SINDRI,DHANBAD CEMENT WORKS

Submitted by

LALAN KUMAR ROY

MBA
2009-2011
Annamalai University

1
 ANNAMALAI UNIVERSITY
DEPARTMENT OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION

PROJECT REPORT – 2009-10

A STUDY ON CONSUMER BUYING BEHAVIOUR AND THEIR PERCEPTION WHILE
CHOOSING SPECIFIC BRAND OF CEMENT IN ACC CEMENT,SINDRI (DHANBAD).

Bonafide Record done by

LALAN KUMAR ROY
(Reg. No. 092693)

Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the award of

the Degree of MASTER OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION in the
Department of Business Administration.

DR. K. SUJATHA Dr. N. PANCHANATHAM

Reader, project guide Professor & head
Dept. of business administration Dept. of business administration
Annamalai University Annamalai University

2
 ANNAMALAI UNIVERSITY
DEPARTMENT OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION
PROJECT REPORT 2009-20010
A STUDY ON CONSUMER BUYING BEHAVIOUR AND THEIR PERCEPTION WHILE
CHOOSING SPECIFIC BRAND OF CEMENT IN ACC CEMENT,SINDRI (DHANBAD).

Bonafide record of work done by

LALAN KUMAR ROY
(Reg. No. 092693)
Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the award of the
Degree of MASTER OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION in the
DEPARTMENT OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION

DR. K. SUJATHA Dr. N. PANCHANATHAM

Reader, project guide Professor & head
Dept. of business administration Dept. of business administration
Annamalai University Annamalai University

Submitted for the Viva-Voice Examination held on ------------------

INTERNAL EXAMINER EXTERNAL EXAMINER

3
 ANNAMAL AI UNIVERSITY

DECLARATION

I, LALAN KUMAR ROY do hereby declare that the project report entitled
A STUDY ON CONSUMER BUYING BEHAVIOUR AND THEIR PERCEPTION WHILE
CHOOSING SPECIFIC BRAND OF CEMENT IN ACC CEMENT,SINDRI (DHANBAD).

Is submitted by me to the Annamalai University,

Annamalai Nagar in the partial fulfillment of the requirement for the
Degree of Master of Business Administration (MBA) is an original one
And has not been submitted earlier to this college or to any other
Institute for the fulfillment of the course of study

Date:

Place: Signature:

4
A STUDY ON CONSUMER BUYING BEHAVIOUR AND THEIR PERCEPTION
WHILE CHOOSING SPECIFIC BRAND OF CEMENT IN ACC CEMENT,SINDRI
(DHANBAD).

PROJECT REPORT 2010

A project report submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the award
of the degree of

MASTER OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION

Annamalai University

Submitted BY
LALAN KUMAR ROY
(Reg. No-092693)

Under the guidance of

DR. K.SUJATHA
Lecturer, Department of Business Administration

DEPARTMENT OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION

ANNAMALAI UNIVERSITY

ANNAMALAI NAGAR -608 002

TAMILNADU, INDIA
2010

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 Acknowledgement
“Life is nothing but a learning process

Firstly, I thank ALMIGHTY, my family and friends for being with me during my
project work and motivating me to successfully completing the project.
I express my greatest indebtedness to Dr. N.PANCHANATHAM, HOD – Dept.
of Business Administration Annamalai University for providing me an
opportunity for doing this summer project.
I take immense pleasure in thanking my faculty guide DR. K.SUJATHA,
READER Dept. of Business Administration Annamalai University .I am also
thankful to all faculty members of Annamalai University.
I express my sincere gratification to Mr.Aninda banerjee , Marketing Manager
– Acc cement, Sindri ,Dhanbad, who guided me throughout my project and
helped me in successfully completing my Project.

LALAN KUMAR ROY

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 DEDICATION

I dedicate this research work exclusively to my parents, bhaiya

&my lovely sister whose support, cooperation and help enables
me to achieve this position. They supported me throughout my
career. Their support and help encourages me which resulted in
the completion of my MBA as well as in the completion of this
Project.
I also want to dedicate this Project to my honorable Guide
Dr.k.sujatha, who are highly well-informed, extremely diligent,
supportive, and their encouragement and guidance helps me to
complete my education and
Project.

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 INDEX
1. INTRODUCTION.
INTRODUCTION OF CEMENT
HISTORY OF CEMENT
PROFILE OF INDIAN CEMENT INDUSTRY.
SILENT FEATURES OF INDIAN CEMENT INDUSTRY.
PRODUCTION OF CEMENT ACROSS STATE
GROWTH OF CEMENT INDUSTRY
MAJOR CEMENT COMPANY
MAJOR PLAYER & RELATIVE SHARE
INTRODUCTION OF ORGANISATION
HISTORY & PROFILE OF ACC CEMENT WORKS
VISION
MILESTONE
UNIT PROFILE (SINDRI)
SWOT ANALAYSIS
INTRODUCTION OF TOPIC
NEED OF STUDY
SCOPE OF STUDY
LIMITATION OF STUDY
2. LITERATURE REVIEW.
3. OBJECTIVE
AIM OF THE STUDY
4. METHODOLOGY
RESEARCH DESIGN
SAMPLE DESIGN
TYPES OF UNIVERSE
DATA COLLECTION METHOD
FREQUENCY TABLE
BAR GRAPH
CHI-SQUARE
T-TEST
5. ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION.
6. FINDING
7. RECOMMENDATIONS
8. CONCLUSION
9. BIBLIOGRAPHY
10. APPENDIX

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 CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTION

9
 INTRODUCTION OF CEMENT

Cement is a fine gray, soft, powdery-types substance. It is made from a mixture of

elements that are found in natural materials such as limestone, clay, sand and shale.
When cement is mixed with water, it can bind sand and gravel into a hard, solid
mass called concrete.

Cement can be purchased from most building supply stores in bags. Cement is
usually gray. White cement can also be found but it is usually more expensive than
gray cement. Cement mixed with water, sand and gravel, forms concrete. Cement
mixed with water and sand, forms cement plaster. Cement mixed with water, lime
and sand, forms mortar. Cement powder is very, very fine. One kilo (2.2 lbs)
contains over 300 billion Grains, although we have not actually counted them to
see if that is completely accurate! The powder is so fine it will pass through a sieve
capable of holding Water. Four essential elements are needed to make cement.
They are calcium, Silicon, aluminum and iron.

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 HISTORY OF CEMENT

Throughout history, cementing materials have played a vital role. They were used
widely in the ancient world. The Egyptians used calcite gypsum as cement. The
Greeks and Romans used lime made by heating limestone and added sand to make
mortar, with coarser stones for concrete.
The Romans found that cement could be made which set under water and this were
used for the construction of harbors. The cement was made by adding crushed
volcanic ash to lime and was later called „pozzolanic‟ cement, named after the
village of Pozzuoli near Vesuvius.
In places such as Britain, where volcanic ash was scarce, crushed brick or tile was
used instead. The Romans were therefore the first to manipulate the properties of
cementations‟ materials for specific applications and situations.
Marcus Vitruvius Pollio, a Roman architect and engineer in the 1st century BC
wrote his "Ten books of Architecture" - a revealing historical insight into ancient
technology. Writing about concrete floors, for example:
"First I shall begin with the concrete flooring, which is the most important of the
polished finishing, observing that great pains and the utmost precaution must be
taken to ensure its durability".
"On this, lay the nucleus, consisting of pounded tile mixed with lime in the
proportions of three parts to one, and forming a layer not less than six digits thick."
And on pozzolana:
"There is also a kind of powder from which natural causes produces astonishing
results. This substance, when mixed with lime and rubble, not only lends strength
to buildings of other kinds, but even when piers are constructed of it in the sea,
they set hard under water."

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His "Ten books of Architecture" are a real historical gem bringing together history
and technology. Anyone wishing to follow his instructions might first need to find
a thousand or so slaves to dig saw, pound and polish...
After the Romans, there was a general loss in building skills in Europe, particularly
with regard to cement. Mortars hardened mainly by carbonation of lime, a slow
process. The use of pozzolana was rediscovered in the late middle Ages.
The great mediaeval cathedrals, such as Durham, Lincoln and Rochester in
England and Chartres and Rheims in France, were clearly built by highly skilled
masons. Despite this, it would probably be fair to say they did not have the
technology to manipulate the properties of cementations materials in the way the
Romans had done a thousand years earlier.
The Renaissance and Age of Enlightenment brought new ways of thinking, which
for better or worse, led to the industrial revolution. In eighteenth century Britain,
the interests of industry and empire coincided, with the need to build lighthouses
on exposed rocks to prevent shipping losses. The constant loss of merchant ships
and warships drove cements technology forwards.
Seaton, building the third Eddy stone lighthouse (1759) off the coast of Cornwall
in Southwestern England, found that a mix of lime, clay and crushed slag from iron
making produced a mortar, which hardened under water. Joseph Aspdin took out a
patent in 1824 for "Portland Cement," a material he produced by firing finely
ground clay and limestone until the limestone was claimed. He called it Portland
cement because the concrete made from it looked like Portland stone, a widely
used building stone in England.
While Aspdin is usually regarded as the inventor of Portland cement, Asp din‟s
cement was not produced at a high-enough temperature to be the real forerunner of
modern Portland cement. Nevertheless, his was a major innovation and subsequent
progress could be viewed as mere development.
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A ship carrying barrels of Aspin‟s cement sank off the Isle of Shipley in Kent,
England, and the barrels of set cement, minus the wooden staves, were later
incorporated into a pub in Sheerness and are still there now.
A few years later, in 1845, Isaac Johnson made the first modern Portland cement
by firing a mixture of chalk and clay at much higher temperatures, similar to those
used today. At these temperatures (1400C-1500C), clinkering occurs and minerals
form which are very reactive While Johnson used the same materials to make
Portland cement as we use now, three important developments in the
manufacturing process lead to modern Portland cement: Development of rotary
kilns- Addition of gypsum to control setting Use of ball mills to grind clinker and
raw materials. Rotary kilns gradually replaced the original vertical shaft kilns used
for making lime from the 1890s. Rotary kilns heat the clinker mainly by
radioactive heat transfer and this is more efficient at higher temperatures, enabling
higher burning temperatures to be achieved. Also, because the clinker is constantly
moving within the kiln, a fairly uniform clinkering temperature is achieved in the
hottest part of the kiln, the burning zone.The two other principal technical
developments, gypsum addition to control setting and the use of ball mills to grind
the clinker, were also introduced at around the end of the 19th century.

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 PROFILE OF CEMENT INDUSTRY

The Indian Cement industry is the second largest cement producer in the world,
with an installed capacity of 144 million tones. The industry has undergone rapid
technological up gradation and vibrant growth during the last two decades, and
some of the plants can be compared in every respect with the best operating plants
in the world. The industry is highly energy intensive and the energy bill in some of
the plants is as high as 60% of cement manufacturing cost. Although the newer
plants are equipped with the latest state-of-the-art equipment, there exists
substantial scope for reduction in energy consumption in many of the older plants
adopting various energy conservation measures.

The Indian cement industry is a mixture of mini and large capacity cement plants,
ranging in unit capacity per kiln as low as 10 tpd to as high as 7500 tpd. Majority
of the production of cement in the country (94% ) is by large plants, which are
defined as plants having capacity of more than 600 tpd. At present there are 124
large rotary kiln plants in the country.

The Ordinary Portland cement (OPC) enjoys the major share (56%) of the total
cement production in India followed by Portland Pozzolana Cement (PPC) and
Portland Slag Cement (PSC). A positive trend towards the increased use of blended
cement can be seen with the share of blended cement increasing to 43%. There is
regional imbalance in cement production in India due to the limitations posed by
raw material and fuel sources. Most of the cements plants in India are located in
proximity to the raw material sources, exploiting the natural resources fully. The

14
southern region is the most cement rich region while other regions have almost
same cement production capacity.

The Indian cement industry is about 90 years old and its main sources of energy
are thermal and electrical energy. The thermal energy is generally obtained from
coal, and the electrical energy obtained either from grid or captive power plants of
the individual manufacturing units.

SILENT FEATURES OF INDIAN CEMENT INDUSTRY

 Indian cement industry is the second largest in the world with an installed
capacity of 135 MTPA. It accounts for nearly 6% of the world production.

 There are 124 large plants and around 365 mini plants. The industry presents
a mixed picture with many new plants that employ state-of-the-art dry
process technology and a few old wet process plants having wet process
kilns.

 Production from large plants (with capacity above 1 MTPA) account for
85% of the total production.

 The cement industry has achieved significant progress in terms of reducing

the overall energy intensity.

 Dry process plants that the weighted average thermal energy consumption
was 734 kCal/kg clinkers, and weighted average electrical energy
consumption was 89 kWh/tonne of cement. The best energy consumption
are 692 kCal/kg. clinker and 66 kWh/ton of cement.

