A PROJECT REPORT

ON Research Project on Panasonic

BY
GOKULRAJ RAJU M COM-SEM III (2013 2014)

IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF MASTER OF COMMERCE UNIVERSITY OF MUMBAI

MODEL COLLEGE

CERTIFICATE

This is to certify that Mr. GOKULRAJ RAJU of MODEL COLLEGE has successfully completed the project work titled Research Project on Panasonic in partial fulfillment of requirement for the award of MASTER OF COMMERCE prescribed by the University of MUMBAI

This project is the record of authentic work carried out during the academic year 2013 2014.

DR. KISHORI BHAGAT Subject Teacher

MR NAIR Principal

DECLARATION

I, Mr. GOKULRAJ RAJU hereby declare that this project is the record of authentic work carried out by me during the academic year 2013 2014 and has not been submitted to any other University or Institute towards the award of any degree.

GOKULRAJ RAJU

ACKNOWLEGEMENT

For the development of this Research Work, information has been obtained from various primary and secondary sources of data collection like questionnaire, books and internet, I feel deep sense of gratitude to each and every person who has directly or in directly supported me for the same. Each one is important for me on a personal basis. In particular, I would like to thank DR.
KISHORI BHAGAT .Research Guide and my friends who supported me throughout the

completion of this Research Report.

GOKULRAJ RAJU

Abstract

A research was conducted was on thirty numbers of respondents. This research (survey) was pertaining to the preferences of customers of Panasonic. The prime objective of the research was to get the relevant information about customers perception about the company. Here I have also received feedback which shows the customer satisfaction level provided by Panasonic. Various other aspects such as after sales service, availability of service centers, pricing of the product, preferred features of the product and so on were also discussed to get a clear picture about customer satisfaction. In this research a thirty numbers of respondents were surveyed. These respondents were surveyed between August 20th and September 15th. The primary tools as well as secondary tools of data collection were used in order to collect relevant data. This data was used for further research and based on this data necessary graphs were also made. The primary data tool used in my research was Questionnaire. The above mentioned 30 respondents were surveyed with the help of questionnaire. While internet and books were the secondary data tool. Questions regarding after sales service, availability of service centers, pricing of the product, preferred features of the product, product line of the company and so on were asked in questionnaire. This feedback became the backbone of my research report. It was clear from the feedback of respondents that Panasonic has an issue relating to after sales services, and also relating to the availability of service centers. However on the bright side the most preferred feature in a Panasonic product was its Graphical User Interface (GUI). Even the pricing of the product was similar to the other competitors. This research also contains suggestions and recommendations given by the respondents. Thus the resulting feedback helped a lot for having an overview over the problems faced by the company and also suggestions to overcome such problems were also discussed.

Main Index
SR No
1 Research

CONTENTS
(Meaning & Concept)

Pg No
8-8 8-8 9-12 13-13 14-14 14-14 15-17 18-18 19-21 22-22 23-23 23-23 24-24 43-43 44-44 45-45

2 Objectives of Research 3 Research Process 4 Types of Research 5 Research Problems 6 Hypothesis 7 Sampling 8 Research Design Theory 9 Data Collection 10 Project Design 11 Research Design (Of the project) 12 Limitations of the Research 13 Profile of the company 14 Suggestions & Recommendations 15 Conclusions 16 Bibliography

(Tools of Data Collection)

Index for Graphs

Figure No.

Name of the Graph

Pg No.
36 36 37 37 38 38 39 39 40 40 41 41 42

1 Preference of Gadget companies 2 Users of Panasonic 3 Preferred features in electronic gadgets 4 Preferred products of Panasonic 5 Features preferred in Panasonic Products 6 Panasonic worth for amount paid for it 7 Availability of Panasonic Products 8 After Sales service of Panasonic 9 Availability of Panasonic Service Centers 10 Use of Panasonic products 11 Cost of Panasonic compared to others 12 Life of Panasonic products 13 Attractiveness of offers and schemes by Panasonic

Research: Meaning and concept

Research refers to any original and systematic investigation undertaken in order to increase knowledge and to establish facts and principles. It is an organized and systematic activity and may lead to new and improved insights, development of new products and processes. Thus research is an organized and systematic way of finding answers to questions or finding solutions to problems. Research is said to be systematic because, it involves the following of definite set of steps in order to arrive at some conclusion. Also it is said to be organized, as it is a planned procedure which is focused and having a well defined scope, i.e. it has a structure and method. Research is aimed at finding answers maybe to simple questions or for some hypothesis. It is said to be successful when answers are found. Lastly, questions constitute the main component of research because if there is no question, then, it follows that there can be no research. This is so, since the dynamics of research invariably involves the process of focusing on relevant, useful and important questions. The questions for the same may originate from management dilemma.

Objectives
1. To access the level of customer satisfaction. 2. To find out the expectation of customers with regard to the product. 3. To find out the expectation level regarding the product in the market. 4. To find out the effectiveness of marketing activities and customer preferences.
5. To find out the most favored feature of the product. 6. To access the overall performance.

