourister Buses: Mahindra offer three range of buses which are

 Tourister Cosmo:

Performance

 The Tourister Cosmo is powered by the superior CRDe engine that

comes with a proven efficiency. This powerful engine offers great
acceleration and tremendous pulling power for faster and more
frequent trips. Moreover, the Cosmo will be able to scale up even the
steepest of slopes with absolute ease.

 When it comes to maintenance, the Tourister Cosmo is like your ideal

business partner - saving you time and money. It is low on
maintenance and its spare parts are easily available.
 Reliability

 Tourister Cosmo is constructed using strong tubular body structure and

a 20% thicker chassis. The build quality is excellent owing to the
sturdy aggregates and high strength steel that is used for the
construction. The superior axle material ensures great durability and
load carrying capacity. So when you invest in a Tourister Cosmo, you can
rest assured that you will get outstanding performance for years to
come

Comfort

 Cosmo’s spacious compartments, large windows and ergonomically

designed seats ensure maximum comfort for the passengers

Safety

 The Tourister Cosmo is constructed using a strong tubular

structure that makes it a really tough vehicle. Also the front and
rear fascia are metallic, adding to the strength of the Cosmo.
These features itself makes the Cosmo safe. However, to ensure
the passengers feel absolutely secure it is also packed with
various safety features like full length foot step, anti-skid vinyl
flooring, padded hat rack, bigger windshield and two emergency
exits. The 32 and 40 seater Cosmo buses are also equipped with
air brakes.

Style

 Tourister Cosmo is designed to reflect the modern times. The

Cosmo’s exterior creates a great impression with its curved line
design and attractive front and rear fascia. While the bright and
strikingly attractive interiors make every journey a pleasant
experience

 Tourister Cosmo School Bus: Mahindra Cosmo school bus has the same
CRD engine which the regular Cosmo Bus has and all the specifications
of the bus are same except the 23 RTO norms which a school bus must
have, Mahindra Cosmo is the only bus which comes installed with all
the RTO norms for the school bus from the manufacturing plant itself
  TouristerExcelo

Theoretical background of the topic:

Effective sales promotion: Sales promotion is a part of marketing mix after
deciding price and packaging of the product falls the need for promoting the
product in the market, for a product it is very important to be known in the
market so that when a customer thinks of buying the product of same category
s/he must think about the product of a particular brand for which different
types of promotional activities are used

Brand awareness: it is the extent to which a brand is recognized by

potential customers, and is correctly associated with a particular product.
Expressed usually as a percentage of the target market, brand awareness is the
primary goal of advertising in the early months or years of a product's
introduction. Brand awareness is related to the functions of brand identities in
consumers’ memory and can be reflected by how well the consumers can
identify the brand under various conditions.[2] Brand awareness includes
brand recognition and brand recall performance. Brand recognition refers to
the ability of the consumers to correctly differentiate the brand they previously
have been exposed to. This does not necessarily require that the consumers
identify the brand name. Instead, it often means that consumers can respond
to a certain brand after viewing its visual packaging images.[3] Brand recall
refers to the ability of the consumers to correctly generate and retrieve the
brand in their memory.
Promotion mix: The promotional mix is the coordination of marketing
activities which includes publicity, sales promotion, advertising, direct
marketing and personal selling.
Objective of the study: As part of the marketing mix,
promotion includes all activities that involve communicating with the customer
about the product and its benefits and features. Once a company has worked
on the product and price elements, it is time to start a conversation with the
consumer about the product. This includes raising awareness through different
mediums to increase sales, as well as to create and foster brand loyalty.

Enhancing Awareness

The primary objective was to create more awareness of various products of

Mahindra in the Bus segment and also to tell them about our cutting edge
innovation in Engine through CRD engine that has direct and measurable
impact on mileage and performance of the vehicle.

Creating Interest

The aim here is to identify a need that the product fulfils and make sure that
the customer recognizes this need as something that is unfulfilled for them.