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 PRODUCTION OF CEMENT ACROSS STATES
1993-
1970 1981 1985-86 1990-91 QM
94
Q Share Q Share Q
Andhra
1.45 10.4 2.67 12.9 4.87 15.2 8.64 17.7 8.62 16 9.99
Pradesh
Karnataka 1.45 10.4 1.62 7.8 2.78 8.7 4.11 8.4 5.27 9.8 5.39
Kerala 0.05 0.4 N.A. - 0.25 0.8 0.28 0.6 0.38 0.7 0.38
Tamil Nadu 2.39 17.1 3.46 16.6 3.72 11.6 4.18 8.5 5.05 9.3 5.26
South Zone 5.34 38.3 7.75 37.3 11.62 36.3 17.21 35.2 19.32 35.8 21.02
Assam 0.05 0.4 0.19 0.9 0.17 0.5 0.3 0.6 0.15 0.3 0.17
Bihar 1.75 12.5 1.52 7.3 1.21 3.8 1.18 2.4 1.09 2 1.17
Meghalaya N.A. - 0.03 0.2 0.09 0.3 N.A. - 0.11 0.2 0.11
Orissa 0.63 4.5 0.84 4.1 0.87 2.7 1.17 3.5 1.18 2.2 1.34
West Bengal N.A. - 0.36 1.7 0.36 1.1 0.41 0.8 0.44 0.8 0.44
East Zone 2.43 17.4 2.94 14.2 2.7 8.4 3.06 6.3 2.97 5.5 3.23
Gujarat 1.78 12.8 1.71 8.2 2.61 8.1 4.27 8.7 4.37 8.1 4.84
Madhya
2 14.3 4.06 19.6 7.07 22.1 11.4 23.3 13.87 25.7 14.4
Pradesh
Maharashtra N.A. - 0.63 3 1.47 4.6 4.05 8.3 4.13 7.6 4.3
West Zone 3.78 27.1 6.4 30.8 11.15 34.8 19.72 40.3 22.37 41.4 23.54
Haryana 0.52 3.7 0.46 2.2 0.55 1.7 0.63 1.3 0.53 1 0.55
Himachal
N.A. - 0.18 0.9 0.64 2 N.A. - 1.03 1.9 1.09
Pradesh
Rajasthan 1.39 10 2.3 11.1 4.13 12.9 5.63 11.5 5.72 10.6 6.29
Uttar
N.A. - 0.65 3.1 1.09 3.4 1.35 2.7 1.71 3.2 7.93
Pradesh
North Zone 1.91 13.7 3.59 17.3 6.41 20 7.61 15.5 8.99 16.6
Other States 0.49 3.5 0.09 0.4 0.14 0.5 1.32 2.7 0.36 0.7 2.28
All India 13.95 100 20.77 100 32.02 100 48.92 100 54.01 100 58

(Million tones)

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 GROWTH OF CEMENT INDUSTRY: A PROFILE

At the outset it may be recognized that cement is one of the core industries defined
under the Industrial Policy Resolutions adopted in the early stage of planning in
India. Its growth implications essentially have to be seen in the larger context of
national economy rather than in a regional or sub-regional context.
There are three important features characterizing the industry. First, the basic raw
material for the industry is limestone, which like all minerals is fixed in quantity.
Therefore, the present rate of its use should consider demand-supply situations in
the long run. Second, and more important is that the industry may potentially have
adverse environmental impact through three different routes: (a) converting
cultural/non-cultural land from their present uses into quarries and thus, disturbing
the vegetation and ecosystem; (b) removing the limestone from the soil and
thereby affecting the moisture profile as well as the structure of aquifers; and (c)
creating air pollution which could be hazardous for human as well as animal health
and for crop-yields. The third important feature of the industry is that it generates
limited direct linkages in the regional economy where the industry is located
though; its indirect linkages are likely to be quite significant. The indirect linkages
mainly take place in the form of (a) infrastructural development and provision of
basic amenities (i.e. roads, ports, schools, hospitals etc. (b) development of
irrigation (i.e. dams, canals etc.) and (c) housing-construction - all having
substantial income-employment linkages at the level of national economy.
It is therefore important to examine the industry's growth profile by focusing on the
important questions such as:

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  What should be the optimum rate of exploration / utilization of Limestone
 What is the nature and magnitude of the environmental impact at the
projected rate of growth?
 How much would be the direct employment-income linkages
Within the region's economy livelihood of people.
MAJOR CEMENT COMPANIES

 ACC
 Andhra Cement
 Birla Corporation
 Cement Corporation
 Century Textiles
 Chettinad Cement
 Grasim Cement
 Gujarat Ambuja Cement
 India Cement
 Jaypee Cement Ltd
 J.K.Group
 Lafarge India Ltd
 Kesoram
 L&T
 Madras Cement
 Mangalam Cement
 Mehta Group
 Mysore Cement
 Orient Cement
 Shree Cement
 Tamil Nadu Cement
 Zuari
 Dalmia Cement Company
 OCL India Ltd

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MAJOR PLAYERS AND RELATIVE SHARE

Company capacity % share in total

ACC 16.1 11.5

Gujarat Ambuja 12.5 8.9
Grasim Ind 14.1 10.1
L&T 17.0 12.1
India Cement 8.8 6.3
Century Textiles 4.7 3.4
Jaypee 4.6 3.3
Birla Corp 4.8 3.4
Lafarge 5.0 3.4
Madras cement 5.5 3.9
Zuari 3.4 2.4
Chettinad cement 1.8 1.3
Saurashtra cement 2.1 1.5
Andhra cement 1.7 1.2
OCL 3.9 2.8
Others 34.1 24.4
Total 140.0 100.0

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 INTRODUCTION OF THE ORGANISATION

ACC (ACC Limited) is India's foremost manufacturer of cement and concrete.

ACC's operations are spread throughout the country with 14 modern cement
factories, 19 Ready mix concrete plants, 19 sales offices, and several zonal offices.
It has a workforce of about 9000 persons and a countrywide distribution network
of over 9,000 dealers. ACC's research and development facility has a unique track
record of innovative research, product development and specialized consultancy
services. Since its inception in 1936, the company has been a trendsetter and
important benchmark for the cement industry in respect of its production,
marketing and personnel management processes. Its commitment to environment-
friendliness, its high ethical standards in business dealings and its on-going efforts
in community welfare programs have won it acclaim as a responsible corporate
citizen. ACC has made significant contributions to the nation building process by
way of quality products, services and sharing its expertise.

In the 70 years of its existence, ACC has been a pioneer in the manufacture of
cement and concrete and a trendsetter in many areas of cement and concrete
technology including improvements in raw material utilization, process
improvement, energy conservation and development of high performance
concretes.

ACC‟s brand name is synonymous with cement and enjoys a high level of equity
in the Indian market. It is the only cement company that figures in the list of
Consumer Super Brands of India.

The company's various businesses are supported by a powerful, in-house research

and technology backup facility - the only one of its kind in the Indian cement

20
industry. This ensures not just consistency in product quality but also continuous
improvements in products, processes, and application areas.

ACC has rich experience in mining, being the largest user of limestone, and it is
also one of the principal users of coal. As the largest cement producer in India, it is
one of the biggest customers of the Indian Railways, and the foremost user of the
road transport network services for inward and outward movement of materials and
products.

ACC has also extended its services overseas to the Middle East, Africa, and South
America, where it has provided technical and managerial consultancy to a variety
of consumers, and also helps in the operation and maintenance of cement plants
abroad.

ACC is among the first companies in India to include commitment to

environmental protection as one of its corporate objectives, long before pollution
control laws came into existence. The company installed pollution control
equipment and high efficiency sophisticated electrostatic precipitators for cement
kilns, raw mills, coal mills, power plants and coolers as far back as 1966. Every
factory has state-of-the art pollution control equipment and devices.

ACC demonstrates the practices of being a good corporate citizen undertaking a

wide range of activities to improve the living conditions of the under-privileged
classes living near its factories.

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 HISTORY & PROFILE OF ACC CEMENT WORKS

ACC was formed in 1936 when ten existing cement companies came together
under one umbrella in a historic merger – the country‟s first notable merger at a
time when the term mergers and acquisitions was not even coined. The history of
ACC spans a wide canvas beginning with the lonely struggle of its pioneer F E
Din Shaw and other Indian entrepreneurs like him who founded the Indian cement
industry. Their efforts to face competition for survival in a small but aggressive
market mingled with the stirring of a country‟s nationalist pride that touched all
walks of life – including trade, commerce and business.

The first success came in a move towards cooperation in the country‟s young
cement industry and culminated in the historic merger of ten companies to form a
cement giant. These companies belonged to four prominent business groups –
Tatas, Khataus, Killick Nixon and F E Din Shaw groups. ACC was formally
established on August 1, 1936. Sadly, F E Din Shaw, the man recognized as the
founder of ACC, died in January 1936. Just months before his dream could be
realized.

ACC stands out as the most unique and successful merger in Indian business
history, in which the distinct identities of the constituent companies were melded
into a new cohesive organization – one that has survived and retained its position
of leadership in industry. In a sense, the formation of ACC represents a quest for
the synergy of good business practices, values and shared objectives. The use of
the plural in ACC‟s full name, The Associated Cement Companies Limited, itself
indicates the company‟s origins from a merger. Many years later, some
stockbrokers in the country‟s leading stock exchanges still refer to this company
simply as „The Merger‟

22
The ACC Board comprises of 13 persons. These include executive, non-executive,
and nominee directors. This group is responsible for determining the objectives
and broad policies of the Company - consistent with the primary objective of
enhancing long-term shareholder value.

The Board meets once a month. Two other small groups of directors - comprising
Shareholders'/Investors' Grievance Committee and Audit Committee of the Board
of Directors - also meet once a month on matters pertaining to the finance and
share disciplines. During the last decade, there has been a streamlining of the
senior management structure that is more responsive to the needs of the Company's
prime business. A Managing Committee - comprising, in addition to the Managing
Director and the two executive directors, the presidents representing multifarious
disciplines: finance, production, marketing, research and consultancy, engineering
and human resources – meets once a week. Besides these bodies, there are senior
executives and other regional managers - based at the Company's corporate office
and at its marketing offices and manufacturing units -who contribute to the
development and operation of the various functions. While these groups form the
core management team that frames and guides corporate policy, ACC is proud of
its manpower strength of about 9,000 people, who comprise experts in various
disciplines assisted by a dedicated workforce of skilled persons. Quite a number of
them have logged many years of service with the organization. They come from all
parts of the country and belong to a variety of ethnic, cultural and religious
backgrounds. Because of such a cosmopolitan make-up, ACC can rightly be said to
embrace within its fold a family that forms a 'mini-India'.

23
 A STRATEGIC ALLIANCE

The house of Tata was intimately associated with the heritage and history of ACC,
right from its formation in 1936 up to 2000. The Tata group sold all 14.45% of its
shareholdings in ACC in three stages to subsidiary companies of Gujarat Ambuja
Cements Ltd. (GACL), who are now the largest single shareholder in ACC.
This enabled ACC to enter into a strategic alliance with GACL; a company reputed
for its brand image and cost leadership in the cement industry.

HOLCIM – A NEW PARTNERSHIP

A new association was forged between ACC and The Holcim group of Switzerland
in 2005. In January 2005, Holcim announced its plans to enter into long – term
alliances with Ambuja Group by acquiring a majority stake in Ambuja Cements
India Ltd. (ACIL),which at the time held 13.8% of total equity shares in ACC.
Holcim simultaneously announced its bid to make an open offer to ACC
shareholders, through Holdcem Cement Pvt. Ltd. and ACIL, to acquire a majority
shareholding in ACC. An open offer was made by Holdcem Cement Pvt. Ltd.
along with ACIL, following which the shareholding of ACIL increased to 34.69%
of Equity share capital of ACC. Consequently, ACIL has filed declarations
indicating their shareholding and declaring itself as a promoter of ACC.
Holcim is the world leader in cement as well as being large supplier of concrete,
aggregates and certain construction related services. Holcim is also a respected
name in information technology and research and development. The group has its
headquarters in Switzerland with worldwide operations spread across more than 70
countries. Considering the formidable global presence of Holcim and its excellent
reputation, the broad of ACC has welcomed this new associati

24
 PLANTS & THEIR CAPACITY

S. No. Units State Capacity (MTPA)

Bargarh Cement Works

1 Bargarh 0.96

Chaibasa Cement Works

2 Chaibasa 0.87

Chanda Cement Works

3 Chanda 1.00

Damodar Cement Works

4 Damodhar 0.53

Gagal Cement Works 4.40

5 Gagal
(Gagal I and II)
Jamul Cement Works
6 Jamul 1.58

Kymore Cement Works

7 Kymore 2.20

Lakheri Cement Works

8 Lakheri 1.50

Madukkarai Cement Works

9 Madukkarai 0.96

Sindri Cement Works

10 Sindri 0.91

Wadi Cement Works

11 Wadi 2.59

Wadi Cement Works

12 New Wadi Plant 2.60

Tikaria Cement Grinding and Packing

13 Tikaria Plant 2.31

25
OLD VISION OF ACC

26
NEW VISION

27
 MISSION OF ACC

Maintain our leadership of the Indian cement industry through

Leadership
the continuous modernization and expansion of our
manufacturing facilities and activities, and through the
establishment of a wide and efficient marketing network.
Achieve a fair and reasonable return on capital by promoting
Profitability
productivity throughout the company.
Ensure a steady growth of business by strengthening our
Growth
position in the cement sector.
Maintain the high quality of our products and services and
Quality
ensure their supply at fair prices.
Promote and maintain fair industrial relations and an
Equity
environment for the effective involvement, welfare and
development of staff at all levels.
Promote research and development efforts in the areas of
Pioneering
product development and energy, and fuel conservation, and to
innovate and optimize productivity.
Fulfill our obligations to society, specifically in the areas of
Responsibility
integrated rural development and in safeguarding the
environment and natural ecological balance.

28
 MILESTONES OF ACC LIMITED

1936 Incorporation of The Associated Cement Companies Limited on

August 1, 1936.

1936 First Board Meeting of The Associated Cement Companies Limited

held at Esplanade House, Mumbai on November 10, 1936.