Research Process:

1) Formulating the Research Problem: The first step in the process of research is formulation of the research problem. The Researcher must decide his area of interest and decided the problem based on his knowledge and expertise regarding the subject matter. Initially problem can be stated in a general way and then the researcher should check the feasibility regarding the information, time, cost, and also the tentative solution regarding the problem. Followed by this the researcher should give the problem statement. Two steps are involved in formulating research problem i. ii. Understand the problem thoroughly Rephrasing the same into meaning terms

One way to formulate a problem is to review previous researchers and discuss it with own colleagues or experts in that particular area. 2) Extensive Literature Survey Once the problem is formulated a brief summary of it should be written down. At this junction researcher should undertake extensive literature survey connected with the problem. He can review journals, government reports, books, etc. depending his area of research. He must also view similar studies done previously as they can act as a guideline to the researcher for his research.

3) Development of writing hypothesis Working hypothesis is a tentative solution given by the researcher in order to channelize his researcher in order to channelize his research project. Role of hypothesis is to keep the researcher on the right track. The researcher can discuss about the hypothesis with his coworkers and experts in this field. He also needs to check the availability of the data before formulating the hypothesis. 4) Preparation of the Research design Research design is a plan made by the researcher to conduct the further activities in a logical manner. Formulation of a research design facilitates the research project. Research design like experimental design, factorial design, Latin square design, etc. can be used by the researcher depending upon the research problem. Preparation of research design involves considering the following things a. Means of obtaining information b. Analysis of information c. Availability of time d. Cost factor e. Logical procedure

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5) Determining the sample design All the items under consideration in any field of inquiry constitute a universal/ population. It is not possible to get information from the whole population and therefore we select few items from the population. The items so selected constitute what is known as sample. The researcher must decide the way of selecting a sample from the population. Various types of sample design like sampling, snowball sampling, etc. can be used by the researcher depending upon the problem. 6) Collection of data Two techniques of data collection are used by a researcher. Primary data includes Observations, survey, questionnaires, interview, etc. Secondary data includes internet, journals, reports, books, etc. Researcher has to decide which of these he is going to use for the collection of data. 7) Execution of the project This is the most important step in the research process. Researcher has to see whether the project is executed in a systematic manner and on right time. Occasional field visits should be made by researchers to ensure that everything is going according to the plans. If required training may be given to the assistance who will help the researchers in the execution of the project. 8) Analysis of the data After the data is collected researchers has to analyze it for its further use. Analysis includes organizing, coding, editing, tabulation for diagrammatic representation. A researcher can use various statistical tools and computer for the analysis purpose. 9) Hypothesis Testing After the analysis of data the researchers are in the position to test the hypothesis. May be a statistical test like t-test, f-test, cai-square are used by the researchers for testing a hypothesis. 10) Generalization and interpretation If hypothesis is tested it may be possible for the researcher to give generalization/ generalized the findings. On the other hand if this is no hypothesis the researchers have to explain the findings and this is known as interpretation.

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11) Preparation of the report Report writing is divided into three parts. a. Preliminary pages b. Main text c. End matter In the preliminary pages the reporter should write the title of the project, the date, acknowledgement, declaration followed by index and index list of tables, graphs and charts if any. The main text contains introduction, procedure, findings of the main report and the conclusion. At the end of the report appendices should be enlisted. Bibliography i.e. list of books, journals, reports etc. should be also given at the end. The report should be written in a simple language and in a systematic manner for the easy understanding of the research.

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Types of Research
1. Descriptive It includes surveys and fact finding enquires. Main aim is to describe the state of affair as it is exists at present. The researchers have no control over variable. They can report what has happened or what is happening. It is also known as Ex Post Facto. 2. Analytical In this research, researcher has to use facts or information already available and analyzed it to make a critical evaluation. 3. Applied Aims at finding a solution for immediate problem faced. It applies theories and models already developed to the actual solution of the problem. Aim is not to develop theories but to test the theories in actual situation. 4. Fundamental It is a formal and systematic process which aims to develop theories or model. All important variables are identified in fundamental research. It involves selecting appropriate sample so that generalization can be done. 5. Quantitative It is based on the measurement of quantity or amount. It can be applied to these concepts which can be expressed in terms of quantity. 6. Qualitative It is concerned with the qualitative aspects. 7. Conceptual It is related to some abstract ideas or theories. Generally used by philosophers or thinkers to develop new concepts.

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Research Problem
A Research Problem refers to some difficulty which a research experiences in context of a theoretical situation and wants to obtain a solution for the same. A Problem Statement may be defined as an interrogative statement which expresses the relationship between two or more than two variable.

Hypothesis
Hypothesis is a testable statement of a potential relationship between two or more variables that is advanced as potential solution to the problem. Hypothesis is a tentative solution given by the researcher for the problem. The hypothesis stated by the researcher may be true or may not be true depending upon the problem.

