A project report on to access the opportunities for increasing the sales of sony vaio laptops

“To access the opportunities for increasing the sales of Sony Vaio laptops in Hubli-Dharwad region”

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1. Introduction

Computing on the move has been a focus area for a lot of Information

Technology Companies for years. The idea of being able to work while on the road

is extremely fascinating. A notebook, also known as a laptop, which may also be

understood as a mobile computer has been the solution for these portable computer

related tasks.

Thousands of people face the dilemma every day, should I buy a laptop or a

desktop? Information technology is not only advancing at a great pace but it is

making lives better. We have been using desktops way back since 1940 when the

first computer was invented. However, the increasing dependence on computers has

given an impetus to develop more advanced computers like laptops or notebooks.

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Though desktop is the king, laptops are gaining ground these days due to its

portability.

In 2000, one in 10 home computers bought worldwide was a laptop, these

days it is one in five. According to the research firm Current Analysis, laptops have

for the first time outsold desktops in the US in a calendar month. Laptops sales

accounted for 53 per cent of the total personal computer market, up from 46 per cent

during the same period last year.

Due to increased demand for laptops, companies have reduced prices and at

the same time improved quality. Laptop prices have come down 17 per cent during

the last year while desktop price has dipped only 4 per cent. The reasons for this rise

are: laptops' longer-lasting batteries, CD burners and wireless capability.

Moreover, the computing crowd is increasingly demanding mobility. "There

used to be a time when people expected a reply to an email within a couple of days.

Now they expect a response within 24 hours. People want to stay connected

wherever they are"

Desktop computers are less expensive than laptop computers. The price difference is

because a laptop's components are much smaller, usually more expensive to

manufacture, and more time-consuming to build into the final product. Prices range

from Rs 45,000 for entry-level ones to over Ts 1.5 lakh for snazzier versions.

Laptop brands: Sony, Acer (TravelMate and Aspire), Alienware, Apple

Computer (iBook and Powerbook), ASUS, Averatec, Clevo, Compaq (EVO, Armada

and Presario), Dell, ECS, Fujitsu, Gateway, Hewlett Packard, Hypersonic, IBM,

NEC, Panasonic and Toshiba.



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1.1 Laptop History

In the 1970s, Alan Kay of the Xerox Palo Alto Research Center had a vision

for a wireless portable computer roughly the size of a notebook. He called it the

Dynabook. Kay's Dynabook never got past sketches and a cardboard model, but it

set the wheels in motion for the development of a truly portable computer.

In 1979, William Moggridge of Grid Systems Corporation created the first

functioning portable computer: The Grid Compass Computer 1109. It had 340

kilobytes of bubble memory, a die-cast magnesium case and a folding

electroluminescent graphics display screen. NASA bought a handful of them at $800

apiece for use in the space program.

Other companies, like Gavilan Computer and Apple, introduced other

portable computers in following years. The first commercially viable machine,

however, was the IBM PC Convertible, introduced in 1986. The PC Convertible

featured:

An 8088 microprocessor

256 kilobytes of memory

Two 3.5-inch (8.9-cm) floppy drives

An LCD display

Parallel and serial printer ports

Space for an internal modem

A software suite including basic word processing, appointment calendar,

telephone/address book, and calculator software Weighing in at a hefty 12 lbs (5.4

kg), the PC Convertible sold for $3,500. It was the first portable computer with the

clamshell design used in today's laptops. The success of the PC Convertible was the

catalyst for competitors like Compaq and Toshiba to switch to the clamshell design

in their portable computers. And so began the era of the laptop computer.



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1.2 Introduction to How Laptops Work

In a way, the skyrocketing popularity of laptop computers is ironic. They are

completely portable, and they use less power and make less noise than desktop

models. But, they're often a little slower and have less graphics and sound processing

power, although these differences can be too small for most users to notice.

How can all the equipment found in a desktop tower fit into such a small

package? And how can laptops be efficient enough to run on battery power

alone?

A desktop computer includes a motherboard, video card, hard drive and other

components in a large case. The monitor, keyboard, and other peripherals connect

wirelessly or with cables. Whether the case sits vertically or horizontally, it has lots

of space for add-in cards, cables and air circulation.



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A laptop, however, is much smaller and lighter than even the most compact

PC tower. Its screen is an integrated part of the unit, as is its keyboard. Instead of a

spacious case with lots of room for air circulation, a laptop uses a small, flat design

in which all the pieces fit together snugly.

Because of this fundamental design difference and because of a laptop's

inherent portability, components have to:

Fit into a compact space

Conserve power

Produce less heat than desktop components

Often, these differences make the components more expensive, which can contribute

to higher laptop prices.



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1.3 Processor

The microprocessor, or CPU, works with the operating system to control the

computer. It essentially acts as the computer's brain. The CPU produces a lot of heat,

so a desktop computer uses circulating air, a fan and a heat sink -- a system of

plates, channels and radiator fins used to draw heat off of the processor -- to cool off.

Since a laptop has far less room for each of these cooling methods, its CPU usually:

Runs at a lower voltage and clock speed -- This reduces heat output and

power consumption but slows the processor down. Most laptops also run at a

higher voltage and clock speed when plugged in, and at lower settings when

using the battery.

Mounts to the motherboard without using pins -- Pins and sockets take up

a lot of room in desktop PCs. Some motherboard processors mount directly to

the motherboard without the use of a socket. Others use a Micro-FCBGA

(Flip Chip Ball Grid Array), which uses balls instead of pins. These designs

save space, but in some cases mean that the processor cannot be removed

from the motherboard for replacement or upgrading.

Has a sleep or slow-down mode -- The computer and the operating system

work together to reduce the CPU speed when the computer is not in use or

when the processor does not need to run as quickly. The Apple G4 processor

also prioritizes data to minimize battery drain.



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Some laptops use desktop CPUs that are set to run at lower clock speeds.

Although this can improve performance, these laptops typically run much hotter and

have a significantly reduced battery life.

Laptops usually have small fans, heat sinks, heat spreaders or heat pipes to

help dissipate the heat from the CPU. Some higher end laptop models reduce heat

even further with liquid coolant kept in channels alongside the heat pipe. Also, most

laptop CPUs are near the edge of the unit. This allows the fan to move the heat

directly to the outside instead of across other components.



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1.4 Memory and Storage

A laptop's memory can make up for some of the reduced performance that

comes from a slower processor. Some laptops have cache memory on or very near

the CPU, allowing it to access data more quickly. Some also have larger busses,

allowing data to move between the processor, motherboard and memory more

quickly.

Laptops often use smaller memory modules to save space. Memory types used in

laptops include:

Small Outline Dual Inline Memory Module (SODIMM)

Dual Data Rate Synchronous RAM (DDR SDRAM)

Single data rate Synchronous RAM (SDRAM)

Proprietary memory modules

Some laptops have upgradeable memory and feature removable panels for easy

access to the memory modules.

Like a desktop, a laptop has an internal hard disk drive, which stores the

operating system, applications and data files. However, laptops generally have less

disk space than desktops. A laptop hard drive is also physically smaller than that of a

desktop. In addition, most laptop hard drives spin more slowly than desktop hard

drives, reducing both heat and power consumption.

Desktop computers have multiple bays for installing additional drives, such as CD

and DVD ROM drives. However, space in a laptop is in much shorter supply. Many

laptops use a modular design, allowing a variety of drives to fit in the same bay.

These drives come in three different designations:

Hot swappable - The computer can stay on while changing the drive.

Warm swappable - The computer can stay on while changing the drive, but

the corresponding bus (the path the drive uses to send data to the CPU) must

be inactive.

Cold swappable - The computer must be off during the swap.


http://computer.howstuffworks.com/ram.htm


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1.5 Display and Sound

A graphics processing unit (GPU) is a microprocessor that handles the

calculations necessary for 3-D graphics rendering. Like a CPU, a GPU produces a lot

of heat. Most laptops have graphics capability built into the motherboard or have

smaller graphics cards with a GPU designed specifically for laptop use. GPU

manufacturers ATI and nVidia both make GPUs specifically for laptops. Laptops

frequently share memory between the CPU and the GPU, saving space and reducing

power consumption.

A laptop displays its graphics on a liquid crystal display (LCD) screen. Most

screens measure between 12 and 17 inches, and the size of the screen affects the

overall size of the laptop. In addition, laptop screens can be:

Black-and-white (16 grayscale) or color (65,536 colors)

Active or passive matrix

Reflective or backlit

Most laptops also have sound cards or integrated sound processing on the

motherboard as well as small, built-in speakers. However, there is generally not



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enough space inside a laptop for a top-of-the-line sound card or a high-quality

speaker.

1.6 Power Supplies

Laptops and desktops both run on electricity. Both have small batteries to

maintain the real-time clock and, in some cases, CMOS RAM. However, unlike a

desktop computer, a laptop is portable and can run on batteries alone.

Nickel-Cadmium

(NiCad) batteries were

the first type of battery

commonly used in laptop

computers, and older

laptops sometimes still

use them. They have a life of roughly two hours between charges, but this life

decreases with each charge based on the memory effect. Gas bubbles form in the

cell plates, reducing the total amount of available cell space for recharge. The only

way around this is to discharge the battery completely before recharging it. The other

drawback of NiCad is that if the battery charges too long, it can explode.

Nickel-Metal Hydride (Ni-MH) batteries are the bridge between NiCad and

the newer Lithium-Ion (Li-Ion) batteries. They last longer between charges than

NiCad but overall have a shorter total lifespan. They suffer from the memory effect,

but to a lesser extent than NiCad batteries.

Li-Ion batteries are the current standard for laptop computers. They are light

and have long life spans. They do not suffer from the memory effect, can be charged

randomly, and won't overheat if overcharged. They are also thinner than any other

battery available for laptops, making them ideal for the new ultra-thin notebooks. Li-

Ion batteries can last for anything from about 950 up to 1200 charges.

Many laptops with Li-Ion batteries claim to have a 5-hour battery life, but this

measurement can vary greatly depending on how the computer is used. The hard



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drive, other disk drives and LCD display all use substantial battery power. Even

maintaining wireless Internet connectivity requires some battery power.



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2. Industry Overview

Electronics industry the business of creating, designing, producing, and

selling devices such as radios, televisions, stereos, computers, semiconductors,

transistors, and integrated circuits. As sales of electronic products from some $200

million in 1927 to over $266 billion in 2007 worldwide, the electronics industry

transformed factories, offices, and homes, emerging as a key economic sector that

rivaled the chemical, steel, and auto industries in size.

