Report of Agora On Customer Satisfaction

/[p;p[p-0o.lllllllllll.
xx
CUSTOMER SATISFACTION OF SUPERSHOP (AGORA)
Subj !"# Sub$%&&%o' o( ") *u&%' && Pl+'
Dear Sir, I would like to thank you for giving me the wonderful opportunity to submit this Plan as an academic requirement of our achelor of usiness !dministration Program" #ith the due concern of my e$ternal evaluator %r" &abibul Islam 'utul, Store in ( )harge, *!&I%!+*,,S.P/*S',*/S 0'D"111 2ulshan !venue" I am submitting the report entitled as ,T) Cu&"o$ - S+"%&(+!"%o' o( A.o-+/. 'he researcher will always be available for any supplementary interpretation or clarification that you may require" I will be grateful to you if you cordially evaluate my research work on the above mentioned topic" 'hank you" 3ours Sincerely,
---------------
Acknowledgement
+irst of all, I would like to e$press my deep gratitude to !lmighty !llah for &is infinite grace that allowed me to complete this report" 'hen I would like to acknowledge my academic supervisor 4afisa *ashid as well as my organi5ational supervisor %r" &abibul Islam 'utul for giving me the opportunity and for providing helps to prepare the report" I also acknowledge some
other persons who helped me to enroll my internship and gave me overall knowledge about *!&I%!+*,,- S.P/*S',*/S 0'D 72ulshan !2,*!8" 'hey are9 %d" 'anvir 4avid 7/$ecutive 2ulshan !gora8, San:oy ;umar Shil 7%aintenance ,fficer 2ulshan !gora8, S"%" ;a5im 7,fficer 2ulshan !gora8" I am deeply indebted to the participation of my respondents who provided a great support by filling up my questionnaire and assist me in depth interview" +inally, I thank my parents and family members for their devotion and support and would hence like to dedicate this report to them"
'hanks y """""""""""""""""""""""
Executive Summary
'he retail chain superstores have introduced a new way to shop" 'he company has already opened four outlets 9 *ifles Square, 2ulshan !venue, %aghba5ar and %irpur -oo *oad in Dhaka 9 and more are in progress in )hittagong and other cities of the country" 'he superstores are open from < am to = pm every day" *ush of customers is e$perienced in the morning and evening" !gora superstores are currently focused in food retailing, ranging from a wide variety of fresh vegetable, fruits, meat and fish to grocery, bakery, dairy, personal care and household products" !gora provides its customers with guaranteed quality and freshness" So if you need to do some quality shopping, you can do it in !gora superstores in confidence" >
angladesh entered the ?supermarket era? on !ugust 2>, 2111 with *ahimafroo5 Superstores 0td" launching !gora, a retail chain superstore in angladesh, introducing a new way to shop" 'he company has already opened four outlets 9 *ifles Square, 2ulshan !venue, %aghba5ar and %irpur -oo *oad in Dhaka 9 and many more are in progress in )hittagong and other cities of the country" %ost of the employees of !gora are young and well9educated, some with %asters and % ! degrees" !gora superstores are currently focused in food retailing, ranging from a wide variety of fresh vegetable, fruits, meat and fish to grocery, bakery, dairy, personal and household products" !gora provides its customers with guaranteed quality and freshness" It carries more than 61,111 varieties of products and has plans to e$pand its product portfolio to carry other ranges of consumer products in the coming years" It aims at building a chain of more than >1 superstores by year 2111" ,ther supermarket brands have since emerged but !gora continues to be the leader and trendsetter" !gora has been the venue of launching of 'hai products, which have by now become commonplace" )alifornian apples were launched here as have been !gora buys products direct from the growers, which benefits the latter as well as the customers" 'he products are procured under the direct supervision of its officials who maintain strict Procurement and marketing standards" Products on the shelves are regularly monitored for e$piry dates" !ustralia?s red apples and crystal products from +rance were unveiled here" .nilever chose to launch 0?,real range of cosmetics at !gora superstores" 'he big9si5ed ? oroi? so common in the market was launched here" *ecently the scientist behind the cultivation of Strawberry in angladesh launched the delicious fruit at !gora" ,ver = million have purchased products at !gora since the opening of !gora?s fist superstore, with 2,111 customers using the !goras every day on an average" *ifles Square and 2ulshan supermarkets pull more crowd than the other two" )ustomers prefer using both cash and credit cards" !gora constantly launches attractive promotions like a5imat, @alue #eek or Super @alue ,ffer or Diamond *ing ,ffer" 'he promoter of the !gora pro:ect, *ahimafroo5, is one of the most respected companies in angladesh manufacturing and marketing stored power systems for the automotive industry" !ll of *ahimafroo5?s activities are in the service sector, focusing on consumers, an official of !gora?s operating company *ahimafroo5 Superstores 0td"
Table of Content
Chap ter
PART 1
SL No
TOPIC
Page Number
1.1 1.2 1.2.1 1.2.2
Origin of the Report Hi tory of Agora The !a"or !ile tone
15 in Rahimafroo# 16 17 18
Hi tory can be ummari#ed a $elow Rahimafroo# $u ine %nitiative are Organi#ed Through Rahimafroo# Strategic $u ine &nit 'S$& ( Ob"ective of Agora
1.3
PART 2
19
)* )*+ )*) )*, )*)*/ )*/*+ )*/*)
Re earch !ethodology !ethodology of the Study Rational of the Study Ob"ective of the Study .urpo e of the Study 0ata Collection .rimary 0ata Secondary 0ata
21 21 21 21 22 22 22 22
)*/*, )*1
PART
Collection .rocedure of 0ata 2imitation of the Study
22 22
, ,* ,*+*+* ,*+*) ,*+*, ,*+*,*+*/ ,*+*1 ,*) ,*)*+ 3.2.2 ,*)*, ,*)*,*, ,*,*/ ,*/*+ ,*1 ,*1*+ ,*8 ,*9 ,*: .rofile of Agora Organgram of Agora Agora $elief Agora $rand .romi e Agora A piration Agora 3uality .olicy Agora 4alue 5unction of Agora Human Re ource 0epartment Procurement Departments !arketing 0epartment 5inance 0epartment Role of the Agora in the Economic 0evelopment .re ent .rogram of Agora )6+6 5uture .lan of Agora Rahimafroo# .lan -6 new Agora outlet $ackground of A7ORA Agora the Real Supermarket Agora Plans %ntroduction of A7ORA '0hanmondi( Agro-based Industr es and !ec"nolog# De$elopment Pro%ect &A!DP' to Help Agora 0evelop 3uality Standard Competitive Advantage of Agora Retailing Strategy Target !arket !arketing Achievement ;ant to Achieve 0e ired Tone and !anner 24 24 25 25 25 25 25 26 26 31 31 31 32 33 34 34 35 35 36 36 36 37 37 38 38 38 39
,*+6 ,*++ ,*+) ,*+, ,*+,*+/
,*+1 ,*+8 ,*+9 ,*+: ,*)6 ,*)+ ,*)) ,*), ,*),*+ ,*),*) ,*)3.24.1 ,*)/ 3.25.1 ,*)/*) ,*)1 ,*)8 3.28 ,*): ,*,6 3.31 ,*,) ,*,)*+ 3.32.1.1 3.32.1.2 3.32.1.3 3.32.1.4 ,*,, ,*,,*+ ,*,,*+*+ ,*,,*+*) ,*,,*+*, ,*,,*+*,*,,*) ,*,,*,
Re<uired Communication !e age 2ocation Selection 2ocation Advantage !erchandi e offering in Agora !erchandi e .re entation Techni<ue !erchandi e !anagement $rand %mage and .roduct .o ition Other 4alue Added Service at Agora Endle Reward with Agora %nfinity Term and Condition Strategy 0evelopment Strategie for !aintaining Competitive Advantage 0ifferentiate the Service by !aintaining a Su tainable Retail !ix 7rowth Strategie ;hat ;ould ;e 0o a a Retailer in 5uture= 0rawback of Agora !anagerial %mplication Agora at a 7lance 5or Economie of Scale %nterior of Agora %ndu try > ;ide Environmental Analy i .EST Analy i .olitical 5actor Economic 5actor Social 5actor Technological 5actor %ndu try Analy i with .orter ? 5ive 5orce .otential Competitor $rand 2oyalty Ab olute Co t Advantage Economie of Scale Cu tomer Switching Co t $argaining .ower of $uyer $argaining .ower of Supplier
39 39 4( 4( 41 41 42 43 43 45 46 46 46 46 46 47 47 48 48 49 49 5( 5( 5( 5( 51 51 51 52 52 53 53 53 53 53 <
,*,,*-
Rivalry among E tabli hed 5irm
53
Part 4
-*+ -*) -*, -*Table Table Table Table Table Table Table
@oA @oA @oA @oA @oA @oA @oA
-*-*+ -*-*) -*-*, -*-*-*-*/ -*-*1 -*-*8
Exclu ive 4alue ;eek 0iamond Ring offer at Agora 0epartment Sale Report Analytical .art Chart @oA -*-*+A )ender Chart @oA -*-*)A Age Chart @oA -*-*,A *ducat on +e$el Chart @oA -*-*-A ,ouse ,old Income Chart @oA -*-*/A D stant- .ear b# /rom ,ome Chart @oA -*-*1A D // cult-*as# Dr $e Chart @oA -*-*8A +ong- s"ort ! me 0e1u red to 0eac" 2tore
55 56 57 58 58 59 60 61 62 6 64
Table @oA -*-*9 Table @oA -*-*: Table -*-*+6 Table -*-*++ Table -*-*+) Table -*-*+, Table -*-*+Table -*-*+/ Table -*-*+1 Table @oA @oA @oA @oA @oA @oA @oA @oA
Chart @oA -*-*9A D // cult or *as# to 3 nd 4ar Par5 ng Chart @oA -*-*:A Pleasant- 6npleasant A r !emperature Chart @oA -*-*+6A D // cult- *as# to 3 nd Product Chart @oA -*-*++A Do not Accept- Accept 4red t 4ard Chart @oA -*-*+)A Do not *n%o#- *n%o# )o ng to t"e 2tore Chart @oA -*-*+,A + m ted- 7 de 2elect on o/ Products Chart @oA -*-*+-A 3e8- .umerous 9rand Chart @oA -*-*+/A +o8- , g" :ual t# Product Chart @oA -*-*+1A , g"- +o8 Product Pr ce Chart @oA -*-*+8A Do #ou !" n5 Agora 2ales 69 70 71 72 7 74 65 66 67 68
11
-*-*+8 Table -*-*+9 -*/ -*1 -*8 -*9
@oA
People are ,elp/ul; Chart @oA -*-*+9A 2ales People are not at allare *nt"us ast c Cro Tab 0ata .re entation Comparative Analy i Agora v * !eenaba#ar 3ualitative 0ata Analy i S;OT A@A2BS%S
75 76 78 79
9+
Part 5
/*+* 5.1.1
Recommendation Some 7eneral Solution for %mproving the Service 3uality
85 87
Part 6 Part 7 Part 8
Co!"#u$%o! 0e/erences Appendix 2ample :uest on and Agora Products P cture.
91 9 96
11
12
16
+*+ Origin of the Report

'his internship report is originated as a partial fulfillment of the ! program of department of ! completion +inance, +aculty of usiness Studies," 'his report is a mandatory required for
as well weighted four credits" 'his 'hree months internship period has helped us to match our theoretical knowledge ,*I2I4 ,+ '&/ */P,*' with practical understanding" !s an intern of *ahimafroo5 Superstore 0imited I was provided with the topic D'he )ustomer Satisfaction of !gora"E 'he report titled D'he )ustomer Satisfaction of !goraE will be submitted to Dr" +arid .ddin &ead of the Department, I !IS .niversity of angladesh"
1>
I have acquired knowledge about changing of business pattern and why the demand of retail business is increasing in the worldwide, in the intern period" &owever, I have introduced with this type of business pattern and gathered the practical knowledge F information going through this report" y going through this report, I got an opportunity to develop and implement my knowledge and findings so that I can become as a perfect knowledge oriented merchandiser"
+*) Hi tory of Agora