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SAMPLING
A) Probability Sampling These methods clearly specify the probability or likelihood of inclusion of each element or individual in the sample. In this method each and every unit of universe has an equal chance of getting selected as a sample. There are three types of Probability Sampling. They are,

1. Simple Random Sampling It can be defined as one in which each and every individual of population has an equal chance of being included in the sample and also selection of one individuals no way dependent upon selection of another individual. When an element of population is returned to the population after being selected it is called as sampling with replacement and when it is not returned it is known as sampling without replacement. A sample prepared on the basis of this plan is regarded as representative of population from which it was drawn. This is because in such a sampling plan the researcher must be aware about population beforehand. This method is regarded as easiest and simple technique for selection of sample. 2. Stratified Random Sampling In stratified random sampling the population is divided into two or more groups or strata based upon single criteria. After doing this researcher is going to pick up samples randomly and constitute the sampling unit. These divided populations are called as sub-population and together substitute a whole population. i) Proportionate Stratified Random Sampling As the name implies in this sampling plan the researcher stratifies population according to known characteristics of population and randomly draws individuals in a similar proportion from each strata of population.

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ii) Disproportionate Stratified Random Sampling It is similar with the one mentioned above with only difference that sub-strata of drawn sample are not distributed according to their proportionate weight in population. In this method certain strata of population is overrepresented and some other strata is underrepresented. 3. Area or Clustered Sampling In this method generally geographical division of cities, states, etc. are made on a map and desired no. of sample size is randomly picked up from divided areas.

B) Non-probability Sampling There are three types of Probability Sampling. They are, 1) Quota Sampling It is one of the important types of non-probability sampling methods which are similar to stratified random sampling. The difference between is that in the former the final selection of individuals is not random where as in the later the final selection of individual is random. 2) Accidental Sampling It is also known as incidental sampling. It refers to a sampling procedure in which the investigator selects a person according to his convenience. Here he does not care about including the people with some specific trades rather he is mainly guided by convenience and economy. From accidental sampling nothing can be generalized with confidence because the sample is no longer a representative of population. Therefore, it is done with the convenience of investigator. 3) Judgmental Sampling It is also known as purposive sampling. In this method the investigator has some belief that sample being handpicked is typical of the population or a very good representative of population. A purposive sample is also known as judgmental sampling because the investigator on the basis of his information makes a judgment regarding concerned cases which are thought to be typical of the population.

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4) Systematic Sampling It may be defined as drawing it selecting every nth person from a determined list of elements or individuals. Selecting every 5th roll no. in class of 60 students will constitute the systematic sampling. If we pay attention to systematic sampling plan it becomes obvious that such a plan possesses certain characteristics of randomness and at the same time possesses certain non-probability trades such as including every nth element chosen. 5) Snowballs This type of sampling is socio-metric in nature. It is defined as having all the persons in a group or organization identified their friends who in turn identified their friends and associates until the number of people the researcher wants is done.

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Research Design: (Theory)

Research design is an overall plan or scheme prepared by the researcher for executing the research study. It is an important stage in the process of conducting research as it facilitates systematic work on the research project. It is necessary as it facilitates the smooth conduct of research. Research design may be designed as the sequence of steps taken ahead of time to ensure that relevant data will be collected in a way that permits objective analysis of different hypothesis formulated with respect to the research problem.

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Data Collection
Data Collection helps your team to assess the health of your process. To do so, you must identify the key quality characteristics you will measure, how you will measure them, and what you will do with the data you collect. Data Collection is nothing more than planning for and obtaining useful information on key quality characteristics produced by your process. However, simply collecting data does not ensure that you will obtain relevant or specific enough data to tell you what is occurring in your process.

A. Primary Data:
Primary data is important for all areas of research because it is unvarnished information about the results of an experiment or observation. It is like the eyewitness testimony at a trial. No one has tarnished it or spun it by adding their own opinion or bias so it can form the basis of objective conclusions. Once the primary data has been gathered, analysts study it using other research methods. They look for relationships between factors that may suggest the designs for new studies. When they combine the primary data from more than one study, they are using integrative methods. Their findings present secondary data, a synthesis of several streams of primary data. Following are the techniques used for collecting primary data: 1. Observation: i. ii. Natural Setting Field experiment

2. Communication i. ii. iii. Personal Interview Telephonic Interview Self-administered questionnaire a. Open ended questions b. Closed ended questions c. Filter