The industry traces its origins to the invention of the two-element electron

tube (1904) by John Ambrose Flemming, and the three-element tube (1906) by Lee

De Forest . These inventions led to the development of commercial radio in the

1920s, which boosted radio sales to $300 million by the end of the decade. In 1947,

the electronics industry made another important advance when John Bardeen, Walter

Brattain, and William Shockley invented the transistor. Smaller, lighter, and more

durable than the vacuum tubes that had been used in radios, transistors touched off a

period of progressive miniaturization of electronic devices. Integrated circuits, which

were developed in the 1950s, allowed the integration of several circuits into one

circuit, and the introduction of analog devices in the 1960s vastly increased the

amount of information that could be stored on a single silicon chip.

Other important sectors that have made great advances since the 1970s

include laser and optical electronics, digital electronics, and microwave electronics.

Advances in the field of electronics have also played a key role in the development

of space technology and satellite communications; inaugurated a revolution in the

computer industry that led to the introduction of the personal computer; resulted in

the introduction of computer-guided robots in factories; produced systems for storing

and transmitting data electronically; greatly expanded the market for popular music

and culture; and, in the process, transformed life at home, the office, and the factory.

Many of these innovations, such as the transistor, had their origins in military



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research, which needed increasingly complex electronic devices for modern high-

tech warfare.

3. Business (Company) Overview

Sony Corporation is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation and

one of the world's largest media conglomerates with revenue of $70.303 billion (as

of 2007) based in Minato, Tokyo. Sony is one of the leading manufacturers of

electronics, video, communications, video game consoles and information

technology products for the consumer and professional markets.

Sony Corporation is the electronics business unit and the parent company of

the Sony Group, which is engaged in business through its five operating segments —

electronics, games, entertainment (motion pictures and music), financial

services and other. These make Sony one of the most comprehensive entertainment

companies in the world. Sony's principal business operations include Sony

Corporation (Sony Electronics in the U.S.), Sony Pictures Entertainment, Sony

Computer Entertainment, Sony BMG Music Entertainment, Sony Ericsson and Sony

Financial Holdings. As a semiconductor maker, Sony is among the Worldwide Top

20 Semiconductor Sales Leaders. Its slogan is Sony. Like no other.

3.1 History

In 1945, after World War II, Masaru Ibuka started a radio repair shop in a

bombed-out building in Tokyo. The next year he was joined by his colleague Akio

Morita, and they founded a company called Tokyo Tsushin Kogyo K.K, which

translates in English to Tokyo Telecommunications Engineering Corporation.

The company built Japan's first tape recorder called the Type-G.

In the early 1950s, Ibuka traveled in the United States and heard about Bell

Labs' invention of the transistor. He convinced Bell to license the transistor



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technology to his Japanese company. While most American companies were

researching the transistor for its military applications, Ibuka looked to apply it to

communications. While the American companies Regency and Texas Instruments

built transistor radios first, it was Ibuka's company that made the first commercially

successful transistor radios.

In August 1956, Tokyo Telecommunications Engineering produced its first

coat-pocket sized transistor radio they registered as the TR-55 model. In 1965, Sony

reportedly manufactured about 40,000 of its Model TR-72 box-like portable

transistor radios and exported the model to North America, the Netherlands and

Germany.

That same year they made the TR-6, a coat pocket radio which was used by

the company to create its "SONY boy" advertising character. The following year,

1967, Tokyo Telecommunications Engineering came out with the TR-63 model, then

the smallest (112 × 71 × 32 mm) transistor radio in commercial production. It was a

worldwide commercial success.

University of Arizona professor Michael Brian Schiffer, Ph.D., says, "Sony

was not first, but its transistor radio was the most successful. The TR-63 of 1957

cracked open the U.S. market and launched the new industry of consumer

microelectronics." By the mid 1950s, American teens had begun buying portable

transistor radios in huge numbers, helping to propel the fledgling industry from an

estimated 100,000 units in 1955 to 5,000,000 units by the end of 1968. However, this

huge growth in portable transistor radio sales that saw Sony rise to be the dominant

player in the consumer electronics field was not because of the consumers who had

bought the earlier generation of tube radio consoles, but was driven by a distinctly

new American phenomenon at the time called rock and roll.



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3.2 Origin of name

When Kogyo was looking for a romanized name to use to market themselves,

they strongly considered using their initials, TTK. The primary reason they did not is

that the railway company Tokyo Kyuko was known as TKK. The company

occasionally used the acronym "Totsuko" in Japan, but Morita discovered that

Americans had trouble pronouncing that name, during his visit to the United States.

Another early name that was tried out for a while was "Tokyo Teletech" until Morita

discovered that there was an American company already using Teletech as a brand

name.

The name "Sony" was chosen for the brand as a mix of the Latin word sony

or son(us) and also a little boy sonny, which is the root of sonic and sound as well as

familiar word of everybody called a boy in February 1955, and company name

changed to SONY in January 1958. Morita pushed for a word that does not exist in

any language so that they could claim the word "Sony" as their own (which paid off

when they sued a candy producer using the name, who claimed that "Sony" was an

existing word in some language).

At the time of the change, it was extremely unusual for a Japanese company

to use Roman letters instead of kanji to spell its name. The move was not without

opposition: TTK's principal bank at the time, Mitsui, had strong feelings about the

name. They pushed for a name such as Sony Electronic Industries, or Sony Teletech.

Akio Morita was firm, however, as he did not want the company name tied to any

particular industry. Eventually, both Ibuka and Mitsui Bank's chairman gave their

approval.



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3.3 Sony in India

One of the most recognized brand names in the world today, Sony

Corporation, Japan, established its India operations in November 1994, focusing on

the sales and marketing of Sony products in the country. In a span of 14 years Sony

India has exemplified the quest for excellence in the world of digital lifestyle

becoming the country’s foremost consumer electronics brand. With relentless

commitment to quality, consistent dedication to customer satisfaction and

unparalleled standards of service, Sony India is recognized as a benchmark for new

age technology, superior quality, digital concepts and personalized service that has

ensured loyal customers and nationwide acclaim in the industry.

With brands names such as BRAVIA, Xplod, Sony hi-fi, Handycam, Cyber-

shot‚ WEGA, VAIO, Walkman, Memory stick‚ PlayStation an AIWA, Sony has

established it self as a value leader across its various product categories of

Audio/Visual Entertainment products, Information and Communications‚ Recording

Media, Business and Professional products.

In India, Sony has its footprint across all major towns and cities through a

distribution network comprising of over 7000 channel partners, 215 Sony World and

Sony Exclusive outlets and 21 direct branch locations. Manned by customer friendly

and informed sales persons, Sony’s exclusive stores ‘Sony World’ are fast becoming

the most visible face of the company in India.

Sony India also has a strong service presence across the country with 21

company owned and 172 authorized service centers. A distinctive feature of Sony’s

service is its highly motivated and well-trained staff that provides the kind of

attentive and sensitive service that is rare today.



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Sony is committed to ensuring that both the products and the marketing activities

employed truly make a difference to people’s lifestyles and offer them new

dimensions of enjoyment – experiences which are ‘like no other’ .

3.4 Company Outline

Company: Sony India Pvt. Ltd.

Managing Director: Mr. Masaru Tamagawa

Date of Establishment:

November 17, 1994

Location:A-31, Mohan Cooperative Industrial Estate, Mathura Road,

New Delhi - 110044, India.

Staff Strength: 636 (as at March 31, 2007)

Share Capital: Rs. 550 million

Share Holding:

100% subsidiary of Sony Corporation, Japan

Branch

Offices:

Delhi, Haryana, Ludhiana, Mumbai, Bangalore, Chennai,

Kolkata, Hyderabad, Vijayawada, Jaipur, Chandigarh,

Lucknow, Pune, Ahmedabad, Indore, Cochin, Coimbatore,

Ghaziabad, Guwahati, Hubli and Ranchi



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Business

Activities:

Marketing, Sales and After-Sales Service of electronic

products & software exports

Products: Televisions, Hi-fi Audios, Home Theater systems

and DVD players, Personal Audio (CD/Cassette Radio Players

and Walkman®), Audio Video Accessories, Car Audio and

Visual Systems, Notebooks, Gaming Consoles, Camcorders

and Digital Still Cameras, Digital Imaging Accessory Mobile

Phones, Recording Media, Broadcast and Professional



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3.5 Notable Sony products, technologies and proprietary formats

Sony has historically been notable for creating its own in-house standards for

new recording and storage technologies instead of adopting those of other

manufacturers and standards bodies. The most infamous of these was the videotape

format war of the early 1980s, when Sony marketed its Betamax system for video

cassette recorders against the VHS format developed by JVC. In the end, VHS

gained critical mass in the marketplace and became the worldwide standard for

consumer VCRs and Sony adopted the format. While Betamax is for all practical

purposes an obsolete format, a professional-oriented component video format called

Betacam that was derived from Betamax is still used today, especially in the film and

television industry.

3.5.1 A Sony VCR

In 1968 Sony introduced its Trinitron

brand name for its line of aperture grille

cathode ray tube televisions and (later)

computer monitors. Trinitron displays are still

produced, but only for markets like India and

China. Sony discontinued its last Trinitron-

based television set in the USA Spring of

2007. Trinitron computer monitors were discontinued in 2005. Sony launched the

Betamax videocassette recording format in 1975. The Walkman brand was

introduced in 1979.

1982 saw the launch of Sony's professional Betacam videotape format and the

collaborative Compact Disc format. In 1983 Sony introduced 90mm micro diskettes

(better known as 3.5-inch floppy disks), which it had developed at a time when there

were 4" floppy disks and a lot of variations from different companies to replace the



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then on-going 5.25" floppy disks. Sony had great success and the format became

dominant; 3.5" floppy disks gradually became obsolete as they were replaced by

current media formats. In 1983 Sony launched the MSX, a home computer system,

and introduced the world (with their counterpart Philips) to the Compact Disc or CD.

In 1984 Sony launched the Discman series which extended their Walkman brand to

portable CD products. In 1985 Sony launched their Handycam products and the

Video8 format. Video8 and the follow-on hi-band Hi-8 format became popular in the

consumer camcorder market. In 1987 Sony launched the 4mm DAT or Digital Audio

Tape as a new digital audio tape standard.

In addition to developing consumer-based recording media, after the launch

of the CD Sony began development of commercially based recording media. In 1986

they launched Write-Once optical discs (WO) and in 1988 launched Magneto-optical

discs which were around 125MB size for the specific use of archival data storage.