1937 With the transfer of the 10th company to ACC, viz. Dewarkhand
Cement Company, the formation of ACC is complete on October 23,
1937.

1944 ACC‟s first community development venture near Bombay

1947 India‟s first entirely indigenous cement plant established at Chaibasa in

Bihar

1952 Village Welfare Scheme launched

1955 Sindri cement works used the waste product calcium carbonate sludge
from fertilizer factory at Sindri.

29
1956 Bulk Cement Depot established at Okhla, Delhi

1957 Technical training institute established at Kymore, Madhya Pradesh.

1957 Katni Refractories

1961 Blast furnace slag from TISCO used at the Chaibasa Unit to
manufacture Portland Slag Cement for the first time in India.

1961 Manufacture of Accocid Cement, which resists the corrosive action of

acids and chemicals.

1961 Oilwell Cement manufactured at ACC Shahabad Cement Works in

Karnataka for cementation of oilwells upto a depth of 6,000 feet.

1961 Manufacture of Hydrophobic (waterproof) cement at ACC Khalari

Cement Works in Bihar.

1962 Manufacture of Accoproof, a waterproofing additive.

1965 ACC‟s Central Research Station (CRS) established at Thane

1965 Manufacture of Portland Pozzolana Cement.

30
1965 Manufacture of Calundum, a High Alumina Binder; Firecrete, Low
Density Alumina Castables and High Alumina Refractory Cement.

1968 Advent of computers in ACC for data processing and designing

management information and control systems.

1968 ACC supplied and commissioned one-million-tonne iron ore pelletising

plant ordered by TISCO

1971 Manufacture of Whytheat Castables A, K, C and Cal-Al-75

1973 Take-over of The Cement Marketing Company of India (CMI)

1977 ACC receives ASSOCHAM first national award for the year 1976
instituted for outstanding performance in promoting rural and
agricultural development activities.

1978 Introduction of the energy efficient precalcinator technology for the

first time in India. Full scale commercial production based on MFC
technology at Wadi in 1979.

1979 ACC wins international contract for operation and management of a

31
 new one million tonne cement plant at Yanbu-Ras Biridi in Saudi
Arabia.

1982 Commissioning of the first 1 MTPA plant in the country at Wadi,

Karnataka.

1984 ACC achieves a breakthrough in import substitution by developing and

supplying a special G type of oil well cement to ONGC.

1987 ACC develops a new binder for use at sub-zero temperatures, which is
successfully used in the Indian expedition to Antarctica.

1992 Incorporation of Bulk Cement Corporation of India, a joint venture

with the Government of India.

1993 ACC starts the commercial manufacture of Ready Mixed Concrete at

Mumbai.

1998 Commissioning of the 0.6 MTPA cement grinding unit at Tikaria, Uttar
Pradesh.

1999 Commissioning of captive power plants at the Jamul and Kymore

plants in Madhya Pradesh.

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1999 Tata group sells 7.2% of its stake in ACC to Ambuja Cement Holdings
Ltd, a subsidiary of Gujarat Ambuja Cements Ltd. (GACL)

2000 Tata Group sells their remaining stake in ACC to the GACL group,
who with 14.45% now emerge as the single largest shareholder of
ACC.

2001 Commissioning of the new plant of 2.6 MTPA capacity at Wadi,

Karnataka plant, the largest in the country, and among the largest sized
kilns in the world.

2002 ACC wins PHDCCI Good Corporate Citizen Award

2003 IDCOL Cement Ltd becomes a subsidiary of ACC

2004 IDCOL Cement Limited is renamed as Bargarh Cement Limited

(BCL).

2004 ACC raises US $ 100 million abroad through Foreign Currency

Convertible Bonds (FCCB‟s) for US$ 60 million and Global
Depository Shares (GDS‟s) for US $ 40 million. Both offerings are

33
 listed on the London Stock Exchange.

2004 ACC named as a Consumer Superbrand by the Superbrands Council of

India, becoming the only cement company to get this status.

2004 GreenTech Safety Gold and Silver Awards awarded to Madukkarai

Cement Works and Katni Refractory Works by Greentech Foundation
for outstanding performance in Safety Management System.

2005 ACC receives the CFBP Jamnalal Bajaj Uchit Vyavahar Puraskar
Certificate of Merit – 2004 from Council For Fair Business Practices.

2005 Holcim group of Switzerland enters strategic alliance with Ambuja

Group by acquiring a majority stake in Ambuja Cements India Ltd.
(ACIL) which at the time held 13.8 % of the total equity shares in
ACC. Holcim simultaneously makes an open offer to ACC
shareholders, through Holdcem Cement Pvt. Limited and ACIL, to
acquire a majority shareholding in ACC. Pursuant to the open offer,
ACIL‟s shareholding in ACC increases to 34.69 % of the Equity share
capital of ACC.

2005 Commissioning of Modernisation and Expansion project at Chaibasa in

Jharkhand, replacing old wet process technology with a new 1.2 MTPA
clinkering unit, together with a captive power plant of 15 MW.

34
2005 Financial accounting year of the company changed to calendar year
January-December

2006 Subsidiary companies Damodhar Cement & Slag Limited, Bargarh

Cement Limited and Tarmac (India) Limited merged with ACC

2006 ACC announces new Workplace policy for HIV/AIDS

2006 Change of name to ACC Limited with effect from September 1, 2006
from The Associated Cement Companies Limited.

2006 ACC receives Good Corporate Citizen Award 2005-06 from Bombay
Chamber of Commerce and Industry

2006 New corporate brand identity and logo adopted from October 15, 2006

2006 ACC establishes Anti Retroviral Treatment Centre for HIV/AIDS

patients at Wadi in Karnataka– the first ever such project by a private
sector company in India.

2007 ACC partners with Christian Medical College for treatment of

HIV/AIDS in Tamil Nadu

35
 2007 Sumant Moolgaokar Technical Institute completes 50 years and
reopens with new curriculum

2007 ACC commissions Wind energy farm in Tamil Nadu.

ACC was the first recipient of ASSOCHAM‟s first ever National Award for
outstanding performance in promoting rural and agricultural development
activities in 1976.

Decades later, PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry selected ACC as

winner of its Good Corporate Citizen Award for the year 2002.

Over the years, there have been many awards and felicitations for achievements in
Rural and community development, Safety, Health, Tree plantation, A forestation,
Clean Mining, Environment Awareness and Protection.

36
 MAP OF ACC NETWORK
CORPORATE OFFICE

Overseeing the company‟s rang of business; the Corporate Office is the central
head quarters of all business and human resource function located in Mumbai.

ACC SUBSIDIARIES

1. Bulk Cement Corporation India Ltd (BCCI)

2. ACC Machinery Company Ltd (AMCL)
3. ACC Nihon Casting Ltd (ANCL
CEMENT PLANT

1. Bargarh Cement Works

2. Chaibasa Cement Works
3. Chanda Cement Works
4. Damodar Cement Works
5. Jmul Cement Works
6. Gagal Cement Works
7. Kymore Cement Works
8. Lakheri Cement Works
9. Madhukkarai Cement Works
10.Mancherial CEMENT Works
11.Sindri Cement Works
12.Wadi Cement Works
13.Tikaria Cement Works

37
REGIONAL MARKETING OFFICE

 Bangalore
 Bhopal
 Chndigarh
 Coimbatore
 Kanpur
 Kolkata
 Mumbai
 New Dehpatna
 Pune
 Secunderabad

AREA OFFICE

 Allahabad Asansol
 Aurangabad
 Bellary Cochin
 Chennai
 Fazabad
 Gulbarga
 Guwahati
 Jammu
 Bhubaneshwar
 Jalandhar Kochi
 Kozhikode

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 Kolhapur
 Lucknow
 Mangalore
 Nagpur
 Patiala
 Raipur
 Shimla
 Vellore

39
 DHANBAD, SINDRI ACC

THE ASSOCIATED CEMENT COMPANIES LIMITED

SINDRI CEMENT WORKS, SINDRI, DHANBAD, JHARKHAND

UNIT PROFILE
Sindri Cement Works, a part of The Associated Cement Companies Limited, is
the manufacturer of Blended Cement (Portland Slag Cement) in the name of
“ACC Super”. The total annual sales turnover of the works for the financial year
2003-2004 is Rs. 21486 Lakhs. It is situated in Sindri, Dist. Dhanbad in Jharkhand
state. It is an ISO 9001 & ISO 14001 certified unit. It got ISO 9001 certificate in
February 2000 and ISO 14001 certificate in July 2002.

PRODUCT (CEMENT): QUALITY

Product development has always been an important activity at ACC, arising out of
a focus on quality and process improvement. It has been a constant partner, driving
research, innovation and evaluation. In 1964, a centralized research facility – the
Central Research Station (CRS) was established in Thane. The research complex
now renamed as ACC Thane Complex, spread over an area of 8000 sq m has
modern labs with the latest equipment and manned by highly qualified scientists
and technologists who carry out product development work in cement and allied
fields.

40
ACC has effectively pledged its reputation as the market leader in quality of
cement. Maintaining this lead calls for harnessing the resources and expertise of
the company – from applied research and production to marketing. Accordingly,
all ACC factories are equipped with state- of- the- art process control
instrumentation and associated quality control and testing laboratories. Trained
engineers, chemists and technicians staff these. The Central Laboratory at ACC
Thane Complex is used as a reference laboratory for diagnosis and resolving
specific trouble – shooting cases.
As a result of this focus on quality, ACC cement specification exceeds those set by
BIS by wide margin. Today, all ACC cements plants have the ISO 9001 Quality
Systems Certification. This demonstrates our tradition of providing reliable and
consistent quality through the application of modern technology, and justifies the
preferences of a nationwide customer base.

ACC manufactures the following types of cement, in addition to which, it

provides Bulk Cement and Ready Mix Concrete.

ORDINARY PORTLAND CEMENTS

 OPC 43 Grade

BLENDED CEMENTS

 Fly-ash based Portland Pozzolana Cement

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ORDINARY PORTLAND CEMENT 43 GRADE CEMENT

ACC Cement is the most commonly used cement in all constructions including
plain and reinforced cement concrete, brick and stone masonry, floors and
plastering. It is also used in the finishing of all types of buildings, bridges, culverts,
roads, water retaining structures, etc.

What is more, it surpasses BIS Specifications (IS 8112-1989 for 43 grade OPC) on
compressive strength levels.

ACC Cement is marketed in specially designed 50 kg bags.

SWOT ANALYSIS OF ACC CEMENT

“STRATEGY IS A PATTERN IN A SERIES OF DECISIONS OR

ACTIONS.”
- HENRY MINTZBERG (1994)

42
SWOT Analysis explores the relationship between the environmental
Influences and the strategic capabilities of an organization compared to its
Competitors. The importance of SWOT is revealed by the value of the
Strategies it generates. A SWOT item that generates no strategies is not
Important.

STRENGTHS
 · It is having a good image and brand loyalty among consumers.
 · Service is good
 · “Dhalai karne ke liye” people ask for ACC
 · Perceived to be of very superior quality cement when compared to others
 · Selling form the very first day the shop came in to being & sells easily
 · They have same price prevailing for wholesale at dealers/stockiest retailers
end.
WEAKNESS
 · The competitors are doing much promotional activity rather than ACC
Limited
That‟s why it facing more problems in selling of product in the market.
 · Lack of awareness program for consumers.

OPPORTUNITY
 Rapid growth is taking place in Bihar and Madhya Pradesh.
 People are opting for more stable structures and intensive use of cement is
taking place, even government is spending heavily on infrastructure projects.
Thus, this is the right time to fully tap these markets.

43
  ·As Indian core industry is also growing at rate of nearly 10% per annum,it
is having a good future.
 Foreign direct investment in infrastructure sector going to increase in
coming years, which will increase the demand of cement.
 Roads are undergoing through the transformation process through which the
traditional method of road building will be replaced by modern concrete
roads.

THREATS:
 Large number of players in cement industry makes it more competitive for
ACC to carefully price its product and at the same time satisfy its dealers
and customers.
 Players such as Jaypee Cement, Prism Cement, and Birla Samrat are eating
up considerable market share.
 Due to India‟s exponential growth many new international cement
companies are expected in coming years which will bring a tide of change
and can start price war.
 The emergence of small players in this market may increase the competition
and Start the malpractices, and heavy discounts to retailers.
They can also influence many retailers by giving better profit margin, and
Other Benefits.

44
 INTRODUCTION OF TOPIC

CONSUMER BUYING BEHAVIOR &THEIR PERCEPTION WHILE

CHOOSING SPECIFIC BRAND OF CEMENT
Perception
Perception is the most important cognitive process. Cognition is basically a
bit to information & cognitive process involve the ways in which people process
that information.
People after see the same phenomenon differently both within the
organization context or outside the organization for example when there is any
accident in the factory, the supervisor may treat it as the carelessness of workers
while the workers may treat it as the high headedness of management and lack of
adequate provisions of security measures. Thus the situation remaining the same,
causes have been assigned differently by different group of person.

WHAT IS PERCEPTION?
According to Robbins “Perception may be defined as a process by which
individual organize and interpret their sensory in order to give meaning to their
environment.”
Perception is cognitive process, which involves the (organization) selecting,
organizing & interpreting the stimulus or attaching meaning to the events
happening in the environment.
Sensation and Perception
Sensation may be described as the response of a physical sensory organ. The
physical senses are vision, learning, touch, small on taste.