Rahimafrooz Founder
1A
0ate ! ) !bdur *ahim 71<1A ( 1<=28 ! man of strict religious values, yet a believer in progressive dynamism, and a dreamer who thought nothing is impossible ( 0ate ! ) !bdur *ahim overcame numerous challenges and obstacles to become one of the most accomplished entrepreneurs of this country" orn on the 21th of Ganuary 1<1A, he lost both his parents by the time he was a mere seven9year old" Deprived of formal schooling and a typically comfortable childhood, he grew up as a man with strong determination, hardworking diligence, and humane compassion" %r" ! ) !bdur *ahimEs first initiation with business was with his uncle %r" ! ) %ohammad in the latterEs trading business in ;olkata" y the early 1<>1s, %r" *ahim started small scale commercial trading on his own" &e moved to )hittagong in 1<>C and Stared afresh with very little capital in hand, but with a whole world of courage and faith" In 1<A1, he established the small trading concern dealing in various items" 'his Proprietary business was formally incorporated on !pril 1A, 1<A> as *ahimafroo5 F )o" 'ill dateH *ahimafroo5 2roup commemorates this as its I+oundation DayJ" 'he childhood hardship and the struggle in his young years only made %r" *ahim a strong individual, a faithful human being, and a leader full of compassion and humanity" &e was a caring father and an affectionate person throughout his life ( to his family, friends, and for all the people who worked with him at *ahimafroo5" #hoever, in his lifetime, came in touch with %r" *ahim, fondly remembers him as a man of tremendous humility, dignity, and trustworthiness" &is passion for continuously improving himself and his business, his strict religious and ethical righteousness, and his dedication to please his customers ( are still prevalent in todayEs *ahimafroo5 culture 9 shaping the 2roupEs present and its future" 'odayEs *ahimafroo5 is a dream that %r" ! ) !bdur *ahim turned into reality" 'he business growth, the social commitment, and the great diversity in todayEs *ahimafroo5 are the outcome of one lifetime of hard work and compassion from %r" *ahim" &e breathed his last on %arch 1>, 1<=2 in 0ondon" ut his work and his virtue have kept him alive forever" %ay !llah brace him with eternal peaceK 'he 2roup today has seven ,perating )ompanies 7S .s8, three other business ventures, and a non9profit social enterprise" !s of 211C, the 2roup currently employs more than two thousand people directly and a further twenty thousand indirectly as suppliers contractors, dealers and retailers"
1B
1.2.1 The Major Milestones in Rahimafrooz History can be summarized as elo!

Incorporated in 1<A> by %r" !")" !bdur *ahim Distributorship of 0ucas attery in 1<A< /$clusive distributorship of Dunlop tyre in 1<C= !cquisition of angladesh operations of 0ucas .; in 1<=1 +irst producer of industrial battery in 1<=A Pioneering Solar Power in collaboration with P in 1<=A +irst ever battery e$port ( to Singapore ( in 1<<2 0aunched *ahimafroo5 Instant Power System in 1<<6 !cquisition of 3uasa atteries 7 angladesh8 0td" ( in 1<<> !ttained IS, <112 certification for * 0 operations in 1<<C +irst India office opened in !hmedabad ( in 2111 !warded I angladesh /nterprise of the 3earJ in 2111 !ttained IS, 1>111L1<<B for * 0 operations 0aunched I!goraJ ( the first ever retail chain in 2111 0aunched *ahimafroo5 /nergy Service in 2112 ( promoting distributed power"
1.2.2 Rahimafrooz usiness "nitiati#es are $r%anized Throu%h Rahimafrooz &trate%ic usiness 'nits (& 's)
*ahimafroo5 is one of the leading business groups in angladesh" It is doing business in the country for more than A1 years with fame and reputation" 'he main strength of the group is its reputation of doing ethical business practice" 'hroughout its business during last A1 years, it has mainly operated in the automotive industry" *ecently it has e$tended its business in energy and retailing business" It operates in an S . model" 'he S .s of *ahimafroo5 areL *ahimafroo5 7 angladesh8 0td" 72roup Parent )ompany8
1C
*ahimafroo5 7 atteries8 0td" *ahimafroo5 Distribution 0td" *ahimafroo5 /nergy Services 0td" *ahimafroo5 Superstores 0td" *ahimafroo5 )42 0td" *ahimafroo5 2lobatt 0td" *ahimafroo5 *enewable /nergy 0td" /$cel *esources 0td" %etronet limited !r5ed 0imited
'his report is made for *ahimafroo5 Superstore 0imited" 'he brand name for this S . is !gora" It is the leading superstore in the Dhaka city" It has revolutioni5ed the retailing industry of angladesh" It is established to provide quality shopping e$perience for its customers" #ith four large outlets in Dhanmondi, 2ulshan, %aghba5ar and %irpur, it is also the largest retailer in the country" It is offering more than 21,111 items under one roof" 'hese items are divided into 11 categories" 'he categories areL &ousehold, 2rocery, %eat, +ish, @egetable, +ruits, +ast food, Dairy, akery, Pharmacy, and )osmetics" Since the inception of !gora, the modern retailing industry is developing in the country" 4ow quite a number of modern retailing shops are operating in the country" !ll of them are mostly Dhaka based" ut many of the big players of the industry are thinking going outside of the capital city" !lthough there are number of modern retailer operating in the country, every does not have the strength and potential to challenge superstore like !gora" ut some of them are really competing" !utomobile battery manufacturing is the ma:or concern of the A>9year9old *ahimafroo5" It has stepped into retailing in 2111 by launching !groa, under the banner of *ahimafroo5 Superstores 0imited" It has now four stores in Dhaka with a turnover of 'k 11A core in 211="!lthough sales have grown 21 per cent over the years yet !gora is still not a profitable organi5ation, as unorgani5ed supply chains of many food commodities have kept all organi5ed retailers in difficulty"
+*, Ob"ective of Agora

1=
!gora a new way to shop, angladesh"
angladeshEs first definitive Supermarket chain which is a unique angladesh, people were use to traditional
e$ample of multi9disciplinary e$pertise" D!goraE is the first innovator of supermarket concept in efore coming supermarket concept in shopping in the kacha ba55ar and like to bargain with the retailers and also they became happy and proud if they could get the best thing after all the hassles" &owever, the time poor society does not enough time to roam around the kacha ba55ar and does not that much energy to do bargain" So, they are welcoming the concept of super market to save their time and get the best service that is convenient for them" 'he !gora concept is based on similar e$amples in Sri 0anka and the Philippines where within relatively short period of their creation, the environmental condition of the locali5ed unorgani5ed retail operation in katcha ba55ar rapidly improved" 'o offer a clean, healthy and a friendly environment to customers for shopping" 'o give customers confidence and establish an environment of trust" ,ffer better range of quality products" /stablish rational prices" /ncourage products standard and quality products, or better prices" Improve product packaging and presentation" )ontribute improving living standards" 'otal commitment to the needs of customers Permanent improvement of all the employeesE knowledge and skills"
1<
21
)*
2.1
Re earch !ethodology
Methodolo%y of the &tudy
'his report tries to evaluate the recent trend in the retail culture of the market, retailing strategy, distribution pattern, retailing mi$, financing, Sustainable competitive advantage, activities and services and some other affairs" efore going into the depth of the study, conceptual structure was visuali5ed under which the whole report is conducted" Preparing a report about the super market 7!gora8 is a complicated and difficult task and no single method is appropriate, that is why I have to follow several methods to prepare the report" +or this reason, I have followed a number of procedures to prepare a meaningful report"
2.2
Rational of the &tudy
'he rationality of this Study is to determine the importance about the marketing section and business strategy of superstore industry" It also helps us to understand about the feelings towards our superstore industry of the foreign customers" I would also learn about the foreign customers when, why and what are their e$pectations from our superstore industry" 21
2.*
$bjecti#e of the &tudy
!s stated earlier I have two issues to find out" I want to determine the awareness level of !goraEs potential customer and at the same time identify the satisfaction level of the e$isting customer" 'here might be one single reason or there might be multiple reasons" %y ob:ective of the research is to determine the reasons and help the management to make decisions" 'he subsequent ob:ectives will be to find out the following queriesL 9 'o determine the awareness status of !gora )ustomer in relation to its e$clusive
+eatures to the potential customers" 'o evaluate the present promotional strategy of !gora" 'o find out the satisfaction level of !gora )ustomer" 'o identify what kind of promotional strategy and activity will solidify !gora
)ustomer base in the market"
2.+
,urpose of the &tudy
!s a marketing student I got the opportunity to get the insight of present retail market I know the present growth of retail market, it would help us to forecast the future market and accordingly I would introduce the new features to the target customers "for an e$ample, I would adopt the local franchisee procedure rather than take the risk of setting up own retail store" 'his would help us to minimi5e risk in terms of goodwill"
2.-
.ata /ollection
T he report covers two types of data; which are2.-.1 ,rimary .ata

I have acquired the primary data from the sales personnel and the internet search"
2.-.2 &econdary .ata

y the observation and questioner survey, I have gathered the secondary data"
2.-.* /ollection ,rocedure of .ata
22
+or preparing the report, I have used various methods" 'hese methods are being discussed in the following pages"
.iscussions
I became knowledgeable through discussion with one of the sales personnel of D!goraE for several times, which make the report a full9fledged one" It is a primary source of collecting data"
"nternet &earch 0uestioner &ur#ey
I also got some primary information surfing through the net"
I have occupied a half of the +riday for questionnaire survey to the consumers who came to shop within that particular timeH which is a secondary source of data"
2.1
2imitations of the &tudy
'he report is not free from practical limitations" 'o make this report on I!gora 72ulshan8J is a big task" I made this report based on my observation and questionnaire survey, which were not enough to fulfill my survey ob:ective" 'he first limitation of the report was time allocation for the report" !nd finally !gora web site is not updated"
26
2>
,*
.rofile of Agora
*.1.1. $r%an%ram of A%ora
%anaging Director 7%D8
)/,
,perations Procurement %gr %gr
%arketing %gr
&* and !dmin %gr &* and !dmin Dept
I' %gr
+inance and !ccounting %gr
!udit %gr !udit 'eam
Pro:ect %gr Pro:ect 'eam
/$ecutive Procurement Dept ,perations !gora ,utlets
%arketing Dept
I' Dept
+ and ! Dept
2A
*.1.2 A%ora eliefs

*anging from automotive after market products, energy and power solutions, to a world class retail chain ( the committed team at *ahimafroo5 is committed to ensuring best in class quality standards and living the 2roupEs four core values ( Integrity, /$cellence, )ustomer Delight and Innovation"
*.1.*
A%ora rand ,romise
!gora promises a caring, trustworthy and friendly environment for day 9 to 9 day food and household needs assuring you peace of mind at the right price, weight, quality, freshness, hygiene and genuine value for money for your family under one roof"
*.1.+ A%ora Aspiration

#e want to be the most admired and trusted organi5ation through e$celling in everything we do, following ethical business practices, and adding value to our stakeholders"
*.1.- A%ora 0uality ,olicy

#e are totally committed to customer delight through operational e$cellence, innovation and continual improvement of quality"
*.1.1 A%ora 3alues
"nte%rity in All $ur .ealin%s

2B
4xcellence in 4#erythin% !e .o Total /ommitment to /ustomer &atisfaction Thin5in% Ahead and Ta5in% ne! "nitiati#es Team &peed Fun 2au%hin% /onstant &5ill .e#elopment
,*) 5unction of Agora