In the early 1990s two high-density optical storage standards were being

developed: one was the MultiMedia Compact Disc (MMCD), backed by Philips and

Sony, and the other was the Super Density disc (SD), supported by Toshiba and

many others. Philips and Sony abandoned their MMCD format and agreed upon

Toshiba's SD format with only one modification based on MMCD technology, viz

EFMPlus. The unified disc format was called DVD which was marketed in 1997.

3.5.2 Sony MiniDisc

Sony introduced the MiniDisc format in 1993

as an alternative to Philips DCC or Digital Compact

Cassette. Since the introduction of MiniDisc, Sony

has attempted to promote its own audio compression

technologies under the ATRAC brand, against the

more widely used MP3. Until late 2004, Sony's



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Network Walkman line of digital portable music players did not support the MP3 de

facto standard natively, although the provided software SonicStage would convert

MP3 files into the ATRAC or ATRAC3 formats.

In 1993, Sony challenged the industry standard Dolby Digital 5.1 surround

sound format with its newer and more advanced proprietary motion picture digital

audio format called SDDS (Sony Dynamic Digital Sound). This format employed

eight channels (7.1) of audio opposed to just six used in Dolby Digital 5.1 at the

time. Unlike Dolby Digital, SDDS utilized a method of backup by having mirrored

arrays of bits on both sides of the film which acted as a measure of reliability in case

the film was partially damaged. Ultimately, SDDS has been vastly overshadowed by

the preferred DTS (Digital Theatre System) and Dolby Digital standards in the

motion picture industry. SDDS was solely developed for use in the theatre circuit;

Sony never intended to develop a home theatre version of SDDS.

In 1998, Sony launched their Memory Stick format; flash memory cards for

use in Sony lines of digital cameras and portable music players. It has seen little

support outside of Sony's own products with Secure Digital (SD) cards commanding

considerably greater popularity. Sony has made updates to the Memory Stick format

with Memory Stick Duo and Memory Stick Micro.

Sony and Philips jointly developed the Sony-Philips digital interface format

(S/PDIF) and the high-fidelity audio system SACD. The latter has since been

entrenched in a format war with DVD-Audio. At present, neither has gained a major

foothold with the general public. CDs are preferred by consumers because of their

ubiquitous presence in consumer devices.



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3.5.3 The PlayStation 2

In 1994 Sony launched its PlayStation. This

successful console was succeeded by the

PlayStation 2 in 2000, itself succeeded by the

PlayStation 3 in 2006. The PlayStation brand was

extended to the portable games market in 2005 by

the PlayStation Portable. Sony developed the

Universal Media Disc (UMD) optical disc medium

for use on the PlayStation Portable. Although Sony

tried to push the UMD format for movies, major

studios stopped supporting the format in the Spring

of 2006.

In 2004, Sony built upon its MiniDisc

format by releasing Hi-MD. Hi-MD allows the

playback and recording of audio on newly-

introduced 1GB Hi-MD discs in addition to

playback and recording on regular MiniDiscs.

Recordings on the Hi-MD Walkmans can be transferred to and from the computer

virtually unrestricted, unlike earlier NetMD. In addition to saving audio on the discs,

Hi-MD allows the storage of computer files such as documents, videos and photos.

Hi-MD introduced the ability to record CD-quality audio with its linear PCM

recording feature. It was the first time since MiniDisc's introduction in 1992 that the

ATRAC codec could be bypassed and lossless CD-quality audio could be recorded

on the small discs.

Sony is currently touting its Blu-ray Disc optical disc format, which is likely

to compete with Toshiba's HD DVD. As of quarter three of 2007, Blu-ray Disc has

the backing of every major motion picture studio except Universal, Paramount and



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Dreamworks.. In December 2006 Sony debuted their first Blu-ray player, the Sony

BDP-S1



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3.6 Manufacturing base

Slightly more than 50% of the electronics' segment's total annual production

takes place in Japan, including the production of digital cameras, video cameras, flat

panel televisions, personal computers, semiconductors and components such as

batteries and Memory Stick.Approximately 65% of the annual production in Japan

was destined for other regions. China accounted for slightly more than 10% of total

annual production, approximately 70% of which was destined for other regions.

Asia, excluding Japan and China, accounted for slightly more than 10% of

total annual production with approximately 60% destined for Japan, the US and the

EU.The Americas and Europe together accounted for the remaining slightly less than

25% of total annual production, most of which was destined for local distribution

and sale.



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3.7 Environmental Record

Sony has received numerous awards and much recognition for their

environmental efforts throughout the world. Their achievements in the way of energy

and environmental conservation have earned them respect for their green campaign

3.7.1 Works and Policies

Since 1976, Sony has had an Environmental Conference. Sony's policies

address their effects on global warming, the environment, and resources. They are

taking steps to reduce the amount of greenhouse gases that they put out as well as

regulating the products they get from their suppliers in a process that they call "green

procurement". Sony has said that they have signed on to have about 75 percent of

their Sony Building running on geothermal power . The "Sony Take Back Recycling

Program" allows consumers to recycle the electronics products that they buy from

Sony by taking them to eCycle (Recycling) drop-off points around the U.S. The

company has also developed a biobattery that runs on sugars and carbohydrates that

works similarly to the way living creatures work. This is the most powerful small

biobattery to date.



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3.8 VAIO

VAIO, an acronym for Video Audio Integrated Operation

is a sub-brand for many of Sony's computer products. The branding was

created to distinguish items that encompassed the use of consumer audio and video,

as well as being conventional computing products. One example of this was the Sony

VAIO W Series personal computer, which functioned as a regular computer and a

miniature entertainment center. Although Sony made computers in the 1980s for the

Japanese market only, Sony withdrew from the computer business around the turn of

the decade. Sony's re-entry to the computer market, this time globally, under the new

VAIO brand, started in 1996 with the PCV series of desktops. The VAIO logo

also represents the integration of analog and digital technology. The 'VA'

represents an analog wave and the 'IO' represents digital binary code.


VAIO, an acronym for

“Video Audio Integrated

Operation”


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3.9 Products

Sony is expanding the use of the VAIO label. It can now be found on

notebooks, subnotebooks, desktop, and a hard-disk-based audio player that comes in

both 20GB and 40GB variations (called VAIO POCKET player). Network media

solutions by Sony will also carry the VAIO brand.

High-end VAIO notebooks are usually shipped with Microsoft Windows Vista

Home Premium or Business, while low end laptops such as N series come with

Microsoft Vista Home Basic. VAIO notebooks and desktop are available upon

request without pre-installed software at a slightly lower price. Some models no

longer ship with a Recovery CD, but a special partition on the hard drive is used for

the recovery information, including operating system and all bundled software.

VAIO users are prompted to create a set of recovery CDs or DVDs immediately after

purchase.

VAIO computers come with components from companies such as Intel processors,

Seagate Technology or Fujitsu hard drives, Infineon RAM, Sony (usually made by

Hitachi) or Matsushita optical drives, Intel or NVIDIA graphics processors and Sony

speakers.

3.10 Technology

Sony VAIO models come with Sony's proprietary XBRITE (also named as

ClearBright in Japan and Asia-Pacific region) displays. The first model that

introduce this feature is the VAIO TR series. It is also the first consumer product to

utilize such technology. It is a combination of smooth screen, anti-reflection (AR)

coating and high-efficiency lens sheet. Sony claims that the smooth finish provides a

sharper screen display, the AR coating prevents external light from scattering when

it hits the screen, and the high-efficiency lens sheet provides 1.5 times the brightness



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improvement over traditional LCD designs, while also extending battery life due to

less usage of the LCD backlight.

The SZ series features both an Intel GMA 950 graphics chip and an NVIDIA

graphics chip. These laptops can cold-switch between the GMA 950, to preserve

battery life, or the NVIDIA chip, to enhance graphics performance. These will be the

only notebooks on the market with this feature, as Sony has patented the technology.

The high-end AR Series VAIOs were the first to incorporate a Blu-ray Disc

burner. These laptops were designed to be the epitome of high-definition products

including a 1080p capable WUXGA (1920 × 1200 pixels) screen, HDMI output and

the aforementioned Blu-ray burner.



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3.11 Corporate Social Responsibility

The Sony Group recognizes that its businesses have direct and indirect impact

on the communities in which we operate.

3.11.1 Environmentally Conscious Products & Services by Sony

Sony cares for

the environment and

therefore develops

products and services

that are environment

friendly. Sony uses the

"eco info" mark to

accurately indicate the

environment conscious aspect of products

Sony cares for the environment and develops the products and services that

are environment friendly. Sony has developed a silicon conductor that is

environment friendly and small as postal stamp. Sony includes environmental

conscious packaging in their design goal.



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4. Quality Policy

4.1Quality Management

Sony is wholeheartedly committed to improving product and service quality

from the customer's viewpoint with the aim of maintaining and enhancing customers'

trust, confidence and satisfaction. This reflects Sony's belief that its most important

goal is to remain a highly trusted partner for its customers.

4.1.2 Philosophy and Policy

Since the start of its

operations, Sony has given top priority

to providing customer oriented, high-

quality products and services as an

operating foundation. This philosophy

is set forth in the Founding Prospectus

drafted in 1946 by Sony's co-founder,

Masaru Ibuka.

The Sony Group Code of Conduct, established in May 2003, compels Sony

to continuously seek ways to comply with or exceed legally mandated standards in

all aspects of its business activities to ensure the safety and satisfaction of customers

who use its products and/or services.

To instill this philosophy more firmly, in January 2007 Sony formulated the

Sony Pledge of Quality, which lays out Sony's basic policy on product and service

quality in the Electronics business.



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4.1.3 Reinforcing Sony's Quality Control System

Sony is endeavoring to introduce new product quality improvement measures

into all processes, from development, planning, design and manufacturing to sales

and service activities. Such measures include:

• Establishing the position of Corporate Executive in Charge of Product

Quality and Safety, who is responsible for managing and overseeing efforts to

improve product and service quality and safety and to respond to quality and safety

issues;

• Appointing personnel within each product and business group who are

ultimately responsible for quality to spearhead initiatives in the areas for which they

are responsible;

• Holding regular Quality Strategy Meetings, which consist of Sony's

president and top management from each business group, including manufacturing

and marketing executives from the Electronics business, to discuss and set policies,

strategies and key measures relating to product quality; and

• Formulating corporate quality standards applied to Sony's electronics

products, focusing on such criteria as product safety and performance, labeling and

services. These standards are updated continuously to reflect technological advances,

changes in applicable legal and regulatory requirements and social changes

4.1.4 Customer Feedback

Sony makes active use of customer feedback to improve its products.