Providing Information

Here the aim is to give necessary information regarding the product, its
benefits, features and usage to the consumer. Unique features and benefits
have to be explained. The new feature on the existing product has been
highlighted

Stimulate Demand

The company seeks to enhance its sales through promotion. Because of the fall
in the salesthan usual, the aim here is to get them back up to target level by re-
engaging old customers and encouraging new ones to try a product out. In
other instances, the aim may be to increase sales further at certain times of
the year such as near a major holiday. Free demonstrations or special deals
may be used to reach these ends.

Differentiate product

As the company has many competitor in the market the unique features which
Mahindra buses offer has to be explained so that the product can be
differentiated with the other brands product. The focus here remains on those
features, functionalities or benefits that may not be offered by a competitor or
may not be offered so well.

Reinforce the Brand

One basic aim of a promotional activity is to further strengthen the brand and
its place in the market. This helps turn a first time purchases into a life time
purchaser. This can also help create advocates for the product from within the
customer base
Scope of the Study
The scope of the study encompassed reaching out to existing customers and to
exploit potential markets and penetrate into untapped areas. It also involved
Market Segmentation and anticipating and creating a demand across the
below categories:

 Corporate Houses/Companies
 Individual fleet owners
 Schools and Colleges

This involved giving LIVE demos of the various products and offerings of
Mahindra Buses, Competitor comparison, Roadshows and collaboration with
various events for display of Mahindra products.
Limitations
1) Limited data:-
This project has been completed with challenges due to non-access to
requisite data; it just constitutes one part of data collection i.e. secondary.
There were limitations for primary data collection because of confidentiality.

2) Limited period: - In order to corroborate the impact of any promotional

activity, the tenure has to be substantially large. Since the internship lasted for
only two months, I could only partner in the execution stage and the impact in
the long run has not been assessed yet.

3) Limited area:-
This project was confined to only reaching out to Corporates and schools
within Pune with no leads while there could be scattered customer base in the
periphery of Pune city, we could not penetrate through all markets.

The study was conducted in Pune regions only, so the limited area of the study
mayaffect the conclusions

2. Some of the respondents could not give their proper response due to lack of
time. They at times tend to get biased and project a rosy picture which may
affect the reliability and relevanceof the study.
3. It might also be so that some respondents were not motivated enough to
respond properlyalthough full attempt was made to keep it as unbiased as
possible.
4. There was no provision of visiting cards for the summer trainees which
hinder communication at times
5. The duration of the project was short, so the scope of more in-depth
evaluation was not possible
6. Some of the respondents didn’t give exact answers related to some
questions because they didn’t want to reveal thinks to a stranger. Especially
this happened when they were asked about the number of buses they owned.
Research Methodology:

Purpose-

The basic purpose of this research is to find out the factors affecting the
decision of the consumer to purchase buses.

Problem-

To find out problem is the first stage of the research process. It represents
translating the management problem into research problem.Consumers have
faith in the brand Mahindra & Mahindra; still its market share is veryless as
compared to Tata motors,Eicher.

Research Methodology

A research process consists of stages or steps that guide the project from its
conception through the final analysis, recommendations and ultimate actions.
The research process provides a systematic, planned approach to the research
project and ensures that all aspects of the research project are consistent with
each other.

Research studies evolve through a series of steps, each representing the

answer to a key question.

INTRODUCTION

This chapter aims to understand the research methodology establishing a

framework of evaluation and revaluation of primary and secondary research.
The techniques and concepts used during primary research in order to arrive at
findings; which are also dealt with and lead to a logical deduction towards the
analysis and results.
RESEARCH DESIGN

I propose to first conduct a intensive secondary research to understand the full

impact and implication of the industry, to review and critique the industry
norms and reports, on which certain issues shall be selected, which I feel
remain unanswered or liable to change, this shall be further taken up in the
next stage of exploratory research. This stage shall help me to restrict and
select only the important question and issue, which inhabit growth and
segmentation in the industry.

The various tasks that I have undertaken in the research design process are :

1* Defining the information need

2* Design the exploratory, descriptive and causal research.