!gora places a high value on human resource development and the contributions made by its employees" 'hey preserve to maintain a productive and harmonious working environment in the whole organi5ation" !gora always continues with its efforts to improve the efficiency of its employees and align them to the right positions with well9defined responsibilities" In order to cope up with the dynamic nature of the companyEs business, initiatives are always taken to restructure and recogni5e the companyEs e$isting set up" It always evolves standardi5ed management systems and procedures across functional divisions, focusing in particular, on the effective integration and assimilation of all the organi5ational units" !gora also has various departments" 'hese areL &uman resources Departments, Procurement Departments, %arketing Departments, I' Departments, +inance and !ccounting Departments and Pro:ect Department"
*.2.1
Human Resources .epartments
&uman resource department is responsible for the recruitment and training of the employees of the company" 'hey also monitor the performance and handle the promotion and salary related matters"
2C
Recruitment and &election ,rocess in A%ora
*ecruitment is the process trough which the organi5ation seeks applicants for potential employment" Selection refers to the process by which it attempts to identify applicants with the necessary knowledge, skills, abilities and other characteristics that will help the company achieve its goals, companies engaging in different strategies need different types and numbers of employees" 'he strategy a company is pursuing will have a direct impact on the types of employees that it seeks to recruit and selection"
&ource of Recruitment
'here are two kinds of source !gora uses for recruitment "'hey are 1" Internal source" 2" /$ternal source 1. "nternal &ource !gora thinks that current employees are a ma:or source of recruits for all but entry9level positions" #hether for promotions or for D0ateralE :ob transfers, internal candidates already know the informal organi5ation and have detailed information about its formal policies and procedures" Promotions and transfer are typically decided by operating managers with little involvement by &* department"
2. 4xternal &ource #hen :ob opening cannot be filled internally, the &* department of !gora must look outside the organi5ation for applicants"
Trainin% and .e#elopment ,ro%ram of A%ora
'raining is a process of learning a sequence of programmed behavior" It is application of knowledge" It gives people an awareness of the rules procedures to guide their behavior" It attempts to improve their performance on the current :ob or prepare them for an intended :ob"
2=
Development is a related process" It covers not only those activities which improve :ob performance but also those which bring growth of the personalityH help individuals to the progress towards maturity and actuali5ation of their potential capacities so that they become not only good employees but better men and women" In organi5ational terms, it is intended to equip person to earn promotion and hold grater responsibility"
$n the 6ob Trainin%
,n the :ob training is a training that shows the employee how to perform the :ob and allows him or her to do it under the trainerEs supervision on the :ob training is normally given by a senior employee or a manager" 'he employee is shown how to perform the :ob and allowed to do it under the trainerEs supervision"
/lassroom Trainin%
)lassroom training is conducted off the :ob and probably the most familiar training method "It is an effective means of imparting information quickly to large groups with limited or no knowledge of sub:ect being presented" It is useful for teaching factual material, concepts principle other theories "portion of orientation programs, some e$pects of apprenticeship training and safety programs are usually presented utili5ing some form of classroom instruction" %ore frequently however, classroom instruction is used for technical, professional and managerial employee
.e#elopment of the Human Resources
'he long term development of human resources as distinct from training for a specific :ob is of growing concern to &* departments of !gora "'hrow the development of current employees the department reduces the companyEs dependents on haring new workers "if employees are developed properly the :ob openings found throw &* planning are more likely to be filled internally promotions and transfers also show employees that they have a career not :ust a :ob" 'he employee benefits from increased continuity in operations and from employees who fail a greater commitment" &* department is also an effective way to meets several challenges 2<
including employee obsolescence, international and domestic diversity, technical challenges" !ffirmative action and employee turn over" maintain an effective workforce" y meeting these challenges the department can,
HR ,ractices of A%ora
*ecruitment 'raining Performance %anagement 0abor relation /mployee relation Gob analysis Gob design Selection Development Incentives enefits
4mployee Relation
/mployers and employees each have their own sets of needs and values, and successful relationship between these two sides requires that some sort of balance be struck" 'his balance often takes the form of a psychological contract, an understood agreement between employer and employees that defines the work relationship" 'his contract with or without support of a formal collective bargaining, agreement influence the outcome achieve by each side" !gora has the various into three channel categories those are 1" /mployee safety
61
2" /mployee health 6" /mployee working condition 1" 4mployee &afety !gora provides the employee safety "It ensure the all kinds of :ob safety such as insurance of each employee not this it provide insurance to the labor" 2. 4mployee Health +ree medical checkup, provide health card and also provide necessary medical facilities for each employee" *. 4mployee !or5in% condition 'he working condition of employee is very hygienic
7or5ers8 /ompensation
#orkersE compensation is a legally required benefit is included in the compulsory disability laws of many countries" %ostly, employer is seen liable regardless of the fault"
$bjecti#es of 7or5ers8 /ompensation

Provide income F medical benefits *educe litigation /liminate legal fees F time /ncourage employer safety Promote accident study F avoidance
7or5ers8 /ompensation /laims

In:ury ,ccupational disease Death
61
,ay for time not !or5ed

&olidays @acations %arriage leave Sick leave Stress leave Personal leave
Administration .epartment
!gora has also an administration department" 'his department looks after companyEs day9to9day affairs" It also appoints employees, fi$ salaries, and make rules and regulations" ,n the other hand, the department also works about factory compliances issues, management disciplinary action matters"
*.2.2 ,rocurement .epartments

!gora has a procurement department" 'his department directly supervises the procurement process"
0uality /ontrol .epartment
*ahimafroo5 superstore ltd has quality control team who closely supervise the product quality, product weight, product e$pire date, product manufacture country etc" Muality control team also helps, to reduce the problems of the product quality and they take necessary steps to solve the problems"
*.2.* Mar5etin% .epartments

'he duty of marketing department is to communicate with buyers and also aware about buyer requirement" %arketing strategy is always focused to meet the target price offered by the customer" rand and !FP denotes to brand and advertising F promotion" 'his unit deals with the overall brand management and promotion activities of the company" 'he unit covers both 62
outdoor 7billboards, road9overhead etc8 media and indoor 7print F electronic8 media" 'his unit is also responsible for communicating with the advertising agencies, since !gora does not have any in9house agency" /ach unit has a unit9head who reports to the head of %arketing"
*.2.+ Finance .epartments

+inancial division has five units dealing with financial matters of the company" Accounts ,ayable 'his unit keeps track on the accounts payable of the company" Accounts Recei#able 'his unit keeps track on the accounts receivables of the company while preparing the balance sheet" !s *ahimafroo5 Superstore 0td" is a large company with thousands of financial transactions everyday, a unit to keep track on the accounts is necessary"
/ore Account )ore account is an important unit of the finance division dealing with the budget and fi$ed assets" 'he annual budget of various departments is prepared under the close observation of this unit" Re#enue Assurance *evenue assurance unit consists of revenue assurance and fraud management" *evenue assurance monitors the transactions and assures full protection of the finances" ,n the other hand, fraud management protects the fraudulences take place in the daily transactions" Taxation 'a$ation unit takes care of the ta$, @!' of the company"
,*, Role of the Agora in the Economic 0evelopment
66
*ahimafroo5 superstore ltd contributing a ma:or part of economy in our country" 'hey have > outlets and their overall employee near by A11, which is a good part of population spending their life depend on this organi5ation" !gora also takes a great part of 4ational Income which helps to increase 2DP and 24P of our country"A11 workers maintaining their family by this :ob this is also a great role of this organi5ation" 'he landscape began to change after 2111 as *ahimafroo5 Superstores, operating company of !gora, began to catch up a slice of retailing and wholesale trade, which has been growing annually by more than B percent on an average and contributing over 16 percent to 2DP since 1<<<92111 fiscal years" In the last eight years, many small and big supermarkets made debut in the trade to attract middle and upper middle class consumers, a section of who are shifting to the chain stores from the wet or kitchen markets" 4ow around A1 chain supermarkets are operating in angladesh, recording an annual turnover of around 'kC11 core, according to angladesh Supermarket ,wners !ssociation" So it is clear that this organi5ation has a great impact in the economic development of angladesh"
,*- .re ent .rogram of Agora )6+6

*ahimafroo5 Superstores 0td, the operator of country?s largest chain superstores !gora, has signed a memorandum of understanding 7%o.8 with ,mni +arms, a leading vegetable, fruit and flower farming company of the country, to have regular supply of good9quality fresh vegetables" *ahimafroo5 Superstores managing director 4ia5 *ahim and ,mni +arms managing director 4orbert %endes signed the agreement at Dhanmondi !groa Sunday, Ganuary 11" *a:a Debasish *oy, special assistant to the )hief !dviser, graced the signing ceremony as the chief guest" .nder the agreement, ,mni +arms will produce high9quality vegetables at different parts of the country in cooperation with local farmers for marketing through !gora, says a press release" ,mni +arms will also impart training to local farmers on farming high9quality vegetables and take initiatives so that they get fair prices of their produce" ,mni +arms has a large9si5e farm on its own land in *a:endrapur under 2a5ipur district where vegetables, fruits and flowers are being produced !gora head of operations Shams &aider, head of procurement % 4i5am )howdhury,
6>
head of marketing *uhel !bedin and other senior officials of both the organi5ations were present at the %o. singing ceremony"
,*/ 5uture plan of Agora

*.-.1 Rahimafrooz plans +9 ne! A%ora outlets
6A
*ahimafroo5 Superstores, one of the leading retailers of food products in the country, wants to set up >1 new outlets in three years to e$pand its business with an eye for more revenue" !ccording to estimates of *ahimafroo5, total costs of the e$pansion may stand at about 'k 111 crore I#e are looking to set up >1 more outlets in ne$t three years in cities including Dhaka, )hittagong and Sylhet,J 4ia5 *ahim, managing director of *ahimafroo5 Superstores 0td, told 'he Daily Star yesterday" IIt?s a volume9based business" 'he more we open outlets the more will be the sales as we will be able to serve more customers,J he said" 'he company operating under the brand !gora began operations in 2111 to e$ploit the country?s potential market for food items, including perishable goods" 'rading in food items is still dominated largely by small retailers in the kitchen markets, although about C1 small and big superstores entered in the market in the last couple of years" 'hree ma:or retailers of food products 99 4andan, %eena a5ar and PMS 99 are also
Customers line up at an Agora outlet of Rahimafrooz Superstores, which has entered the eighth year of its operation. Photo: STAR
operating in the market" efore the entry of the Superstores, retail trade in food products used to take place mainly in the kitchen markets in unhygienic condition and run by small retailers, *ahim said" I#e had entered the business to offer consumers quality products in healthy environment,J he added" *ahimafroo5 Superstores 0td, one of the nine subsidiaries of *ahimafroo5 2roup, now serves C"C< million customers through its four retail outlets in Dhaka" *ahim said the company registered an average annual growth of 2A percent in the number of customers as it offered quality products at fair prices and better servicesH this resulted in a continuous increase in sales" I#e have been able to win the trust of the consumers by ensuring quality of the products,J he said" 'he company, according to its %D, posted increased sales results in the last couple of years" Its total sales grew by 21 percent to about 'k 11A1 million in 211C91= fiscal from about 'k ==1 million a year ago" *ahim, however, said the company is yet to record profits" IIt?s a low margin
6B
and high turnover business" #e need to increase the volume of sale to ensure gains,J he said" 'he company wants to integrate the supply chain for agri9produces with the aim to reduce middlemen in the supply chain"
,*1 $ackground of A7ORA

*.1.1 A%ora the Real &upermar5et
Agora-t"e 0eal 2upermar5et
angladesh has become a late entrant to the Dsupermarket eraE with the help from professionals from Sri 0anka, comparatively a super9marketing veteran in the region" 'he pro:ect owes its initial success entirely too Sri 0ankan professions" 'hey were responsible for pre9feasibility studies, the financial models, marketing constancy, operational planning, air9development, and the recruitment F training of personnel including the placement of Sri 0ankan managers" *ahimafroo5 Superstores 0td" invested B1 million, which has met all cost targets, achieved targeted gross profits in its first year of operation, and planed to set up more outlets in angladesh" @isvaka )onsultants 0td" and Sensei 0anka 0td" put the DpackageE of e$pertise and the product concept for the D!goraE pro:ect together" 'he promoter of the D!goraE pro:ect, *ahimafroo5, one of the most respected companies in angladesh manufacturing and marketing stored power systems for the automotive industry, decided to locate /uropean possibilities and e$perienced Sri 0ankan supermarkets in angladesh" 6C
*.:

A%ora ,lans
/stablish a chain of supermarkets" /ach supermarket outlet will have at least C111 sq ft in a single shop floor" 'he supermarket outlets will have adequate parking space" 'he supermarkets will carry wide variety of quality assured products only" Develop and promote local products"
*.;
"ntroduction of A<$RA (.hanmondi)
*ahimafroo5 has undertaken to set up a chain of world9class Supermarkets in angladesh under the brand name I!goraJ" 'he 2reek word D!goraE means a ba5aar or marketplace" *ahimafroo5 established the first grocery retail chain superstore I!goraJ which opened on 2>th !ugust in 2111 at Dhanmondi" /ach store of D!goraE has a total floor space of about C111 sq" ft and presently offering 1<,21= assortments 7breath F width8" 'he second store of D!goraE opened 2ulshan in 2nd !prilE2112" D!goraE is open for all from < a"m" to = p"m" seven days a week throughout the year"
*.= A%ro>based "ndustries and Technolo%y .e#elopment ,roject (AT.,) to Help A%ora .e#elop 0uality &tandard
!gro9based Industries and 'echnology Development Pro:ect 7!'DP8 and !gora yesterday signed a contract to develop quality standards and supply chain for the superstore" .nder the deal, !'DP will assist !gora to source quality agro9products like fresh and fro5en poultry, meat, fish, shrimp and vegetables, a press release said" !'DP will also develop a code of quality standards for the !gora suppliers and support them to comply with it" )onsistent quality in fresh and fro5en products has always been a challenging issue for angladeshi consumers" ! pro:ect of .S!ID and government of angladesh for developing agribusiness, !'DP works with private companies in poN ltry, livestock, horticulture, grains and fisheries sector" 4ia5 *ahim, managing director of *ahimafroo5 Superstores, the managing company of !gora, hoped that this could be a landmark in setting the quality standard for the retailing sector in the country"
6=
*.19

