A Study of Customer Purchase Decision Towards Laptops.

A
Project Report On
Titled
A STUDY OF CUSTOMER
PURCHASE DECISION TOWARDS
LAPTOPS.
(Special Reference to Ludhiana)
Submitted in partial fulfillment for the
Award of degree of
M.Com 2nd SEM

Submitted To:
Submitted By:
The Chairperson
Boskey Dhingra
University School of Open Learning

Panjab University, Chandigarh-160014
M.Com 2nd Sem
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
The successful completion of a Market Research Project Report

requires guidance & help from a number of people. I was fortunate
to have all the support from my teachers. I therefore take this
opportunity to express my profound sense of gratitude to the all
those who extended their whole hearted help and support to me in
completing the project study report work on
A STUDY OF CUSTOMER PURCHASE DECISION

TOWARDS LAPTOPS.
(Special Reference to Ludhiana)
I also express my deep sense of gratitude to Mr. Hemant Bhardwaj (Guide),

who has helped us to do our project. Because of his co-operation and continuous
guidance successful completion of this project study report was made possible.
No Acknowledge would suffice for the support my family members, my training
colleagues, classmates & friends.
Lastly, I extend my thanks to all those whose name have not been mentioned way in
successfully carrying out the project report.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
India's premier information, enabling specifies requirements for a quality management
system where an organization needs to demonstrate its ability to consistently provide
product and services that meets customer and applicable regulatory requirements.
The menu of Industry global services broadly covers IT consulting and professional
services in the area of vertical applications, technology integration, ERP implementation
and software development. This also includes a complete portfolio of systems and
network services for development. This also includes a complete portfolio of systems and
network services for Facilities Management, Helpdesks, Systems Supports and network
and Internet Implementation.
Computer Industry customers include Samsung, Government of Singapore, and AMAL
insurance Jurong Port in Singapore and Malaysians BSN commercial bank, SIA, DBS
bank, Maybank life assurance charted semiconductors.
Electronic Industry chosen platform of total technology integration lends itself to some
very significant alliances with the global leaders.
Today the industry has aligned its operations into five entities that offer seamless linkages
for the customers seeking entry into the wired world through total the. Integration
solution ands services.
The industry focuses on the ever-growing segment in Imaging, Telecom and
Communication products solutions and services. Now it has an exclusive sale and
support.
The Industry Managed Network Service offerings for corporate include VPNs,
ASP offerings, Co Location/ hosting, CDNs, security, corporate internet telephony
solutions, technical and consumer help desks, 24/7 Network Operations Centre
monitoring and a host of value added networking services. Consumer services include
dialup PSTN/ISDN Internet access, Valufon calling cards and VoIP telephony devices.
Table of Content
Chapter No.
1
A
2
A
3
A
TITLE
Industry Introduction
Company Profile & Their Products
Conceptual Framework
Review of Literature
Research Methodology
Data Analysis & Interpretation
Finding & Conclusion
Suggestion
Bibliography
Annexure
Introduction:OVERVIEW OF THE
INDIAN ELECTRONIC MARKET
ELECTRONICS INDUSTRY IN INDIA
INDUSTRY OVERVIEW
Historical Developments
The Electronics Industry in India took off around 1965 with an orientation
towards space and defence technologies. This was rigidly controlled and initiated by
the government. This was followed by developments in consumer electronics mainly
with transistor radios, Black & White TV, Calculators and other audio products.
Colour Televisions soon followed. In 1982-a significant year in the history of
television in India - the government allowed thousands of colour TV sets to be
imported into the country to coincide with the broadcast of Asian Games in New
Delhi. 1985 saw the advent of Computers and Telephone exchanges, which were
succeeded by Digital Exchanges in 1988. The period between 1984 and 1990 was the
golden period for electronics during which the industry witnessed continuous and
rapid growth.
From 1991 onwards, there was first an economic crises triggered by the Gulf
War which was followed by political and economic uncertainties within the country.
Pressure on the electronics industry remained though growth and developments have
continued with digitalisation in all sectors, and more recently the trend towards
convergence of technologies. After the software boom in mid 1990s India's focus
shifted to software. While the hardware sector was treated with indifference by
successive governments. Moreover the steep fall in custom tariffs made the hardware
sector suddenly vulnerable to international competition. In 1997 the ITA agreement
was signed at the WTO where India committed itself to total elimination of all
customs duties on IT hardware by 2005. In the subsequent years, a number of
companies turned sick and had to be closed down. At the same time companies like
Moser Baer, Samtel Colour, Celetronix etc. have made a mark globally.
Current Scenario
In recent years the electronic industry is growing at a brisk pace. It is currently worth
US$ 32 Billion and according to industry estimates it has the potential to reach US$
150 billion by 2010. The largest segment is the consumer electronics segment. While
is largest export segment is of components. The electronic industry in India constitutes
just 0.7 per cent of the global electronic industry. Hence it is miniscule by
international comparison. However the demand in the Indian market is growing
rapidly and investments are flowing in to augment manufacturing capacity.
The output of the Electronic Hardware Industry in India is worth US$11.6 Billion at
present. India is also an exporter of a vast range of electronic components and
products for the following segments
Display technologies
Entertainment electronics
Optical Storage devices
Passive components
Electromechanical components
Telecom equipment
Transmission & Signaling equipment
Semiconductor designing
Electronic Manufacturing Services (EMS)
This growth has attracted global players to India and leaders like Solectron,
Flextronics, Jabil, Nokia, Elcoteq and many more have made large investments to
access the Indian market. In consumer electronics Korean companies such as LG and
Samsung have made commitments by establishing large manufacturing facilities and
now enjoy a significant share in the growing market for products such as Televisions,
CD/DVD Players, Audio equipment and other entertainment products.
The growth in telecom products demand has been breathtaking and India is adding 2
million mobile phone users every month! With telecom penetration of around 10 per
cent, this growth is expected to continue at least over the next decade. Penetration
levels in other high growth products are equally high and growth in demand for
Computer/ IT products, auto electronics, medical, industrial, as well as consumer
electronics is equally brisk. Combined with low penetration levels and the Indian
economy growing at an impressive 7 per cent per annum, the projection of a US$150
Billion+ market is quite realistic and offers an excellent opportunity to electronics
players worldwide.
Electronic Manufacturing Services

India is well-known for its software prowess. But on the hardware front, the progress
is rather slow. However, the country has been making gains in this sector also. lready,
50 Electronics Manufacturing Services (EMS)/Original Design Manufacturers
(ODMs) providers are operating in India, ranging from global players including
Flextronics and Solectron to indigenous firms including Deltron, TVS Electronics and
Sahasra. Further moves by international players are expected to add production in
India in the coming years. Indias contract-manufacturing business is expected to
nearly triple in revenue over the next five years, a development that will present both
opportunities and potential pitfalls for the worldwide electronics supply chain.
Revenue generated by Electronics Manufacturing Services (EMS) providers and
Original Design Manufacturers (ODMs) in India will expand to $2.03 billion in 2009,
rising at a CAGR of 21 per cent from $774 million in 2004. Indian EMS/ODM
revenue grew by 20.8 per cent to reach $935 million in 2005. Obvious allure of
locating electronics production in India is the nations low labor costs. Labor costs for
conducting electronics manufacturing in India are between 30 to 40 per cent less than
in the United States or in Western Europe. Other equally important benefits from
operating in India include a fast-growing domestic market, an excellent education
system, the nations technology parks and the recent improvements in the countrys
transit and utility infrastructure.
However, the Indian contract-manufacturing industry is not expected to pose a
significant threat to Chinas position as the epicenter of electronics manufacturing in
the short term. Indias contract manufacturing activities primarily serve the nations
indigenous demand.
OEMs primarily outsource manufacturing to cater to the Indian domestic market,

although export of Indian-assembled electronic goods does occur. In the longer term,
i.e. 2009 onward, it is predicted that India may compete with the Chinese providers in
select products as the nations share of the global electronics market increases.For
OEMs, using contract manufacturing services in India can help them penetrate the
local market. However, OEMs face specific risks associated with using contract
manufacturers in India. Fluid exchange rates combined with volatile oil and
component prices lead to unpredictable costs. Changing government policies along
with shifting government regimes also contribute to an unpredictable political
environment. Doing business in India is often disjointed, with an inefficient
bureaucratic system that causes frequent delays. However, for OEMs able to manage
these risks, the opportunity in India is significant. The semiconductor fabrication
segment has a small existing base in India with only two fabrication units, which both
are developing chips for the defense and strategic sectors. However, semiconductor
suppliers are expanding their manufacturing activities in India to serve the growing
contract-manufacturing industry in the nation. As evidence of this trend,
groundbreaking commenced on a 200 mm fabrication unit in Hyderabad operated by
NanoTech Silicon India Ltd.
Recent trends show that an increasing number of engineering and design activities are
also being outsorced to EMS companies and they are becoming ODMs (Original
Design manufacturers) and also provide final system integration and logistical support
E&Y have projected that India can target a share of 1 per cent in North America, 2 per
cent in Western Europe, 4 per cent of Asia and 5 per cent of Rest of the World of the
Electronics Manufacturing Services market. Thus India can target 2.2 per cent of the
world-wide electronics EMS market of US$497 Billion by 2010 which works out to a
potential of US$11 Billion.
The recent acceleration in EMS activity is mainly due to rapid growth in the electronic
Hardware market in all segments particularly rapid growth has taken place in Telecom
Infrastructure Equipment, computers, Consumer & Hand held devices.
Behind the impressive growth of the electronics industry is the robust and consistent
growth in Electronic Hardware market of approximately 25 per cent due to a stable
economy & large middle class of 350 million people. The fastest growing segments
are demand for telecom services particularly cell phones, internet subscribers &
growth in demand for it products with increasing penetration of computers, falling
prices & Government support to rapidly encourage usage of IT in all sectors. Within
next 5 years penetration of telephone users (both landline & mobile) is projected to
increase from 100 to 500 per thousand while PC's increase from 10 to 30 plus per
thousand. Some of the other factors are Highly talented workforce, especially for
design and engineering services with good
communication skills.
Rising labor costs in China.
Presence of global Electronics Manufacturing Services (EMS) majors in India and
their plans for increased investments in India.
More outsourcing of manufacturing by both Indian and global Original Equipment
Manufacturers
Production Trend of Different Segments

Consumer Electronics
Consumer electronics (durables) sector continues to be the main stay of the Indian
electronic industry contributing about 32 per cent of the total electronic hardware
production. By the end of 2005-06, the market for consumer durables (including
entertainment electronics, communitarian and IT products) was Rs 180 billion (US
$4.5 billion). The market is expected to grow at 10 to 12 per cent annually and is
expected to reach Rs 60 billion (US$13.3 billion) by 2008. The urban consumer
durables market is growing at an annual rate Corporate Catalyst India A report on
Indian Electronics Industry of seven to 10 per cent, the rural durables market is
growing at 25 per cent annually. Some high-growth categories within this segment
include mobile phones, TVs and music systems.
Computer Industry
With sound macroeconomic condition and buoyant buying sentiment in the market,
PC sales touched 6.5 million units during 2006-07. The high growth in PC sales is
attributed to increased consumption by Industry verticals such as Telecom, Banking
and Financial Services, Manufacturing, Education, Retail and BPO/IT-enabled
services as well as major e- Governance initiatives of the Central and State
Governments. Significant consumption in the small and medium enterprises and
increased PC purchase in smaller towns and cities was witnessed during the year. It is
expected that increased Government focus on pan-India deployment of broadband at
one of the lowest costs in the world will soon lead to accelerated PC consumption in
the home market. The growing domestic IT market has now given impetus to
manufacturing in India. The year witnessed not only capacity expansion by the
existing players, but also newer investments in hardware manufacturing. India is also
high on the agenda of electronics manufacturing services companies.
This is now a matured industry sector in the country at least as far as various
application segments is concerned. State-of-art and reliable SCADA, PLC/Data
Acquisition systems are being applied across various sections of the process industry.
Latest AC drive systems from smaller to very high power levels also find application
in large engineering industries like steel plants and/or metal industries. World class
UPS systems are being manufactured in the country to cater to the need of the
emerging digital economy. However, it appears there is really no manufacturing base
in the country for the whole range of the latest test and measuring instruments which
are invariably procured from outside. A good number of Indian companies in the
control and instrumentation sector are able to acquire orders for export systems
through international competitive bidding.
However, the creation of knowledge base in the country through industrial R&D in
this critical sector has not been improving as desired. There is still lack of needed
R&D activities by the industry looking at the global market. On the part of
Department of Information Technology some of the latest technology development
and applications in this area include Intelligent SCADA Systems for monitoring and
control of Mini Hydel plants, Advanced Traffic Control System for urban tranPCation,
Intelligent Power Controllers for improvement of quality of electric power, etc. These
systems have been successfully developed and applied in real field conditions.
Communication & Broadcasting Sector
The telecommunication industry has gained tremendous recognition as the key driver
for all round development and growth. With about 256 million telephone subscribers
(as on Corporate Catalyst India A report on Indian Electronics Industry February,
2007) India has emerged as one of the largest in the world and second largest in Asia.
The share of private sector in telecom industry has increased to more than 57 per cent
and the contribution of mobile telephony has gone upto 63 per cent on December,
2007. Buoyed by the better-than-expected teledensity in 2005 (11.4 per cent against
8.6 per cent in 2004) due to the mobile boom in India, Department of
Telecommunications (DoT)
has revised the upwards the target of 22 per cent
teledensity by 2007. Broadband connectivity is holding tremendous potential in the

country. It is expected that the number of broadband subscribers would reach 20
million by 2010. India has emerged as the second largest market for mobile handsets.
Following the unprecedented growth in the mobile market, a number of companies are
planning to set up production base for mobile hand sets in the country for meeting
local as well as export markets. Direct to Home (DTH) broadcast service has gained
more and more popularity during 2005. DTH service is available through National
Broadcaster and private DTH service provider. Better quality digital broadcast
reception is now available almost everywhere in the country to the common people on
their TV sets through the use of small dish antenna and a Set-Top Box (STB).
Strategic Electronics
Though the government has started the process of getting private sector involved in
the production of strategic electronics equipments, the private involvement is at its
nascent stage. The estimated market for strategic electronics in India during 2005-06
was Rs.32 billion and 95 per cent of this was done by the public sector unit Bharat
Electronics Limited (BEL).
Electronic Components
The total production of components was estimated at Rs. 88 billion during 2005-06.
The colour picture tube production is likely to be around 11 million, a decline from
11.2 million in the last year. The production of B&W picture tubes declined further
due to decreased market for B&W TVs. The components with major share in the
export are CD-R, CPTs, PCBs, DVD-R, connectors, semiconductor devices, ferrites,
resistors, etc. Significant developments took place during the year in the area of colour
picture tubes and colour glass parts. Another CPT manufacturer successfully launched
manufacture of pure flat tubes, leading to availability of flat tubes from three
indigenous sources. The CPT units continued expansion of capacities to improve
further their global competitiveness. Two more lines were commissioned during the
year, one for manufacture of large size flat colour Corporate Catalyst India A report on
Indian Electronics Industry picture tubes and the second for small size. Two more
lines are likely to come up next year. Keeping pace with the downward trend in prices
of color TVs, the prices of CPTs also fell.
Production Trend of Different Segments
Computers Communication & Broadcast Equipment
One of the CPT manufacturers successfully developed a prototype of the 42 Plasma

Display Panel. This marked a major achievement of a milestone in the area of
developing from green field a Technology development initiative in a Hi Tech area.
The focus of development was in optimizing the Plasma Display Cell design to
achieve the desired parameters of Contrast and Brightness, achieving high speed
response times and parallely designing the Scan and sustain driver boards to match the
Panel parameters. A fully functional video Controller was also designed and
developed to match the Logic Circuits of the PDP Panel. In the year 2006, the
company plans to begin selling commercially the PDP Panels developed completely
inhouse and the focus there on will be to create low cost products through
Technological breakthroughs. The color glass parts manufacturer implemented major
expansion of its capacity to meet increased local requirement due to substantial
growth in CPT production. The unit also started manufacture of glass parts for pure
flat tubes as the demand for such tubes increased due to one more unit launching
production during the year. Both the existing manufacturers of B/W glass parts
continued the production of colour funnels in their existing lines. They were also
planning to make large investment to set up manufacturing facilities for colour panels
in near future. A number of existing units imported capital goods under various
schemes for expansion of their capacities in PCBs, connectors, cable assemblies,
colour picture tubes, compact disc, glass parts for colour picture tubes, etc. Corporate
Catalyst India A report on Indian Electronics Industry The serviceable market for
professional grade components such as PCBs, semiconductor devices, connectors,
wound components, antennas, etc., is likely to go up due to launch of manufacture of
mobile handsets in the country.
History of Laptop Computers - History