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B. Secondary Data:
Secondary data is when the investigator does not collect data originally for the research enquiry but uses data already collected and available in published or unpublished from, data. There is a large amount of data already been collected by others, although it may not necessarily have been analyzed or published. Locating these sources and retrieving the information is a good starting point in any data collection effort. The advantage of using existing data is that collection is inexpensive. However, it is sometimes difficult to gain access to the records or reports required, and the data may not always be complete and precise enough, or too disorganized. Use of secondary data in a research enquiry saves time, finance and labor. However, some people doubt the accuracy of secondary data. If reliable and suitable secondary data is available, there is no harm in using secondary data for any research enquiry. Most research requires the collection of primary data, and this is what students concentrate on. Unfortunately, many dissertations do not include secondary data in their findings section although it is perfectly acceptable to do so, providing it has been analyzed. It is always a good idea to use data collected by someone else if it exists it may be on a much larger scale and could contribute to the findings considerably. The sources of secondary data can be classified as: A. Internal Sources: 1. Accounting resources 2. Sales Force Report 3. Financial data 4. Transport data 5. Storage data 6. Internal Experts 7. Miscellaneous Reports

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B. External Sources: 1. Demographic data 2. Competitors company information: i. ii. iii. iv. Company websites Press Releases White papers Presentations

3. Government Publications: i. ii. iii. iv. v. vi. vii. Key Sources Semi-government publications Publications of universities and research institutions Publications of commercial and financial institutions Reports of committees and commissions Newspapers and periodicals Publications of international bodies

4. Non government publications 5. Syndicated Services 6. International Organizations 7. Trade Associations 8. Commercial Services 9. Other external media

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Project Design
1) Tools used for Data Collection
The tools used for data collection in my project are: Primary data: I have used the primary data tool for collecting relevant data which was used in my research project. The primary tool used in my project is questionnaire. The questionnaire was the basic and the main tool i.e. used in my research project. The questionnaire contains questions pertaining to the preference of customers regarding Panasonic. Here the questions also helped in procuring information about changing customer preference regarding deodorant. Thus questionnaire was the primary tool through which further research was conducted. Secondary data: The secondary data tools used in the research are books and internet. I refused to various articles and data on internet. The foundings of other people were also used to achieve appropriate data. The secondary data thus collected helped to get refined and reliable data.

2) Sampling
Sample Size: I surveyed 30 respondents to collect the data. These respondents were under my observation while they filled the questionnaires. Their preferences were not affected by any other reasons. The answer given by these 30 respondents were used for analyzing the data and interpret current scenario. Suggestions and recommendations were also received regarding the company. Sampling area: Here the sampling area is associated with two specific areas namely the region under survey, the age group of respondents and the gender of the respondents. The region from which these thirty respondents were surveyed is from Pune city and Gujarat. The age group of respondents is ranging from 18-30 year of people and all of them are Male. This variety of region helped in knowing the perception of Panasonic Company in customers mind and different issues from these distinct places.

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Research Design: (Of the project)

While preparing this research report I distributed 30 questionnaires to different people. Basically it was distributed among people of age group from 18-30 years. We also considered that those people have at least used the product once. My respondents of questionnaire were from Pune as well as from Gujarat. Research was done to collect general view regarding the price, factors influencing product preference, availability of products, etc.

Limitations of the Research:

While conducting the research there many limitations. Few of the limitations of the research are mentioned below: 1) There was no response by few people. 2) Many respondents didnt complete it. 3) Sometimes we faced problem of literacy as some people were not used to English Language. 4) Time delay while waiting for the responses to be returned. 5) Analyzing and interpretation of data was a bit complex. 6) It was difficult finding the people using or aware about the project. Therefore people using or who were aware about the product were only considered. 7) The responses are not completely true as they took it as a simple research and not a professional one so the respondents were quite casual about it. 8) During my study, I have identified that there are considerable differences and inherited features in consumer tastes, fashions and preferences of separate states within Australia. Therefore it is very hard to identify common features of customers when analyzing products. The research also turned out to be a bit costly due to the use of questionnaire.

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PROFILE OF COMPANY

Panasonic Corporation, formerly known as Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd., Matsushita is a Japanese multinational electronics corporation headquartered in Kadoma, Osaka, Japan.[ The company was founded in 1918, and has grown to become one of the largest Japanese electronics producers alongside Sony, Toshiba, Sharp Corporation, and Canon. In addition to electronics, it offers non-electronic products and services such as home renovation services. Panasonic is the world's fourth-largest television manufacturer by 2012 market share.Panasonic has a primary listing on the Tokyo Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the Nikkei 225 and TOPIX indices. It has a secondary listing on the Nagoya Stock Exchange.

Name
From 1935 to October 1, 2008 the company name was "Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd."[ On January 10, 2008, the company announced that it would change its name to "Panasonic Corporation", with effect from October 1, 2008 to conform with its global brand name "Panasonic". The name change was approved at a shareholders' meeting on June 26, 2008 after consultation with the Matsushita family.