/ompetiti#e Ad#anta%es of A%ora

/verything is fresh +i$ed price recommended by the suppliers" !ll the daily necessaries under one roof" !ll guaranteed products Standard quality product )omprised billing )omputeri5ed inventory management 'otal customer care"
!gora is covering all essential commodities, edibles, groceries and other daily household requirements including toiletries and all daily necessities" 'he pro:ect?s strategic aim to source in bulk quantities from the producers or manufacturers of products, thereby reducing distribution layers" 'raditionally, such practice brings about organi5ation within the industry, and essential commodities, edibles and groceries account for the significant portion of the food industry which in turn is the largest contributor to the broad retailing industry, establishment of the chain of supermarket would have a significant impact on the entire retailing industry in angladesh.
*.11
Retailin% &trate%y
'o offer a clean, healthy and a friendly environment to customers for shopping" 'o give customers confidence and establish an environment of trust" ,ffer better range of quality products" /stablish rational prices" /ncourage products standard and quality products, or better prices" Improve product packaging and presentation" )ontribute improving living standards"
*.12
Tar%et Mar5et
6<
'hrough the 2ulshan and Dhanmondi outlets, the above quality perception was appropriate enough" !s our targeted segments was more concern about quality rather than price" ,ur communication strategy needs to be revised and more fine ( tuned as we have added two new outlets %oghba5ar and %irpur in 211=" 'he demographic and buying behavior is notably different than the older two outlets" 'he customers who purchase within these areas perceive price more important than quality" 'herefore our target audiences comprise of both price and quality sensitive segments" !ny communication campaign should target or segment the audiences based onL ?eed ased
/very member of a house 7husband, wife, children and maids8 "ncome ased
.pper class to middle class who purchase over 211 taka each visit 2ocation ased
,utlets are located at different localities with different incomes and buying behaviors" .ecision Ma5er
Influential members of the family who make shopping decisions"
*.1*
Mar5etin% Achie#ement
#e want our consumers to make a ma:ority of their perishables, grocery and household ba5aar 7purchases8 from !gora and to the local and e$clusive imported superior quality products available at !gora" 'he price of local products is in line with the open market, while the quality is superior and meet the legal standards and this should be another reason for our consumers to prefer us" In a word, the communication message should spell out the I!goraJ brand promise in clear tone"
*.1+

7ant to Achie#e
'o strengthen the brand image among the targeted audience segment based on income and need consistent with our brand promise" Populari5e the brand name among general population so that they perceive the I!goraJ brand name :ust as they perceive I*ahimafroo5J as honest and transparent" 'o build strong motivation so that customers perceive IqualityJ as first purchasing criteria"
>1
*.1
.esired Tone and Manner

Informative about what we offer and promise" Direct in message delivery to our targeted audiences" Should reflect our brand promise openly" )onsistent with our activities"
'he communication effortOcampaign should beL
Should avoid negative opinion formation about our competitors
*.11
Re@uired /ommunication Messa%e
#e want our consumers to make a ma:ority of their perishables, grocery and household ba5aar 7purchases8 from !gora and to the local and e$clusive imported superior quality products available at !gora" 'he price of local products are in line with the open market, while the quality is superior and meet the legal standards and this should be another reason for our consumers to prefer us" In a word, the communication message should spell out the I!goraJ brand promise in clear tone"
*.1:
2ocation &election Three most important things in retailing is location, location, location.
!gora has put their stores at the best location of interaction" It conquers one area of the city at a time and then e$pands in the region, saturating a ma:or market before entering a new market" !gora had frequently opened its several stores" It has stores atL
Outlet
!ddress 2ulshan 111, 2ulshan !venue, plot P A, *oad P 6C, Dhaka ( 1212 Dhanmondi =1, Dhanmondi *ifles square *oad P 2, Dhaka ( 121C %oghba5ar B< old ora %oghba5ara" ,uter circular *oad, Dhaka ( 121C %irpur 4orther lion, *P tower" lock ( , *oad ( 2, %irpur ( 2, Dhaka ( 121C
>1
!gora has such a high density of stores that it lets the storefront promote the
)ompany and does very little media advertising" ! neighborhood location that attracts customers in the evenings and on weekends
Is important because they become part of the path of people is weekly shopping e$perience or their route to work or home" y concentrating its locations, !gora creates a market presence that is difficult for
)ompetition to match" In addition, multiple locations facilitate scale economics that enable frequent
Deliveries, thereby ensuring fresh merchandise"
*.1;
2ocation Ad#anta%e
'his would be the sustainable advantage to compete with the rivals" So they should e$pand their store in unsaturated trade area" 'hey should build up multiple sources of advantage regarding quality, convenience, and price in order to match consumersE specific e$pectation" In doing so they should provide service to the customers with minimal waits" 'hey could maintain good relationship with vendors, so that they could provide quality products in the market" In order to make the consumers feel about the service, !gora could maintain database retailing by keeping the customer profile and buying pattern" 'hey can provide aisles for each cash counter based on quantity purchased in order to provide quick checkout time"
*.1=
Merchandise offerin%s in A%ora
>2
!gora supermarket is poised to vend in e$cess of 21,111 varieties of essential commodities, produce edibles, spice, grocery, toiletries and other household necessities includingL @egetables +ish +ruits 7local F foreign8 %eat Daily products )onfectionery &ouseholds +ast9food 2rocery Pharmaceuticals )osmetics everage akery"
)anned F Packed grocery 'he pro:ect strategic aim, to source in bulk quantities from the producers or manufacturers of products, thereby reducing distribution layers" 'raditionally, such practice brings about organi5ation within the industry, and essential commodities, edibles and groceries account for the significant portion of the food industry which in turn is the largest contributor to the broad retailing industry, establishment of the chain of supermarket would have a significant impact on the entire retailing industry in angladesh"
*.29
Merchandise ,resentation Techni@ues
!gora uses frontage presentation techniques"
*.21
Merchandise Mana%ement
'he pro:ect?s strategic aim to source in bulk quantities from the producers or manufacturers of products, thereby reducing distribution layers" 'raditionally, such practice brings about >6
organi5ation within the industry, and essential commodities, edibles and groceries account for the significant portion of the food industry which in turn is the largest contributor to the broad retailing industry, establishment of the chain of supermarket would have a significant impact on the entire retailing industry in angladesh"
*.22
rand "ma%e and ,roduct ,osition
H%.) - 0u+l%"1 !gora
H%.) - p-%! !gora %eena a5ar
2o3 - p-%!
%eena a5ar 2o3 - 0u+l%"1 A""%"u4 & o( ") p opl "o3+-4& A.o-+ 1" price range 9 &igher ( !9999%9999 4999 0ower 2" Product quality 9 &igher ( !99949999%99990ower >>
6" 0ocation 9 &igher ( !999949999%9999 0ower >" Promotion 9 &igher ( 4999!9999%99990ower ! Q !gora % Q %eena a5ar 4 Q 4andan
Ho3 !+' A.o-+ !)+'. ") %- +""%"u4 &5 y following tools itEs easy to understand that agora comparatively lower position in price and promotional activities from others" 1" y reducing price 9 2" Product quality 9 6" 0ocation 9 >" Promotional activities ! Q !gora % Q %eena a5ar 4 Q 4andan &igher ( %999949999 !999 0ower &igher ( !99949999%99990ower &igher ( !999949999%9999 0ower 9 &igher ( 4999!9999%99990ower
*.2*

$ther 3alue Added &er#ices at A%ora

)ar parking facility 2ift @ouchers *efreshments +lower shop ;ids play area
*.2*.1 4ndless Re!ards !ith A%ora "nfinity
>A
'hat?s rightR 'he !gora infinity )ard will reward you with bundles of benefits every time you shop with usR #ith an infinity )ard you collect points with every purchase at !gora" !s the points accumulate, you become entitled to lucrative rewards" It?s easyR #hen you shop ';" 1111 worth or more at !gora, you automatically become a member" #ithin 1A working days you will get a permanent infinity )ard" now R !nd start collecting pointsR ecome a member
>B
A%ora "nfinity ,icture
>C
*.2*.2 Term and Condition

'his scheme is available only to those who will submit a complete application form and will collect the permanent !gora Infinity )ard after C working days" 'o ensure the collection of points, you must show or confirm your card number at
the !gora point of sales during the transaction" /very ';" 111 of your bill value qualifies for one point" 3our bill will state the
Points you have gained against each purchase" If you shop at different !gora ,utlets on the same day, actual points and points shown on bill may vary until the ne$t working day" 4o points will be collected against the purchase of any promotional product" +or redemption minimum 211 points or multiple of 211 points have to be collect"
3ou will get doubled amounted gift voucher against your each redemption" 'o redeem points the customer should fill up the *edemption *equest +orm which will be available with )*," Points of two different Infinity )ards cannot be combined or cash cannot be
added to increase points" 3ou will receive e9mails regarding the promotional and other consumer related
activities of !gora" If your card is damaged or lost please inform !gora authority immediately" Such
card will be replaced for a nominal fee of tk" 111 per card" Infinity )ard is property of *ahimafroo5 Superstores 0imited which may cancel
any card anytime" 'he Infinity )ard is not a )heque9guarantee or )redit )ard" !gora authority reserves the rights to change, amend these conditions, schemes or
points without giving notice" 'he decision of !gora authority in all matters is final and binding" +or further information please contact our )ustomer *elations ,fficer or the
%arketing Department, *ahimafroo5 Superstores 0imited, PhoneL <===>>1, /mailL agora"infinitySrahimafroo5"com
>=
*.2+
&trate%y .e#elopment
a5ar, it
Since 2ulshan !gora is facing severe competition with 4andon and 2ulshan 1 kacha
should maintain sustainable competitive advantage in order to achieve an edge over the competitorEs" +or the purpose of my research I am told to develop strategies regarding how should !gora maintain a competitive edge in the current retailing industry"
*.2+.1 &trate%ies for Maintainin% /ompetiti#e Ad#anta%e