Left - Modern Laptop Today
It is a little hard to determine what was the first portable or laptop
computer, the first portable computers did not look like the booksized and folding laptops that we are familiar with today, however,
they were both portable and lapable, and lead to the development of notebook style
laptops. I have outlined several potential firsts below and how each qualifies, many of
the off-site links provide good photos of the computers that will let you see the
progression in design.
The First Laptop? Maybe

Designed in 1979 by a Briton, William Moggridge, for Grid Systems Corporation, the
Grid Compass was one fifth the weight of any model equivalent in performance and
was used by NASA on the space shuttle program in the early 1980's. A 340K byte
bubble memory lap-top computer with die-cast magnesium case and folding
electroluminescent graphics display screen.
HP Mini 210 NotebookSuperior Entertianment Computing, Stunning Notbook
Designs, Visit Us!www.HP.com/IN/mini210
Gavilan Computer As The First Laptop?
Manny Fernandez had the idea for a well-designed laptop for executives who were
starting to use computer. Fernandez, who started Gavilan Computer, promoted his
machines as the first "laptop" computers in May 1983. Many historians consider the
Gavilan as the first fully functional laptop computer.
The First Laptop Computer - Osborne 1

The computer considered by most historians to be the first true portable computer was
the Osborne 1. Adam Osborne, an ex-book publisher founded Osborne Computer and
produced the Osborne 1 in 1981, a portable computer that weighed 24 pounds and cost
$1795. The Osborne 1 came with a five-inch screen, modem port, two 5 1/4 floppy
drives, a large collection of bundled software programs, and a battery pack. The shortlived computer company was never successful.
More History of Laptop Firsts

Also released in 1981, was the Epson HX-20, a battery powered portable
computer, with a 20-character by 4 line LCD display and a built-in printer.
In January of 1982, Microsoft's Kazuhiko Nishi and Bill Gates begin
discussions on designing a portable computer, based on using a new liquid
crystal display or LCD screen. Kazuhiko Nishi later showed the prototype to
Radio Shack who agree to manufacture the computer.
In 1983, Radio Shack released the TRS-80 Model 100, a 4 lb. battery operated
portable computer with a flat and more of a laptop design.
In February 1984, IBM announced the IBM 5155 Portable Personal Computer.
Three years later in 1986, Radio Shack released the improved and smaller TRS
Model 200.
In 1988, Compaq Computer introduces its first laptop PC with VGA graphics the Compaq SLT/286.
In 1989, NEC UltraLite was released, considered by some to be the first
"notebook style" computer. It was a laptop size computer which weighed under
5 lbs. (second photo)
In September 1989, Apple Computer released the first Macintosh Portable that
later evolved into the Powerbook. (second photo)
In 1989, Zenith Data Systems released the Zenith MiniPC, a 6-pound laptop
computer. (more Zenith laptops)
In October 1989, Compaq Computer released its first notebook PC, the
Compaq LTE.
In March 1991, Microsoft released the Microsoft BallPoint Mouse that used
both mouse and trackball technology in a pointing device designed for laptop
computers.
In October 1991, Apple Computers released the Macintosh PowerBook 100,

140, and 170 - all notebook style laptops. (more on Powerbooks)
In October 1992, IBM released its ThinkPad 700 laptop computer.
In 1992, Intel and Microsoft release APM or the Advanced Power Management
specification for laptop computers.
In 1993, the first PDAs or Personal Digital Assistants are released. PDAs are
pen-based hand-held computers.
Laptop
A laptop is a personal computer designed for mobile use and small and light
enough to sit on a person's lap while in use. A laptop integrates most of the typical
components of a desktop computer, including a display, a keyboard, a pointing device
(a touchpad, also known as a trackpad, and/or a pointing stick), speakers, and often
including a battery, into a single small and light unit. The rechargeable battery (if
present) is charged from an AC adapter and typically stores enough energy to run the
laptop for two to three hours in its initial state, depending on the configuration and
power management of the computer.
Laptops are usually notebook-shaped with thicknesses between 0.71.5 inches
(1838 mm) and dimensions ranging from 10x8 inches (27x22cm, 13" display) to
15x11 inches (39x28cm, 17" display) and up. Modern laptops weigh 3 to 12 pounds
(1.4 to 5.4 kg); older laptops were usually heavier. Most laptops are designed in the
flip form factor to protect the screen and the keyboard when closed. Modern tablet
laptops have a complex joint between the keyboard housing and the display,
permitting the display panel to swivel and then lie flat on the keyboard housing.
Laptops were originally considered to be "a small niche market" and were
thought suitable mostly for "specialized field applications" such as "the military, the
Internal Revenue Service, accountants and sales representatives". But today, there are
already more laptops than desktops in businesses, and laptops are becoming obligatory
for student use and more popular for general use. In 2008 more laptops than desktops
were sold in the US.
History
The Epson HX-20
As the personal computer became feasible in
the early 1970s, the idea of a portable personal
computer followed. A "personal, portable
information manipulator" was imagined by
Alan Kay at Xerox PARC in 1968 and
described in his 1972 paper as the "Dynabook".
The IBM SCAMP project (Special Computer APL Machine Portable), was
demonstrated in 1973. This prototype was based on the PALM processor (Put All Logic In
Microcode).
The IBM 5100, the first commercially available portable computer, appeared in September
1975, and was based on the SCAMP prototype.
As 8-bit CPU machines became widely accepted, the number of portables increased rapidly.
The Osborne 1, released in 1981, used the Zilog Z80 and weighed 23.5 pounds (10.7 kg). It
had no battery, a 5 in (13 cm) CRT screen and dual 5.25 in (13.3 cm) single-density floppy
drives. In the same year the first laptop-sized portable computer, the Epson HX-20, was
announced.[5] The Epson had a LCD screen, a rechargeable battery and a calculator-size
printer in a 1.6 kg (3.5 lb) chassis. Both Tandy/RadioShack and HP also produced portable
computers of varying designs during this period.
The first laptops using the flip form factor appeared in the early 1980s. The Dulmont
Magnum was released in Australia in 1981-82, but was not marketed internationally until
1984-85. The 8150 US$ GRiD Compass 1100, released in 1982, was used at NASA and by
the military among others. The Gavilan SC, released in 1983, was the first notebook marketed
using the term "laptop". From 1983 onward, several new input techniques were developed
and included in laptops, including the touchpad (Gavilan SC, 1983), the pointing stick (IBM
ThinkPad 700, 1992) and handwriting recognition (Linus Write-Top, 1987). Some CPUs
were designed specifically for low-power use including laptops (Intel i386SL, 1990), and
were supported by dynamic power management features (Intel SpeedStep and AMD
PowerNow!) in some designs. Displays reached VGA resolution by 1988 (Compaq SLT/286)
and 256-color screens by 1993 (PowerBook 165c), progressing quickly to millions of colors
and high resolutions. High-capacity hard drives and optical storage (CD-ROM followed by
CD-R and CD-RW and eventually by DVD-ROM and the writable varieties) became
available in laptops soon after their introduction to the desktops.
Classification
The general terms "laptop" or "notebook" can be used to refer to a number of classes of small
portable computers:
By purpose and (approximately) by screen
size:
Budget a cheap, lower-performance

standard-sized laptop;
Tablet PC Has a touch-screen
larger screen;
interface, may or may not have a
Standard laptop balances
keyboard;
portability and features, 13-15" screen;
Desktop replaelectronic emphasizes

performance, is less portable, 15" and
By features:
Subnotebook emphasizes portability,

has fewer features, 12" or smaller
screen.
Netbook A budget subnotebook suited

to Internet surfing and basic office
applications. Usually has a 9" or 10"
screen.
Gaming laptop - A larger laptop with a

powerful graphics card for playing
graphics-intensive computer games.
Rugged Engineered to operate in

tough conditions (strong vibrations,
extreme temperatures, wet and dusty
environments).
Desktop replaelectronic
Dell XPS M140 Laptop.
A desktop replaelectronic computer is a laptop that provides most of
the capabilities of a desktop computer, with a similar level of
performance. Desktop replaelectronics are usually larger and heavier
than standard laptops. They contain more powerful components and have a 15" or larger
display.[11] Because of their bulk, they are not as portable as other laptops and their operation
time on batteries is typically shorter; instead, they are meant to be used as a more compact,
easier to carry alternative to a desktop computer.
Some laptops in this class use a limited range of desktop components to provide better
performance for the same price at the expense of battery life; in a few of those models, there
is no battery at all and the laptop can only be used when plugged in. These are sometimes
called desknotes, a portmanteau of the words "desktop" and "notebook," though the term can
also be applied to desktop replaelectronic computers in general.
In the early 2000s, desktops were more powerful, easier to upgrade, and much cheaper in
comparison with laptops. But in the last few years, the advantages have drastically changed
or shrunk since the performance of laptops has markedly increased. In the second half of
2008, laptops have finally outsold desktops for the first time ever. In the U.S., the PC
shipment declined 10 percent in the fourth quarter of 2008. In Asia, the worst PC shipment
growth went up 1.8 percent over the same quarter the previous year since PC statistics
research started.
The names "Media Center Laptops" and "Gaming Laptops" are also used to describe
specialized members of this class of notebooks.
Subnotebook
Sony VAIO P series subnotebook.
A subnotebook, also called an ultraportable by some
vendors, is a laptop designed and marketed with an
emphasis on portability (small size, low weight and longer
battery life) that retains the performance of a standard
notebook Subnotebooks are usually smaller and lighter than standard laptops, weighing
between 0.8 and 2 kg (2 to 5 pounds); the battery life can exceed 10 hours when a large
battery or an additional battery pack is installed.
To achieve the size and weight reductions, ultraportables use high resolution 13" and smaller
screens (down to 6.4"), have relatively few ports, employ expensive components designed for
minimal size and best power efficiency, and utilize advanced materials and construction
methods. Some subnotebooks achieve a further portability improvement by omitting an
optical/removable media drive; in this case they may be paired with a docking station that
contains the drive and optionally more ports or an additional battery.
The term "subnotebook" is usually reserved to laptops that run general-purpose desktop
operating systems such as Windows, Linux or Mac OS X, rather than specialized software
such as Windows CE, Palm OS or Internet Tablet OS.
Netbook
Netbooks are laptops that are light-weight, economical, energy-efficient and
especially suited for wireless communication and Internet access. Hence the name netbook
(as "the device excels in web-based computing performance") rather than notebook which
pertains to size.
With primary focus given to web browsing and e-mailing, netbooks "rely heavily on the
Internet for remote access to web-based applications"[19] and are targeted increasingly at cloud
computing users who rely on servers and require a less powerful client computer. While the
devices range in size from below 5 inches to over 12, most are between 7 and 11 inches and
weigh between 0.9 - 1.4 kg (2-3 pounds).
Netbooks normally use light-weight operating systems such Linux and Windows XP.
Because they're very portable, Netbooks have a few disadvantages. Because the netbooks are
thin, the first such products introduced to the market had their primary internal storage in the
form of solid-state drives and not hard disks, which are essential to installing very many
programs. Hard disk drive technology and form factors have since been adapted to fit into
netbooks.
Given their size and use of more rudimentary components compared to notebooks and
subnotebooks, netbooks also generally have a smaller-capacity hard drive, slower CPU, and a
lower-profile RAM capacity.
Recently, Google has announced to be developing an own operating system called Chrome
for this market.
The big breakthrough for netbook computers did not happen until the weight,
diagonal form-factor and price combination of < 1 kg, < 9", < U.S. $400, respectively,
became commercially available at around 2008.
Rugged laptop
A Panasonic Toughbook.
A rugged (or ruggedized) laptop is designed to reliably
operate in harsh usage conditions such as strong vibrations,
extreme temperatures, and wet or dusty environments.
Rugged laptops are usually designed from scratch, rather
than adapted from regular consumer laptop models.
Rugged notebooks are bulkier, heavier, and much more expensive than regular laptops, and
thus are seldom seen in regular consumer use.
The design features found in rugged laptops include rubber sheeting under the keyboard keys,
sealed port and connector covers, passive cooling, superbright displays easily readable in
daylight, cases and frames made of magnesium alloys that are much stronger than plastic
found in commercial laptops, and solid-state storage devices or hard disc drives that are
shock mounted to withstand constant vibrations. Rugged laptops are commonly used by
public safety services (police, fire and medical emergency), military, utilities, field service
technicians, construction, mining and oil drilling personnel. Rugged laptops are usually sold
to organizations, rather than individuals, and are rarely marketed via retail channels.
Components
Miniaturization: a comparison of a desktop computer
motherboard (ATX form factor) to a motherboard from a
13" laptop (2008 unibody
Macbook)
Inner view of a Sony Vaio
laptop The basic components of
laptops are similar in function to their desktop counterparts, but
are miniaturized, adapted to mobile use, and designed for low power consumption. Because
of the additional requirements, laptop components are usually of inferior performance
compared to similarly priced desktop parts. Furthermore, the design bounds on power, size,
and cooling of laptops limit the maximum performance of laptop parts compared to that of
desktop components.
The following list summarizes the differences and distinguishing features of laptop
components in comparison to desktop personal computer parts:
Motherboard Laptop motherboards are highly make and model specific, and do not
conform to a desktop form factor. Unlike a desktop board that usually has several
slots for expansion cards (3 to 7 are common), a board for a small, highly integrated
laptop may have no expansion slots at all, with all the functionality implemented on
the motherboard itself; the only expansion possible in this case is via an external port
such as USB. Other boards may have one or more standard, such as ExpressCard, or
proprietary expansion slots. Several other functions (storage controllers, networking,

sound card and external ports) are implemented on the motherboard.
Central processing unit (CPU) Laptop CPUs have advanced power-saving features
and produce less heat than desktop processors, but are not as powerful. [29] There is a
wide range of CPUs designed for laptops available from Intel (Pentium M, Celeron
M, Intel Core and Core 2 Duo), AMD (Athlon, Turion 64, and Sempron), VIA
Technologies, Transmeta and others. On the non-x86 architectures, Motorola and IBM
produced the chips for the former PowerPC-based Apple laptops (iBook and
PowerBook). Some laptops have removable CPUs, although support by the
motherboard may be restricted to the specific models. [30] In other laptops the CPU is
soldered on the motherboard and is non-replaceable.
A SODIMM memory module.
Memory (RAM) SO-DIMM memory modules that are

usually found in laptops are about half the size of desktop
DIMMs. They may be accessible from the bottom of the laptop
for ease of upgrading, or placed in locations not intended for user replaelectronic such
as between the keyboard and the motherboard. Currently, most midrange laptops are
factory equipped with 3-4 GB of DDR2 RAM, while some higher end notebooks
feature up to 8 GB of DDR3 memory. Netbooks however, are commonly equipped
with only 1 GB of RAM to keep manufacturing costs low.
Expansion cards A PC Card (formerly PCMCIA) or ExpressCard bay for expansion

cards is often present on laptops to allow adding and removing functionality, even
when the laptop is powered on. Some subsystems (such as Ethernet, Wi-Fi, or a
cellular modem) can be implemented as replaceable internal expansion cards, usually
accessible under an access cover on the bottom of the laptop. Two popular standards
for such cards are MiniPCI and its successor, the PCI Express Mini.
Power supply Laptops are typically powered by an internal rechargeable battery that
is charged using an external power supply. The power supply can charge the battery
and power the laptop simultaneously; when the battery is fully charged, the laptop
continues to run on AC power. The charger adds about 400 grams (1 lb) to the overall
"tranPC weight" of the notebook.
Battery Current laptops utilize lithium ion batteries, with more recent models using
the new lithium polymer technology. These two technologies have largely replaced
the older nickel metal-hydride batteries. Typical battery life for standard laptops is
two to five hours of light-duty use, but may drop to as little as one hour when doing
power-intensive tasks. A battery's performance gradually decreases with time, leading
to an eventual replaelectronic in one to three years, depending on the charging and
discharging pattern. This large-capacity main battery should not be confused with the
much smaller battery nearly all computers use to run the real-time clock and to store
the BIOS configuration in the CMOS memory when the computer is off. Lithium-ion
batteries do not have a memory effect as older batteries may have. The memory effect
happens when one does not use a battery to its fullest extent, then recharges the
battery. New innovations in laptops and batteries have seen new possible matchings
which can provide up to a full 24 hours of continued operation, assuming average
power consumption levels. An example of this is the HP EliteBook 6930p when used
with its ultra-capacity battery.
Video display controller On standard laptops the video controller is usually