45
 Perception is something more than sensation. It correlates, integrates and
comprehends diverse sensations and information from many organs of the body by
means of which a person identifies things and objects.

Features of perception

It is intellectual process: - Through which a person selects the data from

environments, organize it & obtains meaning from it.
Perception is basic cognition or psychological process: -
The manner in which a person perceives the environments affects his behavior.
It is a physical as well as psychological process: -
In which people‟s action, emotions, thoughts or feelings are triggered by the
perception of their surroundings.
It is a subjective process: - Different people may perceive the same environmental
events differently base on what particular aspects of situations they choose to
absorb, how they organize this information and the manner in which they interpret
it to obtain the group of situations.
Perceptual process
Perceptual Process has two methods:
1. SIMPLIFIED PROCESS OF PERCEPTION
2. COMPLEX PROCESS OF PERCEPTION

SIMPLIFIED PROCESS

It consisting of several simple process. We can take an input through put – output
approach to understand the dynamics of Perceptual Process.

46
 Perceptual Perceptual through puts Perceptual
Input Output‟s
Stimuli Receiving ----Selecting---Organizing--- Actions
Interpreting
COMPLEX PROCESS
Then approach emphasize that there is impact which is processed and gives
outputs. It does not present the whole factors, which go in Input, Throughput and
Output process.

Characteristic of
Input or Stimuli

Perceptual Input Perceptual Mechanism Perceptual Output

Objects Selection interpretation Attitudes Beha
Events Opinions vior
People Organizing Feelings
Values

Characteristic of the Characteristic of

situations the Percives

PERCEPTUAL PROCESS

Perception is a process consisting of several sub process. We can take an input –

throughput – output approach to understand the dynamics of the perceptual
process. This approach emphasis that there is input which is processed and gives
output.
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(A) PERCEPTUAL INPUTS: -
Perceptual inputs in the form of stimuli are not the part of actual perceptual process
through these is necessary for the occurrence of perception. Stimuli may be in the
form of objects, events or people. Then, everything in the setting where events
occur can be termed as a perceptual input..
(B) PERCEPTUAL MECHANISM:-
Perceptual mechanism involves three elements – selection of stimuli, organization
of stimuli and interpretation of stimuli.
Selection of stimuli: - After receiving the stimuli from the environment, some are
selected for further processing while others are screamed out because it is not
possible for a person to select all stimuli which he sees in the environment.
Organization of output: - After the stimuli are received, these are organized in
some form in order to make sense out of that. The various forms of organizing
stimuli are figure ground perceptual grouping, simplification and closure.
Interpretation of stimuli: - After the perceptual input that have organized will have
to be interpreted by the receiver so that he can sense and extract some meaning of
what is going on in the situation.

Perceptual Output
Based on perceptual mechanism, which ends with interpretation of stimuli,
perceptual outputs emerge. Those output may be inform of covert actions like
development of attitudes, opinions, beliefs, impression about the stimuli under
consideration.

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COMPONENTS OF PERCEPTION

Perception is a process of sensory organs. The mind gets information through the
five sense organs, viz. the eyes, ears, nose, tongue and skin. The perception starts
with awareness of these stimuli recognizing these stimuli takes place only after
paying attention to them. These messages are then translated into action and
behavior. The major components of perception are:
STIMULI: The receipt of information is the stimulus which results in sensation.
Knowledge and behavior depends on senses and their stimulation
ATTENTION: Stimuli are selectively attended to by people. Some of the stimuli
are reacted to while others are ignored without being paying any attention. The
stimuli that are paid attention depend purely on the people‟s selection capacity and
the intensity of stimuli.
RECOGNITION: After paying attention to the stimuli, the person try to
recognize whether the stimuli are worth realizing. The message or incoming
stimuli are recognized before they are transmitted into behavior.
TRANSLATION: The stimuli are evaluated before being converted into action or
behaviour. The evaluation process is transmission. The perception process is
purely mental before it is converted into action. The conversion is translation.
BEHAVIOUR : Behavior is the outcome of the cognitive process. It is a response
to change in sensory inputs i.e. stimuli. It is an overt and covert response.
Perceptual behavior is not influenced by reality, but is a result of the perception
process of the individual, his learning and personality, environmental factors and
other internal and external factors at work place.
PERFORMANCE: Proper behavior leads to higher performance. Higher
performance becomes a source of stimuli and motivation to other employees. A
performance – reward relationship is established to motivate people.
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SATISFACTION: Higher performance gives more satisfaction. The level of
satisfaction is calculated with the difference and expectation. It is essential to
understand factors that influence the perceptual process and mould employees
behaviour towards the corporate objectives and self satisfaction.

CUSTOMER PERCEPTION ABOUT CEMENT PURCHASING

Individual act and react on the basis of their perception, not on the basis of
objective reality. For each individual, reality is a totally personal phenomenon,
based on that person‟s needs, wants, values and personal experiences.
Thus, to marketer, consumer‟s perceptions are much more important than
their knowledge of objective reality. For if one thinks about it, it‟s not what
actually so is, but what consumer thinks is so, that affects their actions, their
buying habits, their leisure habits, and so forth. And, because individuals make
decisions and take action based on what they perceive to be reality, it is important
that marketers understand the whole notion of perception and its related concepts
to more readily determine what factors influences customers to buy.
Knowledge of the principles that influence our perception and in
interpretation of the world enables astute marketers to develop advertisements that
have a better-than-average chance of being seen and remembered by their target
consumers.
PURCHASING DECISION
In the evaluation stage, the consumer forms preferences among the brands in the
choice set. However, two factors can intervene between the purchase intentions on
the purchase decision.
The first factor is the attitudes of others. The extent to which another person‟s
attitudes reduce one‟s preferred alternative depends on two things:-
50
The intensity of the other person‟s negative attitude towards the consumer‟s
preferred alternative.
The consumer‟s motivation to comply with the other person wishes.
The second factor is unanticipated situational factor that may erupt to change the
purchase intention.
In executing a purchase intention, the consumer may make up to five purchase sub
decisions a brand decision (brand A), vendor decision (dealer 2), quantity decision
cone computer, timing decision (weakened) and payment method decision credit
card.
POST PURCHASE BEHAVIOR: -
After purchase the product, the consumer will experience some level of
satisfaction or dissatisfaction. The marketer‟s job does not end when the product is
bought.
POST PURCHASE SATISFACTION: -
The buyer‟s satisfaction is a function of closeness between the buyer‟s
expectations on the products perceived performance.

POST PURCHASE ACTIONS: -

The consumer‟s satisfaction or dissatisfaction with the product will influence
subsequent behavior.

CONSUMER BUYING BEHAVIOUR

Consumer buying behavior is the study of when, why, how, and where people do
or do not buy Product, It blends elements from psychology, sociology, social
anthropology and economics. It attempts to understand the buyer decision making
process, both individually and in groups. It studies characteristics of individual

51
consumers such as demographics and behavioural variables in an attempt to
understand people's wants. It also tries to assess influences on the consumer from
groups such as family, friends, reference groups, and society in general.

Customer behaviour study is based on consumer buying behaviour, with the

customer playing the three distinct roles of user, payer and buyer. Relationship
marketing is an influential asset for customer behaviour analysis as it has a keen
interest in the re-discovery of the true meaning of marketing through the re-
affirmation of the importance of the customer or buyer. A greater importance is
also placed on consumer retention, customer relationship management,
personalisation, customisation and one-to-one marketing. Social functions can be
categorized into social choice and welfare functions.

Each method for vote counting is assumed as a social function but if Arrow‟s
possibility theorem is used for a social function, social welfare function is
achieved. Some specifications of the social functions are decisiveness, neutrality,
anonymity, monotonocity, unanimity, homogeneity and weak and strong Pareto
optimality. No social choice function meets these requirements in an ordinal scale
simultaneously. The most important characteristic of a social function is
identification of the interactive effect of alternatives and creating a logical relation
with the ranks. Marketing provides services in order to satisfy customers. With that
in mind, the productive system is considered from its beginning at the production
level, to the end of the cycle, the consumer (Kioumarsi et al., 2009).

Belch and Belch define consumer behaviour as 'the process and activities people
engage in when searching for, selecting, purchasing, using, evaluating, and
disposing of products and services so as to satisfy their needs and desires'.'

52
BLACK BOX MODEL

ENVIRONMENTAL BUYER'S BLACK BOX BUYER'S

FACTORS RESPONSE
Marketing Environmental Buyer Decision
Stimuli Stimuli Characteristics Process
Product Economic Attitudes Problem Product
Price Technological Motivation recognition choice
Place Political Perceptions Information Brand choice
Promotion Cultural Personality search Dealer choice
Demographic Lifestyle Alternative Purchase
Natural Knowledge evaluation timing
Purchase Purchase
decision amount
Post-
purchase
behaviour

53
The black box model shows the interaction of stimuli, consumer characteristics,
decision process and consumer responses. It can be distinguished between
interpersonal stimuli (between people) or intrapersonal stimuli (within people).
The black box model is related to the black box theory of behaviourism, where the
focus is not set on the processes inside a consumer, but the relation between the
stimuli and the response of the consumer. The marketing stimuli are planned and
processed by the companies, whereas the environmental stimulus is given by social
factors, based on the economical, political and cultural circumstances of a society.
The buyers black box contains the buyer characteristics and the decision process,
which determines the buyers response.

The black box model considers the buyers response as a result of a conscious,
rational decision process, in which it is assumed that the buyer has recognized the
problem. However, in reality many decisions are not made in awareness of a
determined problem by the consumer.

INFORMATION SEARCH

Once the consumer has recognized a problem, they search for information on
products and services that can solve that problem. Belch and Belch (2007) explain
that consumers undertake both an internal (memory) and an external search.

SOURCES OF INFORMATION INCLUDE:

 Personal sources
 Commercial sources
 Public sources
 Personal experience

54
The relevant internal psychological process that is associated with information
search is perception. Perception is defined as 'the process by which an individual
receives, selects, organizes, and interprets information to create a meaningful
picture of the world'

THE SELECTIVE PERCEPTION PROCESS

Stage Description

Selective exposure consumers select which promotional messages they will expose
themselves too.
Selective attention consumers select which promotional messages they will pay
attention too.
Selective comprehension consumer interprets messages in line with their beliefs,
attitudes, motives and experiences.
Selective retention consumers remember messages that are more meaningful or
important to them.

The implications of this process help develop an effective promotional strategy,

and select which sources of information are more effective for the brand.

INFORMATION EVALUATION

At this time the consumer compares the brands and products that are in their
evoked set. How can the marketing organization increase the likelihood that their
brand is part of the consumer's evoked (consideration) set? Consumers evaluate
alternatives in terms of the functional and psychological benefits that they offer.
The marketing organization needs to understand what benefits consumers are

55
seeking and therefore which attributes are most important in terms of making a
decision.

PURCHASE DECISION

Once the alternatives have been evaluated, the consumer is ready to make a
purchase decision. Sometimes purchase intention does not result in an actual
purchase. The marketing organization must facilitate the consumer to act on their
purchase intention. The organisation can use variety of techniques to achieve this.
The provision of credit or payment terms may encourage purchase, or a sales
promotion such as the opportunity to receive a premium or enter a competition
may provide an incentive to buy now. The relevant internal psychological process
that is associated with purchase decision is integration.Once the integration is
achieved; the organisation can influence the purchase decisions much more easily.

POSTPURCHASE EVALUATION

It is common for customers to experience concerns after making a purchase

decision. This arises from a concept that is known as “cognitive dissonance”. The
customer, having bought a product, may feel that an alternative would have been
preferable. In these circumstances that customer will not repurchase immediately,
but is likely to switch brands next time.

To manage the post-purchase stage, it is the job of the marketing team to persuade
the potential customer that the product will satisfy his or her needs. Then after
having made a purchase, the customer should be encouraged that he or she has
made the right decision. it is not effected by advertisement.

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INTERNAL INFLUENCES

Consumer behaviour is influenced by: demographics, psychographics (lifestyle),

personality, motivation, knowledge, attitudes, beliefs, and feelings. Consumer
behaviour concern with consumer need consumer actions in the direction of
satisfying needs leads to his behaviour of every individual depend on thinking
process.

EXTERNAL INFLUENCES

Consumer behaviour is influenced by: culture,sub-culture, locality, royalty,

ethnicity, family, social class, reference groups, lifestyle, and market mix factors.

FACTORS INFLUENCING THE BEHAVIOUR OF BUYERS.

Consumer behaviour is affected by many uncontrollable factors. Just think, what

influences you before you buy a product or service? Your friends, your upbringing,
your culture, the media, a role model or influences from certain groups?

Culture is one factor that influences behaviour. Simply culture is defined as our
attitudes and beliefs. But how are these attitudes and beliefs developed? As an
individual growing up, a child is influenced by their parents, brothers, sister and
other family member who may teach them what is wrong or right. They learn about
their religion and culture, which helps them develop these opinions, attitudes and
beliefs (AIO) . These factors will influence their purchase behaviour however other
factors like groups of friends, or people they look up to may influence their choices
of purchasing a particular product or service. Reference groups are particular
groups of people some people may look up towards to that have an impact on
consumer behaviour. So they can be simply a band like the Spice Girls or your

57
immediate family members. Opinion leaders are those people that you look up to
because your respect their views and judgements and these views may influence
consumer decisions. So it maybe a friend who works with the IT trade who may
influence your decision on what computer to buy. The economical environment
also has an impact on consumer behaviour; do consumers have a secure job and a
regular income to spend on goods? Marketing and advertising obviously influence
consumers in trying to evoke them to purchase a particular product or service.