RESEARCH PROCESS

The research process has four distinct yet interrelated steps for research
analysis

It has a logical and hierarchical ordering:

3* Determination of information research problem.

4* Development of appropriate research design.
5* Execution of research design.
6* Communication of results.
Each step is viewed as a separate process that includes a combination of task ,
step and specific procedure. The steps undertake are logical, objective,
systematic, reliable, valid, impersonal and ongoing.
EXPLORATORY RESEARCH

The method I used for exploratory research was

7* Primary Data
8* Secondary data

PRIMARY DATA

New data gathered to help solve the problem at hand. As compared to

secondary data which is previously gathered data. An example is information
gathered by a questionnaire. Qualitative or quantitative data that are newly
collected in the course of research, Consists of original information that comes
from people and includes information gathered from surveys, focus groups,
independent observations and test results. Data gathered by the researcher in
the act of conducting research. This is contrasted to secondary data, which
entails the use of data gathered by someone other than the researcher
information that is obtained directly from first-hand sources by means of
surveys, observation or experimentation.

SECONDARY DATA

Information that already exists somewhere, having been collected for another
purpose. Sources include census reports, trade publications, and subscription
services. There are two types of secondary data: internal and external
secondary data. Information compiled inside or outside the organization for
some purpose other than the current investigation Researching information,

which has already been published? Market information compiled for

purposes other than the current research effort; it can be internal
data, such as existing sales-tracking information, or it can be research
conducted by someone else, such as a market research company or
the U.S. government.

Secondary source of data used consists of books and websites

My proposal is to first conduct a intensive secondary research to understand

the full impact and implication of the industry, to review and critique the
industry norms and reports, on which certain issues shall be selected, which I
feel remain unanswered or liable to change, this shall be further taken up in
the next stage of exploratory research.

DESCRIPTIVE RESEARCH

STEPS in the descriptive research:

Statement of the problem

9* Identification of information needed to solve the problem

10* Selection or development of instruments for gathering the

information

11* Identification of target population and determination of sampling

Plan.

12* Design of procedure for information collection

13* Collection of information

14* Analysis of information

DATA

DETERMINATION THE SAMPLE PLAN AND SAMPLE SIZE

TARGET POPULATION

It is a description of the characteristics of that group of people from whom a

course is intended. It attempts to describe them as they are rather than as the
describer would like them to be. Also called the audience the audience to be
served by our project includes key demographic information (i.e.; age, sex
etc.).The specific population intended as beneficiaries of a program. This will
be either all or a subset of potential users, such as adolescents, women, rural
residents, or the residents of a particular geographic area. Topic areas:
Governance, Accountability and Evaluation, Operations Management and
Leadership. A population to be reached through some action or intervention;
may refer to groups with specific demographic or geographic characteristics.
The group of people you are trying to reach with a particular strategy or
activity. The target population is the population I want to make conclude an
ideal situation; the sampling frames to matches the target population. A
specific resource set that is the object or target of investigation. The audience
defined in age, background, ability, and preferences, among other things, for
which a given course of instruction is intended.

I have selected the sample trough Simple random Sampling

SAMPLE SIZE:

This involves figuring out how many samples one need.

The numbers of samples you need are affected by the following factors:
 15* Project goals

16* How you plan to analyze your data

17* How variable your data are or are likely to be

18* How precisely you want to measure change or trend

19* The number of years over which you want to detect a trend

20* How many times a year you will sample each point

ERRORS IN THE STUDY

Interviewer error

There is interviewer bias in the questionnaire method. Open-ended questions

can be biased by the interviewer’s views or probing, as interviewers are
guiding the respondent while the questionnaire is being filled out. The
attitudes the interviewer revels to the respondent during the interview can
greatly affect their level of interest and willingness to answer openly. As
interviewers, probing and clarifications maximize respondent understanding
and yield complete answers, these advantages are offset by the problems of
prestige seeking, social desirability and courtesy biases.