integrated into the chipset. This tends to limit the use of laptops for gaming and
entertainment, two fields which have constantly escalating hardware demands.
Higher-end laptops and desktop replaelectronics in particular often come with
dedicated graphics processors on the motherboard or as an internal expansion card.
These mobile graphics processors are comparable in performance to mainstream
desktop graphic accelerator boards.
Display Most modern laptops feature 12 inches (30 cm) or larger color active matrix
displays based on a CCFL lamp with resolutions of 1280x800 (16:10) or 1366 x 768
(16:9) pixels and above. Many current models use screens with higher resolution than
typical for desktop PCs (for example, the 1440900 resolution of a 15"). Newer
laptops come with LED based screens offering a lesser power consumption and wider
viewing angles. Macbook Pro[34] can be found on 19" widescreen desktop monitors.
A size comparison of 3.5" and 2.5" hard disk drives
Removable media drives A DVD/CD reader/writer drive

is typically standard. CD drives are becoming rare, while
Blu-Ray is becoming more common on notebooks. Many
ultraportables and netbooks either move the removable
media drive into the docking station or exclude it altogether.
Internal storage Laptop hard disks are physically smaller2.5 inches (64 mm) or
1.8 inches (46 mm) compared to desktop 3.5 inches (89 mm) drives. Some newer
laptops (usually ultraportables) employ more expensive, but faster, lighter and powerefficient flash memory-based SSDs instead. Currently, 250 to 500 GB sizes are
common for laptop hard disks (64 to 256 GB for SSDs).
Input A pointing stick, touchpad or both are used to control the position of the
cursor on the screen, and an integrated keyboard is used for typing. An external
keyboard and/or mouse may be connected using USB or PS/2 (if present).
Ports several USB ports, an external monitor port (VGA or DVI), audio in/out, and
an Ethernet network port are found on most laptops. Less common are legacy ports
such as a PS/2 keyboard/mouse port, serial port or a parallel port. S-video or
composite video ports are more common on consumer-oriented notebooks. HDMI
may be found on some higher-end notebooks.
Docking stations
A docking station is a relatively bulky laptop accessory that contains multiple ports,
expansion slots, and bays for fixed or removable drives. A laptop connects and disconnects
easily to a docking station, typically through a single large proprietary connector. A port
replicator is a simplified docking station that only provides connections from the laptop to
input/output ports. Both docking stations and port replicators are intended to be used at a
permanent working place (a desk) to offer instant connection to multiple input/output devices
and to extend a laptop's capabilities.
Docking stations became a common laptop accessory in the early 1990s. The most common
use was in a corporate computing environment where the company had standardized on a
common network card and this same card was placed into the docking station. These stations
were very large and quite expensive. As the need for additional storage and expansion slots
became less critical because of the high integration inside the laptop, port replicators have
gained popularity, being a cheaper, often passive device that often simply mates to the
connectors on the back of the notebook, or connects via a standardized port such as USB or
FireWire.
Standards
Some laptop components (optical drives, hard drives, memory and internal expansion cards)
are relatively standardized, and it is possible to upgrade or replace them in many laptops as
long as the new part is of the same type. Depending on the manufacturer and model, a laptop
may range from having several standard, easily customizable and upgradeable parts to a
proprietary design that cannot be reconfigured at all.
In general, components other than the four categories listed above are not intended to be
replaceable, and thus rarely follow a standard. In particular, motherboards, locations of ports,
and design and plaelectronic of internal components are usually make and model specific.
Those parts are neither interchangeable with parts from other manufacturers nor upgradeable.
If broken or damaged, they must be substituted with an exact replaelectronic part. Those
users uneducated in the relevant fields are those the most affected by incompatibilities,
especially if they attempt to connect their laptops with incompatible hardware or power
adapters.
Intel, Asus, Compal, Quanta and other laptop manufacturers have created the Common
Building Block standard for laptop parts to address some of the inefficiencies caused by the
lack of standards.
Advantages
Laptop computers are portable and can be used in many
locations. Shown here is former Mexican president
Vicente Fox.
Portability is usually the first feature mentioned

in any comparison of laptops versus desktop PCs.
Portability means that a laptop can be used in
many placesnot only at home and at the office,
but also during commuting and flights, in coffee shops, in lecture halls and libraries,
at clients' location or at a meeting room, etc. The portability feature offers several
distinct advantages:
Getting more work done Using a laptop in places where a desktop PC can't be
used, and at times that would otherwise be wasted. For example, an office worker
managing their e-mails during an hour-long commute by train, or a student doing
his/her homework at the university coffee shop during a break between lectures.
Immediacy Carrying a laptop means having instant access to various information,

personal and work files. Immediacy allows better collaboration between coworkers or
students, as a laptop can be flipped open to present a problem or a solution anytime,
anywhere.
Up-to-date information If a person has more than one desktop PC, a problem of
synchronization arises: changes made on one computer are not automatically
propagated to the others. There are ways to resolve this problem, including physical
transfer of updated files (using a USB flash memory stick or CDRs) or using
synchronization software over the Internet. However, using a single laptop at both
locations avoids the problem entirely, as the files exist in a single location and are
always up-to-date.
Connectivity A proliferation of Wi-Fi wireless networks and cellular broadband

data services (HSDPA, EVDO and others) combined with a near-ubiquitous support
by laptops means that a laptop can have easy Internet and local network connectivity
while remaining mobile. Wi-Fi networks and laptop programs are especially
widespread at university campuses.
Other advantages of laptops include:
Size Laptops are smaller than standard PCs. This is beneficial when space is at a
premium, for example in small apartments and student dorms. When not in use, a
laptop can be closed and put away.
Ease of Access - Most laptops have doors on the underside that allow the user to
access the memory, hard drive and other components, by simply flipping the laptop to
access the doors. For desktops the user must usually access the backside of the
computer, which is harder if it's in an area with little space.
Low power consumption Laptops are several times more power-efficient than
desktops. A typical laptop uses 20-90 W, compared to 100-800 W for desktops. This
could be particularly beneficial for businesses (which run hundreds of personal
computers, multiplying the potential savings) and homes where there is a computer
running 24/7 (such as a home media server, print server, etc.)
Quiet Laptops are often quieter than desktops, due both to the components (quieter,
slower 2.5-inch hard drives) and to less heat production leading to use of fewer and
slower cooling fans.
Battery a charged laptop can run several hours in case of a power outage and is not
affected by short power interruptions and blackouts. A desktop PC needs a UPS to
handle short interruptions, blackouts and spikes; achieving on-battery time of more
than 2030 minutes for a desktop PC requires a large and expensive UPS.[40]
All-in-One - designed to be portable, laptops have everything integrated in to the

chassis. For desktops (excluding all-in-ones) this is divided into the desktop,
keyboard, mouse, display, and optional peripherals such as speakers, and a webcam.
This leads to lots of wiring. It can also lead to massive power consumption.
Extras - in comparison to low-end desktops, even low-end laptops include features

such as integrated Wi-Fi, and Express Card slot, and a memory card reader.
Disadvantages
Compared to desktop PCs, laptops have disadvantages in the following fields:
Performance
Whilst the performance of mainstream desktops and laptops is comparable, laptops are
significantly more expensive than desktop PCs at the same or even lower performance level.
The upper limits of performance of laptops are a little bit lower, and "bleeding-edge" features
usually appear first in desktops and only then, as the underlying technology matures, are
adapted to laptops.
However, for Internet browsing and typical office applications, where the computer spends
the majority of its time waiting for the next user input, even net book-class laptops are
generally fast enough. Most higher-end laptops are sufficiently powerful for high-resolution
movie playback, 3D gaming and video editing and encoding. However, laptops are
disadvantaged when dealing with database, maths, engineering, financial software, etc.
Some manufacturers work around this performance problem by using desktop CPUs for
laptops.
Upgradeability
Upgradeability of laptops is very limited compared to desktops, which are thoroughly
standardized. In general, hard drives and memory can be upgraded easily. Optical drives and
internal expansion cards may be upgraded if they follow an industry standard, but all other
internal components, including the CPU, motherboard and graphics, are not intended to be
upgradeable.
The reasons for limited upgradeability are both technical and economic. There is no industrywide standard form factor for laptops; each major laptop manufacturer pursues its own
proprietary design and construction, with the result that laptops are difficult to upgrade and
have high repair costs. With few exceptions, laptop components can rarely be swapped
between laptops of competing manufacturers, or even between laptops from the different
product-lines of the same manufacturer.
Some upgrades can be performed by adding external devices, either USB or in expansion
card format such a PC Card: sound cards, network adapters, hard and optical drives, and
numerous other peripherals are available, but these upgrades usually impair the laptop's
portability, because they add cables and boxes to the setup and often have to be disconnected
and reconnected when the laptop is moved.
Ergonomics and health

Laptop coaster preventing heating of lap and improving
laptop airflow.
Because of their small and flat keyboard and trackpad
pointing devices, prolonged use of laptops can cause
repetitive strain injury.[44] Usage of separate, external
ergonomic
keyboards
and
pointing
devices
is
recommended to prevent injury when working for long periods of time; they can be
connected to a laptop easily by USB or via a docking station. Some health standards require
ergonomic keyboards at workplaces.
The integrated screen often causes users to hunch over for a better view, which can cause
neck or spinal injuries. A larger and higher-quality external screen can be connected to almost
any laptop to alleviate that and to provide additional "screen estate" for more productive
work.
A study by State University of New York researchers found that heat generated from laptops
can raise the temperature of the scrotum when balancing the computer on one's lap,
potentially putting sperm count at risk. The study, which included roughly two dozen men
aged 21 to 35, found that the sitting position required to balance a laptop can raise scrotum
temperature by as much as 2.1 C (3.78 F). Heat from the laptop itself can raise the
temperature by another 0.7 C (1.26 F), bringing the potential total increase to 2.8 C (5.04
F). However, further research is needed to determine whether this directly affects sterility in
men.[45]
A common practical solution to this problem is to place the laptop on a table or desk. Another
solution is to obtain a cooling unit for the laptop, these units are usually USB powered and
consist of a hard thin plastic case housing 1, 2 or 3 cooling fans (with the entire assembly
designed to sit under the laptop in question) which results in the laptop remaining cool to the
touch, and greatly reduces laptop heat buildup.
Heat from using a laptop on the lap can also cause skin discoloration on the thighs.[46]
Durability
A clogged heatsink on a 2.5 year old laptop.
Due to their portability, laptops are subject to more wear and
physical damage than desktops. Components such as screen hinges,
latches, power jacks and power cords deteriorate gradually due to
ordinary use. A liquid spill onto the keyboard, a rather minor mishap with a desktop system,
can damage the internals of a laptop and result in a costly repair. One study found that a
laptop is 3 times more likely to break during the first year of use than a desktop.
Original external components are expensive, and usually proprietary and non-interchangeble;
other parts are inexpensivea power jack can cost a few dollarsbut their replaelectronic
may require extensive disassembly and reassembly of the laptop by a technician. Other
inexpensive but fragile parts often cannot be purchased separate from larger more expensive
components. The repair costs of a failed motherboard or LCD panel may exceed the value of
a used laptop.
Laptops rely on extremely compact cooling systems involving a fan and heat sink that can
fail due to eventual clogging by accumulated airborne dust and debris. Most laptops do not
have any sort of removable dust collection filter over the air intake for these cooling systems,
resulting in a system that gradually runs hotter and louder as the years pass. Eventually the
laptop starts to overheat even at idle load levels. This dust is usually stuck inside where
casual cleaning and vacuuming cannot remove it. Instead, a complete disassembly is needed
to clean the laptop.
Battery life of laptops is limited; the capacity drops with time, necessitating an eventual
replaelectronic after a few years. The battery is often easily replaceable, and one may replace
it on purpose with a higher end model to achieve better battery life.
Security
Being valuable, common and portable, laptops are prized targets for theft. The cost of the
stolen business or personal data and of the resulting problems (identity theft, credit card
fraud, breach of privacy laws) can be many times the value of the stolen laptop itself.
Therefore, both physical protection of laptops and the safeguarding of data contained on them
are of the highest importance.
Most laptops have a Kensington security slot which is used to tether the computer to a desk
or other immovable object with a security cable and lock. In addition to this, modern
operating systems and third-party software offer disk encryption functionality that renders the
data on the laptop's hard drive unreadable without a key or a passphrase.
Some laptops also now have additional security elements added by the consumer, including
eye recognition software and fingerprint scanning components.
Major brands and manufacturers

There is a multitude of laptop brands and manufacturers; several major brands, offering
notebooks in various classes, are listed in the box to the right. The major brands usually offer
good service and support, including well-executed documentation and driver downloads that
will remain available for many years after a particular laptop model is no longer produced.
Capitalizing on service, support and brand image, laptops from major brands are more
expensive than laptops by smaller brands and ODMs. Some brands are specializing in a
particular class of laptops, such as gaming laptops (Alienware), netbooks (EeePC) and
laptops for children (OLPC).
Many brands, including the major ones, do not design and do not manufacture their laptops.
Instead, a small number of Original Design Manufacturers (ODMs) design new models
of laptops, and the brands choose the models to be included in their lineup. In 2006, 7
major ODMs manufactured 7 of every 10 laptops in the world, with the largest one
(Quanta Computer) having 30% world market share. Therefore, there often are
identical models available both from a major label and from a low-profile ODM inhouse brand.
Sales
Battery-powered portable computers had just 2% worldwide market share in 1986. But today,
laptops are becoming increasingly popular, both for business and personal use. In 2008 it is
estimated that 145.9 million notebooks were sold, and in 2009 the number will grow to 177.7
million. The third quarter of 2008 was the first time when notebook PC shipments exceeded
desktops, with 38.6 million units versus 38.5 million units.
For Microsoft Windows systems, the average selling price (ASP) showed a decline in
2008/2009, possibly due to low-cost netbooks, drawing 689 US$ at U.S. retail in August
2008. In 2009, ASP had further fallen to 602 US$ by January and to 560 US$ in February.
While Windows machines fell 129 US$ in these seven months, Mac laptop ASP declined just
12 US$ from 1524 US$ to 1512 US$.
Since 2006, the world's top selling Laptop brand is HP, which now has 21.2% marketshare
List of laptop brands and manufacturers

Major brands
Acer - TravelMate, Extensa, Ferrari, Aspire
Apple - MacBook, MacBook Air, MacBook Pro
ASUS - Asus Eee, Lamborghini
Compaq - Evo, Armada, LTE, Presario
Dell - Inspiron, Latitude, Precision, Studio, Vostro, XPS, Studio XPS
Fujitsu - LifeBook, Stylistic
G7 Systems - Genius Book, Hi-Fi PC, G7 Studio, G7 Extreme [1]
Gateway
Hewlett-Packard - HP Pavilion, HP Omnibook, HP Compaq Notebooks
Lenovo - ThinkPad, IdeaPad, 3000 series
Panasonic - Toughbook, Satellite, Let's Note (available in Japan only) [2]
Sony - VAIO
Toshiba - Dynabook, Portege, Tecra, Satellite, Qosmio, Libretto
Gaming brands
Gateway - FX Series
Abbcore Technologies - Velocita
Alienware - Area 51m, Alienware Sentia and Aurora m, M15x, M17x
AVADirect
CyberPower
Dell XPS - M1730 (laptop), and M1530 (laptop)
Falcon Northwest - DR6800, TL2
iBuyPower
Vigor Gaming - Atlantis, Augustus, Artorius, and Aegis
WidowPC
Laptops for children
Digital Textbook
Elonex ONE
InkMedia
Intel - Classmate PC
OLPC XO-1 - $100 Laptop or Children's Machine
Tianhua GX-1C
Eee PC
Other brands
Abbcore Technologies - Desktop, Notebook, Server, Media Center
Acorn Computers - Deskbook, Desknote and Solonote
Averatec
BenQ
Everex - CloudBook, gBook
Founder Technology
Fujitsu Siemens - Lifebook, FMV - BiBlo, Amilo, Esprimo Mobile
G7 - Genius Book
Gericom
Gigabyte Technology
Gliese IT
Hasee
HCL
HTC - HTC Shift
Hypersonic
Hyundai
Jetta (electronics company) - Jetbook
LG - Xnote
LinuxCertified - Linux laptop
MDG Computers
Medion
Micro-Star International (MSI) - Megabook, Wind
NEC - VERSA, LaVie
Neo - Empiriva, Endura
Noahpad
OCZ
OQO
Orca
Packard Bell - EasyNote
PC Club
Philips - X200
Pioneer Computers
Positivo Informtica
Prestigio
Sager Notebook Computers
Seanix - Seanix
Sharp - Mebius
Siragon, C.A.
System76
TabletKiosk
Tongfang
Turbo-X (Greece only)
Company Profile & Their Products