!gora, as a pioneer in retail industry has set up standard in the market by providing customers with service" &owever, they have started facing competition with other superstores" In order to sustain in a market for a long term they should maintain sustainable competitive advantage so that the competitors could not imitate their strategy" In doing so, we would recommend !gora to follow the following strategy"
*.2-
.ifferentiate the &er#ice by Maintainin% a &ustainable Retail Mix
In order to create an image of the retailer in the customersE mind relative to its competitors !gora should maintain sustainable retail mi$ in terms of service, types of merchandise, variety and assortment of merchandise and the price of the product" 'hey may provide convenience by implementing consistent service" In doing so they may provide home delivery as well as online service that will be served with timely manner" *.2-.1 <ro!th &trate%ies !gora could follow the growth strategy by adopting a diversification opportunity" #e would suggest !gora to adopt related diversification and in doing so they can on a farm of chicken and can supply to the renowned restaurants"
*.2-.2
7hat 7ould 7e .o as a Retailer in FutureA
!s a student of this course I got the opportunity to get the insight of present retail market I know the present growth of retail market, it would help me to forecast the future market and accordingly I would introduce the new features to the target customers "for an e$ample, I would adopt the local franchisee procedure rather than take the risk of setting up own retail store" 'his would help us to minimi5e risk in terms of goodwill" %oreover, I would focus more on customer
><
service and for that may be I would set up the store in neighborhood" 'his will minimi5e our cost in terms of promotion and would add other procedure like stimulation, social e$perience etc"
*.21
.ra!bac5 of A%ora
Safeway claims to care about food quality, yet they continue to use untested, unwanted !gora in their store brand products" 'hey have heard from thousands of concerned consumers about this issue, and have also ignored requests by several environmental and consumer groups to meet with them. 'here have been no long9term studies to show that !gora foods are safe for human health or the environment" Despite receiving almost half a million comments to the contrary" 'he vast ma:ority of these people want !gora foods labeled so they can choose to avoid them" !gora ingredients, which include, soybeans, soy oil, corn, corn syrup, squash, canola oil, cottonseed oil, papaya and tomatoes, can be found in items such as cookies, crackers, taco shells, soft drinks, and salad dressing"
*.2:
Mana%erial "mplication
Superstores should continue to grow and eliminate small, speciali5ed retailers" !gora should be as like that people would not be tire of the one9stop shopping bit, resulting in a slowdown or halt of superstore involving trips to various stores into a convenient, one9stop e$perience" 'hey offer a wide range of products, each superstore competing for a larger percentage of the customers? wallets" 'hey can render smaller retailers with less e$tensive offerings obsolete" 0arge chains of superstores often account for a si5able percentage of their suppliers? sales, giving the retailers significant bargaining leverage over manufacturers? prices" 'his can result in lower prices for the customers, which puts superstores at even more of an advantage relative to smaller competitors" 'he recommendations are more than simply ranking agora into product, single stage and two stages" /veryone already does that" In addition, they?re not :ust a list of best sellers" Gust because it?s a best seller doesn?t give it T est9in9)lassT status"
A1
*.2;
A%ora at a <lance
!gora is a supermarket that is a departmentali5ed store offering a wide variety of food and household merchandise" It is larger in si5e and has a wider selection than a traditional grocery store" !gora comprises meat, produce, dairy and baked goods departments along with shelf space reserved for canned and packaged goods as well as for various nonfood items such as household cleaners, pharmacy products, and pet supplies" %ost supermarkets also sell a variety of other household products that are consumed regularly household cleaning products, medicine, clothes, and some sell a much wider range of non9food products" !gora occupies a large floor space on a single level and is situated near residential areas in the Dhaka in order to be convenient to consumers" Its basic appeal is the availability of a broad selection of goods under a single roof at relatively low prices" ,ther advantages include ease of parking and, frequently, the convenience of shopping hours that e$tend far into the evening" !gora usually make massive outlays for newspaper and other advertising and often present elaborate in9store displays of products" It is now a part of a chain that owns or controls other supermarkets located in DhakaH this increases the opportunities"
*.2=
For 4conomies of &cale
!gora usually offers products at low prices by reducing margins" )ertain products 7'ypically staples such as bread, milk and sugar8 are often sold as loss leaders, that is, with negative margins" 'o maintain a profit, !gora attempt to make up for the low margins with a high overall volume of sales, and with sales of higher9margin items" )ustomers usually shop by putting their products into shopping carts 7trolleys8 or baskets 7self9service8 and pay for the products at the check9out" !t present, !gora has intention to reduce labor costs further by shifting to self9service check9out machines, where a group of four or five machines is supervised by a single assistant"
A1
*.*9
"nterior of A%ora
!goraEs interior is similar to most supermarkets in design and layout due to trends in marketing" It produce tends to be near the entrance of the store" %ilk, bread, and other essential items are located in the rear and other out of the way places" 'his is purposely done to ensure ma$imum time spent in the store, strolling past other items and capitali5ing on impulse buying" 'he front of the store or +ront9/nd is where one might find point of sale machines or cash registers" !gora have plans to implement self9checkout devices in their stores in an attempt to reduce labor costs as well as bringing complete customer satisfaction"
*.*1
"ndustry>!ide
2rocery chains are changing the importance on satisfying the consumer in order to keep
their profit margins high" Some e$amples include the move towards a ?superstore? witnessed by some of !gora?s competitors" &ere, customers have a ?one9stop? shopping e$perience" 'his is conducive to generation of dual9income families and a growing amount of adult singles with busier lifestyles"
A2
,*,) Environmental Analy i

/nvironmental analysis is the broader activity of understanding the changing e$ternal environment that may impact the organi5ation" It is one of the most important parts of the environmental scanning to alert the decision makers to potentially significant e$ternal changes before they crystalli5e" )onsequently, decision makers have sufficient lead9time to react to the change"
*.*2.1 ,4&T Analysis

#ith the P/S' analysis we determine the environmental influences on a particular kind of business" 'he acronym stands for the Political, /conomic, Social and 'echnological issues that could affect the strategic development of a business" &ere with the P/S' analysis, I am going to analy5e the e$ternal macro9environmental factors, which are beyond the control of the firms that operate in a particular kind of business" Sometimes these factors present themselves as threats, sometimes create new opportunities"
*.*2.1.1
,olitical Factors
In angladesh, there are a few companies that are not affected by political situation as well as by the government policies" 'hatEs why marketing strategy is deeply affected by political perspectives" 'he government of angladesh has given Super 9 store sector ample amount of freedom to do business"
*.*2.1.2
4conomic Factors
/conomic trends can also affect the growth of the superstore user" .sually economic environment is analy5ed with reference to the following key economic factorsL employment, )PI, personal income, real 24P etc" 'he stable 2DP from the year 2111 to 211= has increased superstore user from 1 to 6>"6C million" Increase in the employment, saving money and purchasing power as well as the spending capacity acted as a catalyst for this ama5ing increase in the number of superstore users" &eavy growth of small families is increasing so there is bright prospect that this user segment will continue to rise like the past" &owever, the increasing inflation rate is badly hampering the amount of discretionary income as the price of different consumer products is increasing in an alarming rate" People are becoming more conscious about their living standard" 'his squee5ing of the income amount may affect the growth of the industry"
A6
Still the growth has been tremendous over the last few years particularly in the year 211A after many superstores entered the market"
*.*2.1.*
&ocial Factors
'he ultimate test of a business is its social relevance" !n important aspect of the social environment concerns the values consumersE hold" @alues mainly revolve around a number of fundamental concerns regarding time, environment, personal finance, diversity etc"
*.*2.1.+
Technolo%ical Factors
'echnological factors include the use of technology in doing business" .p to date use of technology helps to acquire the economies of scale for the company and cost savings" It also gives them the opportunity to e$pand in the future" In recent times, angladesh has connected to the fiber optic" 'his information super high way can dramatically change the entire nation in creating new business opportunity" If there is an increase in the business activity, there will be more employment"
,*,, %ndu try Analy i with .orter ? 5ive 5orce

'o survive in an industry, grow, sustain in competition F differentiate a company must understand the dynamics of the industry competition among firms" %r" %ichael Porter has developed a framework known as A forces model" &is model focuses on following A five forces that shape competition within an industry, i"e"
*.**.1 *.**.2 *.**.* *.**.+ *.**.industry"
,otential /ompetitors ar%ainin% ,o!er of uyers ar%ainin% ,o!er of &uppliers /loseness of &ubstitutes to an "ndustry8s ,roducts Ri#alry amon% 4stablished Firms
!fter analy5ing the above factors we can know the competition prevailing in the superstore
A>
Fi%ureB Fi#e Forces Model

*.**.1 ,otential /ompetitors
Potential /ntrants are companies that are not currently competing in an industry but have the capability to do so if they choose" 'he risk of entry by potential competitors is a function of height of arriers to /ntry" arriers to /ntry have three main sources, i"e" ( brand loyalty, absolute cost advantages F economies of scale"
*.**.1.1
rand 2oyalty
0arge companies en:oy a brand loyalty in the market through its huge customer base, customer retention ratio, reputation, high product quality F after sales service" 'here are large established companies in mobile superstore sector, i"e" ( %eena a5ar, 4andan and PMS who have brand loyal customers F en:oy a competitive position in the market" So whatever productOservice they come up in the future they can easily capture market share" 'his makes it difficult for new entrants to fight with these established brands for gaining market share"
AA
*.**.1.2
Absolute /ost Ad#anta%e
!bsolute )ost !dvantage arise from following sourcesH i"e" ( product diversification, pricing strategy etc, they represent lower risk than entrants" In superstore industry companies have long e$perience in this sector" Some of them have e$perience in doing business in different parts of the world" .sing that e$perience here F following those successful strategies gives the companies some cost advantages as well"
*.**.1.*
4conomies of &cale
'he sources of economies of scale are i"e" ( discounts on bulk purchases product, advantages gained by spreading fi$ed production cost over a large production volume and cost savings associated with spreading marketingOadvertising e$pense over a large output"
*.**.1.+ /ustomer &!itchin% /osts

Switching costs arise when it costs a customer time, energy F money to switch from products offered by established firms to products offered by new entrants" ecause of intense competition in the market the switching cost is very low right now" 'he companies are offering some of product price very low" So there is a tendency of customers using multiple company service at the same time"
*.**.2
ar%ainin% ,o!er of uyers
'he customers and the restaurant and corporate office are the main buyers in the superstore industry" It gives them more bargaining power over the company"
*.**.*
ar%ainin% ,o!er of &uppliers
It refers to the ability of suppliers to raise input prices, threat to stop selling products F delay in delivering products" 'he suppliers are the main source of product providers" 'hey donEt have that much of bargaining power with the company"
*.**.+
Ri#alry amon% 4stablished Firms
*ivalry refers to the competitive struggle between companies in an industry to gain market share from each other using price, product design, superior product offering, advertising spending, after sales service F support" 'he intensity of rivalry among companies in an industry is a function of industry competitive structure, demand condition F height of e$it barriers in the industry"
AB
AC
-*
5inding
-*+ Exclu ive 4alue ;eek

,EI6 MU*ARA7/ A=
A- 1ou loo8%'. (o- 9 9 9 9 9 9 T8 :; 00;000.00<<<<< 2C6 T=<<<< Ho$ T) +" -<<< Gol4 R%'.<< O- 6%.%"+l C+$ -+5
Shop over 'k <11 at !gora 7> ( 61 September8 U and win what you want" 6 +- Co'! -'; A&&+l+$u Al+%8u$ Pl +& (%'4 b llo3 ") p-o$o"%o'+l 4 "+%l o( ,AGORA EI6 UTSHA*/ 2u!81 Coupo' O(( 6u-+"%o'# > 9 ?0 S p" $b -; @00A Ou"l "# All Ou"l "& O(( -# S)op oB - T8 A00 +'4 3%' T8. O' 2+!; 2C6 T=; Ho$ T) +" -; 6%.%"+l C+$ -+. Gol4 -%'. +'4 $+'1 o") - x!%"%'. p-%C &. 6-+3# +" 6M o' ? O!"ob - +" :: +$
&upplier .ri#en ,romotion