People‟s social status will also impact their behaviour. What is their role within
society? Are they Actors? Doctors? Office worker ? and mothers and fathers also?
Clearly being parents affects your buying habits depending on the age of the
children, the type of job may mean you need to purchase formal clothes, the
income which is earned has an impact. The lifestyle of someone who earns
£250000 would clearly be different from someone who earns £25000. Also
characters have an influence on buying decision. Whether the person is extrovert
(outgoing and spends on entertainment) or introvert (keeps to themselves and
purchases via online or mail order) again has an impact on the types of purchases
made.

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TYPES OF BUYING BEHAVIOUR.

There are four typical types of buying behaviour based on the type of products that
intends to be purchased. Complex buying behaviour is where the individual
purchases a high value brand and seeks a lot of information before the purchase is
made. Habitual buying behaviour is where the individual buys a product out of
habit e.g. a daily newspaper, sugar or salt. Variety seeking buying behaviour is
where the individual likes to shop around and experiment with different products.
So an individual may shop around for different breakfast cereals because he/she
wants variety in the mornings! Dissonance reducing buying behaviour is when
buyer is highly involved with the purchase of the product, because the purchase is
expensive or infrequent. There is little difference between existing brands an
example would be buying a diamond ring, there is perceived little difference
between existing diamond brand manufacturers.

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 NEED OF THE STUDY

1. To know the general opinion of the customers about the ACC cements.
2. To know the opinion of the customers about the customer service rendered
by agencies.
3. To know the effectiveness of the service provided by the ACC in
comparison with other Brand.
4. To know whether the service provided by the agency is satisfactory or not.
5. To know whether the service provided by the ACC is improving in the
recent years.

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 SCOPE OF THE STUDY

The scope of this report is restricted to the study of consumer Buying

behaviour and Perception regarding marketing of ACC Cement in Dhanbad City.

This report includes the efforts that have been taken up by the
“ASSOCIATED CEMENT COMPANIES LIMITED” to improve the quality and
sales and also the efforts that have been taken up by ACC DHANBAD” to increase
the sales of ACC cement in Dhanbad city.

61
 LIMITATION OF THE STUDY

1. Study conductive was not exhaustive but time & place was a major
constraint.
.
2. It is assumed that information given by respondent is authentic and to the
best of their knowledge.

3. People approached were busy due to work overload, lack of time or market
tension. Sometime these were lack of cooperation from this side and thus
kept away from filling of questionnaire.

4. The study was conducted in Dhanbad city hence the result does not represent
the whole state and does leads toward inductive generalization.

5. Data collection was based on survey so it has certain % of error as

respondent might have replied on biased manner.

62
 CHAPTER 2

LITERATURE REVIEW

63
LITERATURE REVIEW ON CONSUMER BUYING BEHAVIOR & THEIR
PERCEPTION WHILE CHOSING SPECIFIC BRAND OF CEMENT

CONSUMER BUYING BEHAVIOR

Personality characteristics impact consumer behavior because they shape the way
in which consumers respond to messages at a given time. This response changes
minute to minute based upon the unique characteristics of the target consumer and
their ongoing life experience. The online environment presents a vast opportunity
for companies to interact with consumers on a personal, customized level.
Individual differences are an important aspect of this interaction as they provide
insight into how people with varying levels of experience with the online
environment respond to interactive persuasion techniques. Fries tad and Wright
(1994), in their presentation of the PKM, posit that the effectiveness of advertising
persuasion techniques depends upon the level of persuasion expertise each
individual possesses. In an online environment, measurement of this effect can be
achieved by looking at user experience levels, self efficacy, and number of hours
spent online. General knowledge gleaned from the PKM dictates that consumers
with more experience in the online environment will be better at coping with
persuasion techniques therein, such as open, visually rhetorical advertisements.

An individual's need for cognition refers to their

motivation to engage in meaningful cognitive thought or
undertaking. A consumer's need for cognition will impact

64
their ability to deal with tasks and social settings, such as responding to advertising
messages or calls to action. This applies directly to the concept of open, visually
rhetorical advertising because such messages require a higher cognitive processing
load to be understood and learned. Although need for cognition was not found to
impact interpretations of open advertisements in the 2004 Ketelaar et al. study, it is
still an interesting variable that can be effectively measured and manipulated for
this type of research endeavor. (Ketelaar et al., 2004) Additionally, cognitive
response, and the need therein serve an important part in the development of brand
attitudes within a target consumer. This concept was elaborated upon by McGinnis
and Jaworski (1989) in their seminal piece regarding information processing in
advertising: "Cognitive and emotional responses related to imagined product
consumption experiences are the strongest determinants of brand attitude."
(MacInnis & Jaworski, 1989)

As shown, need for cognition is linked to the development of brand attitude in

consumers. When examined in terms of its relationship to time spent processing
online, visually rhetorical advertising, need for cognition could prove to be an
interesting differentiator within the sample group. In addition to need for cognition,
an internal motivation toward the product being advertised should be apparent
within driven consumers. This motivation helps push the consumer toward
unraveling the visual riddle presented in an open advertisement.

Type of motivation, either utilitarian ("goal-oriented"•) or hedonic

("expressive"•), is a diverse and interesting factor to analyze across consumer
groups. As shown in research undertaken by Phillips (2000), consumers with
utilitarian, goal-oriented motivations are keen on evaluating product attributes and
65
therefore less likely to be attracted to open advertisements. Consumers with
hedonic or "expressive" goals are more likely to seek out the entertainment value
in the open advertisement. (Phillips, 2000) To further support this stance, Huang
(2003), in his online study of websites, found that level of attention in consumers is
most linked to utilitarian design while both control and interest are linked to
hedonic performance measures. Liu, et al (2002), based on their online research,
concluded that higher levels of active control within consumers resulted in being
geared towards more utilitarian, goal-based website designs. As shown in these
studies, motivation is an individual difference worth characterizing. Type of
consumer motivation is extremely important when analyzing online consumer
behavior as it helps categorize amongst user groups, across sites. In past studies,
level of interactivity has also had an impact on type of motivation and need for
cognition. The following section will review this important research area.

PERCEPTION

In philosophy, psychology, and cognitive science, perception is the process of

attaining awareness or understanding of sensory information. The word
"perception" comes from the Latin words perceptio, percipio, and means
"receiving, collecting, action of taking possession, apprehension with the mind or
senses.

Perception is one of the oldest fields in psychology. The oldest quantitative law in
psychology is the Weber-Fechner law, which quantifies the relationship between
the intensity of physical stimuli and their perceptual effects. The study of
perception gave rise to the Gestalt school of psychology, with its emphasis on
holistic approach.
66
What one perceives is a result of interplays between past experiences, including
one‟s culture, and the interpretation of the perceived. If the percept does not have
support in any of these perceptual bases it is unlikely to rise above perceptual
threshold.

TYPES

Two types of consciousness are considerable regarding perception: phenomenal

(any occurrence that is observable and physical) and psychological. The difference
everybody can demonstrate to him- or herself is by the simple opening and closing
of his or her eyes: phenomenal consciousness is thought, on average, to be
predominately absent without sight. Through the full or rich sensations present in
sight, nothing by comparison is present while the eyes are closed. Using this
precept, it is understood that, in the vast majority of cases, logical solutions are
reached through simple human sensation. The analogy of Plato's Cave was coined
to express these ideas.

Passive perception (conceived by René Descartes) can be surmised as the

following sequence of events: surrounding → input (senses) → processing (brain)
→ output (re-action). Although still supported by mainstream philosophers,
psychologists and neurologists, this theory is nowadays losing momentum. The
theory of active perception has emerged from extensive research of sensory
illusions, most notably the works of Richard L. Gregory. This theory, which is
increasingly gaining experimental support, can be surmised as dynamic
relationship between "description" (in the brain) ↔ senses ↔ surrounding, all of
which holds true to the linear concept of experience.

67
PERCEPTION AND REALITY

In the case of visual perception, some people can actually see the percept shift in
their mind's eye. Others, who are not picture thinkers, may not necessarily perceive
the 'shape-shifting' as their world changes. The 'esemplastic' nature has been shown
by experiment: an ambiguous image has multiple interpretations on the perceptual
level. The question, "Is the glass half empty or half full?" serves to demonstrate the
way an object can be perceived in different ways.

Just as one object can give rise to multiple percepts, so an object may fail to give
rise to any percept at all: if the percept has no grounding in a person's experience,
the person may literally not perceive it.

The processes of perception routinely alter what humans see. When people view
something with a preconceived concept about it, they tend to take those concepts
and see them whether or not they are there. This problem stems from the fact that
humans are unable to understand new information, without the inherent bias of
their previous knowledge. A person‟s knowledge creates his or her reality as much
as the truth, because the human mind can only contemplate that to which it has
been exposed. When objects are viewed without understanding, the mind will try
to reach for something that it already recognizes, in order to process what it is
viewing. That which most closely relates to the unfamiliar from our past
experiences, makes up what we see when we look at things that we don‟t
comprehend.

This confusing ambiguity of perception is exploited in human technologies such as

camouflage, and also in biological mimicry, for example by European Peacock
butterflies, whose wings bear eye markings that birds respond to as though they

68
were the eyes of a dangerous predator. Perceptual ambiguity is not restricted to
vision. For example, recent touch perception research Robles-De-La-Torre &
Hayward 2001 found that kinesthesia based haptic perception strongly relies on the
forces experienced during touch.

Cognitive theories of perception assume there is a poverty of stimulus. This (with

reference to perception) is the claim that sensations are, by themselves, unable to
provide a unique description of the world. Sensations require 'enriching', which is
the role of the mental model. A different type of theory is the perceptual ecology
approach of James J. Gibson. Gibson rejected the assumption of a poverty of
stimulus by rejecting the notion that perception is based in sensations. Instead, he
investigated what information is actually presented to the perceptual systems. He
and the psychologists who work within this paradigm detailed how the world could
be specified to a mobile, exploring organism via the lawful projection of
information about the world into energy arrays. Specification is a 1:1 mapping of
some aspect of the world into a perceptual array; given such a mapping, no
enrichment is required and perception is direct perception.

Preconceptions can influence how the world is perceived. For example, one classic
psychological experiment showed slower reaction times and less accurate answers
when a deck of playing cards reversed the color of the suit symbol for some cards
(e.g. red spades and black hearts).

There is also evidence that the brain in some ways operates on a slight "delay", to
allow nerve impulses from distant parts of the body to be integrated into
simultaneous signals.

69
 THE ROLE OF RISK IN CONSUMER BEHAVIOR
 James W. Taylor
 The Journal of Marketing, Vol. 38, No. 2 (Apr., 1974), pp. 54-60
(article consists of 7 pages)
 Published by: American Marketing Association
 Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/1250198
ABSTRACT
It was once said that there is nothing so useful as a theory that works.
Understanding the role of risk in consumer behavior may provide the basis for
combining consumer behavior theory with marketing management action.

THE ROLE OF BEHAVIORAL MIND-SETS IN GOAL-DIRECTED

ACTIVITY: CONCEPTUAL UNDERPINNINGS AND EMPIRICAL
EVIDENCE

Journal of Consumer Psychology, Volume 20, Issue 2, April 2010, Pages 107-125
Robert S. Wyer Jr and Alison Jing Xu

ABSTRACT
The cognitive and motor behavior that people perform in the course of pursuing a
goal can induce a mind-set that persists to influence the strategy they use to attain
very different goals in unrelated situations. Although the strategies governed by a
mind-set are typically applied consciously and deliberately, they are performed
without awareness of the reasons for their selection. Research in both social
psychology and consumer behavior exemplifies the impact of mind-sets on
comprehension, judgments, and decision making, thus providing evidence of the
scope and diversity of their effects.

70
STRUCTURAL COMPARISON AND CONSUMER CHOICE

Journal of Consumer Psychology, Volume 20, Issue 2, April 2010, Pages 126-137
Arthur B. Markman and Jeffrey Loewenstein

ABSTRACT
Psychological research has demonstrated important parallels between the structural
alignment process involved in judgments of similarity and the processes that are
involved in analogical reasoning. Gradually, this work on comparisons was applied
to consumer choice. In this paper, we review the influence of structural alignment
on choices among a set of options. Then, we discuss extensions of this work to
comparative advertising and to the role of analogy in marketing communication.
Finally, we discuss important extensions to structural alignment suggested by this
work such as the key role that affect plays in comparisons made during the choice
process.

PROCESSING PRODUCT UNIQUE FEATURES: ALIGNABILITY AND

INVOLVEMENT IN PREFERENCE CONSTRUCTION
Journal of Consumer Psychology, Volume 11, Issue 1,2001, Pages 13-27
Shi Zhang, Arthur B. Markman

ABSTRACT
Consumers often form preferences based on the presented attributes of choice
options. Previous research has suggested that consumers tend to form their
preferences using the attributes that are related to common aspects between the
options (i.e., alignable differences) and ignore attributes that are unique to
individual options (i.e., nonalignable differences). We combine cognitive

71
psychology and motivation research from social psychology and propose that
consumers‟ preference formation can be systematically affected by whether they
focus more on alignable differences or more on nonalignable differences of the
options as a function of consumers‟ involvement with the task. The results of 3
experiments show that preference judgment favors alignable differences over
nonalignable differences in a low-motivation condition. In contrast, high
motivation to process information enables consumers to increase their use of
nonalignable differences in preference formation, which can result in a preference
reversal relative to the low-motivation condition. The results suggest that a
preference reversal occurs when the nonalignable differences of the target option
are superior to both the nonalignable differences and the alignable differences of
the reference option. However, the reversal does not occur when the nonalignable
differences of the target option are superior only to the nonalignable differences of
the reference option. Theoretical and managerial implications relating to
differentiation, positioning, and communication strategies for innovative brands
are discussed.