HCL Technologies is a leading global IT services company, working
with clients in the areas that impact and redefine the core of their
businesses. Since its inception into the global landscape after its IPO
in 1999, HCL focuses on 'transformational outsourcing', underlined
by innovation and value creation, and offers integrated portfolio of services including
software-led IT solutions, remote infrastructure management, engineering and R&D services
and BPO. HCL leverages its extensive global offshore infrastructure and network of offices in
26 countries to provide holistic, multi-service delivery in key industry verticals including
Financial Services, Manufacturing, Consumer Services, Public Services and Healthcare. HCL
takes pride in its philosophy of 'Employee First' which empowers our 58,129 transformers to
create a real value for the customers. HCL Technologies, along with its subsidiaries, had
consolidated revenues of US$ 2.6 billion (Rs. 12,048 crores), as on 31st March 2010 (on
LTM basis).
HCL is a $5 billion leading global Technology and IT Enterprise that comprises two
companies listed in India - HCL Technologies & HCL Infosystems. Founded in 1976, HCL is
one of India's original IT garage start-ups, a pioneer of modern computing, and a global
transformational enterprise today. Its range of offerings spans Product Engineering, Custom
& Package Applications, BPO, IT Infrastructure Services, IT Hardware, Systems Integration,
and distribution of ICT products across a wide range of focused industry verticals. The HCL
team comprises over 62,000 professionals of diverse nationalities, who operate from 26
countries including over 500 points of presence in India. HCL has global partnerships with
several leading Fortune 1000 firms, including leading IT and Technology firms. For more
information, please visit www.hcl.in.
Its Products (Laptops)

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HCL laptops powered by Intel Pentium

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HP is a technology company that operates in

more than 170 countries around the world. We
explore how technology and services can help
people and companies address their problems
and challenges, and realize their possibilities,
aspirations and dreams. We apply new
thinking and ideas to create more simple, valuable and trusted experiences with
technology, continuously improving the way our customers live and work.
No other company offers as complete a technology product portfolio as HP. We
provide infrastructure and business offerings that span from handheld devices to some
of the world's most powerful supercomputer installations. We offer consumers a wide
range of products and services from digital photography to digital entertainment and
from computing to home printing. This comprehensive portfolio helps us match the
right products, services and solutions to our customers' specific needs.
Technology leadership
F
HP's three business groups drive
HP was founded in 1939.
Corporate headquarters are in Palo
Alto, Calif.
Mark Hurd is president and CEO.
HP is the world's largest IT company,
with revenue totaling $114.6 billion
for fiscal 2009.
HP's 2009 Fortune 500 ranking: No.
9.
industry leadership in core technology

areas:
The Personal Systems Group:
business and consumer PCs, mobile
computing devices and workstations
The Imaging and Printing Group:
inkjet, LaserJet and commercial
printing, printing supplies
Enterprise Business: business
products including storage and
servers, enterprise services and
software
Its Products
For Home & Home Office
HP Home Laptop PCs
Featuring the perfect Notebook PCs with powerful
performance and attractive designs that complement your
personality
Compaq Home Laptop PCs
The right notebook PC choice for all of what you need
and nothing you dont.
For business
Business Notebook (Laptop) and Tablet PC
Versatile mobile solutions for a demanding
environment. Browse and choose a notebook best
suited to your business needs
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ACER is an incorporated not-for-profit

organization founded in 1987. Members are
leaders in education, media and business who
initiate and facilitate development, production
and promotion of Canadian materials to meet the needs of to-day's learners.
Mission Statement: "Measuring and tracking the effects of climate change demands
accurate reporting. ACER believes in a grassroots approach - utilizing citizen
scientists to conduct such measurement in a scientifically sound manner.
ACER develops, delivers and supports programs and resources that educate and
enable citizen scientists to undertake accurate monitoring and reporting, thus
contributing to awareness and understanding of climate change which contributes to
an ecologically sustainable future for the planet."
ACER believes that sound ecological action depends on monitoring and responding at
the community level. Our current focus is ecological monitoring to track
environmental change.
ACER's dynamic volunteer network of community groups, educators and scientists
teaches pro-active approaches to monitoring and restoring ecosystem health through
hands-on programs.
Our community partners gather data that is fed into national biodiversity databases to
support environmental education and decision making at community, regional,
national and international levels. By supporting ACER you become part of this
important effort.
ACER:
Evaluates Ideas
Seeks Funding
Produces and Promotes Materials
Ideas are evaluated, funding sought, materials produced and promoted for use by
educators and other interested groups or agencies. ACER acts as a bridge between the
professional educator and the materials needed to promote lifelong learning.
ACER funding comes from membership and donations. All project funds are
monitored by an advisory board. Reasonable fees and expenses are paid to those
working on projects. Members donate many hours of their time to assist in various
projects.
Its Products (Acer)
Aspire 5542
The 15.6"Aspire 5542 features the latest
AMD mobile processor technology to deliver
exceptional
multitasking
performance,
superb media experiences, and enhanced

mobility. Full HD 1080p playback is made
possible via the HD widescreen, superior
graphics solutions, and Blu-ray Disc
technology. Loaded with a host of premium
components, the Aspire 5542 brings next-generation radiance to your multimedia!
Benefits
HD brilliance
See, share and create richer content for the ultimate HD experience. Gaming and
entertainment reach new levels of realism thanks to advanced graphics with High
Dynamic-Range (HDR) technology, enabling lifelike lighting and texture for truly
immersive experiences. With its 15.6" HD widescreen, the Aspire 5542 lets you enjoy
the movie theater experience anywhere. To complete the cinematic feast, relish
fantastic acoustics via the 3rd Generation Dolby Home Theater, featuring True5.1channel surround sound output. And, use the HDMI interface for convenient
connectivity to entertainment systems, and get dazzling sights and sounds with a
single-cable link.
Aspire 5738Z
Movies come to life in true
cinematic form on the 15.6"
Aspire 5738Z. A competent
processor,
engine
efficient
and
graphics
premium
audio
technologies work behind the

scenes to deliver marvelous
entertainment.
The
Aspire
5738Z comes in the classy Gemstone design, so you can enjoy a theater
experience anywhere, anytime and in style
Benefits
Blockbuster performance
Your portable theater features a high-def Acer CrystalBrite LCD with 16:9 aspect ratio -perfect for viewing content created for the widescreen. The quick response time presents
moving images seamlessly, immersing you in heart-pumping action scenes. 3rd Generation
Dolby-optimized surround sound system booms energizing audio, while the optional Bluray Disc drive spins high-def music and movie effects with true-to-master precision. A
large hard drive offers plenty of storage for your downloads and media files, while DDR3
memory speeds up multitasking and a 5-in-1 card reader makes file sharing easy.
Technical Specification
MB L2 Cache, supporting Intel 64 architecture
Processor &
Chipset
Memory
HDD
Storage
Genuine Windows Vista Home Premium

Intel Pentium dual-core mobile processor T4200 with up to 1
Mobile Intel GL40 Express Chipset

2 GB RAM; Upgradeable to 4 GB
320 GB HDD S-ATA hard disc drive
8X DVD-Super Multi double-layer drive
5-in-1 card reader, supporting Secure Digital (SD) Card,

MultiMediaCard (MMC), Memory Stick (MS), Memory Stick
PRO (MS PRO), xD-Picture Card (xD)

15.6" HD 1366 x 768 pixel resolution, high-brightness (220-nit)
Acer CineCrystal LED-backlit TFT LCD, supporting
simultaneous multi-window viewing via Acer GridVista
Display
16.7 million colours
16:9 aspect ratio
8 ms high-def response time
60% color gamut

Mobile Intel GL40 Express Chipset with integrated 3D graphics,
featuring Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 4500M (Intel GMA

4500M) with up to 1759 MB of Intel Dynamic Video Memory
Technology 5.0 (64 MB of dedicated video memory, up to 1695
MB of shared system memory*), supporting Microsoft DirectX
Graphics
10 or
(* depending on size of system memory)
HDMI (High-Definition Multimedia Interface) with HDCP

(High-bandwidth Digital Content Protection) support
Dolby-optimized surround sound system with two built-in stereo
speakers
Optimized 3rd Generation Dolby Home Theater audio
enhanelectronic, featuring Dolby Digital Live, Dolby Pro Logic
IIx, Dolby Headphone, Dolby Natural Bass, Dolby Sound
Space Expander, Dolby Inverse Filtering, Dolby High
Frequency Enhancer technologies
Multimedia
Communication
True5.1-channel surround sound output
High-definition audio support
S/PDIF (Sony/Philips Digital Interface) support for digital speakers
MS-Sound compatible
Acer Video Conference, featuring integrated Acer Crystal Eye
webcam supporting enhanced Acer PrimaLite technology
Acer InviLink 802.11b/g Wi-Fi CERTIFIED network

connection, supporting Acer SignalUp wireless technology
I/O Interface
56K ITU V.92 modem with PTT approval; Wake-on-Ring ready
Gigabit Ethernet; Wake-on-LAN ready
Bluetooth 2.0+EDR (Enhanced Data Rate)

5-in-1 card reader (SD, MMC, MS, MS PRO, xD)
4x USB 2.0 ports
HDMI port with HDCP support
1x external display (VGA) port
1x Headphone/speaker/line-out jack with S/PDIF support
1x Microphone-in jack
1x Line-in jack
1x Modem (RJ-11) port
1x Ethernet (RJ-45) port
1x DC-in jack for AC adapter

Slot for Kensington lock
Security
BIOS user, supervisor, HDD passwords

ACPI 3.0 CPU power management standard: supports Standby and
Hibernation power-saving modes
Power Supply &

Battery
Keyboard &
Special Controls
48.8 W (6-cell) Li-ion battery pack
65W AC adapter
ENERGY STAR 5.0

103-/104-/107-key keyboard, with inverted "T" cursor layout, 1.8
mm (minimum) key travel
Multi-gesture touchpad pointing device, supporting:

Circular-motion scrolling
Pinch-action zoom
Page flip
Acer Bio-Protection fingerprint reader
11 function keys, four cursor keys, two Windows keys, hotkey
controls, independent standard numeric keypad, international

language support
Acer PowerSmart key
Easy-launch keys: Acer Backup, WLAN, volume up/down,

touchpad
Weight &
Dimensions
Quality &
Reliability Tests
Software
Media keys (printed on keyboard): play/pause, stop, previous, next

383 (W) x 250 (D) x 26/37 (H) mm (15.1 x 9.9 x 1.03/1.5 inches)
2.8 kg (6.16 lbs.) with 6-cell battery pack

Temperature & humidity test
Free drop test
Acoustics test
Weight and Pressure tests
Spillage test
Shock and Vibration tests
Electrostatic discharge immunity test
MTBF (Mean Time Between Failure) test
Hinge life test
Keyboard-switch life test

Acer Arcade Deluxe featuring Cinema, Album, Music, Acer
HomeMedia, Online Media
Acer Backup Manager
Acer eRecovery Manager
Acer PowerSmart Manager
Acer Bio-Protection
Acer Crystal Eye
Acer GridVista
Acer Launch Manager
Acer GameZone
Acer Game Console
McAfee Internet Security Suite 60-day trial version
Adobe Flash Player
Options
Warranty
Adobe Reader
Google Toolbar
Google Desktop
NTI Media Maker
Microsoft Works with Office Home and Student 2007 Trial
(Service Pack 1)
Memory expansion modules
Additional battery
Additional AC adapter
One-year International Travellers Warranty (ITW)
LG Electronics is one of the leading companies in

the field of electronics with a global presence in
many countries. . Before briefing, I have divided the
introduction part into three main sub parts.
The LG Electronics Life's Good signature
consists of the LG logo, seal, and the slogan, "Life's Good" set in Charlotte
sans typeface curved around the LG symbol. The curving of the slogan
reinforces LG's personality and uniqueness. The consistent usage of this
signature clearly establishes the unique identity of the company and unifies
every division and product from LG Electronics across the globe.
1. LG Global
2. LG India
3. LG Pune
History of company
The company was originally established in 1958 as Gold Star, producing radios, TVs,
refrigerators, washing machines, and air conditioners.
The LG Group was a merger of two Korean companies, Lucky and Gold Star, from
which the abbreviation of LG was derived. The current "Life's good" slogan is a
backronym. Before the corporate Name change to LG, household products were sold
under the Brand name of Lucky, while electronic products were sold under the brand
name of Gold Star. The Gold Star brand is still perceived as a discount brand.
In 1995, Gold Star was renamed LG Electronics, and acquired Zenith Electronics of
the United States.
Global Operation
LG Electronics is playing an active role in the world market with its assertive global
business policy. As a result, LG Electronics controls 110 local subsidiaries in the
world with around 82,000 executive and employees.
LG Group
1. LG.Philips LCD
2. LG Chemical
3. LG Telecom
4. LG Powercom
5. LG Twins
6. LG Dacom
Business areas and main products
Mobile communications
(a) CDMA Handsets,
(b) GSM Handsets,
(c) 3G Handsets,
(d) Cellular Phones
Digital appliance
a) Air Conditioners,
b) Refrigerators,
c) Microwave Ovens,
d) Washing Machines,
e) Vacuum Cleaners,
f) Home Net,
g) Compressors for Air Conditioners and Refrigerators
Digital display
a) Plasma TVs,
b) LCD TVs,
c) Micro Display Panel TVs,
d) Monitors,
e) PDP Modules,
f) OLED Panels,
g) USB Memory,
h) Flat Panel Computer Monitors
Digital media
a) Home Theater Systems,
b) DVD Recorders,
c) Super Multi DVD Rewriters,
d) CDRW,
e) Notebook PCs,
f) Desktop PCs,
g) PDAs,
h) PDA Phones,
i) MP3 Players,
j) New Karaoke Systems,
k) Car Infotainment
VISION
Global Top 3 by 2010
Global Top 3 Electronic/Telecommunication company
GROWTH STRATEGY
Fast innovation, Fast growth
CORE COMPETENCY
Product leadership, Market leadership, People leadership
CORPORATE CULTURE
No excuse, we not I, Fun workplace
SLOGAN
"Life's Good" represents LG's determination to provide delightfully smart
products that will make your life good.
THE SYMBOL
The symbol of LG is the face of future. The letter L and G in a circle symbolizes
world, future, youth, humanity & technology.LG philosophy is based on humanity. It
also represents LGs efforts to keep close relationship with our customers around the
world.
The symbol consists of two elements.
1. The logo in LG gray
2. The stylized image of human face in the unique LG red color.
Red color represents our friendliness and gives a strong impression of LGs
commitment to deliver the best.
The circle symbolizes The Globe. The stylized image of a smiling face in the symbol
conveys Friendliness and Approachability. The one eye on the symbol represents
Goal-oriented, Focused & Confident.
The slogan of LG is Lifes Good. It expresses Brands Value, Promises, Benefits,
Personality.
A laptop computer is a convenient portable computer that has

gained wide popularity with people who travel extensively,
study in coffee shops, and particularly for those who enjoy
the space saving design. Laptops have come a long way with
optional features such as integrated web camera for video
chatting. Laptops with wi-fi technology for connecting to a
wireless network or an internet hot spot and mobile
broadband to connect anywhere are very convenient. Laptops with a bluetooth reader, finger
print scanner, or a space saving slot loaded disc drive make technology fun.
Ultra convenience at an extremely convenient price. Experience Dell laptops and notebook
computers and youll wonder how you ever survived without the convenience of a laptop
computer. Notebook computers have desktop power without the desktop size and portable
convenience that sits in your lap. Dell laptops and notebook computers have gained
worldwide popularity among travelers, students, and business professionals.
Dell laptops and notebook computers have become the epitome of mobile convenience... with
every generation, technologies and amenities increase while prices drop. Make technology
fun with integrated web cameras for video chatting; Wi-Fi technology to connect anywhere,
at any time; Bluetooth readers; finger print scanner; and slot loaded CD/DVD disc drives.
Among Dells large selection of laptops, notebook, desktop and netbooks computers, theres a
perfect size, color, weight, and speed for you, your personality and needs. Get yours today
online or contact us and well help you configure your dream Dell laptop or notebook
computer!
IBM Corporate Citizenship: Helping to

build a smarter planet The primary focus
of our corporate citizenship activities is
on developing initiatives to address
specific societal issues, such as the
environment, community economic development, education, health, literacy, language
and culture. We employ IBM's most valuable resources, our technology and talent, in
order to create innovative programs in these areas to assist communities around the
world.
For example, our Corporate Service Corps program annually deploys teams of
selected high potential employees to emerging regions to work with government,
nonprofit and non-governmental organizations on critical local projects. Teams have
completed projects in Ghana, Romania, Tanzania, the Philippines and Vietnam around
water quality, disaster preparedness and project management.
Our World Community Grid initiative utilizes grid computing technology to harness
the tremendous power of idle computers to perform specific computations related to
critical research around complex biological, environmental and health-related issues.
The current projects include Help Fight Childhood Cancer, Clean Energy, and
Nutritious Rice for the World, FightAIDS@Home, Help Conquer Cancer,
AfricanClimate@Home, and a genomics initiative and research on Dengue Fever.
Another example of our citizenship activities is our employee volunteer initiative,
entitled On Demand Community. Since its inception in 2003, over 145,000 employees
and retirees have registered and performed almost 10 million hours of volunteer
service around the world. This program equips our employee and retiree volunteers
with a distinct set of on demand tools based on the successful technology solutions
created exclusively by IBM for schools and community agencies. These Web-based
tools provide them with a myriad choice of meaningful volunteer opportunities,
resources and specific activities designed to help make them more effective volunteers
and to offer valuable assistance to schools and not-for-profit organizations.
To learn more about our work in the context of IBM's broader corporate responsibility
efforts, please visit Innovations in Corporate Responsibility.
Program overviews
Education
IBM realizes the power and importance of education. Through major initiatives
such as Reinventing Education, the IBM KidSmart Early Learning Program,
and IBM MentorPlace, IBM is working to raise student achievement and
enhance academic productivity to support thriving communities around the
globe.
Adult training and workforce development