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History
Panasonic was founded in 1918 by Konosuke Matsushita as a vendor of duplex lamp sockets.In 1927, it began producing bicycle lamps, the first product which it marketed under the brand name National. During World War II the company operated factories in Japan and other parts of Asia which produced electrical components and appliances such as light fixtures, motors, and electric irons. After World War II, Panasonic regrouped and began to supply the post war boom in Japan with radios and appliances, as well as bicycles. Matsushita's brother-in-law, Toshio Iue, founded Sanyo as a subcontractor for components after World War II. Sanyo grew to become a competitor to Panasonic, but was later acquired by Panasonic in December 2009. In 1961, Konosuke Matsushita traveled to the United States and met with American dealers. The company began producing television sets for the U.S. market under the Panasonic brand name, and expanded the use of the brand to Europe in 1979. The company used the National brand outside of North America from the 1950s to the 1970s (the trademark could not be used in the United States because it was already in use by the National Radio Company in a closely related product area). It sold televisions, VHS VCRs, hi-fidelity stereo receivers, multi-band shortwave radios, and marine radio direction finders, often exported to North America under various U.S. brand names. The company also developed a line of home appliances such as rice cookers for the Japanese and Asian markets. Rapid growth resulted in the company opening manufacturing plants around the world. The company debuted a hi-fidelity audio speaker in Japan in 1965 with the brand Technics. This line of high quality stereo components became worldwide favorites. The most famous products

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being its turntables, such as the SL-1200 record player, known for its high performance, precision, and durability. Throughout the 1970s and early 1980s, Panasonic continued to produce high-quality specialized electronics for niche markets such as shortwave radios, as well as developing a successful line of stereo receivers, CD players, and other components. In 1973 Matsushita formed a joint venture with Anam Group, Anam National. In 1983 Matsushita launched the Panasonic Senior Partner, the first fully IBM PC compatible Japanese-made computer. In November 1990 Matsushita agreed to acquire the American media company MCA Inc. for US$6.59 billion.Matsushita subsequently sold 80% of MCA to Seagram Company for US$7 billion in April 1995.In 1998 Matsushita sold Anam National to Anam Electronics. In November 1999, the Japan Times reported that Panasonic planned to develop a "next generation first aid kit" called the Electronic Health Checker. At the time, the target market was said to be elderly people, especially those living in rural areas where medical help might not be immediately available, so it was planned that the kit would include support for telemedicine. The kits were then in the testing stage, with plans for eventual overseas distribution, to include the United States. On January 19, 2006, Panasonic announced that it would stop producing analog televisions (then 30% of its total TV business) from the next month, in order to concentrate on digital televisions. On November 3, 2008, Panasonic and Sanyo announced that they were holding merger talks, which eventually resulted in the acquisition of Sanyo by Panasonic. The merger was completed in December 2009, and resulted in a corporation with revenues of over 11.2 trillion (around $110 billion). With the announcement that Pioneer would exit the production of its Kuro plasma

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HDTV displays, Panasonic purchased many of the patents and incorporated these technologies into its own plasma displays. In April 2011, it was announced that Panasonic would cut its work force by 40,000 by the end of fiscal 2012 in a bid to streamline overlapping operations. The curtailment is about 10 percent of its group work force. In October 2011, Panasonic announced that it would trim its money-losing TV business by ceasing production of Plasma TVs at its plant in Amagasaki, Hyogo Prefecture by March 2012, cutting 1,000 jobs in the process. In January 2012, Panasonic announced that it had struck a deal with Myspace on its new venture, Myspace TV.] Myspace TV will allow users to watch live television while chatting with other users on a laptop, tablet or the television itself. With the partnership, Myspace TV will be integrated into Panasonic Viera televisions. On May 11, 2012, Panasonic announced plans to acquire a 76.2% stake in Firepro Systems, an India-based company in infrastructure protection and security solutions such as fire alarm, fire suppression, video surveillance and building management. In line with company prediction of a net loss of 765 billion yen, on November 5, 2012, the shares fell to the lowest level since February 1975 to 388 yen. In 2012, the shares plunged 41 percent. On November 14, 2012, Panasonic said it will cut 10,000 jobs and make further divestments. On 18 May 2013, Panasonic announced that it will invest $40 million in building a factory in Binh Duong, Vietnam which is expected to be completed in 2014.

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In July 2013, Panasonic agreed to acquire a 13% stake in the Slovenian household appliance manufacturer Gorenje for around 10 million.

Current operations
As of 31 March 2012 Panasonic employed around 330,000 staff and had around 580 subsidiary companies. Panasonic had total revenues of 7,846,216 million in 2012, of which 53% were generated in Japan, 25% in Asia ex. Japan, 12% in the Americas and 10% in Europe. Panasonic's operations are organised into three broad "business fields" - Consumer, Solutions and Components & Devices - and nine "domain companies" - AVC Networks (which generated 17% of Panasonic's total 2012 revenues), Eco Solutions (15% of revenues), Appliances (15% of revenues), Industrial Devices (14% of revenues), Systems and Communications (8% of revenues), Automotive Systems (7% of revenues), Energy (6% of revenues), Healthcare, and Manufacturing Solutions. Panasonic invested a total of 520,216 million in research and development in 2012, equivalent to 6.6% of its revenues in that year. As of 31 March 2012 Panasonic held a total of 140,146 patents worldwide.