Respondent error

The respondents selected to be interviewed were not always available and

willing to co operate also in most cases the respondents were found to not
have the knowledge, opinion, attitudes or facts required additionally
Data Analysis:

Sales Promotional at different levels

1. Sales promotion at Dealers Level:-

It may include various schemes some of which are discussed here.

(i) Advertising Materials:-

The advertising material prepared by the company such as store signs,

banners, shelf signs, board etc. are distributed to sub dealer for display
purposes this is in fact a method of advertising.

(ii) Store Demonstration:-

In the promises of the whole seller or the retailer the products sales personnel
will conduct special demonstration for the company’s product. A personal
demonstration is good to introduce a new product at its peculiar advantage
can be high lightened and the consumer’s doubt clear. It can be used to
restimulate an old product. A good demonstration with a great dealer of action
will draw heavy crowds in to the store and will attract attention to the product.

(iii) Special Display and Shows:-

These are in seasonal in character but could be arranged in an elaborate

manner and for all the products of an company. Usually these are arranged
along with trade fair and exhibition. Besides effecting sales these shows
impress the company’s name generally on the public.

Sales promotion at consumer’s level

The various schemes of sale promotion at Consumer’s Level may include.

1. Coupons (A Chit of Stated Value) :-

These are given directly to the consumer these coupons are in most cases kept
inside the package. The consumers many receive a price reduction of the
stated values of the coupon at the time of purchase. The retailer receives
reimbursement for the value of the coupon form the manufacturer. Coupons
act as a short run stimulus to the sale of the product, since they are directly
tied with the purchase of the item. They encourage the retailer to stock the
product.

What is important is that a coupon offer does not spoil the named price of the
brand nor does it un pair the margin of the dealers. But it is not easy to
measure the effectiveness of a coupon offer. One over knows how many
customer would have bought the product without the incentive. It is also
difficult to find out how many customers were held after the coupon offer
expired.

2. Price-off-offer (Also known as bargain offer price packs) :-

This offer is intended to stimulate the sales during a slump season. In this
method the customer is offered a reduction from the printed price list. It is also
used when a substitute for competing product enters the market.

Many experts on sales promotion fed that ‘Off Schemes’ are among the
weaker and less desirable methods of promotion. These can be trade
resentment particularly when the retailer raises the price to retain his margin.
Secondly that is not conductive to building up brand loyalty. Consumers may
simply shift to the products that offer this scheme.

Other Steps by Manufacturer for Promoting Sales

Dealers can be helps in different ways:-

1. Communicating Market News:-

Often this service is reciprocal the manufacturer may acquaint his dealer with
the fact relating to his production and prices while the dealer may familiarize
him in return with the information bearing on charges in the consumer's
demand, their like and dislike complaints and criticism, substitutes etc.

2. Inviting to Sales Conference and Convention:-

The gestures of regard and respect pave the way for better relation and co-
operation.

3. Offering Reasonable Terms of Sale:-

Of all the forms of encouragement, the monetary incentive evokes immediate

response. Hence every producer must offer the most responsible terms of sale
such as longer periods of credit and higher rates of descants.

4. Supplying suitable packages and useful things.

5. By taking the return back.

6. By furnishing them with sales literature and display materials.

Observation & Conclusion:
The attempt at changing mind-sets was divided up into two challenges. The
first to move negative perceptions to neutral and the second to move neutral
perceptions to positive. An integrated press and public relations plan was
devised and rolled out to address the first challenge and communicate the
changed company and product to the audience. Factory visits, meetings and
interviews with designers and engineers, motor shows, sponsorships, displays
at public arenas and well planned advertisement campaigns were part of this
strategy. These efforts helped reduce the strong negative image and create the
basis for further shift towards a positive image.

In attempting to address the second challenge, the company needed to

encourage consumers to think about buying the product. This is not possible
only through advertising for example, but needs a focus on building up the
brand and what it stands for. This was done by emphasizing Mahindra’s brand
values through cars that were practical, reliable, functional and robust. This
was also reiterated through a focus on quality and value for money for the
customer among other things.

SWOT ANALYSIS

Strength:

(a) Trust people are having in the brand name Mahindra motors.