Technology can be a powerful tool in education and job training programs for
adults, helping broaden opportunities and strengthening programs available to
adults in need of new skills and employment. It also can help simulate real job
conditions, make the acquisition of education and skills more effective and help
people get the network of support they need to obtain and retain employment.
Arts and culture

IBM's support of the arts stems from our strong tradition of bettering our
communities. We feel a deep sense of responsibility both inside and outside the
company a focused determination to enhance the communities in which we
do business and in which our customers and employees live. By joining with
libraries, museums, and other cultural institutions in exciting partnerships that
leverage IBM expertise, we also demonstrate the critical role technology plays
in enhancing the arts.
Helping communities in need
Wherever IBM does business around the globe, we form connections to

communities and support a range of civic and nonprofit activities that help
those in need. In all our efforts, we demonstrate how technology can enrich and
expand access to services and assistance.
Environment
Through targeted efforts that combine technology and innovation, IBM is
committed to environmental leadership that will help protect our planet for this
and future generations.
Employee giving
IBM teams with employees to support organizations and causes in the communities
where they live and work. Community-level grant making and extensive volunteer
programs help our employees become personally involved in community projects
Conceptual Frame Work

Consumer is a broad label that refers to any individuals or households that use
goods and services generated within the economy
Consumer Decision Making Processes

Traditionally, consumer researchers have approached decision making process
from a rational perspective. This dominant school of thought views consumers
as being cognitive (i.e., problem-solving) and, to some but a lesser degree,
emotional.i Such a view is reflected in the stage model of a typical buying
process (often called the consumer information processing model) depicted in.
Problem Recognition
Information Search
Evaluation and Selection of Alternatives
Decision Implementation
Post-purchase Evaluation
Figure The Consumer Information Processing Model

Source: Adopted from Kotler (1997), Schiffman and Kanuk (1997), and Solomon (1996)
In this model, the consumer passes through five stages: problem recognition,
information search, evaluation and selection of alternatives, decision implementation,
and post-purchase evaluation.
Problem Recognition
In this information processing model, the consumer buying process begins when the
buyer recognizes a problem or need. For example, Doug may realize that his best suit
doesnt look contemporary any more. Or, Kathleen may recognize that her personal
computer is not performing as well as she thought it should. These are the kinds of
problem that we as consumers encounter all the time. When we found out a difference
between the actual state and a desired state, a problem is recognized. When we find a
problem, we usually try to solve the problem. We, in other words, recognize the need
to solve the problem. But how?
Information Search
When a consumer discovers a problem, he/she is likely to search for more
information. Kathleen may simply pay more attention to product information of a
personal computer.
She becomes more attentive to computer ads, computers
purchased by her friends, and peer conversations about computers. Or, she may more
actively seek information by visiting stores, talking to friends, or reading computer
magazines, among others. Through gathering information, the consumer learns more
about some brands that compete in the market and their features and characteristics.
Theoretically, there is a total set of brands available to Kathleen, but she will become
aware of only a subset of the brands (awareness set) in the market. Some of these
brands may satisfy her initial buying criteria, such as price and processing speed
(consideration set). As Kathleen proceeds to more information search, only a few will
remain as strong candidates (choice set).
Evaluation and Selection of Alternatives
How does the consumer process competitive brand information and evaluate the value
of the brands? Unfortunately there is no single, simple evaluation process applied by
all consumers or by one consumer in all buying situations.
One dominant view, however, is to see the evaluation process as being cognitively
driven and rational. Under this view, a consumer is trying to solve the problem and
ultimately satisfying his/her need. In other words, he/she will look for problemsolving benefits from the product. The consumer, then, looks for products with a
certain set of attributes that deliver the benefits. Thus, the consumer sees each product
as a bundle of attributes with different levels of ability of delivering the problem
solving benefits to satisfy his/her need. The distinctions among the need, benefits, and
attributes are very important. One useful way to organize the relationships among the
three is a hierarchical one (Figure 2). Although simplified, Figure 2 is an example of
how a bundle of attributes (i.e., a product or, more specifically, personal computer)
relates to the benefits and underlying needs of Kathleen.
Helps Me Survive
Babson MBA Pogram
Underlying Needs
Portability
Benefits
Doesnt Break
down
Economy
Computational
Horse Power
Warranty
Attributes
Size
Brand
Reputation
Price
CPU Speed
Software
Bundle
Hard Drive Size

GlobeNet
Ready
Hierarchical View of Needs, Benefits, and Attributes
From this figure and the preceding discussion, you might recognize that the product
attributes are relevant and important only to the extent that they lead to a certain set of
benefits. Likewise, benefits are meaningful only if they can address the problem and
be instrumental to satisfy the underlying need. As the underlying need is often
personal, consumers differ as to their beliefs about what product benefits and
attributes are more (or less) important and relevant in satisfying their needs. Based on
their personal judgment on importance of benefits and attributes, consumers develop a
set of attitudes (or preferences) toward the various brands. One may express his/her
preferences of the brands in terms of ranking, probability of choice, and so forth.
Decision Implementation
To actually implement the purchase decision, however, a consumer needs to select
both specific items (brands) and specific outlets (where to buy) to resolve the
problems.
There are, in fact, three ways these decisions can be made: 1)
simultaneously; 2) item first, outlet second; or 3) outlet first, item second. ii In many
situations, consumers engage in a simultaneous selection process of stores iii and
brands. For example, in our Kathleens personal computer case, she may select a set
of brands based on both the products technical features (attributes) and availability of
brands in the computer stores and mail-order catalogs she knows well. It is also
possible, that she decides where to buy (e.g., CompUSA in her neighborhood) and
then chooses one or two brands the store carries. Once the brand and outlet have been
decided, the consumer moves on to the transaction (buying).
Post-purchase Evaluation
Post-purchase evaluation processes are directly influenced by the type of preceding
decision-making process. Directly relevant here is the level of purchase involvement
of the consumer. Purchase involvement is often referred to as the level of concern
for or interest in the purchase
iv
situation, and it determines how extensively the
consumer searches information in making a purchase decision. v Although purchase

involvement is viewed as a continuum (from low to high), it is useful to consider two
extreme cases here. Suppose one buys a certain brand of product (e.g., Diet Pepsi) as
a matter of habit (habitual purchase). For him/her, buying a cola drink is a very low
purchase involvement situation, and he/she is not likely to search and evaluate product
information extensively.
In such a case, the consumer would simply purchase,
consume and/or dispose of the product with very limited post-purchase evaluation,
and generally maintain a high level of repeat purchase motivation.
Purchase
Product Use
Disposition
Simple
Evaluation
Repeat Purchase
Motivation
Low Involvement Purchase

Source: Hawkins, Best, and Coney (1983)
However, if the purchase involvement is high and the consumer is involved in

extensive purchase decision making (e.g., personal computer), he/she is more likely to
be involved in more elaborate post-purchase evaluation often by questioning the
rightness of the decision: Did I make the right choice? Should I have gone with other
brand? This is a common reaction after making a difficult, complex, relatively
permanent decision. This type of doubt and anxiety is referred to as post-purchase
cognitive dissonance.
Post-purchase
Dissonance
Purchase
Dissatisfaction
Product Use
Disposition
Elaborate
Evaluation
Repeat Purchase
Motivation
Elaborate Post-purchase Evaluation

Source: Adopted from Hawkins, Best, and Coney (1983)
According to the research, the likelihood of experiencing this kind of dissonance and
the magnitude of it is a function of:vi
The degree of commitment or irrevocability of the decision,
The importance of the decision to the consumer,
The difficulty of choosing among the alternatives, and
The individuals tendency to experience anxiety.
Because dissonance is uncomfortable, the consumer may use one or more of the
following approaches to reduce it:
Increase the desirability of the brand purchased.
Decrease the desirability of rejected alternatives.
Decrease the importance of the purchase decision.
Reject the negative data on the brand purchased.
What is Consumer Buying Behavior?

Introduction to Consumer Behaviors
The study of Consumer Behaviors is quite complex, because of many variables
involved and their tendency to interact with & influence each other. These
variables are divided into three major sections that have been identified as the
most important general influences on Consumer Behaviors. Imagine three
concentric circles, one at the outer most, one in the middle & one at the inner
most, and they represent the following:
External Environmental Variables Influencing Behaviour : These are the factors

controlled by external environments like the following form the basis of
external influences over the mind of a customer (outer circle) :
1. Culture, and Sub-culture,
2. Social Class, and Social Group,
3. Family, and Inter-Personal Influences,
4. Other Influences (which are not categorized by any of the above six, like
geographical, political, economical, religious environment, etc.).
Individual Determinants of Behavior: Major individual determinants of
Consumer Behavior are portrayed in the middle ring. These are the human
mind and its attributes. These variables are personal in nature and they are
influenced by the above set of external factors and in turn influence the way
consumers proceed thro a decision making process regarding products &
services. They are:
1. Personality & Self-concept,
2. Motivation & Involvement,
3. Perception & Information Processing,
4. Learning & Memory,
5. Attitudes.
The Consumer Decision Making Process: The buying decision comes as a
product of the complex interaction of the external factors and the personal
attributes. The inner most circle denotes the consumer decision making process
regarding products & services, whose major steps are :
1. Problem Recognition,
2. Information Search,
3. Evaluation of Application,
4. Purchase Decision,
5. Post-Purchase Behavior.
Marketers are frequently uncertain about the variables that are at play
influencing & affecting consumers. Sometimes this occurs because they dont
clearly understand the extent of variables that might be having an influence.
The details of all external, internal, environmental, economical etc. are
discussed above. Sometimes some variables are not directly observable. Other
times variables are known to the marketers but their exact nature & relative
strength of influence is not apparent. In these circumstances, it is useful to
understand the above mentioned concepts and how the consumers behave, so
that their decision making process can be predicted to a reasonable extent. The
human mind being as complex as it is, the understanding of the buying
behavior of the consumers becomes a continuous activity of application of
various theories & concepts by the marketers.
The Consumer Behaviors Theory

An understanding of how the theory of consumer behavior and its application tools
evolved over the years will enable us to appreciate the validity of the theory and
give us a guidance in its practical application. Consumer behavior, like all human
behavior is very complex. But the consumer behavior theory, like all theories is a
simplified & abstract representation of reality. The more simplified picture of
consumers provided by the theory helps us enormously to understand the
consumers. It not only helps us to think about consumers, but also provides us
with a language to talk about them. This language is very useful, because to be
effective in an organization for profit or non-profit one has to persuade others

to accept his ideas. And in fact, lack of this language has been one of the greatest
drawback of the modern marketers.
Market Research or Marketing Research (MR) has been developing since
MARKETING which brings together all customer elements, grew out of the
concept of SALES in the early fifties. The theory of consumer behavior draws
heavily upon the famous psychologist Sigmund Freud, particularly with respect to
the emotional, psychological, mental, subjective or non-utilitarian aspects of
buying decision or behavior of a consumer. The theory represents the hidden order
in this very complex activity, which we call consumer behavior. On the surface,
this highly complex & varied display of behavior by consumers seems essentially
unexplained. But slowly as the theory develops.
Now, what is the magic stuff called consumer behavior theory that does all these
wonderful things. Its not just a theory, as explained earlier, but more than that. It
helps us to make better marketing decisions for profit & non-profit organizations.
Thus we can examine the characteristics of a theory that enables us to do so.
Researchers G Zaltman and M Wallendorf have came out with the most important
attributes of a good & sound theory, after very close and careful thought.
These are the following :

A theory which does both: explains how consumers buy & predicts what
consumers will buy.
It unifies previously unrelated areas of knowledge, for example, it relates to
information that consumers get from advertising so as to decide what brands
they buy.
The theory is simple. If not, it can be so complex that we cant understand well
enough to apply it to our practical problems.
It is testable so that we can verify whether the theory is valid and therefore
dependable.
Implied in the previous characteristic, it is supported by the facts. This means,
to lay the theory up against data describing how consumers buy in the market
and thereby determine if the facts confirm the theory. If they dont, then either
the theory should be modified till the facts do verify it or abandon the theory.
The theory is general, which means that it can be applied to a wide range of
products & services. If it is not, then it wont be very useful.
It has heuristic value, meaning that it poses new questions for us that had not
been previously asked. While trying to answer these questions, new knowledge
is created and that becomes the part of the theory.
It is internally consistent. This means that the theory is internally free from
logical in congruencies or else the prediction will be doubtful & flawed. Lack
of this quality will make the theory a dangerous tool.
It is original. If not, it adds little to the existing knowledge.
It is plausible. If not, it cant be seen by others as making any sense, and hence,
they will not likely to accept the theory and so it wont be useful.
Definitions:
Consumer Behavior (or Buyer Behavior) is broadly defined by various scholars
& researchers as:
Its the behavior displayed by the consumers during the acquisition,
consumption and disposition of products, services, time and ideas by decision
making units.
It is the body of knowledge which studies various aspects of purchase and

consumption of products and services by individuals with various social and
psychological variables at play.
The behavior that the consumers display in searching for, purchasing, using,
evaluating and disposing of products and services that they expect will satisfy
their needs.
The process and activities people engage in when searching for, selecting,
purchasing, using, evaluating, and disposing of products and services so as to
satisfy their needs and desires.
The activities directly involved in obtaining, consuming, and disposing of
products and services, including the decision processes that precede and follow
these actions.
The American Marketing Association (AMA) defines consumer behavior as
The dynamic interaction of cognition, behavior & environmental events by
which human beings conduct the exchange aspect of their lives.
The study of consumer behavior involves search, evaluation, purchase, consumption
and post purchase behavior of the consumers and includes the disposal of
purchased products keeping environment and personal characteristics in mind.
Definition of Buying Behavior:

Buying Behavior is the decision processes and acts of people involved in buying and
using products.
Need to understand:
Why consumers make the purchases that they make?
What factors influence consumer purchases?
The changing factors in our society.
Consumer Buying Behavior refers to the buying behavior of the ultimate consumer. A
firm needs to analyze buying behavior for:
Buyers reactions to a firms marketing strategy has a great impact on the firms
success.
The marketing concept stresses that a firm should create a Marketing Mix
(MM) that satisfies (gives utility to) customers, therefore need to analyze the
what, where, when and how consumers buy.
Marketers can better predict how consumers will respond to marketing
strategies.
Factors influencing consumer behavior