6u-+"%o'# > 9 :D S p" $b - @00A 1" Save tk 1A1 at A liter and tk B1 at 2 liter )oroli Sunflower oil 2" >" uy one *oyalty )hocolate and get one +*// uy &*) )laavdon 'ea >11O211 gm and wine Sprint %obile phone, A11 tk """ 6" ' Shirt +ree with 0a Spagnola @egetable oil A" Save tk 11 at A11O>11 gm Starship milk powder B" Save tk <1 at A liter and tk 61 at 2 liter ,rkide Sunflower oil C" Save tk B ( 21 at %arks milk powder =" Save tk 1A at )habaa :uice
A<
<" Save tk >1 at *ekkit enckiser special value pack 11" Save tk 166 at 2arnier @alue pack 11" Shop over tk 6111 at 2S and gate 11V Discount at S!!G7 2arments and +ashion &ouse8
/ommunication ,lan
1" Street anner 211 pcs 7121 pcs on > Sep, >1 pcs on 1C Sep, and >1 pcs on 2> Sep8 2" 0eaflet Distribution 111111 pcs 7 A1111 pcs on A September and A1111 pcs on 11 September 6" In store communication from > September"
+.2
.iamond Rin% offer at A%ora
Diamond *ing offer, a sales promotion campaign, has got underway at !gora, the largest chain superstores of the country" .nder the offer, which will continue up to Ganuary 61, any customer purchasing products worth taka CA1 from any !gora outlet will have the chance to win a diamond ring through raffle draw" *ahimafroo5 Superstores 0td, the owning company of !gora, has launched the programme to make buying more attractive for customers" 'he customers will have the chance to win 211 more attractive gifts, including 4okia 4 C1 mobile phone, digital camera, ipod, D@D player and hair stainer, apart from diamond ring" .nder the programme, the customer will get a raffle coupon for buying goods worth 'k CA1 at any of the !gora outlets 9 *ifles Square 7Dhanmondi8, 2ulshan !venue, %oghba5ar and %irpur"
-*, 0epartment Sale Report
Department 2ales 0eport Agora 1(1< )uls"an A$e. D"a5a
B1
6 p+-"$ '" !;/*3 ),S%/'I)S D!I*3 +!S' +,,D +*,.'S +IS& 2*,)/*3 &,.S/&,0D %/!' P&!*%!)3 @/2/'! 0/ 2*!4D ','!0
Co&" o( S+l B>A,B<="16 12=,>11"A< 1,22>,A<6"<6 >21,211"=C 1,6A2,<CA"AC 2,CBB,BC="<2 11,1<C,B1>"B2 6,1AC,>><"2> 2,661,==="<6 2C,6A>"=> 1,1AB,611"AC 26,111,1BB"21
N " S+l =6=,12>"<C 1B1,2BC"<A 1,>AB,AC6"BC AB6,1B>"C2 1,C1C,6=<"11 6,621,<61"1C 11,C>A,6A="C> 6,C1B,2A2"26 6,121,<6=">2 62,2A1"C> 1,61C,>26"BC 2C,=C<,BCA"6C
=AT 12,=>C">= 2,>1B"B> 1C,1BA"B= >A,6BB"6A 1,=B1"6= 2,2>1"26 >C,AA2"B2 A2,1=A"=6 C,6C<">< 11A"21 6,161"A< <1,<A2"A1
G-o&& S+l =A1,<C2">A 1B2,BC>"A< 1,>C6,B6<"6A B1=,A61"1C 1,C1<,2><">= 6,626,1C2">1 1,=<2,<11"6B 6,CB=,66="1B 6,12=,61C"<1 62,6BA"<A 1,621,>AA"2B 2=,1C1,B2C"=C
G-o&& P-o(%" 1<2,>2B"=> 61=AC"6B 261,<C<"CA 1>2,<B6"=A 6A>,>16"A6 AA>,2A2"2> 1,B>C,C>>"12 BA=,=12"<< B<1,1><">< >,=<A"<1 2B1,126"11 >,CC1,A1<"1C
GP 22"< 1<"= 1A"< 2A"6 21"C 1B"B 1>"1 1C"C 22"= 1A"1 1<"= 1C"1
Depart ment Sales >.D 0.: :0.G ? 0.E F.@
@ E.:
; 6"1V )S 1"BV D3 A"2V ++ 2"1V
:?.?
::.A; :@H
+* B"1V +S 11"<V 2* >2"1V && 16"6V %' 11"=V P& 1"1V @2 >"CV
>@.: .ata Hypothetical
-*- Analytical .art