Complaints, suggestions, ideas and reports of malfunctions received from customers

at the Customer Information Center after purchase are promptly and accurately

evaluated and disseminated to the planning and design groups so that improvements

in product quality can be made in a timely fashion.



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4.1.5Utilizing Customer Feedback



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4.1.6 Product Quality Information Channel

It is vital to detect product quality-related problems early. Sony therefore

established the Product Quality Information Channel in 2003 to gather product

quality-related information, including reports of problems, as well as opinions from

Sony Group employees. Employees can send messages to the Product Quality

Information Channel website. This can be done when, during the course of their

work, they discover a problem related to product quality that they cannot solve or

deal with or when a quality-related problem occurs while they are using a Sony

product. After the Product Quality Information Channel conducts fact-finding studies

regarding the information gathered, it proposes and introduces measures to avoid

potential problems and prevent previous problems from recurring.

As of April 30, 2007, Sony had received a cumulative total of more than 1,000

reports since the establishment of the Product Quality Information Channel. The

diverse range of information received has included proposals to make products and

manuals more user-friendly, and has led to more than 700 improvements.

Breakdown of Product Quality Improvements



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4.2 Environment Policy

Sony India is committed to comply with Sony Group Environment Vision

(SGEV) and to continually improve Environment Performance in our office.



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5. Collaborations

Mergers, acquisitions, and joint ventures

1988 — CBS Records Group from CBS. It was renamed "Sony Music

Entertainment".

1989 — Columbia Pictures Entertainment from Coca Cola for US$3.4 billion. It was

subsequently renamed "Sony Pictures Entertainment" in 1991.

1993 — Acquired Psygnosis Limited a computer games company based in

Liverpool, UK. Psygnosis director Ian Hetherington was made Managing

Director of Sony Computer Entertainment Europe.

1995 — Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, a 50:50 joint venture of Sony

Corporation of America and Michael Jackson.

1997 — ST Liquid Crystal Display Corporation (STLCD), a 50:50 joint venture of

Sony Corporation and Toyota Industries Corporation.

2001 — Sony Ericsson, a 50:50 joint venture of Sony Corporation and Ericsson AB,

was established in October.

2002 — Aiwa Corporation in October.

2004 — S-LCD Corporation, a joint venture of Sony Corporation and Samsung

Electronics Co. Ltd (Samsung Electronics: 50% plus 1 share, Sony: 50%

minus 1 share) was established in April.

2004 — On July 20, 2004, the EU approved a 50-50 merger between Sony Music

Entertainment and BMG. The new company was named Sony BMG Music

Entertainment and, as of 2005, holds a 21.5% share in the global music

market, behind worldwide leader Universal Music Group, which has a 25.5%

share.



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2005 — On April 8, 2005, The MGM Company (Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and United

Artists) was acquired by a Sony-led consortium (Providence Equity Partners

29%, Texas Pacific Group 21%, Sony 20%, Comcast 20%, DLJ Merchant

Banking Partners 7% and Quadrangle Group 3%) finalised the deal to

purchase the film studio for about $4.8 billion, including $2bn in debts from

Armenian-American Kirk Kerkorian.

2006 — Sony NEC Optiarc Inc, a 55:45 (Sony 55%, NEC 45%) joint venture of

Sony Corporation and NEC Corporation, was established in April.

2006 — Acquired digital Single Lens Reflex (Digital SLR) cameras section from

Konica Minolta including digital camera support and servicing.

2006 — Acquired Grouper Networks (now Crackle, Inc.), a Sausalito-based startup

company that created a user generated video sharing platform and P2P

technology for $65M.

2007 — Qreatic Design Inc, a 50:50 joint venture of Sony Corporation and Qimonda

AG.

2007 — Moversa GmbH, a 50:50 joint venture of Sony Corporation and NXP Semiconductors



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6. Product Line & Length

Babasabpatilfreepptmba.com

Sony IndiaSony India

Television & ProjectorTelevision & Projector

Home Video/Audio

Home Video/Audio

IT & Computing

IT & Computing Portable AudioPortable Audio

LCD TV LCD TV Blu-ray Disc Player

Blu-ray Disc Player

DVD PlayerDVD Player

DVD/HDD Recorder

DVD/HDD Recorder

DVD PortableDVD Portable

Hi-Fi SystemHi-Fi System

Home Audio AccessoriesHome Audio Accessories

Laptop & ComputerLaptop & Computer

Memory StickMemory Stick

Flash / Data Media

Flash / Data Media

Storage MediaStorage Media

MP3 Walkman

MP3 Walkman

CD WalkmanCD Walkman

Voice RecorderVoice

Recorder

CRT TVCRT TV

Home Theatre Projector

• 3LCD Projection TV

Home Theatre Projector

• 3LCD Projection TV

Business ProjectorBusiness Projector

Public Display Panel

Public Display Panel

Enterprise Storage

Solutions

Enterprise Storage

Solutions

37

http://www.sony.co.in/productcategory/television%2Bprojector?site=hp_en_IN_i




http://www.sony.co.in/productcategory/tvp%2Blcd%2Btv?site=hp_en_IN_i

http://www.sony.co.in/productcategory/tvp%2Blcd%2Btv?site=hp_en_IN_i


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Sony IndiaSony India

GameGame Storage & RecordingStorage & Recording

Digital Photography

Digital Photography Video CameraVideo Camera

Playstation® 3

Playstation® 3 Memory StickMemory Stick

USB Storage Media

USB Storage Media

Data Storage Media

Data Storage Media

Storage MediaStorage Media

Professional Media

Professional Media

Video/Audio Media

Video/Audio Media

Digital SLRDigital SLR

Digital CameraDigital Camera

Digital Photo Printer

Digital Photo Printer

High Definition

Video Camera

High Definition

Video Camera

Standard Definition

Video Camera

Standard Definition

Video Camera

PlayStation® 2

PlayStation® 2

PlayStation® Portable

Projection TV

PlayStation® Portable

Projection TV

Standard Definition

Video Camera

Standard Definition

Video Camera

38

MDMD

National Sales HeadNational Sales Head

Regional Sales ManagerRegional Sales Manager

Area Sales ManagerArea Sales Manager


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7. Management Level



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8. Major Competitors

The major competitors for Sony Vaio in this region are HP/Compaq, Acer,

Lenovo and the major share is taken by HP/Compaq laptops as they are having the

brand name as well as competing products which match the international standards

and are of good quality. In Sony the starting prices are from forty thousand and plus

where as HP/Compaq has thirty plus thousand price tags.

If a person buying laptop with price in his mind then there is no chance of him

going for Sony as it is not affordable, in case he is ready to bear the price for the

price of forty thousand plus when he is able to get better configuration than what he

gets in Sony then also he will think twice while buying. Sony products are known for

the quality there is no doubt about it but the price tags make them unhappy. People

who are affordable and they are brand conscious only go for Sony. In some cases the

user was given a Sony laptop by his organization. The looks are most preferred of

the Sony products.

Acer and Lenovo are also having the higher end models where in they tap the

segment which is price conscious and wants higher configuration. Here these

companies produce at a low cost and do not charge premium prices on there products

as they want to compete in the market and increase their market share and with small

margin they want to increase their profit.



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9. Various Branch Offices and Service centers

The Head office of Sony India Pvt Ltd is located in New Delhi.

Sony Branch offices

Haryana,

Ludhiana,

Mumbai,

Bangalore,

Chennai,

Kolkata,

Hyderabad,

Vijayawada,

Jaipur,

Chandigarh,

Lucknow,

Pune,

Ahmedabad,

Indore,

Cochin,

Coimbatore,

Ghaziabad,

Guwahati,

Hubli and

Ranchi



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10. Employee base

Sony India currently has employee base of 636 people working in India in

various branch offices.

10.1 Business Activities

Marketing, Sales and After-Sales Service of electronic products & software

exports

Products: Televisions, Hi-fi Audios, Home Theater systems and DVD players,

Personal Audio (CD/Cassette Radio Players and Walkman®), Audio Video

Accessories, Car Audio and Visual Systems, Notebooks, Gaming Consoles,

Camcorders and Digital Still Cameras, Digital Imaging Accessory (Batteries,

Chargers, Microphone, Photo Printers), Mobile Phones, Recording Media and

Energy Devices, Broadcast and Professional products

10.2 Careers

Join a Team that makes it happen

We are committed to

continually seek talented and

creative minds working in

harmony with each other to

bring new emotions and

wonders to the world. As a leading Consumer Electronics organization we look

forward to your initiative, enthusiasm with imagination and invite you to explore

unparalleled career opportunities while creating an exciting future together.

We provide our employees a vibrant, diverse and stimulating environment

with enormous opportunities to explore new dimensions of creativity and Hi-

Technology thus enhancing their potential to the optimum.



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We invite you to join our organization whose forte are its ethics and values,

which are reflected in our actions and people practices.

11. Financial Performance

Sony Corporation and Consolidated Subsidiaries



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11.1 Business Overview



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ElectronicsThe Electronics business is comprised of televisions, video, audio,

information and communications equipment, Laptops, components, semiconductors

and other products. To achieve future growth and to reinforce competitiveness and

profitability, Sony is concentrating investment of its Electronics business resources

in development and commercialization in the areas of high definition (HD) products,

mobile electronics and semiconductors and other devices, all of which are crucial to

the differentiation of Sony’s products.

Review of OperationsIn the fiscal year ended March 31, 2007, the global

market for liquid crystal display (LCD) televisions

totaled approximately 51.5 million units, 2.5 times

its size in the previous year. Although competition

in the operating environment for the flat panel

television industry was harsh overall, efforts to

heighten the appeal of our BRAVIA line of LCD

televisions by focusing on key strategic product

features—namely larger screen sizes and Full HD

(1920 x 1080-pixel) resolution—supported brisk sales worldwide, pushing shipments

of BRAVIA televisions up 2.3 times, to approximately 6.3 million units, and earning

us the top global market share.

* Source: DisplaySearch, revenue basis for calendar year 2006



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11.1.1 Digital Camera

The digital camera market continued to grow in the fiscal year ended March

31, 2007, climbing 22%, to around 79 million

units, reflecting robust replacement demand in

Europe and North America. In this environment,

Sony recorded brisk sales worldwide thanks to

products that responded to market needs,

including the affordably priced Cyber-shot W

series and S series in Europe and North America

and the slim-design Cyber-shot T series in Asia.

As a consequence, shipments of Sony digital cameras increased 26%, to

approximately 17 million units.