Consumer purchases are influenced strongly by or there are four factors.
01. Cultural Factor
02. Social Factor
03. Personal Factor
04. Psychological Factor.
01. Cultural Factor:
Cultural factor divided into three sub factors (i) Culture (ii) Sub Culture (iii)
Social Class
Culture: The set of basic values perceptions, wants, and behaviors learned by a
member of society from family and other important institutions. Culture is
the most basic cause of a persons wants and behavior. Every group or
society has a culture, and cultural influences on buying behavior may vary
greatly from country to country.
Sub Culture : A group of people with shared value systems based on common life
experiences and situations.
Each culture contains smaller sub cultures a group of people with shared
value system based on common life experiences and situations. Sub culture
includes nationalities, religions, racial group and geographic regions. Many
sub culture make up important market segments and marketers often design
products.
Social Class:- A
Almost every society has some form of social structure; social classes
are societys relatively permanent and ordered divisions whose members
share similar values, interests and behavior.
Social Factors: A consumers behavior also is influenced by social factors, such as the
(i) Groups (ii) Family (iii) Roles and status
Groups : Two or more people who interact to accomplish individual or mutual goals.
A persons behaviors are influenced by many small groups. Groups that have a
direct influence and to which a person belongs are called membership groups.
Some are primary groups includes family, friends, neighbors and coworkers.
Some are secondary groups, which are more formal and have less regular
interaction. These include organizations like religious groups, professional
association and trade unions.
Family: Family members can strongly influence buyer behavior. The family is
the most important consumer buying organization society and it has
been researched extensively. Marketers are interested in the roles, and
influence of the husband, wife and children on the purchase of different
products and services.
Roles and Status : A person belongs to many groups, family, clubs, and organizations.
The persons position in each group can be defined in terms of both role and
status.
o For example. M & X plays the role of father, in his family he plays the
role of husband, in his company, he plays the role of manager, etc. A
Role consists of the activities people are expected to perform according
to the persons around them.
Personal Factors: It includes

i)
Age and life cycle stage
ii)
Occupation
iii)
Economic situation
iv)
Life Style
v)
Personality and self concept.
Psychological Factors: It includes these Factors.

i)
Motivation
ii)
Perception
iii)
Learning
iv)
Beliefs and attitudes
Laptop Definition -
A laptop computer, usually called a notebook computer by manufacturers, is a

battery- or AC-powered personal computer generally smaller than a briefcase that can
easily be tranPCed and conveniently used in temporary spaces such as on airplanes, in
libraries, temporary offices, and at meetings. A laptop typically weighs less than 5
pounds and is 3 inches or less in thickness. Among the best-known makers of laptop
computers are IBM, Apple, Compaq, Dell, and Toshiba.
Laptop computers generally cost more than desktop computers with the same
capabilities because they are more difficult to design and manufacture. A laptop can
effectively be turned into a desktop computer with a docking station, a hardware
frame that supplies connections for peripheral input/output devices such as a printer or
larger monitor. The less capable port replicator allows you to connect a laptop to a
number of peripherals through a single plug.
Laptops usually come with displays that use thin-screen technology. The thin
film transistor or active matrix screen is brighter and views better at different angles
than the STN or dual-scan screen. Laptops use several different approaches for
integrating a mouse into the keyboard, including the touch pad, the trackball, and the
pointing stick. A serial port also allows a regular mouse to be attached. The PC Card is
insertable hardware for adding a modem or network interface card to a laptop. CDROM and digital versatile disc drives may be built-in or attachable.
Important Buying Factors: When Planning to Buy a Laptop

Buying a new laptop is an investment for sure, and you can make the best possible
choice only by thoroughly assessing your requirements. Whether you're buying a
laptop for the first time or have been using one for ages, before venturing on a new
purchase, there are several factors that need to be considered. To make things easier
for you, we've listed here the most important factors:
Processor(CPU)
The first bullet point in all those "specification" handouts that a laptop salesperson
will show you would most likely mention the processor in the system. The processor
is one of the main components in a laptop and directly affects performance as well as
battery life. Over the past years, laptop processors were comparatively slower when
pitted against desktop alternatives, but not anymore.
Today, faster multi-core processors are common in laptops. The processor type
differs depending on size, purpose or area of application of the laptop. Most laptops
come with Intel or AMD processors, with either single- or multi-core architectures.
Considering average applications such as MS Office or other applications like
Photoshop, a processor with a minimum clock speed of 1.6 GHz is essential. Unlike
desktops, laptops cannot conveniently be upgraded, and so its always better to choose
a faster processor with the future in mind.
Memory(RAM)
Once youve decided on the processor you require, you need to do justice to it by
letting it perform to its full potential by providing adequate system memory. RAM, the
random memory needed for your operating system, running programs and their data,
contributes to the overall system response time. Consider a situation where you have
one of the fastest computers around, but not enough memory to hold the programs and
their data that you wish to run. Much of the program code and the data will have to be
held on disk and brought into memory when needed. At the same time, data that is not
currently being worked on will be stored temporarily on disk. As the time taken to
move data to and from a disk is much greater than moving from memory to the
processor, this will slow the system down considerably.
In case this stretches your budget, find out if it will be possible to upgrade later, or
if it has to be done by a technician. These days, with resource hungry applications, we
advise a minimum of 2GBRAMasstandard.
Display
The display abilities of a laptop are determined by the screen itself, as well as the
graphics processor. Screens come in standard sizes and resolutions. Typically, larger
displays have a higher resolution, but then this impacts the portability of a laptop.
Wide screen displays are also gaining popularity as they help with better viewing and
comfortable working.
The graphics processor, on the other hand, determines performance that is visible
when it comes to 3D graphics and gaming. Laptops come with onboard as well as
dedicated graphics solutions. The difference between the two is that while onboard
solutions provide low end or very basic performance, dedicated graphics solutions
from NVIDIA and ATI significantly enhance performance and allow hi-end
applications (newer generation games) and other 3D-intensive applications to run
more smoothly.
Ports
Every now and then, we have to connect additional peripherals to our laptops. These
may be wireless cards, USB drives, printers, mice or other gadgets. An adequate pool
of available ports is very useful both for desktops as well as laptops. Most modern day
devices are designed to connect to USB ports. If you have devices which use FireWire
or other connections such as Bluetooth or infrared, like many mobile phones, PMPs or
video cameras do these days, make sure your laptop supports them by having the right
connectors.
An expansion slot for PC cards is also a good idea. This comes in handy to
accommodate an internal modem, wireless card, additional Ethernet ports or a better
sound card. With high definition video and audio coming to laptops, an HDMI port is
also becoming common these days. HDMI replaces the old S-Video port and gives
advantages such as single cable connection for both audio and video. Headphone and
microphone jacks are common, but some laptops come with dual headphone jacks that
can be used to connect your laptop to different devices or even to utilise its multichannel output.
Drives
Hard drives can be broadly classified into two different categories:
1. HDD (Hard Disk Drive)
2. ODD (Optical Disk Drive)
Your storage requirement entirely depends on your usage. A hard drives configuration
is fairly straight forward in terms of size. These days, laptops come with 250 GB
storage on a single HDD, but still you have to decide whether you really need all that
space. Another critical factor that determines your overall system speed is the drives
rotation speed a drive with a higher spin rate yields faster data access times.
However, these are more prone to damage as well. This is one factor you must keep in
mind while arriving at your decision. Try and assess how much space you will need in
your system, and then multiply by three.
Optical drives have evolved considerably over the years. You can either have a simple
CD-ROM drive for installing software, all the way up to the latest high definition Bluray DVD burners as part of your configuration. In most cases, laptops now come
standard with a dual layer DVD burner. Blu-ray drives are starting to show up, but are
extremely expensive.
Networking
One of the basic reasons to have a laptop is to be able to carry out all your tasks while
on the move. This involves your work for which you need to send/receive emails.
Connecting to the internet or a local network is a crucial function that you need to
have f6r your laptop. Most laptops today include a built-in 56 kbps modem and Fast
Ethernet (RJ45) port that handle data rates up to 1,000 Mbps. WiFi has now become a
common feature in laptops. There are several standards for wireless connectivity, but a
very basic connection would require 802.11b/g support having a data rate of up to 54
Mbps.
Size and Weight

You can add up the best of everything and arrive at a monster of a laptop! But then,
thats what portability is all about balancing your configuration for optimal
performance and capacity on the one hand, and portability on the other.
Although ultra portable laptops offer light weight solutions and a smaller size, they
also sacrifice on processing speeds, ODDs, expansion slots, etc. Therefore, when
looking for a laptop, consider these factors before making a final decision. Also
consider the weight of the accessories, especially the AC adapter, because at times,
laptops are light but after bundling accessories, the whole package can become quite
heavy to carry. If you travel frequently, or carry a lot of heavy things while on the
move, a lightweight laptop with a small form factor is what you need.
Battery Life
The best looking laptop is no good if it doesnt offer you adequate battery time. This
holds true even if the product you are considering is an Apple Macbook Air. Try to
find the listed battery life for the standard battery, and see if it suits your needs. It
would be wise to look for a system with at least two hours of battery life under normal
conditions. If you need extended battery life, then look for larger battery packs or
media bays that can double as extra battery slots when required.
Warranty Plans
Laptops are more prone to breakdowns due to their portability. When buying a
system, make sure to get at least a years warranty from the OEM. If youll be using
the system heavily, a system that comes with a three year warranty is ideal.
Consider several models while you are out there shopping. Consider all models
that meet your buying criteria, and compare them on features and prices. Your
decision should not depend on someone elses preferences, but on your own. After all,
its you who is going to use the laptop dont be shy to call dealers and customer
support of the OEMs to find out more about their equipment. Check out the model
physically whenever possible. Ask your friends who may have bought laptops recently
or are currently using the one you wish to buy. Narrow your choices down to a few
models, and then seek the best deal before finally buying your dream laptop!
Review of Literature
Conduct a Review of the Branding Literature relating to brand image
Brand Image
Introduction
The concept of brand image has been very significant to consumer behaviour from
post 1950s. As Aaker and Keller confirmed in Hsiehs study that, brand image has
been considered a vital part of a firms marketing program, not only because it serves
as a foundation for tactical marketing mix issues but also because it plays an integral
role in building long term brand-equity (1990).
Definition
Earlier definitions of brand image are presented in broad terms by Dobni (1990) who
put forward the following writers understanding of brand image. Newman stated it as
everything the people associate with the brand (1957). Reynolds (1965) confirms
that an image was centred on drawing a few key beliefs from a vast variety of sources,
thus creating your own impression based on the brand. Herzogs concurs that brand
image was the sum of the total impressions. (1973). Indeed, such definitions all
concur together; echoed by the words of Levy who stated that a brand image is a
constellation of pictures and ideas in peoples minds that sum up their knowledge of
the brand and their main attitudes towards it (1978). A more recent insight into brand
image was added by Woodside who defined image as the degree of positive or
negative affect associated with psychological object (Reid, 2001).
From these definitions a clear trend is appearing with regard to the perception of brand
image with key figures around the mid-nineteen hundreds, supporting a collective
view that an individual takes in a collaboration of ideas that the company puts forward
as a representation of themselves. This allows them to draw a clear conclusion of a
company from a few certain points which strike a cord with the individuals.
Theory behind brand image

According to Tyler (1957), there are three approaches to brand image: Subjective,
Objective and Literal.
The first type, is a subjective image, this is when a potential customer hears or sees the
brand name/logo and feel obliged to purchase the product or service, despite a lack of
understanding as to why this is the case. The case simply relates to how the brand is
perceived as significant to an individuals self-consciousness.
The second type of brand image is the objective form which is the attempt to
generate an emotional need for the product, leaving you with the feeling that
you need to purchase the product so as to satisfy this need.
The third is literal image, i.e. a logo which represents a company. This implies that
upon seeing this picture/logo, the name of the company does not need to be uttered as
the picture tells the consumer the whole story e.g. Nike with the tick or McDonalds
with the golden arches. Evidently, the approach used to obtain and sustain a brand
image will vary upon several factors as reflected by the analysis presented by Tyler.
Oxenfeldt and Swanns idea was that the brand image should allow the company to
establish its position within its market segment, protecting it from competition, thus
allowing them to build upon this with market share growth (Park et al, 1986).
Moreover Park et al (1986) put forward in Bhats article that the importance of
establishing a brand image relevant to its market segment in which it is based, is
significant so as to ascertain a strong brand position, help create a barrier to
entry for potential competitors: thus raise the brands performance in the market.
Further, Meenaghan stated that at the product/brand level the components of identity
are in effect the elements of the marketing mix, which combine to form the image of
the brand in the mind of the consumer (1995). From this, it is clear that to gain a
strong brand image, one needs to exploit all areas of the marketing mix to achieve
what Oxenfeldt and Swann stressed and that brand image is the key component in
establishing market dominance. Also, Krishman (1996) in Faircloths assessment with
the aid of the Landor survey discovered that there is a strong correlation between
brand equity and brand image. The stronger the brand equity, the stronger the brand
image and vice versa.
Reids (2001) understanding of brand image concerns the product of interaction
involving the consumers specific experience with a certain brand, helped by
advertising which reveals how the brand is to be understood and used, predominantly
for brands that contend at parity. Another contemporary understanding of brand image
was put forward by Hsieh (2002), who felt that building a brand image based on the
identified benefit-based image dimensions consisted of a set of benefit brand
associations. This helped consumers understand with clarity what a brand can do for
them-symbolically, economically, sensorial or as a utility. White and Hsieh (2002)
seem to recognise the key importance that advertising plays in promoting the elements
of a brand image thus differentiating the brand from rival brands, giving them a
competitive advantage.
To summarise, it is plain to see that these academics are in complete agreement that
one of the key attributes of a company, if not the key attribute, is the brand image. It is
evident that there is a clear link between brand image and market share, as depicted by
Krishmans research. In addition, establishing a strong brand image is indeed a
powerful way of developing market power, which consequently helps to create a tight
control over its position within the market. Due to barriers to entry, a rounded
marketing plan focussing on all aspects of the marketing mix; this also helps to retain
a consistent consumer interest.
Brand image: practical example

In this section we will relate how brand image is encompassed in modern
organisations and how they use this as a comparative advantage over there rivals to
ensure that they keep there competitive edge.
Manchester United
In the Brand Strategy journal, the players were seen to be key to any clubs brand
image. The actions of players and the perception by supporters is hence key to brand
image. For example, ex-Man Utd David Beckham opened the Manchester
Commonwealth Games wearing an Adidas sweatshirt. These images were then

broadcast across the globe and this was much more powerful then his endorsement
through advertising. (Brand Strategy briefing: Saving face of sponsorship).
These sort of images enable organisations such as Man Utd to develop into icons
which according to Douglas B. Holt is one step further than brand image, as they
succeed because they forge a deep connection with the culture. In essence, they
compete for culture share. This can clearly be applied to industries, like, the football
industries, as many fans have a strong link between them and their club i.e. it is part of
their culture.
Summary
In summary, from our research, it is clear that there is a link between successful
advertising and a well-established brand image. This was made clear in our theory
research, which was also represented, in our practical examples. Furthermore, it
appears that to generate a strong brand image, requires continuous, diverse advertising
over a period of time, which satisfies all areas of the marketing mix, allowing a firm to
generate a rounded brand image.
Once this brand image is achieved, it can be built upon, as it will give a firm a
competitive advantage, act as a barrier to entry and will act as a stable base so as to
develop their organisation. This argument was put forward by Park et al (1986) and
backs up the information that was provided in Jobber which stated that there are
several benefits that arise from having a strong brand image: company value,
consumer perceptions and preferences, barrier to competition, high profits, base for
brand extensions, quality certification and trust (1996).
The theories suggest that behind nearly all brand images there is a logo, signifying the brand
and reflecting all the ideas one associates with the brand i.e. quality, style etc. It is an
important factor in differentiating a firm from its rivals, as Rooney (1995) states brand
leaders are often too close to being identical, hence any factor which differentiates your
brand from the main stream is of value.
Meenaghan (1995) noted that to build up a successful brand image, a well-rounded marketing
plan will be required focussing on all areas of the marketing mix. It needs to focus on the
organisations strengths in all areas and ensure that the good/service is positively
differentiated from its closest rivals.
Analysis of Manchester Uniteds Brand
Introduction
Manchester United has excelled in the modern game of Football and its activities away from
the pitch. It has existed for over a century now and has grown during this period from a small
club into a global phenomenon.
The strategy of Manchester United in building and
sustaining its brand image has been achieved by focusing on the premier football team, which
sits at the centre of the business. Indeed, it is crucial that all areas of the marketing mix are
exploited to help establish strong market dominance and a sustainable brand image, hence
this marketing principle will be central to the analysis of Manchester Uniteds brand image.
Manchester Uniteds brand image will be critically assessed, paying particular attention to the
way in which they have utilised various marketing communications to sustain their image.
Moreover, by presenting a timeline of Manchester Uniteds marketing practices will allow to
discriminate as to whether they have been successful or not.
Marketing Mix
Promotion:
Manchester United has established a range of global, commercial partnerships with certain
blue chip firms such as Vodafone and Nike. Indeed this has helped put Manchester United on
the global scene. Nike has launched their new Cool Motion double layer kit, promoted by
many of the players such as Scholes and Ferdinand, wearing Nike Boots, which have helped
connect the famous market leader with this Premier Football team. Further, legends such as
Cantona have helped create this maverick image for Manchester United, but also having such
a combination of powerful sponsors has brought the team a reputable image. (ManUtd.com,
2004a).
British Sky Broadcasting and Manchester United Television

Since 1991, the English league has become the most popular and televised league in the
world enabling Manchester Uniteds playing achievements to be followed globally and on a
regular basis. Manchester United has developed a partnership with BSKYB, who provide the
distribution, production and programming. MUTV operates a magazine format of past
matches, interviews with players and staff and up to the minute information on the club. This
is a clear example of brand extension and brand differentiation. Meenaghan (1995) stated that
one must ensure that the good/service is positively differentiated from its closest rivals. In
addition, White and Hsieh cited that differentiating the brand from rival brands, gives one a
competitive advantage. This is certainly the case with Manchester United as it currently has
75,000 UK subscribers to MUTV, indicating high levels of brand loyalty.
ManUtd.com Website
Cocoran, I, (2001) noted the partnership with Lycos has helped the club take advantage of its
content and brand strength via the development of local-language sites for its non-English
speaking fans, specifically in South East Asia. It is clear that Manchester United have
recognised the advantages of digital branding as a form of brand extension and in doing so
they have transferred the teams success on the pitch toward a global audience of millions, by
embracing the power of the web.
Club Tours -Global extension of the brand.