Panasonic Automotive Systems

Panasonic is one of the world's largest original equipment manufacturers of factory installed mobile audio equipment such as headunits, speakers and navigation modules. They have been a subcontractor to most major auto manufacturers, supplying virtually every Japanese automaker, along with Europe's largest automaker, Volkswagen and America's largest automaker, General Motors.

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Panasonic also formerly manufactured aftermarket vehicle audio products such as head units and speakers.

Panasonic Avionics Corporation

Main article: Panasonic Avionics Corporation Panasonic Avionics Corporation (PAC), a subsidiary of Panasonic Corporation of North America, is a supplier of in-flight entertainment (IFE) and communication systems. Headquartered in Lake Forest, California where engineering, development and testing is performed while system installation, field engineering, major quality functions, certification and program management are performed at the Bothell, Washington facility - Panasonic Avionics Corporation employs approximately 3,300 employees based in over 70 locations worldwide, with major facilities in London, Toulouse, Hamburg, Dallas, Dubai and Singapore[citation needed]. A majority of the component manufacturing is carried out in Osaka, Japan.

Panasonic Mobile Communications

Panasonic Mobile Communications manufactures mobile phone handsets and related equipment. As of 2012 it had around a 20 per cent share of the Japanese handset market. Panasonic used to market mobile phone handsets worldwide, but in December 2005 announced its withdrawal from overseas markets due to poor sales. Panasonic returned to the overseas market in 2012, with the release of the Panasonic Eluga Android-powered smartphone.

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Panasonic Corporation of North America

Panasonic Corporation of North America is Panasonic's principal subsidiary in the United States, and has been headquartered in Secaucus, Northeastern New Jersey since the 1980s. Its headquarters are planned to move to Newark in 2013 . Founded in New York City at the MetLife Building in September 1959, it was known as Matsushita Electric Corporation of America (MECA) prior to 2005.

Panasonic Corporation in Europe .

Panasonic's principal subsidiaries in Europe are Panasonic Europe Ltd. and Panasonic Marketing Europe Gmbh. Panasonic employs around 12,000 people in Europe, and the region generates around 10 per cent of its total revenues. In 2012 Panasonic had around a 10 per cent share of the consumer electronics market in Europe, ranking third behind Samsung Electronics (with 26 per cent) and LG Electronics (with 12 per cent). Panasonic operates a chain of stores in the United Kingdom and Ireland called "Panasonic Store" which exclusively sell Panasonic products. Prior to 2008 the chain was named "shop@Panasonic". In November 2010, Panasonic Electric Works established Panasonic Electric Works VosslohSchwabe Serbia d.o.o, a new company in Svilajnac, Serbia, to manufacture energy-efficient electronic devices (ballasts) for lighting fixtures. Volume production commenced in January 2011.

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Panasonic Corporation of India .

Panasonic Corporation of India is Panasonic's principal subsidiary in India. It is headquartered in Gurgaon, Haryana. Manish Sharma is the current Managing Director.

Panasonic Corporation in Indonesia .

Panasonic Gobel Indonesia is the name of the company's Indonesia division based in Cawang, East Jakarta. Hiroyoshi Suga is the current President Director and Rachmat Gobel is the current Commissioners. Rachmat Gobel also Commissioners of Indosat. Panasonic Gobel Indonesia is a joint venture company between Panasonic Corporation Japan and Gobel Group of Indonesia. Panasonic Gobel Indonesia is 100% owned by Bhakti Investama and Global Mediacom. The acquisition of Panasonic Gobel Indonesia by Bhakti Investama and Global Mediacom (MNC Media) results in holding the Panasonic Gobel Awards which always broadcasted by RCTI, MNCTV, Global TV, SINDOtv, and MNC Channels.

Universal Studios .
Panasonic used to own Universal Studios, then known as the Music Corporation of America, since acquiring the company in 1990 but sold it to Seagram in 1995. Universal Studios is now a unit of NBCUniversal, which is now owned by Philadelphia based Comcast.

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Brand names.
Panasonic's current and historic brands Panasonic Corporation sells virtually all of its products and services worldwide under the Panasonic brand, having phased out the Sanyo brand in the first quarter of 2012. The company has sold products under a number of other brand names during its history. In 1927, the company founder adopted the brand name "National" (, Nashonaru?) for a new lamp product. In 1955, the company began branding audio speakers and lamps for markets outside Japan as "PanaSonic", which was the first time it used the "Panasonic" brand name. The company began to use the brand name "Technics" in 1965 for audio equipment. The use of multiple brands lasted for some decades. In May 2003, the company announced that "Panasonic" would become its global brand, and launched the global tagline "Panasonic ideas for life". The company began to unify its brands to "Panasonic" and, by March 2004 replaced "National" for products and outdoor signboards, except for those in Japan.[40] In January 2008, the company announced that it would phase out the brand "National" in Japan, replacing it with the global brand "Panasonic" by March 2010. Rasonic is a brand name of Shun Hing Electric Works and Engineering Co. Ltd, a company that has imported Panasonic and National branded product since Matsushita Electric Industrial era, and has also sold MEI/Panasonic products under the original brand names. In June 1994, Panasonic Shun Hing Industrial Devices Sales (Hong Kong) Co., Ltd. and Panasonic SH Industrial Sales (Shenzhen) Co., Ltd. were established by joint venture between Matsushita

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Electric Industrial and Shun Hing Group respectively, making Rasonic a product brand for MEI and subsequent Panasonic Corporation.