For the fiscal year ended March 31, 2007, the global

market for video cameras remained level at about 18

million units, of which Sony accounted for approximately

7.45 million units, a slight decline from the previous fiscal

year. From 8mm video, the industry format for consumer-

use video cameras, to digital video (DV) and high

definition video (HDV), which enables users to record and

replay HD video, we have led the industry by striving constantly to commercialize

Handycam® camcorders that deliver improved image quality and convenience. In

the period under review, we launched the first consumer-use video camera based on

the AVCHD HD video recorder format, which enables recording and storing of HD

Video on random-access media. We will continue to enhance our lineup of HD

camcorders and promote the conversion of personal video content to HD.



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11.1.3

BLU RAY

In the period under review, we rolled out Blu-ray Disc players in the

U.S. market while in Japan we launched two Blu-ray Disc recorder models. Capable

of recording full-resolution content from HD broadcasting and HD video cameras,

Blu-ray Disc recorders can also play motion pictures and other content released in

Blu-ray Disc format, as well as support digital slide shows and playback

applications, thereby increasing the enjoyment to be gained from HD technology.

In the portable audio category, we continued to enhance our lineup of Walkman®

digital music players. These players exhibit superb sound clarity, thereby fulfilling

the quintessential objective of any piece of audio equipment—to produce superior

sound that enhances the music listening experience. We also launched a top-of-the-

line Walkman® series that delivers outstanding sound quality and high-resolution

video playback in a small, lightweight package featuring simple operability that

takes advantage of the large screen.



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Game

PLAYSTATION®3

Launched in Japan on November 11, 2006, then successively in North

America and some Asian countries on November 17, 2006, and in Europe on March

23, 2007, the PS3 platform is expanding. Despite the impact of a production delay

for a key PS3 component, SCE succeeded in shipping a total of 5.5 million units

worldwide during the fiscal year. For the European launch, SCE took advantage of

the four months following the Japanese/North American launches to assemble an

initial hardware shipment of 1 million units and approximately 30 software titles,

thereby transforming PS3 into its most successful platform launch yet in Europe.



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EntertainmentIn the Entertainment business, Sony is primarily engaged in motion picture

and television production and distribution, music recording and music publishing.

Enjoying leading industry positions in many of its businesses, Sony Pictures

Entertainment Inc. (SPE) is comprised of its motion pictures, television

programming, home entertainment and digital entertainment businesses. Sony Music

Entertainment (Japan) Inc. (SMEJ) and SONY BMG MUSIC ENTERTAINMENT,

a joint venture with Bertelsmann AG, are engaged in the music recording and

distribution businesses, producing many hit songs and award-winning artists.

Sony/ATV Music Publishing is engaged in the acquisition and exploitation of

musical copyrights.



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11.2 Research and Development

R&D expenses for the period increased ¥12.1 billion, or 2.3%, to ¥543.9

billion from the prior fiscal year. This is equivalent to 7.1% of net sales and

operating revenue, excluding the Financial Services segment, which was down from

7.8% a year earlier.

R&D expenses in the Electronics segment increased ¥22.3 billion, or 5.3%, to

¥440.4 billion, while expenses in the Game segment decreased ¥10.8 billion, or

9.9%, to ¥97.9 billion.

R&D Highlights for the Fiscal Year Ended March 31, 2007

New Agreements

Sony joined an alliance of industry-leading consumer electronics and

telecommunications companies from Japan, Korea, Europe and North America in

March 2007 to establish the Open IPTV2 Forum. The organization will set a single

global standard for Internet protocol television (IPTV) technologies to deliver video

content via networks. In this forum, the alliance members will develop technology to

offer consumers easy access to the content and services offered by various providers

via mobile and home electronics.



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11.3 Corporate Governance

Sony is committed to strong corporate governance. As a part of this effort,

Sony has adopted “Company with Committees” corporate governance system.

11.4 Governance Structure

Sony Corporation’s statutory entities are comprised of the Board of Directors,

which is appointed by resolution at the shareholders’ meeting; three committees (the

Nominating Committee, Audit Committee and Compensation Committee),

consisting of directors named by the Board of Directors; and the Corporate

Executive Officers, who are appointed by resolution of the Board of Directors. In

addition to these statutory entities, Sony has Corporate Executives who carry out

business operations within designated areas.

11.5 Corporate Governance Structure



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12. Theoretical Background for the project work

12.1 Channel Management

The channel decision is very important. In theory at least, there is a form of

tradeoff: the cost of using intermediaries to achieve wider distribution is supposedly

lower. Indeed, most consumer goods manufacturers could never justify the cost of

selling direct to their consumers, except by mail order. In practice, if the producer is

large enough, the use of intermediaries (particularly at the agent and wholesaler

level) can sometimes cost more than going direct.

Many of the theoretical arguments about channels therefore revolve around

cost. On the other hand, most of the practical decisions are concerned with control of

the consumer. The small company has no alternative but to use intermediaries, often

several layers of them, but large companies 'do' have the choice.

However, many suppliers seem to assume that once their product has been

sold into the channel, into the beginning of the distribution chain, their job is

finished. Yet that distribution chain is merely assuming a part of the supplier's

responsibility; and, if he has any aspirations to be market-oriented, his job should

really be extended to managing, albeit very indirectly, all the processes involved in

that chain, until the product or service arrives with the end-user. This may involve a

number of decisions on the part of the supplier:

Channel membership

Channel motivation

Monitoring and managing channels



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12.1 Channel conflicts

Channel conflict refers to a situation in which business partners clash in some

of their operations, such as distribution networks, in such a manner that it causes

stress to the relationship, effectively turning them into both competitors and partners

simultaneously. In the Internet-driven business world, channel conflict is a well-

known phenomenon. As the online medium has forced separate players closer

together, it has resulted in many of them stepping on each other's toes.

Also called disintermediation, channel conflict is a problem that many in the

e-commerce world aggressively took on as a consequence of devising an online

strategy. In the process, the chain of business relationships became scrambled and

confusing. Drastically lower transaction costs and higher margins for merchants

make Internet-based direct customer sales irresistible. While companies fret over

alienating their resellers, they risk losing valuable time and market share to

aggressive competitors that move to become online distribution fixtures. These

simple economics lay at the heart of channel conflict. Forrester Research, a

Cambridge, Massachusetts-based market research firm, found that 66 percent of the

consumer goods manufacturers it surveyed listed channel conflict as the chief barrier

to online sales. However, the fact of channel conflict appears to be inevitable as

more companies set up shop online.

Companies have thus begun turning to strategies that will enable them to

manage channel conflict and eventually turn it into an advantage.Along with the

advent of e-commerce, many merchants moved their distribution outlets online to

reach customers directly and save on transaction costs. This caused powerful

distributor networks, which often enjoyed extremely valuable relationship with the

merchants, to take offense at the abandonment of their businesses. For example,

manufacturers who have established brand name recognition and loyalty may want



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to reap greater returns on their sales by bypassing retailers, with whom they may

have built lasting relationships that contributed greatly to both parties' success.

Meanwhile, distributors—perhaps the most endangered victims of disintermediation

—are increasingly challenged to prove they add immediate value and justify their

margins. According to InformationWeek, one method was for distributors to forego

the assumption of ownership over inventory and instead charge manufacturers a

transaction fee, while assuming order-management and other value-added duties.

Meanwhile, a whole new crop of distributors rose up to encroach on the e-commerce

distribution channels, marketing themselves as e-commerce services that handle

logistics and other tasks specifically for dot-coms.

More important than what the firm values in these cases is what the customer

values in each segment of business. If customers have come to appreciate, expect,

and depend upon a certain type of service and presentation they received through an

experienced retailer, a manufacturer may be shooting itself in the foot by trying to

sell direct to customers over the Web. No matter how important the drive to establish

an online presence and an Internet-based distribution scheme, the ultimate goal is to

turn channel conflict into channel harmony.



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12.2 Sales Related Marketing Policies

Sales related marketing policies impact upon the functions and operations of

the sales department. These marketing policies delineate the guidelines within which

effort to reach personal-selling objectives are made. The three major types are

Product policies (What to sell)

Distribution policies (to whom to sell)

Pricing policies

Sales related marketing policies directly influence the jobs of sales executives.

Clearly, these policies constitute the company-imposed marketing frame work within

which sales executives and the departments they lead must operate.

Product Policies

Relation to Product objectives

Product policies serve as guidelines for making product decisions. They derive

from product objectives .product policies define the nature of superiority from the

standpoint of the product users.



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Product line policy

Policies on the width of a product line are classified as either short line. The

company following a short-line policy handles only part of a line, while the company

with the full-line policy handles all or most of the items making up a line.

Distribution Policies

Distribution Policies are important determinants of the functions of the sales

department. The choice of particular marketing channel or channels set the pattern

for sales force operation, both geographically and as to the customers from whom

sales force operations, both geographically and as to the customers from whom sales

personnel solicit orders.

Pricing policies

Every company has a policy regarding the level at which its products are

priced relative to the competition. If competition is price based, a company sells its

products at same price as its competitors. If there is non-price competition, the

choice is one of the alternative of three polices.

Meeting the competition.

Pricing above the competition.

Pricing under the competition.



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13. Rationale behind choice of the project

“The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for

existing. One cannot help but be in awe when he contemplates the mysteries of

eternity, of life, of the marvelous structure of reality. It is enough if one tries merely

to comprehend a little of this mystery every day. Never lose a holy curiosity”

Albert Einstein

US (German-born) physicist (1879 - 1955)

. A project always starts with a definition of problem. Once a problem is defined it

completes the part of the project work. The questioning gives the exact answer for

the problem defined.

The first portable computer was Osborne 1, which was developed in 1981.

Manny Fernandez was the first who developed the personal portable computer for

the business executives in 1981 and named it “Laptop”. The two commonly used

terms are being used for the laptops, one is laptop and other is notebook.

Sony Vaio is a well know brand in the Bangalore region and is performing

well in southern part of Karnataka, the Hubli-Dharwad region is up coming area

where in there is lot of potential for the companies to increase their market share.

There are players like HP/Compaq, Lenovo and Acer which are having the

considerable amount of market share. Sony laptops have made their presence felt in

the market but it is now intending to increase the market share and the need for this

project is to determine the opportunities available for its growth and to determine the

gaps in the competitors within their distribution channel till the end users. This will

help SONY to fill those gaps in its distribution channels through which it can make

customers delight.


http://www.quotationspage.com/quotes/Albert_Einstein/


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Through this project SONY will not only be able to get to know about the

Gaps of its competitors it will also be able to trace the of its channel and fill those

Gaps for providing the effective service to its channel members and end users.