Manchester United has strengthened its brand image by expanding its market share in
untapped
areas
around
the
globe.
Through
information
researched,
(www.brandchannel.com, 2004) Peter Draper, the clubs Director of Marketing,

explains how, Currently, 90 percent of our business comes out of the UK, but 80
percent of the fan base is abroad. Theres clearly an opportunity for us there. The
team has undergone tours of the US, China and the Far East in order to promote
Manchester United merchandise, encourage new sponsors and establish a firm fan
base abroad. Manchester United has opened at least ten mega-stores across Asia, and
plans to develop one hundred Manchester United branded football restaurants over the
next ten years, with the aim to cash in on the lucrative interest many Asian nations
hold in the English game.
Manchester United has succeeded in promoting the brand globally and adapting its
image to different markets which is highlighted by the fact that they have 40 million
fans in Asia (Lifestyle, 2004). Park et al (1986) stated that establishing a brand image
relevant to the market segment in which it is based, is significant so as to ascertain a
strong brand position. David Gill cites in his PLC report of 2003 that the key
marketing strategy for the Manchester United brand development team is to expand
operations into any country where they feel it is possible to convert the local
population into loyal followers of the club and future customers in the multinational
empire.
Product
Merchandise
In the early nineties, the extent of the United range was very narrow (consisting of
goods such as scarves, mugs and hats), but now the product line is inexhaustible,
including everything possible from wallpaper in childrens bedrooms to cuddly toys,
soft drinks and underwear.
As the popularity of the Internet has come to prominence, this has acted as a further
opportunity of extending the brand image around the globe, providing new found
supporters in East-Asia and America with the opportunity to purchase their goods.
Manchester United have proposed tactics to sell their brand image in countries where
popularity is however limited, such as America and the Far-East.
Place
Old Trafford Club Stadium
The club recognised at an early stage in the brands development, the potential earning
power of the clubs home ground, Old Trafford with 68,000 supporters walking
through the gates on any given match day. Currently shown in Manchester United
financial data is that 36% of the clubs revenue is generated from match days.
(ManUtd.com, 2004c). Reid (2001) stressed that the brand has to be experienced,
therefore by providing a well equipped stadium, this helps attract a greater influx of
foreign visitors.
Price
The use of price can be viewed as the sole negative factor of Manchester United brand
image. Exploitation is evident in the form of the fans that pay outrageous prices for
gate admissions (34) and replica shirts (45) and via their business partners, the
exploitation of children in the sweatshops of Asia as exposed by the BBCs current
affairs flagship Panorama. While the clubs players such as Ferdinand, Giggs and
Keane are paid so handsomely to wear the products of leading sports manufacturers
the workers in the sweatshops of Indonesia and other Asian countries are earning 72
pence for 24 hours of work. (Skynews.com, 2002). The enormous difference between
what the goods cost to manufacture and their price is the reason behind the clubs huge
profits and enormous transfer kitty. It is clear that there is a large disparity between
with the wealth of Manchester United and the workers who make the products so
crucial to the global spread of the brand image.
Brand Preference
Customers buying products are buying utility, function, and performance as
much as image and status (Terpstra and Sarathy, 1997, p. 375). Actually, Customer
merchandise has implications more than their utilitarian, functional, and commercial
significance (Czikszentmihalyi and Rochberg-Halton, 1981; Ericksen, 1996; Leigh
and Gabel, 1992; Levy, 1959; Mick, 1986). Consumers do not consume products for
their material utilities but consume the symbolic meaning of those products as
portrayed in their images (Elliot, 1997, p. 286).
Therefore, the acquired goods
are not only bundles of attributes that yield particular benefits (Holt, 1995, p. 1) but
also indications of symbolic meanings to the public. Consumers are more likely to use
brands to express how they are either similar to or different from people of their ingroup (Markus and Kitayama, 1991).
Bhat and Reddy (1998) also reported that brands have practical and emblematic
importance for consumers. The emblematic importance, which is attached to brands, is
often broadcasted via the use and consumption of brands (Gottdeiner, 1985;
McCracken, 1986). Consequently, there seems to be a noteworthy relationship
between brand images, consistent with the emblematic importance of brands, and
consumers self images (Zinkham and Hong, 1991). Individuals are more likely to buy
brands whose personalities intimately match their own self images (Schiffman and
Kanuk, 2000). Similarly, consumers express themselves by selecting brands whose
personalities are recognized to be consistent with their own personalities (Aaker,
1999; Kassarjian, 1971; Sirgy, 1982).
In many circumstances, consumers self image influences his/her purchase
decisions (Zinkham and Hong, 1991) In other words, consumers use products to
illustrate, maintain, and reinforce their self concepts to themselves (Sirgy, 1982;
Wallendorf and Arnould, 1988; Zinkham and Hong, 1991). Therefore, purchase and
consumption are good vehicles for self-expression (Jamal and Goode, 2001, p. 483).
Previous research indicated that self image/self expression affect consumers
product preferences and their purchase intentions (Ericksen, 1996; Mehta, 1999). For
example, Ericksen (1996) found a significant relationship between self image and
intention to buy an American automobile (Ford Escort). Based on this finding, it might
be inferred that individuals prefer brands that have images compatible with their
perceptions of self (Jamal and Goode, 2001, p. 483; Belk, et. al., 1982; Ericksen,
1996; Solomon, 1983; Zinkham and Hong, 1991). Moreover, this self image
consistency strengthen positive attitude toward products and brands (Ericksen, 1996;
Sirgy, 1982, 1985, 1991; Sirgy, et. al., 1997). Specifically, the more similar a
consumers self-image is to the brands image, the more favorable their evaluations of
that brand should be (Graeff, 1996, p. 5).
Brand Personality
Contrary to product-related attributes, which refer to be performance-oriented
for customers, brand personality seems to be representative/self-expressive oriented
(Keller, 1993). Brand personality refers to the set of human characteristics associated
with a brand (Aaker, 1997, p. 347). Moreover, researchers found that brand
personality facilitates a consumer to articulate his/her self (Belk, 1988), an ideal self
(Malhotra, 1988), or exact aspects of the self (Kleine, Kleine, and Kerman, 1993) via
the use of a brand. Additionally, this concept was the essential determinant of
consumer preference and usage (Biel, 1993).
Brand personality can be shaped and influenced by any direct/indirect contact
that the consumer has with the brand (Plummer, 1985). The direct influences included
the brands user imagery, which is defined as the set of human characteristics
associated with the typical user of a brand (Aaker, 1997, p. 348); the firms workers
and/or boss; and the brands endorsers. On the other hand, the indirect influences
contained product-related features, product category relationships, brand name, mark
or emblem, and other marketing mix elements (Batra, Lehmann, and Singh, 1993).
Moreover, according to Levy (1959, p. 12), brand personality consisted of
demographic characteristics such as gender (Usually it is hard to evade thinking of
inanimate things as male or female), age (Just as most, people usually recognize
whether something is addressed to them as a man or a woman, so are they sensitive to
symbols of age), and class (The possession of mink is hardly a matter of winter
warmth alone). Some examples are provided as follows. First, in the tobacco
industry, Virginia Slims tends to be thought of feminine, whereas Marlboro tends to
perceived as masculine (Aaker, 1997, p. 348). Second, in the pc business, Apple is

considered to be young, and IBM is considered to be older (Aaker, 1997, p. 348).
Third, based on the various pricing policies in relation to different department stores,
Saks Fifth Avenue is perceived as upper class, whereas K-mart is perceived as blue
collar (Aaker, 1997, p. 348).
Customer Perceived Value

Value has been recognized as the fundamental basis for all marketing activity
(Halbrook, 1994, p. 22). Value has also been stated as a cognitive-based construct
which captures any benefit-sacrifice discrepancy in much the same way
disconfirmation does for variations between expectations and perceived performance
(Patterson and Spreng, 1997, p. 421). Therefore, it is the outcome of a cognitive
assessment procedure. Moreover, it is an affective evaluative reaction (Oliver, 1996).
Customer perceived value in commerce marketplace was defined as the tradeoff between the multiple benefits and sacrifices of a suppliers offering, as perceived
by key decision-makers in the customers organization, and taking into consideration
the available alternative suppliers offerings in a specific use situation (Eggert and
Ulaga, 2002, p. 110). That is, there existed three elements in this definition: (1) the
multiple components of value, (2) the subjectivity of value perceptions and (3) the
importance of competition (Eggert and Ulaga, 2002, p. 109).
First of all, the multiple benefits refer to a mixture of product/service attributes
and/or technological support available related to a specific use condition (Monroe,
1990). The multiple sacrifices were occasionally illustrated in monetary forms
(Anderson, et al., 1993). Secondly, customers perceived value is subjective, not
objective (Kortge and Okonkwo, 1993). In other words, different customers might
have a variety of perceived values for consuming the same product/service. Thirdly,
customers perceived value is associated with competition on the market. Competitors
generate sustainable competitive advantage by means of bringing a better trade-off
between utilities and sacrifice in a merchandise/service.
Alternatively, customer perceived value was consisted of a take factor- the
benefits a purchaser obtained from the vendors contribution- and a give factor- the
buyers costs (financial and/or non-monetary) of receiving the offering (Dodds, 1991;
Zeithmal, 1988). Even much of the precedent studies have emphasized product quality
as the primary take factor and price as the give factor (Grewal et al., 1998;
Lichtenstein, Netemeyer, and Burton, 1990; Zeithmal, 1988). But, service is also a
logical driver of perceived value (Parasuraman and Grewal, 2000, p. 169). For the
reason that outstanding before/after sale services provided by the seller really increase
the benefits obtained (the take factor) and also decrease the buyers non-monetary
costs, such as time, effort, and mental stress (the give factor) (Parasuraman and
Grewal, 2000, p. 169). Consequently, customer perceived value was composed of
service quality, product quality, and price (Parasuraman and Grewal, 2000, p. 169).
1. Service quality
Perceived service quality was defined as the discrepancy between expected
quality and experienced quality (Gronroos, 2000, p. 67). Expected quality refers to
the expectations of the customer; experienced quality is the outcome of a series of
internal decisions and activities (Gronroos, 2000, p. 101). In other words, customers
subjectivity has a significant influence on perceived service.
Based on a concrete background of empirical and conceptual research,
Gronroos (2000, p. 81) provided a list of The Seven Criteria of Good Perceived
Service Quality: professionalism and skills (i.e., service providers have required
knowledge to offer skills in order to solve customers problems in a professional way),
attitudes and behavior (i.e., service providers are considerate of/friendly to
customers), accessibility and flexibility (i.e., service providers are easy and adaptive
for customers to reach), reliability and trustworthiness (i.e., service providers are
dependable and honorable), service recovery (i.e., service providers are willing to
correct mistakes as soon as they can), serviscape (i.e., customers feel comfortable in
the environment related to the service process), reputation and credibility (i.e.,
service providers can be trusted by customers).
2. Product quality
Generally speaking, people buy products to satisfy needs and wants. That is,
consumers would like to obtain a mixture of utilities when they procure items for
consumption, and different customers seem to acquire a variety of benefits from the
same kind of goods. In order to supply the benefits for consumers, marketers need to
successfully incorporate the components that constitute a product. These components
include product features (quality, design, branding, and packaging) and customer
service (purchase services and usage services) (Bearden, Ingram, and LaForge, 2001,
p. 185). Product quality refers to how well a product does what it is supposed to do
as defined by the customer (Bearden, Ingram, and LaForge, 2001, p. 186).
3. Price
The price of a product/service can be analyzed associated with customers
quality expectations and/or their past experiences. If the price is judged too expensive,
consumers might not purchase. A low price policy causes poor positioning and
neglected opportunities. However, price appears to be a standard for quality in some
circumstances. A higher price level equals a better quality in the minds of customers,
especially when the service is highly intangible (Gronroos, 2000, p. 80).
Hypotheses
Based on the literature discussed above, the hypotheses of this study are as
follows:
1. There existed a significant relationship between brand preferences and
respondents demographic characteristics.
2. There existed a significant relationship between brand personality and
respondents brand preferences.
3. Brand preferences were significantly associated with variation in customers
perceived value.
Research Methodology
Definition of Research:RESEARCH in common parlance refers to a search for knowledge .Also can
be defined as a scientific and systematic search for pertinent information on a specific
topic. Research is a careful investigation or inquiry especially through search for new
facts in any branch of knowledge.
TYPE OF RESEARCH
The research design comprise of the plan and structure of investigation
conceived so as to arrive at the responses to the research queries. It there by addresses
the aims and objectives of the study, both descriptively and analytically.
SAMPLING TECHNIQUE
The sampling technique adopted for the study is non-probability Random
sampling technique according to the convenience of the researcher. A questionnaire
was administered to different software companies to obtain data for the purpose of
analysis.
SAMPLE SIZE
Data is collected using a sample of 50 Respondents.
SAMPLE DESCRIPTION
The sample mainly consists of data from the primary sources that are utilized
for the purpose of this study. This is done by means of administrating questioners to in
different software companies in the city of Udaipur.
Secondary data like company journals, newsletters, records etc. were also relied on for
retrieving further information.
ACTUAL COLLECTION OF DATA

Both secondary and primary sources of data are utilized for the purpose of this study.
Primary data is collected by means of administering a questionnaire to the different
software companies. Secondary data is collected from various records, manuals and
other sources.
S. No.
1.
Particulars
Project Title
Description
A STUDY OF CUSTOMER PURCHASE

DECISION TOWARDS LAPTOPS.
(Special Reference to Udaipur)
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
Sample Size
Sample Unit
Area Covered
Sampling Procedure
Research Design
Data Collection Method
Research Instrument
Type of Questionnaire
Type of Questions
Method of Survey
Type of Sampling
50
Students, Service Mens, Shopkeepers,etc.
Udaipur
Random Sampling
Exploratory
Survey
Questionnaire
Structured
Close Ended, Open Ended Questions
Census Survey
Stratified Sampling
Importance of research work:

The purpose of this study is to examine the impacts of demographic Factors
and footwear benefits sought on consumer purchasing outcomes in the urban
market.
Research results show that age, household size, education, occupation and
income significantly affect amount of money spent, pairs of footwear
purchased and purchase plans, but not average price paid. Gender and
residence of respondent were not significantly related to purchasing outcomes.
The study identified two groups of shoppers seeking significantly different
benefits in purchasing footwear products: the functional shoppers and the alpha
shoppers. As compared to the functional shoppers, alpha shoppers purchased

more pairs of footwear, paid higher price for footwear and spent larger HRK1
amount on footwear. The results are indicative for the segmentation strategy in
the footwear market.
The research also helps footwear manufacturers and retailers to better target
their consumer segments
RESEARCH OBJECTIVE
The research study tends to follow and achieve specific objectives.
The objectives of this particular study are: To know the personal views of Udaipur people regarding choices among
various branded PC Laptop.
To study which branded PC Laptop is mostly preferred by people as per their
choices.
Comparison between various branded PC Laptop.
Find out factor influencing the people at the time of purchasing Laptop
QUALITY, DURABILITY, VARIETY, PRICE.
Data Analysis & Interpretation

1. Do you have a Laptop?
SR.NO.
NO. OF RESPONDENTS
25
PERCENTAGE
PARTICULARS
Yes
No
25
50%
Total
50
100%
INTERPRETATION:
50%
The above table indicates that, 25% people have laptop & 25% people do not have
laptop.
2. If Yes which brand do you have?