SPLITTING THE DIFFERENCES: A STRUCTURAL ALIGNMENT VIEW

OF SIMILARITY
Journal of Memory and Language, Volume 32, Issue 4,August 1993, Pages 517-
535
Markman A. B., Gentner D.

ABSTRACT
The similarity of a pair increases with its commonalities and decreases with its
differences (Tversky, 1977,Psychological Review, 79(4), 281-299). This research
addresses how the commonalities and differences of a pair are determined. We
72
propose that comparisons are carried out by an alignment of conceptual structures.
This view suggests that beyond the commonality-difference distinction, there is a
further distinction between differences related to the common structure (alignable
differences), and differences unrelated to the common structure (nonalignable
differences). In two experiments, subjects were asked to list commonalities and
differences of word pairs and/or to rate the similarity of these pairs. Three
predictions for this task follow from the structural alignment view: (1) pairs with
many commonalities should also have many alignable differences, (2)
commonalities and alignable differences should tend to be conceptually related,
and (3) alignable differences should outnumber nonalignable differences. The data
support the structural alignment proposal. The implications of these findings for
theories of similarity and of cognitive processes that involve similarity are
discussed.

TRANSFORMATION AND ALIGNMENT IN SIMILARITY

Cognition, Volume 113, Issue 1, October 2009, Pages 62-79
Carl J. Hodgetts, Ulrike Hahn, Nick Chater

ABSTRACT
This paper contrasts two structural accounts of psychological similarity: structural
alignment (SA) and Representational Distortion (RD). SA proposes that similarity
is determined by how readily the structures of two objects can be brought into
alignment; RD measures similarity by the complexity of the transformation that
“distorts” one representation into the other. We assess RD by defining a simple
coding scheme of psychological transformations for the experimental materials. In
two experiments, this “concrete” version of RD provides compelling fits of the
data and compares favourably with SA. Finally, stepping back from particular
73
models, we argue that perceptual theory suggests that transformations and
alignment processes should generally be viewed as complementary, in contrast to
the current distinction in the literature.
COMPARISON IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF CATEGORIES
Cognitive Development, Volume 14, Issue 4, October-December 1999, Pages 487-
513
Dedre Gentner, Laura L. Namy

ABSTRACT
Recent research on children's word learning has led to a paradox. Although word
learning appears to be a deep source of insight into conceptual knowledge for
children, preschoolers often categorize objects on the basis of shallow perceptual
features such as shape. The current studies seek to resolve this discrepancy. We
suggest that comparing multiple instances of a category enables children to extract
deeper relational commonalities among category members. We examine 4-year-
olds' categorization behaviors when asked to select a match for a target object (e.g.,
an apple) between a perceptually similar, out-of-kind object (e.g., a balloon) and a
perceptually different category match (e.g., a banana). Children who learn a novel
word as a label for multiple instances of the category are more likely to select the
category match over the perceptual match. Children who learn a label for only one
instance are equally likely to select either alternative. This effect is present even
when individual target instances are more perceptually similar to the perceptual
choice than to the category choice. We conclude that structural alignment
processes may be important in the development of category understanding.

74
SIMILARITY AND THE DEVELOPMENT OF RULES
Cognition, Volume 65, Issues 2-3, January 1998, Pages 263-297
Dedre Gentner, José Medina
ABSTRACT
Similarity-based and rule-based accounts of cognition are often portrayed as
opposing accounts. In this paper we suggest that in learning and development,
theprocess of comparison can act as a bridge between similarity-based and rule-
based processing. We suggest that comparison involves a process of structural
alignment and mapping between two representations. This kind of structure-
sensitive comparison process – which may be triggred either by experiential or
symbolic juxtapositions – has a twofold significance for cognitive development.
First, as a learning mechanism, comparison facilitates the grasp of structural
commonalities and the abstraction of rules; and, second, as a mechanism for the
application and extension of previously acquired knowledge, comparison processes
facilitate the application of abstract knowledge to new instances.

STRUCTURAL COMPARISON AND

CONSUMER CHOICE
Journal of Consumer Psychology, Volume
20, Issue 2, April 2010, Pages 126-137
Arthur B. Markman, Jeffrey Loewenstein

ABSTRACT
Psychological research has demonstrated important parallels between the structural
alignment process involved in judgments of similarity and the processes that are
involved in analogical reasoning. Gradually, this work on comparisons was applied

75
to consumer choice. In this paper, we review the influence of structural alignment
on choices among a set of options. Then, we discuss extensions of this work to
comparative advertising and to the role of analogy in marketing communication.
Finally, we discuss important extensions to structural alignment suggested by this
work such as the key role that affect plays in comparisons made during the choice
process.

How successful would a phone-pillow be: Using dual process theory to predict
the success of hybrids involving dissimilar products
Journal of Consumer Psychology, Volume 19, Issue 4, October 2009, Pages
652-660
Michael Gibbert, David Mazursky

ABSTRACT
Drawing on dual process theory from psycholinguistics, results reveal that, in order
for respondents to develop preferences for hybrids from dissimilar categories the
products underlying the hybrid need to be structurally aligned based on links
between individual functions, and that these links also need to be situated in
concrete consumer goals (study 1). In addition, it was found that category
similarity interacts with these two factors (study 2). Specifically, prompting the
potential consumer to think about structural alignment and consumer goals
increased the success of hybrids made up of dissimilar products, but decreased the
success of hybrids involving similar products.

76
PROPORTIONAL REASONING AS A HEURISTIC-BASED PROCESS:
TIME CONSTRAINT AND DUAL TASK CONSIDERATIONS
Experimental Psychology, Volume 56, Issue 2, 2009, Pages 92-99
Ellen Gillard, Wim Van Dooren, Walter Schaeken, Lieven Verschaffel

ABSTRACT
The present study interprets the overuse of proportional solution methods from a
dual process framework. Dual process theories claim that analytic operations
involve time-consuming executive processing, whereas heuristic operations are fast
and automatic. In two experiments to test whether proportional reasoning is
heuristic-based, the participants solved “proportional” problems, for which
proportional solution methods provide correct answers, and “nonproportional”
problems known to elicit incorrect answers based on the assumption of
proportionality. In Experiment 1, the available solution time was restricted. In
Experiment 2, the executive resources were burdened with a secondary task. Both
manipulations induced an increase in proportional answers and a decrease in
correct answers to nonproportional problems. These results support the hypothesis
that the choice for proportional methods is heuristic-based.
.

77
RECOLLECTION AND FAMILIARITY IN RECOGNITION MEMORY:
EVIDENCE FROM ROC CURVES
Journal of Memory and Language, Volume 55, Issue 4,November 2006, Pages
495-514
Andrew Heathcote, Frances Raymond, John Dunn

ABSTRACT
Does recognition memory rely on discrete recollection, continuous evidence, or
both? Is continuous evidence sensitive to only the recency and duration of study
(familiarity), or is it also sensitive to details of the study episode? Dual process
theories assume recognition is based on recollection and familiarity, with only
recollection providing knowledge about study details. Single process theories
assume a single continuous evidence dimension that can provide information about
familiarity and details. We replicated list (Yonelinas, 1994) and plural (Rotello,
Macmillan, & Van Tassel, 2000) discrimination experiments requiring knowledge
of details to discriminate targets from similar non-targets. We also ran modified
versions of these experiments aiming to increase recollection by removing non-
targets that could be discriminated by familiarity alone. Single process models
provided the best trade-off between goodness-of-fit and model complexity and
dual process models were able to account for the data only when they incorporated
continuous evidence sensitive to details.

78
INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES IN THE PERCEPTION OF SIMILARITY
AND DIFFERENCE
Cognition, Volume 108, Issue 3, September 2008, Pages 781-795
Sabrina Simmons, Zachary Estes

ABSTRACT
Thematically related concepts like coffee and milk are judged to be more similar
than thematically unrelated concepts like coffee and lemonade. We investigated
whether thematic relations exert a small effect that occurs consistently across
participants (i.e., a generalized model), or a large effect that occurs inconsistently
across participants (i.e., an individualized model). We also examined whether
difference judgments mirrored similarity or whether these judgments were, in fact,
non-inverse. Five studies demonstrated the necessity of an individualized model
for both perceived similarity and difference, and additionally provided evidence
that thematic relations affect similarity more than difference. Results suggest that
models of similarity and difference must be attuned to large and consistent
individual variability in the weighting of thematic relations.

STIMULUS COMPETITION IN PRE/POST AND ONLINE RATINGS IN

AN EVALUATIVE LEARNING DESIGN
Learning and Motivation, Volume 41, Issue 2, May 2010,Pages 84-94
Helena M. Purkis, Ottmar V. Lipp

Abstract
Evaluative learning is said to differ from Pavlovian associative learning in that it
reflects stimulus contiguity, not contingency. Thus, evaluative learning should not
be subject to stimulus competition, a proposal tested in the current experiments.
79
Participants were presented in elemental and compound training phases with
pictures of shapes as CSs. Each shape/pair of shapes was followed by a picture of a
happy or an angry face as the US. In Experiments 1 and 2, evaluative ratings were
collected before and after the experiment, and, in Experiment 3, participants
provided evaluations online. Stimulus competition was evident in all experiments
confirming that evaluative learning is sensitive to stimulus contingencies.

ATTRIBUTIVE AND RELATIONAL PROCESSES IN NOMINAL

COMBINATION
Journal of Memory and Language, Volume 48, Issue 2,February 2003, Pages 304-
319
Zachary Estes
ABSTRACT
The dual process theory of nominal (noun–noun) combination posits a relational
process, in which a relation between concepts is inferred, as well as an attributive
process, in which a property of one concept is attributed to another. According to
dual process theory, these attributive and relational processes occur in parallel. A
relational theory claims instead that attributive and relational comprehension result
from the same process, and assumes that relational comprehension will occur
serially prior to attributive comprehension. Experiment 1 used a priming paradigm
to test whether the relational and attributive processes occur serially or in parallel.
Target combinations were more likely to be comprehended, and were
comprehended more quickly, when preceded by a prime combination that used the
same attribution or relation than when preceded by a prime combination that did
not engage the same attributive or relational process. Critically, the patterns of
facilitation and interference were virtually identical across the attributive and
relational target-types, suggesting that the processes occur in parallel. Experiment
80
2 showed that particular attributes and relations were primed, rather than the
attributive or the relational process more generally. Results of both experiments
supported the dual process theory. The emergence of a general model of nominal
combination is discussed.

Portland cement-fly ash-silica fume systems in concrete

Advanced Cement Based Materials, Volume 1, Issue 2, December 1993, Pages
83-91
Sandor Popovics

ABSTRACT
Laboratory flow, strength, and ultrasonic pulse velocity tests were performed on
mortars made with 70% (by weight) of Portland cement and 30% of pozzolanic
materials where the pozzolanic materials consisted of various combinations of fly
ash and silica fume. In addition to these ternary systems, binary blends, such as
Portland cement and fly ash, and Portland cement and silica fume, along with
100% Portland cement mortars, were investigated for comparison. The purpose of
the investigation, preliminary in nature, was to see under what circumstances, if
any, would be a synergistic action when a ternary system of Portland cement-fly
ash-silica fume is used in a mortar or concrete.
Mortars were made with two cements of type I and two cements of type III along
with class F and class C fly ashes. One silica fume was used. Standard flow tests
were performed on the fresh mortars, and compressive strength as well as
ultrasonic pulse velocity tests were performed with each hardened mortar at
various ages up to 28 days. It is expected that the results and conclusions obtained
here on mortars will be transferable to concretes.

81
There are several novel, or at least lesser known, results of the investigation. For
instance, a new explanation is offered for the plasticizing effect of fly ash which is
based on the optimum particle-size distribution concept. Another such result is that
ground fly ash produced greater flow increases with type I cement than with type
III. A third finding is that the super plasticizer is more effective in increasing the
flow as well as strength when the mortars contain fly ash and/or silica fume than in
the case of mortars without mineral admixture. Also, it appears that when type
I cement is used, the silica fume in the quantity of 5% of the weight of
the cement produces relatively greater strength increase in the presence of fly ash
than without fly ash.
These promising results are preliminary in nature. Therefore, further research is
justified with ternary systems in concrete. The presented work is a portion of a
larger investigation.

The effect of pozzolans and slag on the expansion of mortars cured at elevated
temperature: Part I: Expansive behaviour
Cement and Concrete Research, Volume 33, Issue 6, June 2003, Pages 807-814
T. Ramlochan, P. Zacarias, M. D. A. Thomas, R. D. Hooton

ABSTRACT
The expansive behaviour of heat-cured mortars containing pozzolans and slag was
investigated. In most cases, the addition of any amount of these materials to the
mixture typically reduced the long-term expansion, slowed the rate of expansion,
and delayed the onset of expansion. However, the efficacy of a particular pozzolan
or slag in controlling expansion may depend on its Al2O3 content. Met kaolin,
which contains a high amount of reactive Al2O3, was the most effective at
controlling expansion at relatively low cement replacement levels. Slag and fly
82
ash, which are also sources of Al2O3, were also effective at suppressing expansion
at higher replacement levels. Silica fume was less effective at controlling
expansion at conventional replacement levels, and even at higher replacement
levels expansion may only be delayed.