In this project a survey will be conducted on the retailers as well as

distributors of the laptops and data will be collected. Along with this information

from end user of the laptops will also be collected in order to know the customer

preference and their buying behavior. The company will get the latest information

about the retailers i.e. data base of the retailers along with filled questionnaires

which they have filled will be submitted to the organization.

As for the end users a proportionate number of users as will as potential

customer’s opinion will be considered so that company can design their marketing

strategies to suit the needs of its customers.

The study for laptop is essential as more people are buying laptops and the

competition among the players is increasing. When the company is having sufficient

data about the market then it becomes easy to have an edge over its competitors.

Considering all these aspects it is essential to study the potential of the

market, competitor’s strategy, finding the Gaps in the competitors and filling those

Gaps so that there can be an edge over the competitors.



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14. Utility of the project

14.1 Benefits to the organization

Sony will be benefited with the information collected by me on the Sony Vaio

Laptops from the retail partners and further use it as per their requirement.

Sony will be able to estimate the market share of their products.

Through this project they will come to know about the performance of their

competitors like HP/Compaq, Acer, Lenovo, and other in the laptop market.

The retailers mention about the satisfaction on the aspects like cost of the

laptop, its performance and distribution channel and various other details

which will be of prime importance to the company.

The report contains the data collected from end user also and potential

customers. The end users are again segregated into segments like Sony laptop

users and non-Sony laptop users, where in the information given by them is

valuable and company will come to know the reason why people buy Sony

and why people don’t buy Sony.

The information is also collected from the potential customers who are

willing to buy the laptop and their preference is mentioned which is a vital

information to the company

The data is collected from major cities of North Karnataka which include

Hubli-Dharwad which tells the problem faced by the retail partner in the city

like advertising problem, service problem.

The suggestions and opinions are collected in this report which is a valuable.

14.2 Benefits to me as a student

As a student I came to know the market condition in the IT field.

I came to know about laptops, cost, usage, types and various other things.



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Through this project I was able to know the distribution channel in the IT

field.

15. Introduction to the project work

15.1 Background

The project in Sony Vaio Laptop is an interesting area as it gives a wide scope

for study of the market of the laptop as well as the products of the competitors as

well as the strategies adopted by them in order to increase market share. The project

is done mainly to determine the problems faced by the Sony in selling the laptops

through its retailers and also to find out the exact reason why the Sony product sale

is not increasing in the Twin-Cities. As in the IT market the retailers play a crucial

role in promoting the goods along with the companies which produce them. If there

is no correlation between them then there would not be much sales for the company

and retailers also does get any benefit.

The Sony India Pvt Ltd is into laptop business from past many years and it is

performing were well in the metropolitan cities but the performance is not up to the

mark in up country region. The competitors like HP/Compaq, Lenovo, Acer have

been doing good in these regions also.

The competitors have introduced the products which very much suitable to

this region. HP/Compaq is providing the laptops at a very competitive price and they

are also with a latest configuration. Sony is know for the brand and quality but

unfortunately only those people buy who are very much brand and quality conscious.

The people in up country region are not at all ready to pay the premium price for the

laptops.



like.no.other™

15.2 Situation Analysis

The name Sony has a very good image in the market but the laptop sale in the

up country is not satisfactory to the Management. It has taken initiative to increase

the sales and its market share. The problem here is more of awareness among the

retailers and customers. The retailers are not promoting the products to market

because of vivid issues.

Some are not satisfied with price of laptop in some part of the region but they are

satisfied with the margin what they are getting.

There are issues like some retailers are not satisfied with the regional

distributors as they buy from the national distributors. They buy in bulk and avail

greater discount on the purchases than they buy it from the regional distributor.

There are retailers who are not aware about the sales office of Sony in Hubli. The

retailers are not getting any promotional things like glow sign board or any posters.

The retailers are not having the latest product ranges and their price list. The

promotion is less compared to HP/Compaq.

The situation is such that the laptops are very good but due to lack

advertisement and promotional activities and competition they are not able to

increase the sales. The product quality is very good compared to its competitors but

due to high cost of the product people are not buying. Some retailers are not satisfied

with the promotional activities and margin they are getting from the channel. In

order to increase their market share retailers are skipping the distributor and buying

products from National distributors. This is seriously affecting the sales of regional

distributors.

The project is undertaken to determine the problems of sales of Sony laptops

in Hubli-Dharwad region, data is collected from the retailers, end-user’s as well as

potential customers



like.no.other™

Topic of the study

“To assess the opportunities for increasing the sales of Sony Vaio laptops in

Hubli-Dharwad region”

Objectives of the study

1. To determine the reasons for low sales of the Sony Vaio Laptops as

compared to other brand laptops in the Hubli-Dharwad region.

2. To determine the possibilities of increasing the sales of Sony Vaio

Laptops in Hubli-Dharwad region.

3. To determine the gaps in the distribution channel of the Sony Vaio

laptops.

4. To determine the satisfaction level of retailers regarding the promotional

strategies for laptops undertaken by Sony in Hubli-Dharwad region.



like.no.other™

16. Methodology adopted

Primary data

Primary data is first hand information that has to be collected by the

researcher from the respondents of Hubli-Dharwad market i.e. retailers & end users

of the laptop. Through personal interview method with the help of questionnaire.

Analysis, interpretation, summary of findings, conclusions and recommendations are

completely based on primary data.

Secondary data

Secondary data are data that were developed for some purpose other

then helping to solve the problem at hand. After identifying and defining the research

problem and determining specific information required solving the problem, the

researcher’s task is to look for the type and sources of data which may yield the

desired results. The research will not be complete without the complete reference to

the relevant secondary data.

Type of Research

Descriptive Research and Explorative research will be used for conducting the

survey.

Sampling method

Methodology adopted is, Non probability, Convenience sampling method

techniques. Individual sampling unit is taken for the Sampling method.

40 samples of retailers and 120 samples of the end users of the laptop i.e. the

80 number is broken into 2 segments mainly end users of Sony Vaio and other

brand laptops. 40 Samples of potential customers is also considered. In the end users



like.no.other™

and potential again there will be 3 segments consisting of Professionals, Business

class and students.

Sampling frame

The entire Hubli-Dharwad region was covered.

Sampling unit

40 retailers & 80 end-user’s & 40 potential customers were taken to conduct

survey in Hubli-Dharwad region. A total

Tools and techniques of data collection and interpretation of data

For the purpose of collecting primary data, personal interview method with

the help of questionnaire will be gathered from retailers & 80 end-user’s & 40

potential customers of Hubli-Dharwad region. For the purpose of analyzing,

processing, interpreting the data, SPSS analysis will be used which will be presented


Samples

Distributors & Retailer

End Users

Professionals

Business Class

Students

Potential Customers

Professional

Business Class

Students

67


like.no.other™

in the tables followed by an appropriate analysis and graphical representations by

different charts.



like.no.other™

17. Findings

Retailers Findings

2) Which brand of laptops do you sell?

Sl.No Source No of Respondents Percentage1 Sony 36.00 90.002 Hp/Compaq 37.00 97.503 Lenovo 39.00 92.54 Acer 36.00 90.005 Other 19.00 47.50

Percentage of Brands offered by Retailers

0.00

20.00

40.00

60.00

80.00

100.00

Sony Hp/Compaq Lenovo Acer Other

Percentage

Inference

Among the 40 respondents surveyed 97 % respondents sell Compaq/HP,

which is the largest selling brand in upcountry market. It is followed by Lenovo in

the 2nd position with 92.5 %, followed by Sony and Acer sharing 3rd position with

90 % & others with 47.50 % respondents respectively offering to end users.


Laptops Sold per month by Retailers

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

Less than 10 above 10 less than 20 above 20 less than 30 more than 30


like.no.other™

3) How many Laptops do you sell per month?

Sl. NO Options No of Respondents Percentage

1 Less than 10 27 67.5

2 above 10 less than 20 13 32.5

3 above 20 less than 30 0 0

4 more than 30 0 0

* Note: Each respondent (retailer) sell more than one brand of laptop.

Inference

Among the 40 respondents 67.5 % of them sell less than 10 laptops per

month, 32.5 % of them sell more than 10 but less than 20 laptops per month.



like.no.other™

4) How many Sony laptops do you sell per month?

Sl. NO Options No of Respondents Percentage1 Less than 5 38 952 above 5 less than 15 2 53 above 15 less than 20 0 04 more than 20 0 0

0

20

40

60

80

100

Less than 5 above 5 less than 15 above 15 less than 20 more than 20

Inference

Among the 40 respondents 95 % of them sell less than 5 Sony laptops per

month, only 5 % of them sell more than 5 but less than 15 Sony laptops.


30.00

70.00

27.50

2.50

30.00

1 2 3 4


like.no.other™

5) Do you supply laptops to Government Organizations? If Yes,

are you

aware of DGS & D Scheme available on Sony Laptop?

Respondents Percentage Aware Not aware

Yes 12 30.00 27.50 2.50

No 28 70.00

Inference

Among the 40 respondents 30% sell to the government organization and in

that 30% respondents 27.50% of them are aware of DGS & D Scheme available in

Sony, only 2.50 % are not aware of scheme. 70% of respondents do not supply to

government organizations.



like.no.other™

6) From where do you get the Sony Laptops?

Sl.No Source No of Respondents Percentage

1 National distributor 6 15.0

2 Regional distributor 16 40.0

3 Other stockiest 2 5.0

4 Combination of the above 16 40.0

5%

40%

15%

40%

National distributor

Regional distributor

Other stockist

Combination of the above

Inference

Among the respondents 40 % of them purchase from regional distributor 15

% from national distributor, 40 % is combination of the distributors they buy from

national and regional distributors also, only 5 % buy from other stockiest.



like.no.other™

7) Do you get information about latest Sony Laptops and promotional

offers?

Respondents PercentageYes 14 35.00No 26 65.00

0.00

20.00

40.00

60.00

80.00

100.00

Yes No

Promotional offers received by Retailers

Percentage

Inference

Among the respondents 65 % percent do not get latest information about the

Sony laptops only 35 % get latest information.