DATA ANALYSIS and FINDINGS
+or the purpose of analy5ing data, I have counted 1, 2, and 6 as poor and >, A, B and C as neutral and lastly =, < and 11 as good" I did our survey at 2ulshan !gora according to the demographic
B1
character of the customers" +or an e$ample, married man, single man, married woman and single woman" ,ur survey si5e was 62 and we have surveyed = people from each segment" Table ?oB +.+.1 <ender
=+l%4
S%'.l $+' M+--% 4 $+' M+--% 4 3o$+' S%'.l 3o$+' To"+l
F- Iu '!1
G G G G ?@
P -! '"
@F @F @F @F :00
=+l%4 P -! '"
@F @F @F @F :00
Cu$ul+"%B P -! '"
@F @F @F @F
d rie ar % an an an % om om d # # rie ar % an %
G G
G
G @0H >0H E0H G0H :00H
0H
/hart ?oB +.+.1B G '4 A'+l1&%& F-o$ ") "+bl 'o >.>.: we find that we have randomly picked 62 people as my sample and among which = were Single male, = were Single woman and = were married male and rest = were married woman" Table ?oB +.+.2 A%e =+l%4 :F-@F @E-?0 F- Iu '!1 @ > P -! '" E :? =+l%4 P -! '" E :? Cu$ul+"%B P -! '" E :?
B2
?:-?F ?E-F0 To"+l
:E :0 ?@
F0 ?: :00
F0 ?: :00
F0 ?:
18 16 14 12 10 8 6 4 2 0 15 - 25 26 - 30 31 -35 36 - 50 36 - 50, 10 East 31 -35, 16
ffgfgfghfh
15 - 25, 2
26 - 30, 4
/hart ?oB +.+.2B A. A'+l1&%& F-o$ ") "+bl 'o >.>.@ we find that the questions were asked among different age group" I have tried to focus on almost all the age groups that !gora has in its target customer profile" 'here were 2 respondents from the age group of 1A92AH > from the age group of 2B961H 1B respondents from the age group of 6196AH 11 respondents from the age group of 6B9A1"
Table ?oB +.+.* E4u!+"%o' 2 B l =+l%4 SSC HSC F- Iu '!1 ? F P -! '" A :E =+l%4 P -! '" A :E Cu$ul+"%B P -! '" A :E
B6
G-+4+" Po&" G-+4+" To"+l
:@ :@ ?@
?D ?G :00
12
?D ?G :00
12
?D ?G
12 10 8 6 4 2 0 SSC HSC GRADATE POST GRADATE 3 5 East West Nort
/hart ?oB +.+.*B E4u!+"%o' 2 B l
A'+l1&%& F-o$ ") "+bl 'o >.>.? we find that the respondent has different education level" !mong the respondent there were 6 respondent from the SS) education levelH A from the &S) levelH 12 from the graduate level among which most of them from the 4orth South .niversity area" &owever, there were 12 respondents from the post9graduate level also"
Table ?oB +.+.+ Hou& )ol4& %'!o$ =+l%4 :0;000 o- l && :0;00:-@0;000 F- Iu '!1 @ > P -! '" A :E =+l%4 P -! '" A :E Cu$ul+"%B P -! '" A :E B>
@0;00:-?0;000 ?0;00:->0;000 To"+l
:0 :E ?@
?D ?G :00
?D ?G :00
?D ?G
, !"
#, $%"
$!, '&" $&, %$"
$&&&& or less
$&&&$ ( &&&&
&&&$ ( %&&&&
%&&&$ ( #&&&&
/hart ?oB +.+.+B Hou& )ol4 %'!o$ A'+l1&%& F-o$ ") "+bl 'o >.>.> we find that, among the respondent there 2 respondent whose incomer is less than 'k 11,111H > respondent whose income is between 'k 11,111 to 21,111H 11 respondent has income between 'k 21,111961,111H 1B respondent from the income of 'k 61,1119 >1,111H
Table ?oB +.+.DistantO 4earby from home single man Poor 1 4eutral 6 2ood B
BA
married men married women single woman 'otal
1 4o comments 1 6
2 2 1 =
A B > 21
,ercenta%e
2-
11
)" '" Poor *eutral +ood !!"
/hart ?oB +.+.-B DistantO near by from home Analysis F-o$ ") "+bl 'o >.>.F we find that it has been revealed si$ single men and married women emphasi5ed on ranking good "A married man emphasi5ed on good and four people from the segment of single woman ranked on good" In total about BBV people emphasi5ed on good, 2AV people were neutral and remaining < V ranked on poor"
Table ?oB +.+.1 DifficultOeasy Drive single man Poor 1 4eutral 2 2ood = BB
married men married women single woman 'otal 7628
1 1 1 >
2 2 4o comments B
> A A 22
,ercenta%e
19
2*
1:
$&" %"
Poor *eutral +ood
!,"
/hart ?oB +.+.1B DifficultO/asy Drive
Analysis F-o$ ") "+bl 'o >.>.E we find that ,ut of four segments five single man ranked good and four married men also ranked on good" +ive married women ranked good" %oreover, from the segment of single woman five people ranked well" In total BCV preferred well, 26V preferred neutral and remaining 11V preferred poor" Table ?oB +.+.: 0ongO short time required to reach store single man Poor 4eutral 2ood
BC
1 1 4o comments 6
2 2 1 C
A C A 22
,ercenta%e
,& !& '& #& %& & $&Poor, , ) &
22
+ood, , !)
1=
Poor *atural *atural , , +ood
/hart ?oB +.+.:B 0ongO short time required to reach store Analysis F-o$ ") "+bl 'o >.>.D we find that out of four segments A married men, A single women and Asinglemen preferred good ranking" C married women ranked good for this particular question" ,ut of 62 people B<V preferred good, 22V remained neutral and <V preferred this characteristics poor"
Table ?oB +.+.; Difficult or easy to find car parking single man married men Poor 1 1 4eutral 2 2 2ood A A
B=
married women single woman 'otal 7628
1 4o comments 1
2 1 >
C A 2C
,ercenta%e
-& ,& !& '& #& %& &
+ oo d, , ,,
1;
::
Po or ,,
&
Poor
at u
$&
'
ra l
,,
Nat!ra"
$-
Goo#
/hart ?oB +.+.;B Difficult or easy to find car parking Analysis F-o$ ") "+bl 'o >.>.G we find that the data show that most of the respondents preferred good" ,ut of 62 respondents CCV ranked good, 1=V ranked neutral and lastly AV ranked this characteristics poor"
Table ?oB +.+.= PleasantO unpleasant air temperature single man Poor 1 4eutral 2 2ood A
B<
4o comments 1 4o comments 2
1 1 1 A
A 11 A 2A
,ercenta%e
11
:;
!" $!" Poor *eutral +ood
,-"
/hart ?oB +.+.=B PleasantO unpleasant air temperature Analysis F-o$ ") "+bl 'o >.>.A we find that on this particular characteristic C=Vpeople ranked good, 1BV preferred neutral and BV ranked poor" 'herefore, we can say that people are aware about the physical comfort also in doing their grocery shopping"
Table ?oB +.+.19 DifficultO /asy to find product Single man Poor 1 4eutral 2 2ood 6
C1
married men married women Single woman 'otal 7628
4o comments 4o comments 4o comments 1
1 > 2 <
A 11 > 22
,ercenta%e
2;
1=
*atural
& a# r u at N
28
Poor
Po or &
&
$&
&
'o o( &
%& #&
+ood
69
'&
!&
,&
/hart ?oB +.+.19B DifficultO /asy to find product AnalysisB F-o$ ") "+bl 'o >.>.:0 we find that B<V people preferred this characteristic as good and 2=V remain neutral and remaining 6V ranked this characteristic as poor" Since our society is becoming a time poor society most of customers also are looking for the better placement for the product so that they could easily get the product in order to have a quick checkout time"
Table ?oB +.+.11 Do not acceptO !ccept credit card Single man Poor 1 4eutral 2 2ood 6
C1
4o comments 4o comments 4o comments 1
1 > 2 <
A 11 > 22
,ercenta%e
2;
1=
, &" $, %" ), -"
Poor *atural
, !)"
+ood
/hart ?oB +.+.11B Do not acceptO accept credit card Analysis F-o$ ") "+bl 'o >.>.:: we find that B<V respondents preferred good and 2=V people remain neutral and 6V ranked this characteristic as poor" People are looking for security and they also agree that superstore like !gora is providing the highest security by accepting credit cards"
Table ?oB +.+.12 Do not en:oyO en:oy going to the store Single man Poor 1 4eutral 1 2ood A
C2
1 1 1 >
1 > 2 =
A A A 21
,ercenta%e
+ood, *atural, Poor, , & $' $& ' & Poor *atural
Poo-; N+"u-+l;
1*
Goo4;
2-
12
&.! "/
-. '"/
#.$%"/ +ood Poor
Poor *atural +ood
/hart ?oB +.+.12B Do not en:oyO en:oy going to the store Analysis F-o$ ") "+bl 'o >.>.:@ we find that B2V respondents preferred good and 2AV people remain neutral and 16V people ranked this characteristic as poor" !gora is providing convenience for the mothers who have kids so it also represents !goraEs care ness towards he customers"
Table ?oB +.+.1* 0imitedO #ide selection of products single man Poor 4eutral 1 2ood A C6
1 1
1 2 1 A
A 11 A 2A
,ercenta%e
11
;1
%"
$!"
-$"
Poor
*eutral
+ood
/hart ?oB +.+.1*B 0imitedO #ide selection of products Analysis F-o$ ") "+bl 'o >.>.:? we find that =1Vspondents preferred good and 1BV people remain neutral and 6V ranked this poor and one person did not answer" since most of the respondents agree on wide selection so we can say that !gora is providing their customers one stop shopping e$perience by keeping broader assortment"
Table ?oB +.+.1+ +ewO 4umerous rand Single man Poor 4eutral 6 2ood > C>
1 1
6 6 6 12
> B A 1<
,ercenta%e
20 18 16 14 12 10 8 6 4 2 0
*;
Goo4; :A (FAH)
-=
N+"u-+l; :@ (?GH)
Poor Goo# Nat!ra"
Poo-; : (?H)
Poor 4atural 2ood
/hart ?oB +.+.1+B +ewO 4umerous rand Analysis F-o$ ") "+bl 'o >.>.:> we find that A<V respondents preferred good and 6=V people remain neutral 6V people ranked this characteristic as poor" ,ur findings show that by keeping numerous brands !gora is making the product available"
Table ?oB +.+.10owO &igh quality product single man Poor 4eutral 6 2ood A
CA
6 6 1 11
A C A 22
,ercenta%e
*1
1=
+ood
*atural
<oodC 22 (1=D) ?aturalC 19 ( *1D)
Poor 9(9D) ,oorC & Poor Goo# Nat!ra" Poor 0 10 22 ' $& Nat!ra" $' Goo# & '
/hart ?oB +.+.1-B 0owO &igh quality product Analysis F-o$ ") "+bl 'o >.>.:F we find that B<V respondents preferred good and 61Veople remain neutral and 1Vpeople ranked this characteristic as poor"
Table ?oB +.+.11 &ighO 0ow product price Single man Poor 1 4eutral A 2ood >
CB
1 2 1 A
A A 1 1B
6 2 2 11
,ercenta%e
100
11
-9
*+
10
N+"u-+l; :E(F0H) Poo-; F(:EH)
Goo4; ::(?>H)
1 Poor Nat!ra" Poor Nat!ra" Goo# Goo#
/hart ?oB +.+.11B &ighO 0ow product price Analysis F-o$ ") "+bl 'o >.>.:E we find that 6>V respondents preferred good and A1V people remain neutral and 1B V people ranked this characteristic as poor" Since !gora is adding convenience as well as higher assortment" 'o the shopping and sell quality product they charge higher price than other kacha ba5aar"
Table ?oB +.+.1: Do you think agora sales people are helpfulK Poor 4eutral 2ood
CC
single man married men married women single woman 'otal 7628
1 1 1 1 >
A A 11 = 2=
,ercenta%e
1*
;:
&"
$%" Poor *eutral +ood
-,"
/hart ?oB +.+.1:B Do you think agora sales people are helpfulK Analysis F-o$ ") "+bl 'o >.>.:D we find that =CV respondents preferred good and 16V people remain neutral and 1V people ranked this characteristic as poor" !gora provides high quality service by providing helpful sales people"
Table ?oB +.+.1; Sales people are not at allO !re enthusiastic single man Poor 1 4eutral 6 2ood A C=
1 2
2 6 2 11
A A A 21
,ercenta%e
*1
1*
!" %$"
!%"
Poor
*eutral
+ood
/hart ?oB +.+.1;B Sales people are not at allO !re enthusiastic Analysis F-o$ ") "+bl 'o >.>.:G we find that B6V respondents preferred good for easy maneuver and 61V people remain neutral and BV people ranked this characteristic as poor"
-*/ Cro
Tab 0ata .re entation
In order to do a cross tab we combined question no 1F 2, question no 6F > and question no 12 F 16" +ollowing tables and graph will help us to illustrate our findings regarding the
C<
attractiveness of a site and assortment planning process of !gora" 'hey are shown in the ne$t page" /hart no +.-.1 DistanceO nearby from home Poor 4eutral 2ood "nterpretation +rom the above table we can see that the intensity of data lies in the bo$ of good ranking" 'his shows that by considering distance and easy drive consumers are basically emphasi5ing on the accessibility of the superstore" So we can do a macro analysis on the site of !gora and can say that the road pattern of the store is such that customers can easily get in to it" /hart no +.-.2 0ongOshort time require to reach the store" Poor Poor 4eutral 2ood "nterpretation 'he intensity of data portray that customers are considering the visibility of the store in terms of traffic flow, congestion and parking facilities" /hart no +.-.* 0owOhigh quality product Poor Poor 4eutral 2ood 4eutral 6 A 2 2ood 6 11 < 2 4eutral 6 > 2ood 6 6 1C Poor 2 2 4eutral A 2ood 6 21
=1
"nterpretation +rom the above table it has been seen that customers are satisfied with quality of the product given by the agora but at the same time they are a bit price sensitive because they agree that !gora is charging relatively high price than other superstore and kacha ba5aar" So we can say that !gora is keeping higher assortment which is costing them a lot and accordingly they are charging higher price in order to cover up their cost"
+.1
/omparati#e Analysis A%ora #s. Meenabazar
!part from the kacha ba5aar we are considering %eenaba5ar as a competitor of !gora according to the site and location" 4ow we will check the competitive advantage provided by !gora against %eenaba5ar" In the following, we will provide a table of highest responses on ranking good given by the customers of %eenaba5aar and !gora"
=1
0u &"%o'& DistantOnearby from home DifficultOeasy Drive 0ongOshort time required to reach store DifficultOeasy to find car parking .npleasantOpleasant air temperature DifficultOeasy to maneuver DifficultO easy to find product DonEtOaccept credit card ;ids do notOen:oy going to the store 0imitedOwide selection +ewOnumerous brand 0owOhigh quality product &ighOlow price Salespeople are notOat all helpful Salespeople are notOare enthusiastic
A.o-+ (?@) BBV BCV B<V CCV C=V B<V B<V =CV >CV C=V A<V BCV 6>V =CV B6V
M '+b+C+- (?@) CAV =CV C1V ABV C=V BAV B=V ABV B2V ABV >6V A1V 6>V CAV C1V
Source: Field Survey, 2009
Interpretation
Since !gora and %eenaba5ar both are in the same trade area and targeting the same people, according to the data %eena ba5aar is getting more customers than !gora because they are on the more convenience location" 'he data also show that %eena ba5aar is taking advantage against agora in terms of accessibility and visibility" Since %eenaba5ar is a strip )entre and cannot provide car parking due to the shortage of space !gora is taking advantage out of it because they are providing a car parking facility to the customers" In terms of giving convenience, they both are performing equally" .sage rate of credit card in !gora is higher than %eenaba5ar" 'herefore, we can say that !goraEs customers are more sensitive regarding their security" !gora is charging high price buy giving the customers both breadth and depth of product as well as they are concern about the quality product but on the other hand %eenaba5ar
=2
is charging higher price without giving higher assortment and variety" So !gora is getting its competitive advantage over its nearest competitor" skill" oth are having similar category of salespeople but %enaba5ar is having more enthusiastic salespeople regarding knowledge and
4.7
Qualitative Data Analysis
!fter doing the questionnaire survey F personal e$perience of our family members we found out some of the unique cases which we would like to share in terms of qualitative analysis" 'hese cases helped us to prepare the S#,' !nalysis of !gora"
P-opo&%"%o' (o- C+& :# Cu&"o$ - Al3+1& =+lu 0u+l%"1 *egarding case 1, !gora has set standard regarding the convenience shopping" People tend e$pect more about !gora rather than kacha ba5ar" 'herefore, they deserve quality product" 4evertheless, in real life people are considering other things, like, convenience, security" So case 1 proves that people are going to agora not because of quality product, they seek convenience" P-opo&%"%o' (o- C+& @# Co'&u$ -& S 8 Co'B '% '! +or these 2 customers the brand image F the convenience of doing the shopping are the first priority to them" %oney is also important to them, but they are still willing to take the risk" 'hey will be a bit more careful as far as billing is concerned F will go through all the hassles of double checking it but still will go to !gora for shopping"
=6
&7$T Analysis
&7$T A?A2E&"&
=>
INTERNAL
P O S I T I V E
S W O T
EXTERNAL
N E G A T I V E
The &7$T Matrix
! firm should not necessarily pursue the more lucrative opportunities" *ather, it may have a better chance at developing a competitive advantage by identifying a fit between the firm?s strengths and upcoming opportunities" In some cases, the firm can overcome a weakness in order to prepare itself to pursue a compelling opportunity" 'o develop strategies that take into account the S#,' profile, a matri$ of these factors can be constructed" 'he S#,' matri$ 7also known as a ',#S %atri$8 is shown belowL
Strength
=A
Strengths are its resources and capabilities that can be used as a basis for developing a competitive advantage" /$amples of such strengths include rand Image 2ood reputation among customers" 2ood 0ocation !ssortment in case of wide selection of meat F chicken )onvenience shopping Serving the consumers with fresh food" !gora has highly qualified managers, so they can easily take decisions for the company" 'hey also have the opportunity to shift employees one to another that helps to solve urgent problems" ,n the other hand, it helps to reduce cost and time"
Weakness
'he absence of certain strengths may be viewed as a weakness" +or e$ample, each of the following may be considered weaknesses 0ess )ash )ounter It takes longer time to check out %istakes in billing" 'he management and stuffs donEt get the enough transport facilities" 'he intern student cannot get the enough opportunity to build their career"'here have a
little :ob facilities for the employees and workers that create :ob dissatisfaction of the employees" In some cases, a weakness may be the flip side of strength" 'ake the case in which a firm has a large amount of manufacturing capacity" #hile this capacity may be considered a strength that competitors do not share, it also may be a considered a weakness if the large investment in manufacturing capacity prevents the firm from reacting quickly to changes in the strategic environment"
=B
Opportunities
'he e$ternal environmental analysis may reveal certain new opportunities for profit and growth" Some e$amples of such opportunities include &ome delivery )an provide more variety .pcoming promotions )an increase more sustainable competitive advantage 7like9 maintain each customerEs
database, more unique merchandi5ing, vendor relationship, more effective F committed employees etc"8 +or increasing the efficiency of the employees, it is easy to arrange on :ob and off :ob training"
Threats
)hanges in the e$ternal environmental also may present threats to the firm" Some e$amples of such threats include )annot fulfill the customer needs in terms of leafy vegetable then ;atcha a5aar" Since it is situated in under stored trade area it might face threats in future if a new
*etail grocery outlet comes up very close to it" Price sensitive with respect to ;atcha ba5aar .nstable political condition is another ma:or threat to the company" 0ess :ob security is another of the employees and the company also" It is very easy to say
that any kind of :ob dissatisfaction hampers the performance of the company"
=C
==
/*+* Recommendation
6 B lop%'. E(( !"%B P-o$o"%o'+l S"-+" .1 'o create more awareness among the potential customers, !gora must go for effective communication strategy" People in these days appreciate heavy promotional activities because the cra5y marketer like 4ondon has spoiled the market with their aggressive marketing strategy through huge advertisements F promotions to sell their products" C- +"%'. Sp !%+l Cu&"o$ - C+- 6 &8 (o- Gul&)o' A.o-+ !s 2ulshan !gora customer has been designed targeting the elite group of people of our society, there should be a special customer care desk for the 2ulshan !gora customer only to ensure fluent service for the customers" It will also help to improve the companyEs image as the self9 employed professionals met so many other people on a daily basis and they can do the viral marketing when they are really happy with the service" I$p-oB Jo-8%'. E'B%-o'$ '"
'o solve this particular problem !gora does have a space for the customer handling purpose" ut, a big space is required and agora can utili5e by taking another floor into the customer handling division" 'his solution will increase the customer satisfaction because customers will make them comfort there and face a less hassle for different purposes likeL placing complain or filling the application form or billing" El%$%'+" Ex"- $ C '"-+l%C 4 M+'+. $ '" eing a service provider
'he company should make their structure decentrali5ed rather having a centrali5ed structure" ecause a decentrali5ed structure always symboli5es the quality" company !gora should also employ a decentrali5ed structure that can increase the :ob ownership of the employees, and they will be highly motivated to deal with the customi5ed services" !nd itEs very much clear to all that (with a happy workforce any company can able to satisfy their e$ternal customers"
F-o'" 6 &8 E$plo1 &
=<
!gora can identify this particular problem as a ma:or problem or threat to their e$istence" So they must undertake training program to increase the front9desk employeesE communication skill and to deliver services with emotional labor" 0ike, smiling while providing the services, or short but effective complement to the customers, likeL looking great or fit, again some chatting about the whether or the recent news, topic, idea etc" again this company can increase the payment scale a bit that is well matched and :udged with the salary range of the corporation" !gain, !gora must adopt the concept of performance based promotion, designed especially for the front desk employees as they are in the position to provide the actual customer service, which is a necessary for the core service of the !gora" %oreover the management can also motivate them by appraisal of their works in front of the other employees and customers" In this conte$t, what !gora is to do is to make the employee responsible for the work heOshe does and give himOher a certain degree of ownership depending on the importance of the :ob or position" Cu&"o$ - F+!%l%"% &
'his company can provide a secured parking lot to the customers, so that customers become tension free about their vehicles and take part in the co9service with the front desk employees" !gain increase in the number of elevators will add a value to the company image and perceived quality" !gain it is a basic requirement for the customers and the employees to be provided with hygienic restrooms" So the company can improve the physical environment of the organi5ation and increase the satisfaction of both the internal and e$ternal customers"
5)1)1
Some 7eneral Solution for %mproving the Service 3uality
<1
!dopt *elationship %arketing strategiesL !gora can also improve image by building good relationship with their customers" 'heir goal should be to get customers, satisfy them, retain them and finally enhancing customers"
/nhancing
*etaining
Satisfying
F%.# Go+l& o(2etting - l+"%o'&)%p $+-8 "%'.
Adopt /ustomer>Retainin% &trate%ies
Since !gora is struggling hard among its competitorsH it should take strategies to retain e$isting customers" !mong its > levels of retention strategies, !gora should focus more on level 1 F 2 that is financial bond and social bonds" @olume and frequency rewards, bundling, stable pricing could strengthen financial bonds and social bonds among customers and personal relationship and continuous relationship could help social bonds"
<1
)ustomer satisfaction
)ustomer *etention F Increased Profits
Muality Services
/mployee 0oyalty
F%.# Cu&"o$ - R " '"%o' etter &er#ice reco#ery !gora should really concentrate on their service recovery system where they fail the most" 'hey should welcome complaints warmly and act quickly to it" 0earning from lost customers can be a weapon for them to retain customers" +ail Safe the #elcome and F%.# S -B%! R !oB -1 S"-+" .1 Service /ncourage )omplaints
4mployees8 Role in &er#ice .eli#ery
/mployees play an important role in service delivery" In order to ensure a good labor force to S -B%! 0earn +rom !ct serve and also to close gap 6, some strategies can be adopted" In !gora, they should focus on R !oB -1 0ost Muickly S"-+" empower .% & )ustomers training the employees for interactive skills, employees and promote teamwork" 'hey can also include employees in the companyEs vision and reward strong performers to ensure superior service quality" 0earn +orm *ecovery /$periences /ustomers8 Role in &er#ice .eli#ery 'reat )ustomer +airly
)ustomers participation in inevitable in service delivery" 'hey are the productive resource and act as the contributors to service quality and satisfaction" In order to enhance customer
<2
participation, !gora can adopt several strategies" 'hey can define customer :obs through proper advertising" /ducating and rewarding customers are vital for solving !goraEs current problems" 'hey also have to manage customer mi$ properly to ensure effective customer participation"
<6
1*
In
Conclu ion
angladesh, the retail culture is getting to be influenced by the .S culture" %any other
opportunities have been derived out of the present situation" In addition, angladesh has a good prospect to do well in retailing because retailing involves lesser risk than manufacturing" #e also need time to have a complete infrastructure for practicing retail culture like other foreign countries" !gora, the first ever chain superstore in angladesh is set up by *ahimafroo5" It offers more than 21,111 products" !gora serves customers from 1< am to 1= pm seven days a week throughout the year" !lthough sales have grown 21 percent over the years yet !gora is still not a profitable organi5ation, as unorgani5ed supply chains of many food commodities have kept all organi5ed retailers in difficulty" .ltimate !spiration of *S0 is to consistently provide */%!*;! 03 S!'IS+3I42 !4D @!0.! 0/ shopping e$perience through a business that improves the M.!0I'3 of 0I+/ for customers and team members"
<>
<A
Reference
1. P" l p =otler and )ra# Armstrong< Pr nc ples o/ >ar5et ng< 1( t" *d t on< Pearson &Prent ce ,all' 2. +eon ). 2c" //man and +esl e +a?ar =anu5< 4onsumer 9e"a$ or< 8 t" *d t on< Prent ce "all o/ Ind a. 3. @alar e A.Ae t"aml< >ar Bo b tner< D8a#ne D. )remler< 2*0@I4* >A0=*!I.)< Press !A!A >c )0A7 , ll< Pr nted n 2 ngapore< Internat onal *d t on 2((6. 4. A 5mund< 7 ll am )< 9us ness 0esearc" >et"ods< 7t" ed t on. !"omson +earn ng Inc. 2((3. 5. .ares" =. >al"otra< >ar5et ng 0esearc"< Publ s"ed b# Prent ce ,all o/ Ind a< 4onnaug"t 4 rcus< .e8 Del" -11(((1< Publ cat on Cear-2((7 6. P" l p =otler < )ar# Armstrong< Pr nc ples o/ >ar5et ng &,ardco$er'<
Publ s"er< Prent ce ,all< 4ollege D $ s on 8t" ed t on &August 3< 1998'
7. Decen?o< 0obb ns< ,uman 0esource >anagement< Publ s"ed4op#r g"tD1999 *Eclus $e r g"ts b# Bo"n 7 le# F 2ons &As a' Pr $ate. +td. Perm ss on Department< Bo"n 7 le# F 2ons Inc. 6(5< !" rd A$enue< .e8 Cor5< 2 Et" *d t on 8. 888.reportbd.com-art cles-149-1-Agora---2upermar5et-4"a n-amp2uperstore- n-9anglades" 9. 888.agorabd.com 1(. 11. 12. 13. 14. 888.ra" ma/roo?.com Annual 0eports o/ 0a" ma/roo? 2((8. 0a" ma/roo? 4orporate care gu de. 888.open/orum-%s. n/o-ne8s.p"p 888.banglades"d r.com-8ebs-catalog-agoraGra" ma/roo?Gsuperstor
e GltdG."tml
<B
15. 16. 17. 19.
888.l2nso/t.com-ra2-ra" ma/roo?Gcompan#Gpro/ le-ourGcsr.asp 888.ne8agebd.com-2((9-dec-11-bus ."tml 888.t"eda l#star.net-ne8Des gn-ne8s-deta ls.p"p;n dH68728 888.agorabd.com-productGl st.p"p;c n1H78592
1=" 888.agorabd.com-productGl st.p"p;c n1H17682
<C
S+$pl 0u &"%o'
I'" -B% 3 .u%4
<=
'he following questionnaire pertains to the survey report about the )onsumer Satisfaction Status regarding the !gora Service" 'he questionnaire will take A to 11 minutes to be filled up" 'he received information will be sub:ect to strictest confidentiality and will be used solely for academic purpose" 3our sincere cooperation is kindly solicited" :. G '4 %an %arried %an @. A. 1A92A 6196A ?. E4u!+"%o' 2 B l SS) 2raduate ,thers >. Hou& Hol4 I'!o$ '; 11,111 or less '; 21,111961,111 '; >1,111W F. O!!up+"%o' Student Doctor ,thers XXXXXXXXXXXX E. 6%&"+'"/ N +- b1 (-o$ )o$ Poor 2ood D. 6%((%!ul"/E+&1 6-%B Poor 2ood Poor 2ood Poor 2ood Poor 4eutral 4o comments 4eutral 4o comments 4eutral 4o comments 4eutral #oman %arried #oman 2B961 6B9A1 &S) Post 2raduate
'; 11,111921,111 '; 61,1119>1,111
/ntrepreneur /ngineer 4eutral 4o comments
G. 2o'./ &)o-" "%$ - Iu%- 4 "o - +!) &"o-
A. 6%((%!ul" o- +&1 "o (%'4 !+- p+-8%'.
:0. Pl +&+'"/ u'pl +&+'" +%- " $p -+"u-
<<
2ood Poor 2ood Poor 2ood Poor 2ood Poor 2ood :F. F 3/ Nu$ -ou& *-+'4 Poor 2ood Poor 2ood :D. H%.)/ 2o3 p-o4u!" p-%! Poor 2ood Poor 2ood Poor 2ood
4o comments 4eutral 4o comments 4eutral 4o comments 4eutral 4o comments 4eutral 4o comments 4eutral 4o comments 4eutral 4o comments 4eutral 4o comments 4eutral 4o comments '")u&%+&"%! 4eutral 4o comments
::. 6%((%!ul"/ E+&1 "o (%'4 p-o4u!"
:@. 6o 'o" +!! p"/ +!! p" !- 4%" !+-4
:?. 6o 'o" 'jo1/ 'jo1 .o%'. "o ") &"o-
:>. 2%$%" 4/ J%4 & l !"%o' o( p-o4u!"&
:E. 2o3/ H%.) Iu+l%"1 p-o4u!"
:G. 6o 1ou ")%'8 +.o-+ &+l & p opl +- ) lp(ul5
:A. S+l & p opl +- 'o" +" +ll/ A-
Agora .roduct .icture
111
111
112
116