Effect of silica fume and fly ash on heat of hydration of Portland cement
Cement and Concrete Research, Volume 32, Issue 7, July 2002, Pages 1045-1051
B. W. Langan, K. Weng, M. A. Ward
ABSTRACT
Results of calorimeter tests on Portland cement–silica fume–fly ash mixtures are
presented. Data indicate that silica fume accelerates cement hydration at high
water/cementations ratios and retards hydration at low water/cementations ratios.
On the other hand, fly ash retards cement hydration more significantly at high
water/cementations ratios. When silica fume and fly ash are added together with
cement, the reactivity of the silica fume is hampered and the hydration of the
cementations system is significantly retarded.

83
CHAPTER 3

OBJECTIVES

84
 AIMS OF THE STUDY

1. To analyze the sales performance of Acc cement in General.

2. To analyze the sales performance of Cement by ACC DHANBAD.

3. To assess marketing strategy adopted by ACC DHANBAD.

4. To analyze the general problems in marketing of cements and specific problems

confronted by ACC DHANBAD.

5. To know consumer preference towards various brands of cement especially

towards ACC Cement.

6. To give specific suggestions for improvement of marketing strategy of ACC

DHANBAD.

7. To gain knowledge about cement industry in Dhanbad region.

8. To understand and observe the practical work in such a giant organization.

9. To study customer perception.

10. To research over customer perception about cement purchasing in Dhanbad

region.

11. To have the direct contact with the employees.

Here the study is important as it bridges down the gap between theoretical
knowledge & practical experience for a fieldwork.

85
 CHAPTER 4

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

86
 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
Methodology for the project can be understood the following heads:-

RESEARCH DESIGN: -
A research design is the basic plan that guides the collection, measurement and
analysis of data. Decision regarding what, when, where, how much and by what
means concerning a research study constitute a research design. In other words
research design is the framework the specifies the type of information to be
collected the source of data and the procedure of data collection.

TYPE OF RESEARCH: Researcher used Descriptive Research

SAMPLE DESIGN:-
A sample design is a definite plan for obtaining a sample from a given population.
It refers to the technique or procedure the research would adopt in selecting items
for the sample. Researcher must select / prepare a sample design that would be
reliable and appropriate for this research study.

TYPE OF UNIVERSE:-
The first step in developing the sample design is to clearly define the set of
objectives i.e. the universe. The universe in this project is all the population of
Dhanbad city was consider as universe.
 Sample Size: - It refers to deciding how many people to be surveyed during
the study. Researcher planned to serve 25 people of urban area and 25
people of rural area of Dhanbad city.

87
  Sample Unit: - It refers to taking decision that who is to be served, i.e. the
target population. During my study & survey customers of cement in urban
and rural area.

 Sampling Method: - It refers to deciding what how respondent be chosen.

In this research all the aspects of research.

 Random Sampling: - Random sampling from a finite population refers to

that method of sample selection which gives each possible sample
combination an equal probability of being picked up and each item in the
entire population to have an equal chance of being included in the sample.

DATA COLLECTION METHOD

In a real life problem it is often found that the data at hand is inadequate, hence it
become necessary to collect data that is appropriate. There are several ways of
collection data.

1. Primary Data: The primary data are those which are collected a fresh and for
the first time and thus happen to be original character.
* Primary data is collected through questionnaire. It is consider as a heart of
survey. It consists of a number of questions printed on typed in a definite order on
a form or set of forms. The respondent has to answer of their own.

2. Secondary Data: The secondary data are those which have already been
collected by someone close and which have already been passed through the
statistical process.
88
Concerned websites:
www.Mangalamcementltd.com
www.abc.org.uk
www.google.com
Library books
 Research methodology, C.R. Kothari
 Consumer Behavior
 Organization Behavior, L.M. Prasad

89
 CHAPTER 5
ANALYSIS
&
INTERPRETATION

90
 FREQUENCY TABLE, GRAPH & INTERPRETATION

Which brand of cement you have purchased?

TABLE-1

Frequency Percent
Acc 33 66.0
Lafarge 7 14.0
Utcl 9 18.0
Others 1 2.0
Total 50 100.0

which brand of cement you have purchased

40

30

20

10
Frequency

0
acc laf arge utcl others

which brand of cement you have purchased

INTERPRETATION

Among the total 50 respondents, 66% has been purchased ACC cement, 18%
UTCL, 14% LAFARGE & 2% of respondent has been purchased other brands of
cement.

91
 From where from do you buy normally cement?

TABLE-2

Frequency Percent
local supplier 27 54.0
company authorized dealer
1 2.0
exclusive dealer 1 2.0
dealer dealing with building
materials along with cement 21 42.0

Total 50 100.0

where from do you buy normally cement

30

20

10
Frequency

0
local supplier exclusive dealer
company authorized d dealer dealing w ith

where from do you buy normally cement

INTERPRETATION

Among the total 50 respondents 54% are normally purchasing cement from Local
supplier, 42% are purchasing from the Dealer who dealing with building material
along with cement, just 2 % of them are purchasing from Company authorized
dealer, and just 2% of them prefer to purchase from Exclusive dealer.

92
 Does Influencers play a vital role?

TABLE-3

Frequency Percent
yes 40 80.0
no 10 20.0
Total 50 100.0

influencers play a vital role?

50

40

30

20
Frequency

10

0
yes no

influencers play a vital role?

INTERPRETATION

Among the total 50 Respondents 80% of them say that Influencer plays a vital role
while choosing cement brand for purchase, however 20% of them are not agreed
that Influencer plays any role while choosing any cement brand.

93
 Whom do you consult for purchasing cement?
TABLE-4

Frequency Percent
Mason 28 56.0
Engineer 6 12.0
friends & relatives 14 28.0
a neighbor who has recently
constructed his house 2 4.0

Total 50 100.0

whome do you consult for purchasing cement

30

20

10
Frequency

0
mason f riends & relatives
engineer a neighbor w ho has r

whome do you consult for purchasing cement

INTERPREATATION

Among the total 50 Respondents, 56% of them consults Mason while purchasing
cement, 28% of them consults their Friends & Relatives,12 % of them purchase
after consulting Engineer /Architect/Cement dealer & the most surprising part in it
that only 2% of them consult their neighbor who recently constructed his house .

94
 Which brand of cement is best available in the market from the following?
TABLE-5

Frequency Percent
acc 39 78.0
utcl 9 18.0
others 2 4.0
Total 50 100.0

which brand of cement is best avilablein the market fro

50

40

30

20
Frequency

10

0
acc utcl others

which brand of cement is best avilablein the market from the following

INTERPRETATION

Among the total 50 Respondents, 78% says that ACC brand Cement is Best
available in the market, 18% of them are says UTCL is best available in market,
however only 4% says there are some other brand which is best available in
market.

95
 What comes to your mind when i say acc cement, choose one of the following?
TABLE-6

Frequency Percent
good brand name 29 58.0
affordable price 9 18.0
good quality product 9 18.0
all of the above 3 6.0
Total 50 100.0

what comes to your mind when i say acc cement, ch

40

30

20
Frequency

10

0
good brand name good quality product
af f ordable price all of the above

what comes to your mind when i say acc cement, choose one of the follow

INTERPRETATION

Among the total 50 Respondents, 58% says that whenever we hear ACC cement,
Good brand name comes to our mind, 18% says Affordable price, 18% say Good
quality product and only 6% says that those entire thing rang in our mind.

96
 Which cement company provides good logistics support from the following?
TABLE-7

Frequency Percent
Acc 38 76.0
Jaypee 2 4.0
Ambuja 3 6.0
Utcl 4 8.0
Lafarge 3 6.0
Total 50 100.0

which cement company provides good logistics suppor

50

40

30

20
Frequency

10

0
acc jaypee ambuja utcl laf arge

which cement company provides good logistics support from the followin

INTERPRETATION

Now almost every company is giving the logistic support, however among the total
50 Respondents, 76% said ACC gives good logistics support, 8% of them said that
UTCL provide good logistic support, 6% said that Ambuja is best in logistic
support and also 6% says that Lafarge cement provide best logistic support.

97
 Which cement company is known for its brand name in the market?
TABLE-8

Frequency Percent
Acc 45 90.0
Jaypee 1 2.0
Ambuja 1 2.0
Utcl 1 2.0
Others 2 4.0
Total 50 100.0

which cement company is known for its brand name in

50

40

30

20
Frequency

10

0
acc jaypee ambuja utcl others

which cement company is known for its brand name in the market

INTERPRETATION

Among the total 50 Respondents 90% says that ACC cement is known for its brand
in market , 2% says that jaypee Cement is known for its brand in market, 2% says
that Ambuja cement in known for its brand in market, Again 2 % says that UTCL
is known for its brand in market, however 4% says there are some other brand
which is known in the market for its brand.

98
 Are you brand conscious?
TABLE-9

Frequency Percent
Yes 37 74.0
No 13 26.0
Total 50 100.0

are you brand conscious

40

30

20

10
Frequency

0
yes no

are you brand conscious

INTERPRETATION

Among the total 50 Respondents, 74% said that they are brand conscious they only
go for branded product, however 26% said that they are not brand conscious.

99
 Which brand you prefer the most? Choose one of the following?

TABLE-10

Frequency Percent
Acc 41 82.0
Jaypee 1 2.0
Ambuja 1 2.0
Utcl 4 8.0
Others 3 6.0
Total 50 100.0

if yes then which brand you prefer the most? choose o

50

40

30

20
Frequency

10

0
acc jaypee ambuja utcl others

if yes then which brand you prefer the most? choose one of the following

INTERPRETATION

Among The total 50 respondents, all of them answer on it and 82% said that they
choose ACC cement, 8% UTCL,2%JAYPEE, 2% AMBUJA , However 6% said
different brand name.

100
 Which is the best mode of advertisement?
TABLE-11

Frequency Percent
Television 34 68.0
shop paintings 6 12.0
Hoardings 7 14.0
wall paintings 3 6.0
Total 50 100.0

which is the best mode of advertisment

40

30

20

10
Frequency

0
television shop paintings hoardings w all paintings

which is the best mode of advertisment

INTERPRETATION

Among The total 50Respondents, 68% said that Television is the best mode of
advertisement and Television advertisement influence him more, however there
are 14% of Respondent they said that Hording is the best mode of Advertisement ,
12% of them said that Shop painting is the best mode and finally 6% said that wall
painting is the best mode of advertisement.

101
 Is there any relation between the colour of the cement with its price and its
quality in your opinion?
TABLE-12

Frequency Percent
yes 12 24.0
no 38 76.0
Total 50 100.0

is there any relation between the colour of the cement w

40

30

20

10
Frequency

0
yes no

is there any relation between the colour of the cement with its price an

INTERPRETATION

Among The total 50 Respondents only 24% said that, there is a relationship
between colour of the cement with its price and its quality, however 76 % said that
there is no relationship between colour of cement with its price and its quality.

102
 Does a branding/promotional activity improve the visibility and enhance the
sale of a cement brand?
TABLE-13

Frequency Percent
yes 3 6.0
no 47 94.0
Total 50 100.0

Does branding/promotional activities improve the visiblity an

50

40

30

20
Frequency

10

0
yes no

Does branding/promotional activities improve the visiblity and enhance t

INTERPRETATION

Among the total 50 Respondents, A lots of Respondent, 94% said that

Branding/promotional activities Doesn‟t make any difference to sale and
visibility, However only 6% said that its effect.

103
 Has any company official visited your site?
TABLE-14

Frequency Percent
yes 1 2.0
no 49 98.0
Total 50 100.0

has any company official visited your site

60

50

40

30

20
Frequency

10

0
yes no

has any company official visited your site

INTERPRETATION

Among the total 50 Respondents 2% said that company officially Visited their
site, however 98% said that no one come officially to their site from cement
company.

104
 Have you attended any meeting with any cement company?
TABLE-15

Frequency Percent
Yes 1 2.0
No 49 98.0
Total 50 100.0

have you attended any meeting with any cement compa

60

50

40

30

20
Frequency

10

0
yes no

have you attended any meeting with any cement company

INTERPRETATION

Among the total 50 Respondents 98% haven‟t attend any cement company meeting
however only 2% of them are attended the cement company meeting.

105
 Which brand of cement you are able to purchase on credit basis?
TABLE-16

Frequency Percent
Acc 39 78.0
Jaypee 1 2.0
Ambuja 1 2.0
Utcl 6 12.0
Others 3 6.0
Total 50 100.0

which brand of cement you are able to purchase on cre

50

40

30

20
Frequency

10

0
acc jaypee ambuja utcl others

which brand of cement you are able to purchase on credit basis

INTERPRETATION

Among the total 50 Respondents, 78% said that they are able to purchase ACC
cement in credit basis, only 12% of them said that they can manage to get UTCL
cement on credit basis, 2% said that They can manage to get Jaypee cement as a
credit basis, 2% said that they are able to purchase Ambuja cement as on credit
basis.

106
 CHI-SQUARE TEST
Which brand of cement you have purchased * influencers play a vital role? Cross tabulation

Count Cross tab-1

influencers play a vital role?

yes no Total
which brand of cement acc 25 8 33
you have purchased lafarge 5 2 7
utcl 9 0 9
others 1 0 1
Total 40 10 50

Chi-Square Tests cross tab-1.2

Value df Asymp. Sig. (2-sided)

Pearson Chi-Square 3.193(a) 3 .363
Likelihood Ratio 5.110 3 .164
Linear-by-Linear Association 2.186 1 .139
N of Valid Cases
50

a 4 cells (50.0%) have expected count less than 5. The minimum expected count is .20.