SR.NO.
NO. OF RESPONDENTS
4
PERCENTAGE
PARTICULARS
Sony
Dell
8%
HP
16%
Compaq
16%
IBM
4%
Lenovo
24%
Acer
8%
HCL
8%
Total
25
100%
16%
INTERPRETATION:
The above table indicates that, 24% people have Lenovo, 16% people have Compaq,
8% have Dell, 16% have Sony, 8% HCL, 8% have Acer, 16% have HP laptop.
3. When did you purchase your Laptop?

SR.NO.
PARTICULARS
PERCENTAGE
Less than 6 months
NO. OF RESPONDENTS
10
1
2
6 months to 1 year
32%
1 -2 years
16%
2 5 years
8%
More than 5 years
4%
Total
25
100%
40%
INTERPRETATION:
The above table indicates that, 16% people plans for purchasing laptop in 1-2 yr., 4%
plan more than 5 yr., 40% plan in less than 6 months, 32% plan in 6 month to 1 yr.
4. What is main purpose of using Laptop?

SR.NO.
PARTICULARS
Personal
NO. OF RESPONDENTS
13
Official
10
40%
Both
8%
25
100%
Total
PERCENTAGE
52%
INTERPRETATION:
The above table indicates that, 52% purchasing laptop for person use, 8% purchase
for both purpose, 40 % purchase for official use.
5. Your satisfaction level towards your laptop?

SR.NO.
PARTICULARS
NO. OF RESPONDENTS
9
PERCENTAGE
Strongly satisfied
Satisfied
13
52%
Dissatisfied
8%
Strongly dissatisfied
4%
partially satisfied
0%
25
100%
Total
36%
INTERPRETATION:
The above table indicates that, 52% people satisfied with their brand laptop, 36%
strongly satisfied with their laptop, 8% people dissatisfied with their laptop, 4% people
strongly dissatisfied with their laptop.
6. Which types of features prefer most by you in laptop?

SR.NO.
PARTICULARS
NO. OF RESPONDENTS
9
PERCENTAGE
Processor
Battery backup
32%
Screen size
20%
Ram
8%
Hard disk
4%
25
100%
Total
36%
INTERPRETATION:
The above table indicates that, 32% people gives preference to battery backup, 36%
for processor, 8% for RAM, 20% give preference screen size, 4% gives HDD.
7. What are the factors which influence your buying decision?

SR.NO.
PARTICULARS
NO. OF RESPONDENTS
9
PERCENTAGE
Price
Availability
28%
Schemes
16%
Quality
12%
advertisement
8%
25
100%
Total
36%
INTERPRETATION:
The above table indicates that, 28% people influencing through availability of
product, 36% influencing through price, 16% through schemes, 12% through Quality of
laptop & 8% through advertisement.
8. Are you switch over to any other brand to this brand?

SR.NO.
PARTICULARS
Yes
NO. OF RESPONDENTS
5
No
20
20%
25
100%
Total
PERCENTAGE
80%
INTERPRETATION:
The above table indicates that, 20% people want to switch their present laptop.
Person do not have laptop.

9. When would you purchase a laptop?
SR.NO.
PARTICULARS
Less than 6 months
NO. OF RESPONDENTS
11
6 months to 1 year
10
40%
1 -2 years
12%
2 5 years
4%
More than 5 years
0%
25
100%
Total
PERCENTAGE
44%
INTERPRETATION:
The above table indicates that, 44% people purchase laptop in less than 6 months,
40% in 6 month to 1 yr., 12% in 1-2 yr. & 4% people plans for purchasing laptop in 2-5 yr.
10. What price range will you be prepared to pay for such a Laptop?
SR.NO.
PARTICULARS
Rs. 25000 - 30000
NO. OF RESPONDENTS
12
Rs. 35000 - 40000
24%
Rs. 45000 - 50000
8%
Rs. 30000 - 35000
12%
Rs. 40000 - 45000
8%
Above 50000
0%
25
100%
Total
PERCENTAGE
48%
INTERPRETATION:
The above table indicates that, 12% choose the range of 30000-35000, 48% for
25000-30000, 8% choose for 45000-50000 & 8% choose for 40000-45000.
10. Rank the brand according to your preference?

SR.NO.
1
Sony
NO. OF RESPONDENTS
7
Dell
4%
HP
15%
Compaq
27%
IBM
8%
Lenovo
12%
Acer
4%
HCL
4%
PARTICULARS
Total
26
RANK
1
PERCENTAGE
27%
100%
INTERPRETATION:
The above table indicates that, 27% choose Compaq, 4% choose Dell, 27% choose
Sony, 4% for HCL, 4& for Acer, 11% for Lenovo, 8% for IBM.
11. The main purpose of purchasing the laptop?

SR.NO.
PARTICULARS
Personal
NO. OF RESPONDENTS
13
Official
36%
Both
12%
25
100%
Total
PERCENTAGE
52%
INTERPRETATION:
The above table indicates that, 52% people choose for personal use, 12% for both use
& 36% for Official use.
12. What are the factors which influence your buying decisions? (Rank 1-5)
SR.NO.
PARTICULARS
NO. OF RESPONDENTS
10
RANK
1
PERCENTAGE
Price
Availability
12%
Schemes
20%
Quality
24%
Advertisement
4%
Total
25
40%
100%
INTERPRETATION:
The above table indicates that, 12% people influencing through availability of
product, 40% through price, 24% through quality, 20% through schemes & 4% through
advertisement.
13. Which types of features prefer most by you in laptop?

SR.NO.
PARTICULARS
NO. OF RESPONDENTS
8
PERCENTAGE
Processor
Battery backup
11
44%
Screen size
8%
Ram
8%
Hard disk
8%
Total
25
100%
32%
INTERPRETATION:
The above table indicates that, 44% give preference to battery backup of laptop, 32%
to processor, 8% for screen size, 8% for RAM, 8% for HDD.
14. Please tick one of the option for each of the configuration items for your
desire laptop?
Processor
(i)
SR.NO.
PARTICULARS
Celeron
NO. OF RESPONDENTS
2
PERCENTAGE
Centrino
20%
Duo
36%
Pentium
20%
Core
16%
Total
25
100%
8%
INTERPRETATION:
The above table indicates that, 36% give preference to Duo processor, 20% for
Pentium, 20% for Centrino, 16% for Core & 8% for Celeron.
(ii)
RAM
SR.NO.
PARTICULARS
256 MB
NO. OF RESPONDENTS
1
PERCENTAGE
512 MB
8%
1 GB
12
48%
2 GB
10
40%
Total
25
60%
4%
INTERPRETATION:
The above table indicates that, 48% give preference to 1 GB, 8% for 512 MB, 4% for
256 MB & 40% for 2 GB.
(iii)
Battery backup
SR.NO.
PARTICULARS
2.5 hrs.
NO. OF RESPONDENTS
3
PERCENTAGE
3.5 hrs.
10
40%
3 hrs.
20%
4 hrs.
28%
Total
25
100%
12%
INTERPRETATION:
The above table indicates that, 40%b gives preference to 3.5 Hrs., 12% for 2.5 Hrs.,
20% for 3 Hrs., 28% for 4 Hrs.
(iv)
Screen size
SR.NO.
1
12
NO. OF RESPONDENTS
3
15
17
68%
14
Total
20%
25
100%
PARTICULARS
PERCENTAGE
12%
INTERPRETATION:
The above table indicates that, 68%b gives preference to 15, 20% for 14 & 12% for
12.
FINDING & CONCLUSION

Marketing is a very crucial activity in every business organization. Every
product produced within an industry has to be market.
ted other wise it will remain as unsold stock, which will be of no value. I have
realized this fact after completion of my project. Despite of various difficulties and
limitations faced during my project on the topic A STUDY OF CUSTOMER
PURCHASE DECISION TOWARDS LAPTOPS. I have tried my level best to find
out the most relevant information for the organization to complete the assignment that
was given to me. After completion of my project I have gained several experiences in
the field or sales marketing. I have got the opportunity to meet various people, which
fluctuate in different situation and time. project has given me the opportunity to have
first experience in the corporate world.
Theoretical knowledge of a person remains dormant until it is used and tested
in the practical life. The research has given to me the chance to apply my theoretical
knowledge that I have acquired in my classroom to the real business world. I have
completed my project in which are involved in its successful completion. In spite of
few limitations and hindrance in the project I found that the work was a challenge and
fruitful. It gives enough knowledge about the computers market and the distribution
process undertaken by an organization. This summer training project has enabled my
capability in order to manage business effectively and in my career in future.
Suggestion & Recommendation

Laptop Company having large number of channel partners but it is not supporting
& taking care all of them equally which results in increasing discontentment
among new channel partners because its not possible for company to support all of
them equally. Company should take some positive action against it.
Company executive should visit dealers on regular basis.

They Should pay proper attention towards checking of various components of PC
before end user delivery. Otherwise it tends towards defame of brand name in
comparison to rivals.
Need to expend customer care center .

Proper attention should be paid for advertisement planning otherwise it may lead
to problem for dealer as well as for company.
Company should tie up with some event management company to organize various
promotional activities like canopy, Carnival.
Company should make policy for fixed end user price for all dealers so that fair
game will be played & dealer would not to compromise on their margin.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
The lists of reference for the purpose of completing this marketing project are as given
below:
BOOKS:
Marketing Research
By: G. C. Beri
Marketing Research
By: Boyd and Stasch
Marketing Management
By: Philip Kotler
Kothari C. R.
(2005)
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
New Age
International Limited, Fifth Edition

Saxena Rajan, Marketing Management: Tata Mcgraw, New Delhi, 2006
INTERNET:
www.hcl.in
www.indiainfoline.com
www.google.co.in
www.hp.com
www.acer.com
www.dell.com
www.ibm.com
www.hclinfosystem.in
www.altavista.com
www.khoj.com
QUESTIONNAIRE
A study of customers purchase decision towards laptop with special
Reference to Udaipur.
Name: - .
Age: - Gender: - Male / Female.
Address:-
Contact No. :- .. Occupation: - ...

Income (yearly)
1.
Do you have a Laptop?
a.
b.
Yes
No
(If answer is No than turn to Q. No. 10)
2.
If Yes which brand do you have?
a.
c.
e.
g.
Sony
b.
IBM
dell
d.
Lenovo
HP
f.
Acer
Compaq
h.
HCL
3.
When did you purchase your Laptop?
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
Less than 6 months

6 months to 1 year
1 -2 years
2 5 years
More than 5 years
4.
What is main purpose of using Laptop?
a.
Personal
b.
Official
c.
Both
5.
Your satisfaction level towards your laptop?
a. Strongly satisfied
b.
Satisfied
c.
Dissatisfied
d.
Strongly dissatisfied
e.
partially satisfied
6.
a.
c.
e.
Which types of features prefer most by you in laptop?
Processor
Battery backup
Screen size
b.
d.
Ram
Hard disk
7.
What are the factors which influence your buying decision?
a. Price
b.
Quality
c. Availability
d.
advertisement
e. Schemes
8.
a.
b.
Are you switch over to any other brand to this brand?

Yes
No
9.
a.
b.
Are you planning for purchase another laptop?

Yes
No
(If answer is yes than continue.)
10.
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
When would you purchase a laptop?
Less than 6 months

6 months to 1 year
1 -2 years
2 5 years
More than 5 years
11. What price range will you be prepared to pay for such a Laptop?
a.
c.
e.
Rs. 25000 - 30000

b.
Rs. 30000 - 35000
Rs. 35000 - 40000
d.
Rs. 40000 - 45000
Rs. 45000 - 50000
f.
Above 50000
12. Rank the brand according to your preference?
a.
c.
e.
g.
Sony
b.
IBM
dell
d.
Lenovo
HP
f.
Acer
Compaq
h.
HCL
13. The main purpose of purchasing the laptop?
a.
b.
c.
Personal
Official
Both
14. What are the factors which influence your buying decisions? (Rank 1-5)
a.
c.
e.
Price
Availability
Schemes
b.
d.
Quality
Advertisement
15 Which types of features prefer most by you in laptop?

a.
c.
e.
Processor
Battery backup
Screen size
b.
d.
Ram
Hard disk
16. Please tick one of the option for each of the configuration items for your
Desire laptop?
(i) Processor
a. Celeron
b.
Pentium
c. centrino
d.
core
e. duo
(ii) RAM
a. 256 MB
c. 1 GB
b.
d.
512 MB
2 GB
(iii) Battery backup

a. 2.5 hrs.
c. 3.5 hrs.
b.
d.
3 hrs.
4 hrs.
b.
14
(iv) Screen size

a. 12
c. 15
ii
iii
iv
vi

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A

M.Com 2nd SEM

University School of Open Learning

M.Com 2nd Sem

The successful completion of a Market Research Project Report

A STUDY OF CUSTOMER PURCHASE DECISION

I also express my deep sense of gratitude to Mr. Hemant Bhardwaj (Guide),

Electronic Manufacturing Services

OEMs primarily outsource manufacturing to cater to the Indian domestic market,

Production Trend of Different Segments

has revised the upwards the target of 22 per cent

teledensity by 2007. Broadband connectivity is holding tremendous potential in the

Computers Communication & Broadcast Equipment

One of the CPT manufacturers successfully developed a prototype of the 42 Plasma

History of Laptop Computers - History

The First Laptop? Maybe

The First Laptop Computer - Osborne 1

More History of Laptop Firsts

In October 1991, Apple Computers released the Macintosh PowerBook 100,

Budget a cheap, lower-performance

Tablet PC Has a touch-screen

interface, may or may not have a

Standard laptop balances

portability and features, 13-15" screen;

Desktop replaelectronic emphasizes

Subnotebook emphasizes portability,

Netbook A budget subnotebook suited

Gaming laptop - A larger laptop with a

Rugged Engineered to operate in

proprietary expansion slots. Several other functions (storage controllers, networking,

A SODIMM memory module.

Memory (RAM) SO-DIMM memory modules that are

Expansion cards A PC Card (formerly PCMCIA) or ExpressCard bay for expansion

Video display controller On standard laptops the video controller is usually

A size comparison of 3.5" and 2.5" hard disk drives

Removable media drives A DVD/CD reader/writer drive

media drive into the docking station or exclude it altogether.

Portability is usually the first feature mentioned

Immediacy Carrying a laptop means having instant access to various information,

Connectivity A proliferation of Wi-Fi wireless networks and cellular broadband

Other advantages of laptops include:

All-in-One - designed to be portable, laptops have everything integrated in to the

Extras - in comparison to low-end desktops, even low-end laptops include features

Ergonomics and health

Major brands and manufacturers

List of laptop brands and manufacturers

Acer - TravelMate, Extensa, Ferrari, Aspire

Apple - MacBook, MacBook Air, MacBook Pro

ASUS - Asus Eee, Lamborghini

Compaq - Evo, Armada, LTE, Presario

Dell - Inspiron, Latitude, Precision, Studio, Vostro, XPS, Studio XPS

Fujitsu - LifeBook, Stylistic

G7 Systems - Genius Book, Hi-Fi PC, G7 Studio, G7 Extreme [1]

Hewlett-Packard - HP Pavilion, HP Omnibook, HP Compaq Notebooks

Lenovo - ThinkPad, IdeaPad, 3000 series

Panasonic - Toughbook, Satellite, Let's Note (available in Japan only) [2]

Toshiba - Dynabook, Portege, Tecra, Satellite, Qosmio, Libretto