(b) Strong relationship with dealers

(c) Number of authorize service station is in good number than that of

competitors
(d) Product is based on M-HAEK and CRD engine which are successfully
running on roads.

(e) Most of the market is credit driven so easy finance provided by

Mahindra motors (Mahindra finance) itself and others is an edge over
competitors.

(f) Stylish when compared to Tata product.

(g) More spacious than Tata product.

(h) Safer than Tata product.

(i) The size of fuel cylinder is large. Therefore to go number of times to a

petrol pump for filing.

Weaknesses:

(a) Dealers are selling vehicles at different prices in a single city.

(b) Changing of original parts by a dealer.

(c) Type of MRF is not having a very good claim processing system. Claim
processing is carried out only twice a week.

(d) Average is less than that of Tata product.

(e) Maintenance cost is high.

Opportunities:

(a) Improving road infrastructure.

(b) Standard of living of country people are improving day by day because of
increasing per capita income so there is a chance of spreading the business in
every nook corner of the city.

(c) Lenient norms for generation of permits.

Threats:

(a) Demand contraction due to marketupheaval.

(b) Strong presence of Tata product and Eicher product

Recommendations:

FINDINGS

Based on the data gathered by administrating schedules to customers the

following observations are made.

1. Mahindra Cosmo has excellent percentage of customer

satisfaction according to the data shown in table 1 of the data
analysis and Interpretation topic.

2. Based on the fuel consumption, most of the people are satisfied

with it.

3. Based on Safety and Comfort, Design, Space, Maintenance most of

the people are satisfied with it.

4. Large numbers of Cosmo user are aware of its power steering and
Air Brake.

5. If we took the satisfaction level of people toward cosmo, it

becomes good.

6. Its features and style satisfy most of the people.

 DATA ANALYSIS & INTERPRETATION

Table No.(1) Do you own a stylish bus?

Yes No

78% 22%

Source: Questionnaire

Figure:1

Satisfied Dissatisfied

Interpretation 1:

The sample drawn on probability basis shows that 78% of the customers were
satisfied with Bolero variant and only 22% were not satisfied with Bolero
variant.

Table No: 2 Factors affecting customer satisfaction towards Mahindra Cosmo

Factor No. of Respondent Percentage

Features 18 12%
 Low Maintenance 51 34%

Comfort 27 18%

Style 24 16%

After Sales Service 30 20%

Source: Questionnaire

Figure:2

No. of Respondent

Features
Low Maintenance
Comfort
Style
After Sales Service

Interpretation 2: The sample drawn on the probability basis clearly shows that
34% (51respondents) are the opinion that low maintenance is the satisfaction
factor Bolero and 20 %( 30 respondents) of them who view After Sales Service
as a vital factor for customer satisfaction. Followed by Comfort which
corresponds to 18 %( 27 respondents), Style with 16%(respondents) and only
12%(18 respondents) of them view that feature of Cosmo as satisfaction
factor.
Observation: Majority of the respondent are of the idea that low
maintenance of the top most feature contributing to customer satisfaction
followed by after sales services comfort style and features

As such, Mahindra should focus on the aspects, which will enhance the
customer satisfaction and thus the market share

Table No: 3 Customer opinions towards fuel consumption.

Factor Percentage

Extremely Satisfied 27%

Satisfied 49%

Neutral 17%

Dissatisfied 7%

Total 100%

Source: Questionnaire

Figure: 3

Percentage

Extremely Satisfied
Satisfied
Neutral
Dissatisfied
Total

Interpretation 3: 100% of the respondents 49% of the respondents

approached were satisfied with the fuel consumption of the Bolero. Followed
by 27% was extremely satisfied, 17% are neutral and rest of the 7% is more
dissatisfied with fuel consumption of Cosmo.

Observation: As majority of the respondents are satisfied with the fuel

consumption of Mahindra Cosmo, the company should maintain the same
standard and it is suggested to come up with suitable measure to reduce the
negative opinion among the consumer who are of the opinion that the fuel
consumption is a dissatisfying factor.

