Anju Pharmaceuticals: riding the herbal wave

2017 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 1-26
Author(s):  
Rekha Attri
Keyword(s):  
Strategic Alliances ◽  
Consumer Behaviour ◽  
Consumer Preferences ◽  
Marketing Management ◽  
Third Party ◽  
Digital Marketing ◽  
Problem Situation ◽  
Bottom Line ◽  
Herbal Products ◽  
Content Type

Subject area Marketing management, consumer behaviour, digital marketing. Study level/applicability This case can be used for students studying marketing management courses and also for elective courses on consumer behaviour, digital marketing and strategic management in an MBA programme. Case overview This case is about Anju Pharmaceuticals which dealt in the manufacture and sale of ayurvedic/herbal products such as Panchsudha, Zalim Lotion, Ruz, Vama, Mekado etc. in Madhya Pradesh, India. Started in the year 1983, the company had still not been able to make a mark in the market. For quite some time now Mitesh, the third-generation proprietor of the company, was continuously reading articles which discussed how there has been a positive shift in the consumer preferences for products having herbal ingredients. Indian fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) companies such as Patanjali, Dabur, Marico were banking on herbal components in their various key products such as toothpaste, shampoo and hair oil to expand their market share and some of these Indian companies seemed to be growing faster than bigger multinationals including Hindustan Unilever and Procter & Gamble. With the changes in consumer perception towards herbal products, Mitesh was hopeful that if he could gear up his distribution it would result in improving the bottom-line of the company. He had also started receiving queries from interested clients for third-party manufacturing and packaging of the ayurvedic products under the desired brand name. Mitesh was very much aware that to improve his bottom-line, just relying on efficient distribution would not suffice and he would need to come up with strategic alliances and newer ways of doing the business rather than just following what had been the norm for the last few years. The idea of becoming a third-party manufacturer somehow did not excite Mitesh because he felt that by going in for third-party manufacturing he would never be able to establish the brand identity of Anju Pharmaceuticals. He wanted his company to ride the FMCG herbal wave but how and at what cost were the big questions facing him. Expected learning outcomes After the successful completion of this case, the readers would be able to accomplish the following: gain insights into the problems faced by small businesses when they want to scale up their business. Get insights into the challenges/difficulties of adopting e-commerce by a small organization. Be aware of the changing consumer preferences for herbal and ayurvedic products and how companies are gearing up to cash on to the changing market opportunities. Comprehend the problem situation. Suggest ways of taking advantage of the current scenario to expand and grow the business. Supplementary materials Teaching notes are available for educators only. Please contact your library to gain login details or email [email protected] to request teaching notes. Subject code CSS 8: Marketing.

Value communication: low-cost marketing initiatives for “Guru Ki Bani 58282”

2013 ◽  
Vol 3 (3) ◽  
pp. 1-9
Author(s):  
Neeraj Pandey ◽  
Gaganpreet Singh
Keyword(s):  
Interactive Voice Response ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Value Added ◽  
Subject Area ◽  
Marketing Management ◽  
Digital Marketing ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Mba Students ◽  
Marketing Team ◽  
Value Communication

Subject area Pricing, digital marketing, marketing management and strategic marketing. Study level/applicability The case can be used for pricing or digital marketing courses as well as marketing management courses to MBA students and/or for management development programmes. Case overview Goldfinch Mobile Solutions, a Hong-Kong based value added services (VAS) and gaming platform provider, had an exclusive tie up with Bharti Airtel in India for providing value added voice applications on an interactive voice response system (IVRS) platform. The Goldfinch flagship service is “Guru Ki Bani” which may be subscribed to by dialing the short code 58282. This “58282” service has a repository of all Sikh religion daily prayers, religious songs, teachings, stories from Guru's life and similar information that is derived from the Sikh Holy book Guru Granth Sahib Ji. As per mutual agreement between Goldfinch Mobile Solutions and Bharti Airtel, the telecom operator had the responsibility to promote Goldfinch's Guru Ki Bani service amongst its subscriber base through its below the line (BTL) promotional channels such as short messaging service (SMS), outbound calls, cell information, notification SMS after call and above the line (ATL) activities such as posters, leaflets, print, promoters, regional TV, outdoors, etc. The revenue sharing arrangement between Airtel and Golfinch was in the ratio of 75 percent and 25 percent. However, with recent changes in the policies of Telephone Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), promotional marketing used by telecom operators has been constrained. Declining customer share, decreasing profits (after Bharti Airtel halted promotions) and increasing organization cost per customer have made MD and CEO Mr Newton Bubber think of various options including low-cost marketing initiatives besides digital marketing to promote Guru Ki Bani services. Value communication to its huge potential customer base, i.e. 184.19 million Bharti Airtel subscribers was another challenge facing Mr Newton and his marketing team at Goldfinch. Expected learning outcomes The case enables students to learn the concepts and application of value creation, effective value communication, price waterfall analysis, importance of costing parameters in pricing decisions, low-cost marketing strategies and digital marketing. Supplementary materials Teaching notes are available for educators only. Please contact your library to gain login details or email [email protected] to request teaching notes.