0.00

15.00

30.00

45.00

60.00

Product Quality Advertisement &Promotions

Service Support Availability ofproduct

Pricing DistributionChannel

Overall Satisfaction

Highly Dissatisfied Dissatisfied Neutral Satisfied Highly Satisfied


like.no.other™

8) Please rate your satisfaction level about the Sony Laptops

Sl.No ParametersHighly

Dissatisfied Dissatisfied Neutral SatisfiedHighly

Satisfied1 Product Quality 0.00 0.00 7.50 40.00 52.50

2Advertisement &

Promotions 10.00 30.00 35.00 25.00 0.003 Service Support 0.00 10.00 42.50 45.00 2.504 Availability of product 0.00 25.00 45.00 30.00 0.005 Pricing 17.50 50.00 25.00 7.50 0.006 Distribution Channel 2.50 30.00 45.00 17.50 5.007 Overall Satisfaction 0.00 45.00 30.00 22.50 2.50

Inference

Among the respondents 40 % are satisfied and 52.50 % are highly

satisfied with product and 10 % percent are highly dissatisfied with the Advertising

& Promotion. 30 % respondents are dissatisfied. 35% of them say they are neither

satisfied nor dissatisfied. In the pricing of product 50 % respondents are dissatisfied

and 17.50 % people are highly dissatisfied. 30 % respondents are not satisfied with

distribution channel. Overall 45% is the dissatisfaction level with Sony.



like.no.other™

9) Rank the following in order of their importance for their contribution

in increasing the sales of Sony Laptops

Sl.No Options WeightsWeighted

Avg RankWeighted

Avg

1Reduce the

cost of Laptops 88 2.2 3 1.775

2Increase Advertising

and Promotions 71 1.775 1 2.20

3Provide good margins

to retailers 81 2.025 2 2.025

Reduce the cost ofLaptops Increase

Advertising andPromotions

Provide goodmargins to retailers

Rank

3

1

2

Contributing factors for increasing the sale of Sony laptops

Inference

Among the respondents first preference was given to increase the

advertisement and promotion, second preference was given to provide good margins

to laptops and third preference was given to reduce the cost of laptop.



like.no.other™

End-user’s Findings

1. Do you own a laptop?

Options Respondents PercentageYes 80 66.67No 40 33.33

Own a laptop

0.00

10.00

20.00

30.00

40.00

50.00

60.00

70.00

80.00

Yes No

Inference

Among the 80 respondents 66.67 % of the respondents own a laptop and

33.33 % of them do not own a laptop.


Reason for not purchasing Sony Laptop

Price

Features

Availability

Aw areness


like.no.other™

3. Why you did not purchase Sony laptop? (Other than Sony laptop users)

Sl. NO OptionsNo of

Respondents Percentage

1 Price 25 62.5

2 Features 2 5

3 Availability 2 5

4 Awareness 11 27.5

Inference

Among the respondents 62.5 percent of them said they did buy Sony laptop

because of the price factor. 27.5 % of them said they were not aware of Sony

laptops, 5 % of them said they were not satisfied with features and 5 % of them said

laptop was not available with retailer while purchasing.


Which brand are you using now?

27%21%

6%

11%

16%8%5%

6%0%

Cost

Quality

Service

Brand Name

Features

Looks

Battery backup

Weight


like.no.other™

4. What made you to choose the brand, you are using now?

Sl. NO Options No of Respondents Percentage1 Cost 21 26.252 Quality 17 21.253 Service 5 6.254 Brand Name 9 11.255 Features 13 16.256 Looks 6 7.57 Battery backup 4 58 Weight 5 6.25

Inference

Among the respondents 26.26 % said they bought the laptop because of price

factor 21.25 % said because of product quality and only 11.25 percent of the people

bought because of brand name. 16.25 percent of people bought because of features

available in that laptop.



like.no.other™

5. What is the price of your laptop?


1 25000 to ≤35000 21 26.25

2 > 35000 to ≤ 45000 16 20

3 > 45000 to ≤ 55000 29 36.25

4 > 55000 14 17.5

Price of the laptop owned by users

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

25000 to ≤35000 > 35000 to ≤ 45000 > 45000 to ≤ 55000 > 55000

Inference

Among the 80 respondents 36.25 % of people own the laptop which is priced

between 45000 to 55000. 20 % of the people own a laptop which is priced between

35000 to 45000. 26.25 % of the people bought in the range of 25000 to 35000, only

17.5 % of the people bought in the range of more than 55000.


Influencing Factor

29%

25% 11%

34%

1%

Advertisements

Friends

Family

Retailer

None


like.no.other™

6. What was the major factor that influenced your buying decision?

Inference

Among the respondents 33.75 % of the respondent’s decision was based on

the influence by the retailer, 28.75 % were influenced by the advertisement, 25 %

were influenced by their friend’s opinion, and 11.25 % were influenced by their

family decision.



1 Advertisements 23 28.75

2 Friends 20 25.00

3 Family 9 11.25

4 Retailer 27 33.75

5 None 1 1.25

81


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7. What tasks will you be performing with the notebook?


1 Use it for MS Office applications 29 36.25

2 Programming & Designing 18 22.50

3 Watching movie & playing games 12 15.00

4 All the above 21 26.25

0.00

20.00

40.00

60.00

Use it for MSOffice

applications

Programming &Designing

Watchingmovie & playing

games

All the above

Inference

Among the respondents 36.25 % of them use laptops for office application

purpose, 22 % use the laptop for Programming & Designing, 26.25 % said they use it

for all the applications.



like.no.other™

8. Rate your laptop based on the following parameters based on your

level of satisfaction

Sl.No ParametersHighly

Dissatisfied DissatisfiedNeutral SatisfiedHighly

Satisfied1 Quality 0.00 7.50 8.75 47.50 36.252 Durability 1.25 3.75 21.25 53.75 20.003 Battery Backup 3.75 15.00 26.25 48.75 6.254 Features 2.50 20.00 15.00 45.00 17.505 Brand 3.75 5.00 16.25 33.75 41.256 Price 16.25 10.00 21.25 40.00 12.507 looks 1.25 7.50 20.00 41.25 30.008 Service Support 6.25 10.00 33.75 38.75 11.25

Level of Satisfaction

0.00

10.00

20.00

30.00

40.00

50.00

60.00

Quality Durability BatteryBackup

Features Brand Price looks ServiceSupport

Highly Dissatisfied Dissatisfied Neutral Satisfied Highly Satisfied

Inference

Among the respondents 36.25 % of them are highly satisfied with the quality,

40% of them are satisfied with the price, only 20% of them said they are not satisfied

with features available, 16.25% of them said they were highly dissatisfied either the

price paid to the laptop, the service support was 38.5 % satisfactory to the

respondents, 48.25 % were satisfied with the battery backup.


Purpose of Buying

47%

3% 18%

32%

Use it for MS Officeapplications

Programming & Designing

Watching movie & playinggames

All the above


like.no.other™

2. What is your purpose of buying a laptop?


1 Use it for MS Office applications 19 47.5

2 Programming & Designing 1 2.5

3 Watching movie & playing games 7 17.5

4 All the above 13 32.5

Inference

Among the respondents 47.5 % of them would use laptops for office application

purpose, 2.5 % would use the laptop for Programming & Designing, 32.5 % said

they use it for all the applications.



like.no.other™

3. In what price band you are planning to buy a laptop?

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

25000 to <35000

> 35000 to <45000

> 45000 to < 55000

> 55000

What price band you are planning to buy a laptop

Percentage

Inference

Among the respondents 52.5 % of people said they would buy the laptop

which is priced between 35000 to 45000. 17.5 % of the people said they would own

a laptop which is priced between 45000 to 55000. 17.5 % of the people would buy in

the range of 25000 to 35000, only 17.5 % of the people said they would buy in the

price range of more than 55000.



1 25000 to < 35000 7 17.5

2 > 35000 to < 45000 21 52.5

3 > 45000 to < 55000 7 17.5

4 > 55000 5 12.5

85


like.no.other™

4. What are the important parameters that you look in for, while buying a

laptop?

Parameters to buy the Laptop

27%

24%

8%

10%

15%8%3%

5%

Cost

Quality

Service

Brand Name

Features

Looks

Battery backup

Weight

Inference

Among the respondents 27.5 % of the people said price of the laptop is the

most important factor for them, but 25 % of the people said quality is the priority for

them. 15% of the People give importance to features and 10 % to the brand name 7.5

% weight-age is given to the looks of the laptop.


Sl. NO Options No of Respondents Percentage1 Cost 11 27.52 Quality 10 253 Service 3 7.54 Brand Name 4 105 Features 6 156 Looks 3 7.57 Battery backup 1 2.58 Weight 2 5

86

Customers Preference

34%

10%13%

23%

15%5% 0%0%

Compaq/HP

Lenovo

Dell

Sony

Acer

HCL

LG

Others


like.no.other™

5. You are planning to buy which brand?

Inference

Among the respondents 35% prefer to go for Compaq/HP, second preferred

laptop was Sony with 22.5 %, Acer in third position with 15% and Dell was at fourth

position with 12.5 %.


Sl. NO OptionsNo of

Respondents Percentage

1 Compaq/HP 14 352 Lenovo 4 103 Dell 5 12.54 Sony 9 22.55 Acer 6 156 HCL 2 57 LG 0 08 Others 0 0

87


like.no.other™

SPSS Findings

Sales of Sony laptop and Promotional offers

Q3 - - Sony laptop Sales

Q12 –Promotional offers

Case Processing Summary

40 100.0% 0 .0% 40 100.0%

Howmany Sony laptopspermonth * Do you getlatest information aboutsony and offers

N Percent N Percent N Percent

Valid Missing Total

Cases

Howmany Sony laptops permonth * Do you get latest information aboutsony and offers Crosstabulation

Count

12 26 38

2 2

14 26 40

1-10

10-20

Howmany Sony laptopspermonth

Total

yes No

Do you get latestinformation about sony

and offers

Total

Inference:

The retailers who receive information about promotional offers are 12 and

their sales are less than 10 and there are 26 retailers who sell laptops than 10 and

they do receive any information about promotional offers. Following the same there

are more retailers who do not receive any information on the promotional offers and

there sales is less.



like.no.other™

Sales & Distribution channel

Q3 - - Sales

Q8 –Distribution channel


40 100.0% 0 .0% 40 100.0%

Howmany Sonylaptops permonth *Rate your Satisfactionof Distribution channel


Valid Missing Total

Cases

Howmany Sony laptops permonth * Rate your Satisfaction of Distribution channel Crosstabulation

Count

1 12 18 7 38

2 2

1 12 18 7 2 40

1-10

10-20

Howmany Sony laptopspermonth

Total

HighlyDissatified Dissatified Neutral Satisfied

HighlySatisfied

Rate your Satisfaction of Distribution channel

Total

Inference:

According to the tabular representation the respondents of highly

dissatisfied is 1 and dissatisfied are 12 in numbers. 18 respondents say they are

neutral and 7 are satisfied and 2 respondents are highly satisfied. The satisfaction

level is less with the distribution channel.


