Assignment

1. Pick the management discipline, which you would like to choose as a career (i.e. Marketing, Finance, Operations, IT, HR and Strategy). A. Finance a. Justify your choice linking it with your career objectives. (Max 250 words) I imagine myself to be in a responsible position in a company and contribute my share to the success of the organization. I feel Finance is the backbone of any organization and hence would like to proceed towards taking finance as a career. I have always had mathematics as my favorite subject. This is another reason on would like to choose Finance as the stream I would like to specialize in although I am equally looking ahead in assessing myself on the other streams of MBA. b. Prepare a SWOT on yourself in terms of knowledge/skills/abilities and your career objectives. (Max. 200 words) Strengths: I feel I have the ability to stay calm under tense situations. I try to refocus, in time, on the objectives when getting saturated in achieving any goal. I have good inter personal skills and maintain a good rapport with the people around. Weaknesses: I do not fix any long-term goals and tend to concentrate more towards my short-term goals. Opportunities: Since the post recession has set in, the timing of completion of my MBA will hopefully give a great opportunity in getting into a good position of a reputed company. Threats: I feel my experience of 18 months might be little disadvantageous as the minimum experience required for laterals usually is 24 months. c. According to you what are the various career options available in this discipline? Of these options what would you like to pursue? (Max 250 words) Business analysts, Financial managers, Accounting managers, Corporate controllers, Treasurers, Cash Managers, Investment bankers, Chief Financial officers etc. are the various options available in the Finance stream. Since I am from a technical background I would like to start my career as a business analyst since it involves bridging the gap between the client and the employees of the Organization. d. Which are the five best companies that offer these career options? Which organization would you like to join and why? (Max 200 words)

2. Pick up any two sectors of your choice from the following options. (1000 Words Each) Banking: a. Current scenario b. Innovations in the sector Technology for Value Creation The use of information technology in the Indian banking sector was a corollary of the liberalization process initiated in the country in the early 1990s...Rural India Catching UpWith a majority of the Indian population living in rural areas, rural banking forms a vital component of the Indian banking system. Besides, rural banking operations in India are rather different from urban operations, due to the strong disparity that exists between urban and rural life, and the needs of these two sections of people... Banking Beyond Banking While traditionally, banking meant 'borrowing and lending', in the latter part of the 20th century, the word took on a different meaning altogether. Banks no longer restricted themselves to traditional banking activities, but explored newer avenues to increase business and capture new markets... c. Major players d. Economic outlook and policy decisions affecting the sector e. Future outlook for the sector Retail: a. Current scenario The retail scenario in India is unique. Much of it is in the unorganized sector. With over 12 million retail outlets of various sizes and formats. Almost 96% of these retail outlets are less than 500sq.ft. In the size and the percapita retail space in India being 2 sq.ft compared to the U.S. figure of 16sq.ft. Indias percapita retailing space is the lowest in the world. With more than 9 outlets per 1000 people, India has the largest number in the world. Most of them are independent and contribute as much as 96% to total retail sales. There is an incredible amount of activity in terms of creation of retail-oriented space across India. As per some estimates, there are over 200 retail mall projects under construction or under active planning stage spanning over 25 cities. This may translate into over 25 million sq. f t. of new retail space in the market within next 24 months. PRESENT INDIAN SCENARIO Unorganized market: Rs. 583,000 crores Organized market: Rs.5, 000 crores 5X growth in organized retailing between 2000-2005

 Over 4,000 new modern retail outlets in the last 3 years Over 5,000,000 sq. ft. of mall space under development The top 3 modern retailers control over 750,000 sq. ft. of retail space Over 400,000 shoppers walk through their doors every week Growth in organized retail on par with expectations and projections of the last 5 Years on course to touch Rs. 35,000 crores (US$ 7 Billion) or more by 2005-06 b. Innovations in the sector The innovation in retail industry is mainly happening in the form of IT innovation. The IT innovation revolution in retail is steadily taking shape in India. The process is such that it has the potential to change the way in which we purchase even the basic necessities such as groceries and vegetables. Innovation is happening not just at the backend, but also at the customer end. Its taking place all over, right from where the customer enters a store to the point where he leaves. This essentially covers the whole process of buying of products, right from selecting to decision making and paying at the checkout counter. c. Major players AV Birla Group, Trent , Landmark Group, K Raheja Corp Group, Reliance, Pantaloon d. Economic outlook and policy decisions affecting the sector With economic growth now firmly on track, coupled with the revived consumer sentiment and expectations of inflation tapering down in the coming months, we foresee good times ahead for the retail industry. Sensing this change, several retailers have started chalking out expansion plans, which further bolsters our belief. We expect the growth trend to continue and to strengthen, going ahead, thereby keeping the long-term growth prospects intact for the Organised Retail Segment in India. We believe that Organized Retail will post a CAGR of 31% over the next five years. The Value Retailing segment is likely to lead the growth over the next few years, as more and more consumers are expected to go for value-formoney-goods. However, we expect the Lifestyle Retailing segment growth to pick-up on the back of a revival in consumer confidence. Our view is further bolstered by SSLs indication of robust SSS growth of ~20% expected during the quarter. We expect players like PRIL, who are straddled across price and product points, to benefit both in the short and in the long term. The Indian Retail Sector remains one of the fastest growing sectors in India and we remain positive on its growth prospects.