30

20

10

influencers play a v

yes
Count

0 no
acc laf arge utcl others

which brand of cement you have purchased

INTERPETATION
It is inferred from Cross tab 1.2 that at 95% confidence level, there is no significant
relationship exist between consumer brand preference and the role of influencer.
This lead we to conclude that influencer don‟t play a vital role in consumer brand
preference.

107
 Crosstab-2

where from do you buy normally cement

dealer
dealing with
building
company materials
authorized exclusive along with
local supplier dealer dealer cement Total
which brand acc 17 1 0 15 33
of cement lafarge 4 0 0 3 7
you have
purchased utcl 5 0 1 3 9
others 1 0 0 0 1
Total 27 1 1 21 50

Chi-Square Tests(CROSS TAB-2.2)

Value df Asymp. Sig. (2-sided)

Pearson Chi-Square 6.193(a) 9 .720
Likelihood Ratio 5.734 9 .766
Linear-by-Linear Association .448 1 .503
N of Valid Cases
50
a 14 cells (87.5%) have expected count less than 5. The minimum expected count is .02.

20

where from do you bu

10
local supplier

company authorized d

ealer

exclusive dealer
Count

dealer dealing w ith

0 building materials a
acc laf arge utcl others

which brand of cement you have purchased

INTERPETATION
It is inferred from table 2.2 that at 95% confidence level, there is no significant
relationship exit between consumer brand preference and from whom they are
purchase.
This lead to us that cement selling place is not concern with brand preference of
consumer.

108
 Crosstab-3
Count
whome do you consult for purchasing
cement
a neighbor
who has
friends recently
enginee & constructe
mason r relatives d his house Total
which acc 20 6 5 2 33
brand of lafarge 2 0 5 0 7
cement utcl 5 0 4 0 9
you have others
purchase 1 0 0 0 1
d
Total 28 6 14 2 50

Chi-Square Tests(Cross tab-3.3)

Asymp. Sig.
Value df (2-sided)
Pearson Chi-Square 13.343(a) 9 .148
Likelihood Ratio 15.118 9 .088
Linear-by-Linear
.364 1 .546
Association
N of Valid Cases
50
a 13 cells (81.3%) have expected count less than 5. The minimum expected count is .04.

30

20

whome do you consult

mason
10
engineer

f riends & relatives

Count

a neighbor w ho has r

0 ecently constructed
acc laf arge utcl others

which brand of cement you have purchased

INTERPETATION
It is inferred from cross tab 3.2 that at 95% confidence level, there is no significant
relationship exist between consumer brand preferences and from whom they
consult before purchasing cement.

109
 Crosstab-4
Count
which brand of cement is best
avilablein the market from the
following

acc utcl others Total

which brand acc 30 2 1 33
of cement lafarge 6 0 1 7
you have
purchased utcl 2 7 0 9
others 1 0 0 1
Total 39 9 2 50
Chi-Square Tests(Cross tab-4.2)

Asymp. Sig.
Value Df (2-sided)
Pearson Chi-Square 28.660(a) 6 .000
Likelihood Ratio 23.920 6 .001
Linear-by-Linear
9.793 1 .002
Association
N of Valid Cases
50
a 8 cells (66.7%) have expected count less than 5. The minimum expected count is .04.

40

30

20

whic h brand of c em en
10
ac c

utc l
Count

0 others
ac c l afarge utc l others

whic h brand of c em ent y ou hav e purc has ed

INTERPETATION

It is inferred from table 4.2 that at 95% confidence level, there is significance
relationship exist between consumer brand preference and best availability of
branded cement.

110
 Crosstab-5

Count
what comes to your mind when i say acc cement, choose
one of the following
good brand affordable good quality all of the
name price product above Total
which brand acc 25 1 5 2 33
of cement lafarge 0 5 2 0 7
you have
purchased utcl 4 3 2 0 9
others 0 0 0 1 1
Total 29 9 9 3 50

Chi-Square Tests(cross tab-5.2)

Asymp. Sig.
Value df (2-sided)
Pearson Chi-Square 39.824(a) 9 .000
Likelihood Ratio 31.777 9 .000
Linear-by-Linear
4.104 1 .043
Association
N of Valid Cases
50
a 12 cells (75.0%) have expected count less than 5. The minimum expected count is .06.

30

20

what com es to your m

10 g ood brand name

affordable price

g ood q uality product

Count

0 all of the above

acc lafarg e utcl others

whi ch brand of cem ent you have purchased

INTERPETATION
It is inferred from table 5.2 that at 95% confidence level, there is a signification relationship exit
between consumer brands preference, and customer perception toward brands.

111
 Crosstab-6
Count
which cement company provides good logistics support from the
followin

acc jaypee ambuja utcl lafarge Total

which brand acc 30 0 0 0 3 33
of cement lafarge 5 2 0 0 0 7
you have
purchased utcl 2 0 3 4 0 9
others 1 0 0 0 0 1
Total 38 2 3 4 3 50

Chi-Square Tests(Cross tab-6.2)

Asymp. Sig.
Value df (2-sided)
Pearson Chi-Square 50.205(a) 12 .000
Likelihood Ratio 40.122 12 .000
Linear-by-Linear
7.017 1 .008
Association
N of Valid Cases
50
a 17 cells (85.0%) have expected count less than 5. The minimum expected count is .04.

40

30

whi ch cem ent com pany

20
acc

jaypee

10
ambuja

utcl
Count

0 lafarg e
acc lafarg e utcl others

whi ch brand of cem ent you have purchased

INTERPETATION

It is inferred from table 6.2 that at 95% confidence level, there is a signification
relationship exit between Consumer brands preference and logistic support
provided by the company.

112
 Crosstab-7
Count
which cement company is known for its brand name in the
market

acc jaypee ambuja utcl others Total

which brand acc 33 0 0 0 0 33
of cement lafarge 5 0 0 0 2 7
you have
purchased utcl 6 1 1 1 0 9
others 1 0 0 0 0 1
Total 45 1 1 1 2 50

Chi-Square Tests(cross tab-7.2)

Asymp. Sig.
Value df (2-sided)
Pearson Chi-Square 27.143(a) 12 .007
Likelihood Ratio 19.405 12 .079
Linear-by-Linear
4.741 1 .029
Association
N of Valid Cases
50
a 17 cells (85.0%) have expected count less than 5. The minimum expected count is .02.

40

30

w hic h c ement c ompany

20
acc

jaypee

10 ambuja
Count

utcl

0 others
acc lafarge utcl others

w hic h br and of c ement y ou hav e pur c has ed

INTEPETATION
It is inferred from table 7.2 that at 95% confidence level, there is signification
relationship exit between consumers brands preference and brands popularity.

113
 Crosstab-9
Count

which is the best mode of advertisment

shop
television paintings hoardings wall paintings Total
are you yes 25 3 7 2 37
brand no
conscious 9 3 0 1 13
Total 34 6 7 3 50

Chi-Square Tests(cross tab 9.2)

Asymp. Sig.
Value df (2-sided)
Pearson Chi-Square 4.343(a) 3 .227
Likelihood Ratio 5.870 3 .118
Linear-by-Linear
.273 1 .601
Association
N of Valid Cases
50
a 5 cells (62.5%) have expected count less than 5. The minimum expected count is .78.

30

20

which is t he bes t m o
10
tel evi s i on

s hop pai nti ngs

hoardi ngs
Count

0 wal l pai nti ngs

yes no

are y ou brand c ons c ious

INTERPETATION
It is inferred from table 9.2 that at 95% confidence level, there is no signification
relationship exist between consumer brands consciousness and mode of
advertisement.

114
CHAPTER 6

FINDINGS

115
 FINDINGS

1. Customers firstly prefer quality for choosing cement.

2. Price is the second most important factor in choosing cement brand.

3. Brand name is also preferred factor by the respondents. Mostly JAYPEE,

Ambuja and UTCL Cement are well famous brands.

4. In rural area AMBUJA Cement and UTCL is more preferred on quality

point of view.

5. Ambuja is sometime preferred by customers and reason behind is the greater

advertising & thinness in the products particle.

6. In urban area Birla JAYPEE and UTCL Cement is highly preferred a quality
and strength point of view.

7. In rural area customers are not very much aware of strength quality of
cement.

8. In rural areas people are not aware of all Brands.

116
 CHAPTER 7

RECOMMENDATIONS

117
 SUGGESTIONS

1. The company should adopt proper advertising strategies.

2. Quality of cement should be improved.

3. Companies should maintain sound customer relation.

4. Different brands should be available in all shops of rural area.

5. Strength of cement should be improved.

6. Time to time suggestions from customer should be taken through feed back
form.

7. Different discount schemes should be launched for customers benefits

8. For advertising different media should be used which are easily available in
rural areas.

118
CHAPTER 8

CONCLUSION

119
 CONCLUSION

The finding of the survey is enough proof to show that ACC cements ranks
high in quality, composition etc., It is observed that ACC cement has a maintained
better product image among the person who have used it and are using it. The
company has also vast network of salesmanship no doubt these things will have a
long way in improving not only product image but also the corporate image. But
in competitive field one should not satisfy himself with present performance. In
order to maintain higher competitive efficiency there should be continuous product
planning and market improvement.

ACC cement producer and their dealers in DHANBAD city may consider the
preference analysis in the report and suggestions given in the report for achieving
higher standards of marketing performance in the future.

120
BIBLIOGRAPHY

121
 BIBLIOGRAPHY
BOOKS

 Agarwal, P.K., Marketing Management, Pragati Prakashan, Meerut,

Second Edition 1999

 Gupta S.P., Statistical Methods, Sultan Chand,Thirty-Fourth,2005

 Kotler, Philip, Marketing Management, Pearson Education (Singapore) Pte.

Ltd; New Delhi, Eleventh Edition.

 Kothari C. R., “Research Methodology” Methods & Techniques, New Age

International Publishers, New Delhi, Second Edition.

WEB SITE SAMPLE:

 http://www.scribd.com/doc/36916150/ACC-Cement

 http://www.scribd.com/doc/36776021/What-is-Consumer-Buying-
Behavior

122
APPENDIX

123
 QUESTIONNAIRE
A study on Consumer buying behavior & their Perception while choosing a
particular cement brand
Dear Respondent, please answer the following Question:-
Name of the Respondent:- ___________________________________________
Mobile No: ______________________________ Location:_________________
Q1. Which brand of cement you have purchased?
a) ACC
b) LARARGE
c) UTCL
d) OTHERS

If other please specify:_____________________________

Q2. Give Reason for the Preference Of this brand?

Q3. Where from do you normally buy this cement?

a) Local supplier but not a dealer(sub- dealer)
b) Company authorized dealer
c) Exclusive dealer
d) Dealer Dealing with Other Building Materials Along with cement.

Q4. Does Influencer play a vital Role For purchase of any brand of cement?
a) Yes
b) No

Q5. While purchasing cement & building materials whom Do you consult?
a) Mason

124
 b) Engineer/ Architect/ Cement dealer
c) Friends and Relatives
d) A neighbor who has Recently constructed his house

Q6. Which brand of cement available in the market from following?

a) ACC
b) LARARGE
c) UTCL
d) OTHERS
e) If others please specify____________________________

Q7. What come to your mind when I say ACC cement, choose one of the
following?
a) Good brand name
b) Affordable Price
c) Good quality product
d) All of the above

Q8. Which cement company provides good logistic support from the
following?
a) ACC
b) JAYPEE
c) AMBUJA
d) UTCL
e) LAFARGE

Q9. Which cement company is known for its brand name in market?
a) ACC
b) JAYPEE

125
 c) AMBUJA
d) UTCL
e) OTHERS

If other please specify____________________________________

Q10. Are you brand conscious?
a) Yes
b) No

Q11. If yes then which brand you prefer the most? Choose one of the
following.
a) ACC
b) JAYPEE
c) AMBUJA
d) UTCL
e) OTHERS

If others please specify________________________________

Q12. Which is the best mode of advertisement in creating customer demand in

your opinion?
a) Television
b) Shop painting
c) Hoarding
d) Wall printing

Q13. Do you stock cement in your site?

a) Yes
b) No

126
14. Rate the following on the scale of 1-6 according to customer preference of
brand 1 being the highest?
ACC JAYPEE UTCL LAFARGE AMBUJA
Rating

Q15. Is there any relation sheep between the colour of the cement with its
Price and its quality in your opinion?
a) Yes
b) No

If yes give your

opinion_________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________

Q16. Do branding / promotion activities improve the visibility and enhance

the sale of a cement brand?
a) Yes
b) No

Q17. Has any company officially visited your site?

a) Yes
b) No

Q18. Have you attended any meeting with any cement company?
a) Yes
b) No

Q19. If yes, is it useful for you? Why?

127
Q20. Which brand of cement you are able to purchase on credit basis? Choose
one of them.
a) ACC
b) JAYPEE
c) AMBUJA
d) UTCL
e) OTHERS

If others please
specify________________________________________________________
Q21. Any suggestion by which company can respond more to consumer like
you?
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________

128
 SURVEY TOOL

1. CHI-SQUARE
2. FREQUENCY TABLE
3. GRAPH

BY THE HELP OF SPSS 11.5

ADDRESS OF RESPONDENTS

DHANBAD DISTRICT

1. RAJGANG BLOCK
2. GOVINDPUR BLOCK

129
THANKS & REGARDS
LALAN KUMAR ROY
0911010618
M.B.A (2009-2011)
130