Table No: 4 Customer opinions toward Safety and Comfort.

Factor Percentage

Extremely Satisfied 23%

Satisfied 47%

Neither Satisfied & Dissatisfied 20%

Dissatisfied 10%

Total 100%

Source: Questionnaire

Figure: 4

Percentage

Extremely
Satisfied
Satisfied
Neither Satisfied
& Dissatisfied
Dissatisfied
Total
Interpretation 4: 100% of the respondents 47% of the respondents approached
were satisfied with the safety and comfort feature of the Bolero. Followed by
27% was extremely satisfied, 17% are neutral and rest of the 7% was
dissatisfied with safety and comfort feature of Cosmo.

Observation: As majority of the respondents are satisfied with the safety and
comfort feature of Mahindra Cosmo, the company should maintain the same
standard and it is suggested to come up with suitable measure to reduce the
negative opinion among the consumer who are of the opinion that the fuel
consumption is a dissatisfying factor.

Table No: 5 Customer opinions toward Design.

Factor Percentage

Extremely Satisfied 20%

Satisfied 40%

Neutral 27%

Dissatisfied 13%

Total 100%

Source: Questionnaire

Figure: 5
 Percentage

Extremely
Satisfied
Satisfied
Neutral
Dissatisfied
Total

Interpretation 5: 100% of respondents 40% of the respondents approached

were satisfied with the Design of the Bolero. 20% were more satisfied, 27% of
them neutral and 13% are dissatisfied with the design of the Cosmo.

Observation: As majority of the respondents are satisfied with the design of

Mahindra Cosmo, the company should maintain the same standard and it is
suggested to come up with suitable measure to reduce the negative opinion
among the consumer who are of the opinion that the fuel consumption is a
dissatisfying factor.

Table No: 6 .

Factor Percentage

More Satisfied 27%

Satisfied 53%

Neither Satisfied & Dissatisfied 17%

Dissatisfied 3%

Total 100%

Source: Questionnaire
Figure: 6

Percentage

More Satisfied
Satisfied
Neither Satisfied
& Dissatisfied
Dissatisfied
Total

Interpretation 6: The sample drawn on the probability basis shows that out of
100% of respondents 53% of the respondents approached were satisfied with
the space availability of the Cosmo. 27% were more satisfied, 17% of neither
satisfied and dissatisfied and 3% are dissatisfied with the space availability of
the Cosmo.

Observation: As 80% of the respondents are happy with the space availability
of the Mahindra Bolero vehicle, it can be conducted that the company has
undertaken proper R&D in this aspect.

RECOMMENDATION
Mahindra Company has to implement good customer relationship
management strategy that enhances customer satisfaction level.

The company can for the undertake R&D to improve the existing feature
which field help increase in the customer satisfaction.
The company should promote about the entire feature offered by it.

As majority of the customer give opinion that they are satisfied is the
factor, services and design of the product of the company should taken not
only maintain the existing standard but also enhance them.

As majority of the respondents are satisfied with the safety and comfort
feature of Mahindra Cosmo, the company should maintain the same standard
and it is suggested to come up with suitable measure to reduce the negative
opinion among the consumer who are of the opinion that the fuel
consumption is a dissatisfying factor.

Majority of the respondents are satisfied with the safety and comfort feature
of Mahindra Cosmo, the company should maintain the same standard and it is
suggested to come up with suitable measure to reduce the negative opinion
among the consumer who are of the opinion that the fuel consumption is a
dissatisfying factor.

As such, Mahindra should focus on the aspects, which will enhance the
customer satisfaction and thus the market share.

Bibliography and References:

 Company’s Manual
 R.M.Lala, The Romance of ,
 John Bramham, Manpower Planning,
 Bernard Ungerson, Recruiting & Selecting Personnel,
 M Pearn& R Kandola, Job Analysis,
 www.Mahindra Truck And Bus Division.com
 business.outlookindia.com
  Marketing Management by Philip Kotler

Annexure:

 Customer related database is maintained in an excel sheet and can be

furnished on request.
.