Sponsorships
Football Panasonic sponsors the German football player Marco Reus, who plays for Bundesliga club Borussia Dortmund and Germany. Panasonic owns Gamba Osaka, a team from the J. League, the main Japanese soccer league.Panasonic is an official partner and sponsor of Major League Soccer. Between 1981 and 1983 Panasonic were the shirt sponsors of English football club Nottingham Forest F.C.On 16 January 2010, Panasonic signed a three-year, Rs. 4.7 crores (US$1 million) jersey sponsorship deal for the India national football team.

Other
Panasonic was the principal sponsor of the now-defunct Toyota Racing Formula One team Panasonic were a primary sponsor of Toyota's Formula One program, Panasonic Toyota Racing. Hiro Matsushita, grandson of the company founder, is a former race car driver who ran a company overseeing sponsorship arrangements for the company. Panasonic has sponsored some professional filmmakers by allowing them to borrow a camera for their projects. One such Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH1 model camera was used to film the pilot of the Swedish horror film Marianne. Panasonic has been a top level sponsor of the Olympic Games since the Seoul Olympics in 1988.

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Panasonic was the official partner and sponsor of the Boston Celtics from 1975 to 1989, along with Technics[citation needed]. Various Panasonic ads appeared at the old Boston Garden during the 1980s.

Environmental record.

Panasonic is ranked in joint 9th place (out of 15) in Greenpeaces Guide to Greener Electronics, which ranks electronics manufacturers on policies and practices to reduce their impact on the climate, produce greener products, and make their operations more sustainable.[49] The company is one of the top scorers on the Products criteria, praised for its good product life cycles and the number of products which are free from polyvinyl chloride plastic (PVC). It also scores maximum points for the energy efficiency of its products with 100 percent of its TVs meeting the latest Energy Star standards and exceeding the standby power requirement. However, Panasonic's score is let down by its low score on the Energy criteria, with the Guide stating it must focus on planned reductions of greenhouse gases (GHG), set targets to reduce GHG emissions by at least 30% by 2015 and increase renewable energy use by 2020.

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Figure No. 1
Preference of various gadget companies.

Preference of Gadget companies

10% 23.33% 30% Apple Panasonic Canon 13.33% 10% Samsung Sony 13.33% Others

Interpretation: The above pie chart shows the numerous and popular gadget companies and their preference by various customers. It can be seen that Sony is preferred by 30% of all the respondents surveyed, while 13% of respondents prefer Panasonic as well as Samsung.

Figure No. 2
Users of Panasonic.

Users of Panasonic

Non users 50%

Users 50%

Interpretation: Out of the thirty respondents that I surveyed there were 50% users of Panasonic in one way or the other. They owned different products of Panasonic.

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Figure No. 3
Preferred Features in any electronic gadget

Preferred features in electronic gadgets

16.66% 33.33% 20% 13.33% 16.66% Stylish User Friendly Durability Value for money All of above

Interpretation: Here the pie chart shows various features of any electronic gadget. It can be seen that the most preferred feature in any electronic gadget is all of the mentioned features. However out of these four features most (i.e. 20%) preferred is that the product must be user friendly.

Figure No. 4
Preferred products of Panasonic.

Prefered products of Panasonic

10% 13% 27% 10% 40% Television sets Digital Cameras Handy Cams Camcorders Music Players

Interpretation: Panasonic has a wide range of product line. Some of these products are mentioned here. The most preferred product of Panasonic is the Television Sets which covers 40% of all the gadgets mentioned, while music players covers only 10% that is the lowest preferred product of Panasonic.

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Figure No. 5
Specific features preferred in Panasonic products

Features preferred in Panasonic Products

Innovative products 16.66% 40% 16.66% Place utility of products Dimension of products Graphical User Interface (GUI) of products

26.66%

Interpretation: Panasonic product has various distinct features which are mentioned here. It can be noted that the most preferred feature in Panasonic products is its Graphical User Interface (GUI) with 40%, while 16% of respondents prefer innovative products as well as place utility of the products.

Figure No. 6
The worth for amount paid for it

Panasonic worth for amount paid for it

33.34% 66.66%

Worthy Not Worthy

Interpretation: Out of the thirty respondents it can be seen that 20 people think that Panasonic products are worth the amount paid for it. This shows a good image of Panasonic as far as the worth for money paid for it.