Report of Agora On Customer Satisfaction

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Report of Agora On Customer Satisfaction

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

/[p;p[p-0o.lllllllllll.

CUSTOMER SATISFACTION OF SUPERSHOP (AGORA)

Subj !"# Sub$%&&%o' o( ") *u&%' && Pl+'

1.1 1.2 1.2.1 1.2.2

Origin of the Report Hi tory of Agora The !a"or !ile tone

)* )*+ )*) )*, )*)*/ )*/*+ )*/*)

Collection .rocedure of 0ata 2imitation of the Study

,*+6 ,*++ ,*+) ,*+, ,*+,*+/

Rivalry among E tabli hed 5irm

@oA @oA @oA @oA @oA @oA @oA

-*-*+ -*-*) -*-*, -*-*-*-*/ -*-*1 -*-*8

-*-*+8 Table -*-*+9 -*/ -*1 -*8 -*9

Recommendation Some 7eneral Solution for %mproving the Service 3uality

Part 6 Part 7 Part 8

Co!"#u$%o! 0e/erences Appendix 2ample :uest on and Agora Products P cture.

+*+ Origin of the Report

+*) Hi tory of Agora

1.2.1 The Major Milestones in Rahimafrooz History can be summarized as elo!

+*, Ob"ective of Agora

!gora a new way to shop, angladesh"

Rational of the &tudy

$bjecti#e of the &tudy

)ustomer base in the market"

,urpose of the &tudy

T he report covers two types of data; which are2.-.1 ,rimary .ata

2.-.2 &econdary .ata

2.-.* /ollection ,rocedure of .ata

"nternet &earch 0uestioner &ur#ey

I also got some primary information surfing through the net"

2imitations of the &tudy

*.1.1. $r%an%ram of A%ora

%anaging Director 7%D8

,perations Procurement %gr %gr

&* and !dmin %gr &* and !dmin Dept

+inance and !ccounting %gr

!udit %gr !udit 'eam

Pro:ect %gr Pro:ect 'eam

/$ecutive Procurement Dept ,perations !gora ,utlets

*.1.2 A%ora eliefs

A%ora rand ,romise

*.1.+ A%ora Aspiration

*.1.- A%ora 0uality ,olicy

*.1.1 A%ora 3alues

"nte%rity in All $ur .ealin%s

,*) 5unction of Agora

Human Resources .epartments

Recruitment and &election ,rocess in A%ora

Trainin% and .e#elopment ,ro%ram of A%ora

$n the 6ob Trainin%

.e#elopment of the Human Resources

$bjecti#es of 7or5ers8 /ompensation

7or5ers8 /ompensation /laims

,ay for time not !or5ed

*.2.2 ,rocurement .epartments

0uality /ontrol .epartment

*.2.* Mar5etin% .epartments

*.2.+ Finance .epartments

,*, Role of the Agora in the Economic 0evelopment

,*- .re ent .rogram of Agora )6+6

,*/ 5uture plan of Agora

,*1 $ackground of A7ORA

"ntroduction of A<$RA (.hanmondi)

/ompetiti#e Ad#anta%es of A%ora

)* )+ )) ), ))*/ )/+ )/)

,+6 ,++ ,+) ,+, ,+,+/

--+ --) --, ----/ --1 --8

--+8 Table --+9 -/ -1 -8 -9

.2. Mar5etin% .epartments

.2.1 4ndless Re!ards !ith A%ora "nfinity

.2.2 Term and Condition

.2.1 ,4&T Analysis

Poor atural atural , , +ood