Planning to buy a laptop * Which brand you are looking for Crosstabulation

Count

80 80

14 4 5 9 6 2 40

80 14 4 5 9 6 2 120

0

yes

Planning to buya laptop

Total

0 Compaq/HP Lenovo Dell Sony Acer HCL

Which brand you are looking for

Total


like.no.other™

Planning to buy & Preferred Brand

Q3 - - Buy

Q5 – Brand


120 100.0% 0 .0% 120 100.0%Planning to buy alaptop * Which brandyou are looking for


Valid Missing Total

Cases

Among the respondents who wants to buy the laptop the most preferred

is Compaq/HP with 14 and second preferred is Sony with 9 and next preferred is

Acer with 6. Compaq/HP with the leading preferred among the buyers of the laptop.



like.no.other™

17. Findings for Retailers

Among the respondents highest preference was given to increase

advertisement and promotions

Among the respondents second preferred was increasing the margin to

retailers and third was reducing the cost of the laptop

Among the respondents 95% of them sell less than 5 Sony laptops per month

70 % of the respondents do not supply to the government organization, 30%

of the respondent who supply to the government, in that 27.5 % are aware of

the DGS & D, only 2.5 % of the respondents are not aware of the Scheme

15% of the retailers buy laptop from the national distributors, 40% buy

laptops from regional stockiest partners, 5 % buy from other stockiest and 40

% buy from the combination of stockiest

65 % of the respondents do not get latest information or promotional offers

about the laptop from Sony

52 % of the respondents are highly satisfied about product quality

30 % of the respondents are highly dissatisfied about the adv and promotion

50% of the respondents are not satisfied with pricing of the product

30 % of the respondents are not satisfied with distribution channel

Sony Vaio laptop is not readily available with retailers, when customer asks

for Sony the retailers say they will get it within an hour



like.no.other™

Retailers does not offer Sony laptops along with other laptops as many end-

users were not aware

17. Findings for End-users

62% of the end-users say they did not buy Sony Vaio for the reason it is

highly priced

27.5 % of the people are not aware Sony Vaio laptops

5 % said there was no availability of Sony Vaio laptops with retailers at the

time of purchase

26 % of the users bought the non Sony Vaio laptops because of price factor

21% preferred quality as important factor for buying laptop

36% bought the laptop in the range of Rs 35000 to 45000 price tag

33% is the retailers influence on the end user while buying the laptop

28% said they bought the laptop because of the advertisement

36.25 % use laptop for office application and 26% use it for office as well as

other applications

Among the respondents 36.25 % of them are highly satisfied with the quality,

40% of them are satisfied with the price, only 20% of them said they are not

satisfied with features available, 16.25% of them said they were highly

dissatisfied either the price paid to the laptop



like.no.other™

17. Conclusions

Almost all the retailers in Hubli-Dharwad are aware of Sony Vaio but only

few of them regularly get information regarding latest product launches,

offers available on the products etc from the company. Hence the sales

volume of Sony Vaio laptops is quite low even though there is a considerable

market for laptops

Promotions & margin are the two most important parameters which can play

a vital role in enhancing the market share of Sony Vaio laptops

The distribution channel for Sony Vaio laptops is quite effective, hence the

product is easily available as and when required, retailers purchase it from

various channels based on the requirement but channel comprising of regional

distributors dominates them all.

Retailers play vital role when customer is taking decision of buying a laptop,

when customer is purchasing the laptop retailer plays a significant role

Service support is satisfactory in Hubli-Dharwad region



like.no.other™

18. Recommendations

A ‘Retailers Meet’ must be conducted in order to educate retailers about what

Sony has, to offer to them and make them feel proud for being associated with

Sony as channel partners.

In “Retailers Meet” best channel partner for the quarter can be chosen

depending on the business volume with Sony and he can be suitably rewarded

by means of cash or kind

Company representatives can maintain the database of the retailers along with

e-mail ids. Latest offers and schemes on the products can be sent to retailers

through e-mails to increase the awareness about Sony Vaio Laptops.

Sony should circulate these brochures of Sony laptops among retailers on a

regular basis. It can also provide posters to retailers to stick them at the most

appropriate places in their shops such that these posters grab the attention of

the customer.

In order to increase awareness among end users Sony can go in for road

shows, advertisement through newspaper, magazines and hoardings near

offices, universities and industrial estates. (Ex: Any interesting article in local

newspapers can be tagged at the bottom as ‘Sponsored by Sony Vaio’)

Retailers must be persuaded to keep at least one Sony model at their end for

display



like.no.other™

Sony should increase its advertising frequency in order to create awareness

about its products in the minds of the end-users

19. Limitations of the study

The survey was restricted to 2 cities of North Karnataka ( Hubli-Dharwad)

The period for the research was not enough to conduct the study in depth.

The sample size was limited .i.e. 40 computer peripheral detailers and 120

end users and potential customers.

Analysis of the data generated from questionnaire is done on the

assumption that the respondents have divulged correct information, which

may not be so with all respondents.



like.no.other™

20. Questionnaire for Retailers

Note : Tick (√) the most appropriate option.

Name :

Name of Enterprise & Address :

Business : a) Retailer [ ] b) Wholesaler [ ]

1) Do you sell Laptops?

a) Yes [ ] b) No [ ]

2) If ‘yes’ which brands do you sell?

a) Sony [ ] b) HP/Compaq [ ]

c) Lenovo [ ] d) Acer [ ]

e) Others [ ]

3) How many Laptops do you sell per month?

a) less than 10 [ ]

b) above 10 less than 20 [ ]

c) above 20 less than 30 [ ]

d) more than 30 [ ]



like.no.other™

4) How many Sony laptops do you sell per month?

a) less than 5 [ ]

b) above 5 less than 15 [ ]

c) above 15 less than 25 [ ]

d) more than 25 [ ]

5) Do you supply laptops to Government Organizations? a. Yes [ ]

b. No [ ]

If Yes, are you aware of DGS & D Scheme available on Sony Laptop?a) Yes [ ]

b) No [ ]

6) From where do you get the Sony Laptops?

a) National distributor [ ]

b) Regional Distributor [ ]

c) Stockiest [ ]

d) Other retailers [ ]

7) Do you get information about latest Sony Laptops and

promotional offers?

a) Yes [ ] b) No [ ]



like.no.other™

8) Please rate your satisfaction level about the Sony Laptops

(1 for lowest level of satisfaction and 5 for highest level of satisfaction)

Parameters 1 2 3 4 5

a. Product Quality

b. Advertisement & Promotions

c. Service Support

d. Availability of product

e. Pricing

f. Distribution Channel

g. Overall Satisfaction

9) Rank the following in order of their importance for their contribution in

increasing the sales of Sony Laptops

(1 for the highest and 3 for the least)

a) Reduce the cost of Sony Laptops [ ]

b) Increase Advertising and Promotions [ ]

c) Provide good margins to retailers [ ]

10) Please input your valuable suggestions

Thank you,

*******



like.no.other™

20. Questionnaire for End users

Note : Tick (√ ) the most appropriate option.

Personal Information

Name :

Address :

Age :

Gender : Male [ ] Female [ ]

Occupation :

Income range(p.a) : a) 1 – 2 Lakhs [ ] b) 2 – 3 Lakhs [ ] c) 3 – 4 Lakhs [ ] d) above 4 Lakhs [ ]

Section A

1. Do you own a laptop?

a) Yes [ ] b) No [ ]

If NO, go to section B

2. If yes which brand laptop are you using now?

a) Compaq/HP [ ] b) Lenovo [ ] c) Dell [ ] d) Sony [ ]

e) Acer [ ] f) HCL [ ] g) LG [ ] h) others

___________

3. Why you did not purchase Sony laptop? (Other than Sony laptop users) a) Price [ ] b) Features [ ] c) Availability [ ] d) Awareness [ ]

e) Others (Specify) _______________

4. What made you to choose the brand, you are using now?



like.no.other™

a) Cost [ ] b) Quality [ ] c) Service [ ] d) Brand name [ ]

e) Features [ ] f) Looks [ ] g) Battery Backup [ ] h) Weight [ ]

5. What is the price of your laptop?

a) 25000 to < 35000 [ ] b) > 35000 to < 45000 [ ]

c) > 45000 to < 55000 [ ] d ) > 55000 [ ]

6. What was the major factor that influenced your buying decision?

a) Advertisements [ ] b) Friends [ ] c) Family [ ]d) Retailer [ ] e) None [ ]

7. What tasks will you are performing with the notebook?

a) Use it for MS Office applications [ ]

B) Programming & Designing [ ]

c) Watching movie & playing games [ ]

d) All the above [ ]

8. Rate your laptop based on the following parameters based on your level of satisfaction

Parameters HDS DS N S HS

QualityDurability

Battery BackupFeaturesBrandPricelooks

Service Support

Section B

1. Are you planning to buy a laptop? a) Yes



like.no.other™

b) No

2. If YES, what is your purpose of buying a laptop?

a) Use it for MS Office applications

b) Programming & Designing

c) Watching movie & playing games

d) All the above

3. In what price band you are planning to buy a laptop?

a) 25000 to < 35000

b) > 35000 to < 45000

c) > 45000 to < 55000

d) > 55000

4. What are the important parameters that you look in for, while buying a laptop? a) Cost [ ] b) Quality [ ] c) Service [ ] d) Brand name [ ]

e) Features [ ] e) Looks [ ] f) Battery Backup [ ] g) Weight [ ]

5. You are planning to buy which brand?

a) Compaq/HP [ ] b) Lenovo [ ] c) Dell [ ] d) Sony [ ]

e) Acer [ ] f) HCL [ ] g) Others _______________

6. If not Sony, please specify the reason

____________________________________________________________

Thank You



like.no.other™

21. Bibliography

Internet

www.itvr.com

www.wikipedia.com

www.financialexpress.com

www.businessline.com

www.thehindu.com

www.channeltimes.com

www.wikipedia.org

www.sony.com

www.sony.co.in

Various reference text books

Marketing- Lamb, Hair, Mc Daniel

Principles of marketing- Kotler

Sales Management, Richard Still

Edward Cundiff

Norman Govoni

Company Brochure

Pamphlets, Advertisements, Profile

Information from company personnel

Mr. S. Avinash (Sales manager- South, Bangalore)


http://www.sony.co.in/

http://www.samsungglobe.com/

http://www.wikipedia.org/

http://www.channeltimes.com/

http://www.thehindu.com/

http://www.businessline.com/

http://www.financialexpress.com/

http://www.wikipedia.com/

http://www.google.com/