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Figure No. 7
Availability of Panasonic products in Market

Availability of Panasonic Products

50%

50%

Easily available Not available

Interpretation: 50% of the people surveyed said that Panasonic products are easily available in the market while the other half had a different rather opposite view.

Figure No. 8
After sales service of Panasonic

After Sales service of Panasonic

20% 16.66% Excellent Good 26.66% 36.66% Satisfactory Not good

Interpretation: Panasonic products after sales service has been measured in above pie chart in four different measures. Here it can be seen that after sales service is satisfactory in general. On the other hand 16% respondents consider the after sales service of Panasonic as Excellent.

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Figure No. 9
Availability of Panasonic Service Centers

Availability of Panasonic Service Centres

43.34% 56.66%

Easily available Not available

Interpretation: Panasonic service centers are easily available according 56.66% of people while others find it hard to find Panasonic products. These shows the needs to increase number of service centers.

Figure No. 10
Field of use of Panasonic products

Use of Panasonic products

46.67% 53.33%

Professional use Personal use

Interpretation: Panasonic products are used in mainly two different fields. Here it can be seen that 53.33% of people think that Panasonic products are used mainly in professional use while 46.67% people consider it for personal use only.

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Figure No. 11 Cost of Panasonic Products compared to others.

Cost of Panasonic compared to others

16.66% 33.34% Cheap Similar Expensive 50%

Interpretation: Cost of Panasonic products compared to others is similar according to 50% of respondents, while 33.34% respondents find it expensive compared to other products and remaining respondents find it comparatively cheap.

Figure No. 12
Life of Panasonic products

Life of Panasonic products

10% Long lasting 46.66% 43.33% Average Short Life

Interpretation: It can be derived from the above pie chart that the life of Panasonic products is long lasting according to 46.66% of respondents. While only 10% of respondent think that Panasonic products have a short life span

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Figure No. 13
Attractiveness of offers and schemes offered by Panasonic.

Attractiveness of offers and schemes by Panasonic

46.66% 53.34%

Attractive Not attractive

Interpretation: 53.34% respondent are attracted by the offers and schemes offered by Panasonic. While 46.66% respondents are not attracted towards such schemes and offers.

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Suggestions and Recommendations:

The respondents surveyed here also gave suggestions for the company so that the current standards can be improved and new products can be introduced in the market to capture large market share. According to most respondents Panasonic has a wide product line but according to them customer awareness needs to be there so that more number of products can be attracted. Regarding the product line there were also few suggestions that product line though being wide the products must be available to every state n every city. Few respondents even recommended that Panasonic also need to come up with new and innovative products so that it can cop up in the market with other competitors. The new products so introduced must also be available everywhere through the effective channel of distribution. The innovative products must be user friendly as well as with an attractive Graphical User Interface so that Panasonic products can stand different from other competitors. There were also suggestions for improvement of after sales services of Panasonic. There were even recommendations that the service centers of Panasonic must be also available across various towns and cities over the world. The processing time must be also reduced so that customers can be served timely and effectively. Respondents also suggested for the requirement of new features that must be in Panasonic products so that new customers can be attracted. Features such as attractiveness and Value for money are most compared by customer when he buys the product. So Panasonic must focus on these two main features. Panasonic also need to have increased product availability so that more specific regions can be covered and more market share can be achieved. Products must be even easily available through local dealers and retailers so that effective selling and satisfactory customer interaction can be done.

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Conclusions and Summary:

Most of the people who were part of the survey were in age from 18 30 and mostly prominent users of Panasonic. The respondents surveyed considered few electronic gadget as the status symbol and quality electronic gadgets. They also considered Panasonic products as the rarely available product. The most preferred feature of Panasonic product is its Graphical User Interface (GUI) and the second most preferred feature is its Dimensions. Most of the respondents looked upon the feature of any electronic gadget being user friendly as the basic feature required. The advertising strategies adopted by Panasonic are very helpful to attract more customers. Offers and schemes according to specific regional taste and preferences are also provided by Panasonic so that more junk of customers are encourage to buy their products. The respondents also mentioned that Panasonic products are worth the amount paid for it. It shows that Panasonic products are appropriately value for money paid for it. Panasonic products are also considered as products for professional use according to 53.33% of the respondents surveyed while the rest of respondents consider it as the products for personal use. Durability and Life span of Panasonic product has also been discussed in questionnaire. According to 46.66% of total respondents Panasonic products are more durable and have longer lasting comparatively than other products. Thus Panasonic products must have recommended changes so that necessary or mandatory changes can be made for improvement of the product.

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Bibliography:
1. www.wikipedia.org 2. www.scribd.com 3. Articles from Internet 4. Research methodology by C.R. Kothari.
5. Business mathematics and statistics by B.C. Bajracharya.

6. Research methodology tools and analysis by Dr. Kriti Gupta

Thank You

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