The Union Budget 2010 did not have any specific measures aimed at the retail industry - there was no mention of either Foreign Direct Investment (FDI), or industry status for retail, despite the recommendation by the Economic Survey to allow FDI in multi-format retail. However, the proposals like abolition of Fringe Benefit Tax (FBT), hike in the personal income tax ceiling and huge increases in the outlay for infrastructure will bring indirect benefits to the sector, by raising consumer spending. e. Future outlook for the sector Retail and real estate are the two booming sectors of India in the present times. And if industry experts are to be believed, the prospects of both the sectors are mutually dependent on each other. Retail, one of Indias largest industries, has presently emerged as one of the most dynamic and fast paced industries of our times with several players entering the market. Accounting for over 10 per cent of the countrys GDP and around eight per cent of the employment retailing in India is gradually inching its way toward becoming the next boom industry. As the contemporary retail sector in India is reflected in sprawling shopping centers, multiplex- malls and huge complexes offer shopping, entertainment and food all under one roof, the concept of shopping has altered in terms of format and consumer buying behavior, ushering in a revolution in shopping in India. This has also contributed to large scale investments in the real estate sector with major national and global players investing in developing the infrastructure and construction of the retailing business. The trends that are driving the growth of the retail sector in India are Low share of organized retailing Falling real estate prices Increase in disposable income and customer aspiration Increase in expenditure for luxury items. 3. Pick any 2 consumer products (same product category for e.g. Cars, Cold drinks) of your choice present in Indian market. Then, compare and analyze them in the terms of following parameters: (Max 200 words each) a. One TV commercial The ad for the new Volkswagen Passat starts off with 2 petrol bunk workers having a conversation. The idea behind the ad is to make it relate to the general public by using a language that has a mix of hindi and marathi. They have used good misdirection by relating the conversation to the car in the end of the ad. There are no celebrities used and the car is hardly shown for a few seconds with the main emphasis on stating the fuel

efficiency of the car. The comic sequence in the ad, I feel, will get mixed reactions from the public but on the whole. The ad for the new Nissan Mirca has Bollywood star Ranbir Kapoor as the actor. This will help the ad to get instant popularity due to the celebrity presence in the ad. The ad starts off showing the whole car and goes on to Ranbir saying the words Life begins with a human touch. The car has a push button start which is new to the small car scene in India. This has been shown well in the ad that will help in further wooing the public. b. Marketing strategies Volkswagen brand strategy follows the Porters Brand Competitive Strategy structure Cost Leadership strategy (CLS), Differentiation strategy (DS), Focus Strategy (FS). CLS emphasizes on products being sold at a relatively low cost in the market. FS gives priority to market segmentation either through developing more market segments or through distinguished brands. The following graph depicts the marketing strategy adopted by Volkswagen brand: The first P in the marketing mix model is the Product. Product can be defined as a combination of goods and services an organization will sell to its target market. The second P in the marketing mix represents Price, price is the amount paid by a customer to the company in order to buy a product. The third P stands for place, place stands for the location or channels through which the company product is made available to customers, as far as VW is concerned it uses distributors and dealers to sell their cars to its target market. Nissan has adopted a strategy called as Exposure Marketing to build brand awareness and seek insights from prospective buyers on its product. As a part of this marketing plan, Nissan will erect special pavilions in areas that receive thousands of visitors in different cities across the country. The pavilions have interactive LCD display kiosks and shoppers at the mall are encouraged to use these and get a view of the product. c. Variants, SKUs, Fragrances, Technical specifications as applicable Both the companies have variants in all car categories.