Automated text analyses of YouTube comments as field experiments for assessing consumer sentiment towards products and brands

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Charles S. Areni
Keyword(s):  
Field Experiments ◽  
Consumer Preferences ◽  
Ecological Validity ◽  
Third Party ◽  
Consumer Sentiment ◽  
Laboratory Findings ◽  
Content Type ◽  
User Comments ◽  
Different Types ◽  
Quasi Experimental

Purpose The purpose of this study is to show how non-random groupings of YouTube videos can be combined with automated text analysis (ATA) of user comments to conduct quasi-experiments on consumer sentiment towards different types of brands in a naturalistic setting. Design/methodology/approach NCapture extracted thousands of comments on multiple videos representing different experimental treatments and Leximancer revealed differences in the lexical patterns of user comments for different types of brands. Findings User comments consistently revealed hypothesized relationships between brand types, based on existing theory regarding motivations for nostalgia and the relationship between consumer preferences, online product ratings and purchases. These results demonstrate the viability of conducting quasi-experimental research in naturalistic settings via non-random groupings of YT videos and ATA of user comments. Research limitations/implications This research adopts a single quasi-experimental design: the non-equivalent group, after-only design. However, the same basic approach can be used with other quasi-experimental designs to examine different kinds of research questions. Originality/value Overall, this research points to the potential for ATA of comments on different categories of YT videos as a relatively straightforward approach for conducting field experiments that establish the ecological validity of laboratory findings. The method is easy to use and does not require the participation and cooperation of private, third party social media research companies.

Sustainable development and the circular economy in Greece: case examples from Costa Navarino and Grecotel

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (5) ◽  
pp. 609-621
Author(s):  
Justin Darayus Khodaiji ◽  
Dimitra Christopoulou
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Circular Economy ◽  
Tourism Industry ◽  
Local Economy ◽  
Third Party ◽  
Bottom Line ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Case Examples ◽  
Secondary Sources ◽  
Development Goals

Purpose This paper aims to identify and analyse sustainable development in the Greek hospitality industry. Drawing on an evaluation of two leading hotel groups in Greece, TEMES S.A. and Grecotel Hotels and Resorts and their respective landmark hotels Costa Navarino and Grecotel (Lux Me) Rhodos, the authors focussed on the role that the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) have played in the industry and in a country heavily reliant on its tourism industry. Additionally, this paper examines and assesses the concepts of the triple bottom line and the circular economy and suggests practical approaches by which hotels may achieve sustainability. The recommendation relies on the belief that the two concepts are interconnected in tackling and achieving a successful vision of the future of sustainability through until 2030. Design/methodology/approach The case study focus with regard to the two hotel groups relied heavily on their respective 2018 sustainability reports. Additionally, further secondary research was conducted via several journal databases from 2013 to 2020. Third-party sites were also leveraged including the UN and Forbes. Findings It is evident that hotel companies often highlight their sustainability programmes online so that they are accessible to consumers and other stakeholders – including investors. This enables companies to create and close business loops in innovative ways. Their actions on sustainable development help the local economy and in turn help the country. This paper showcases examples of two leading Greek hotel groups, TEMES and Grecotel already working towards a more sustainable operating future. Originality/value In spite of research that was limited to secondary sources, the topic of sustainability in Greece is of great value as it is yet to be fully explored. This paper does yield some practical insights that will be of interest to the industry as to how to use the UN’s SDGs as pathway drivers for a successful circular economy.

Taska Kyrana Sdn. Bhd.: to change or not to change its operating days?

2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 1-15
Author(s):  
Hazirhah Hashim ◽  
Rohaida Basiruddin ◽  
Farzana Quoquab ◽  
Maizaitulaidawati Md Husin
Keyword(s):  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Consumer Behaviour ◽  
Institutional Support ◽  
Subject Area ◽  
The State ◽  
Growth Strategy ◽  
Marketing Management ◽  
Promotion Strategy ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Right

Subject area Entrepreneurship, Marketing management, Consumer behaviour Study level/applicability Undergraduate students, taking courses of entrepreneurship, marketing management and/or consumer behaviour that cover the topics related to entrepreneurial challenges, institutional support, growth strategy, market segmentation and marketing promotion strategy. Case overview This case demonstrates the dilemma of a founder, cum entrepreneur dealing with the issue related to a change in operating days that would affect her business profitability in the kindergarten industry. The case begins with the problem faced by Azizah Ayob, the founder and entrepreneur of Taska Kyrana when she hears that the state minister of Johor has announced that business operation days will be changed from Sunday to Friday with effect from 1 January 2014. The change would be applicable to government institutions in the state. However, businesses and corporations in the private sector can choose to continue observing Saturday-Sunday weekends or switch to the new official rest days of Friday-Saturday. As customers of Taska Kyrana consist of parents working in public and private sectors, as well as Singaporean parents, Ayob needs to choose either to follow the state requirement or to maintain the usual operation days. Expected learning outcomes Using this case, the students should be able to understand the need for institutional support for an entrepreneur; understand a possible growth strategy to cope with the volatile situation; understand the importance of a proper segmentation strategy to target the right group of customers; and understand the importance of a promotional strategy to attract new customers and to retain the existing one in a volatile situation. Supplementary materials Teaching Notes are available for educators only. Please contact your library to gain login details or email [email protected] to request teaching notes. Subject code CSS 8: Marketing.

Which wine do you prefer? An analysis on consumer behaviour and brain activity during a wine tasting experience

2019 ◽  
Vol 32 (5) ◽  
pp. 1149-1170 ◽  
Author(s):  
Letizia Alvino ◽  
Rob van der Lubbe ◽  
Reinoud A.M. Joosten ◽  
Efthymios Constantinides
Keyword(s):  
Consumer Behaviour ◽  
Consumer Preferences ◽  
Brain Activity ◽  
Theoretical Background ◽  
Substantial Contribution ◽  
High Temporal Resolution ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Product Experience ◽  
Product Consumption ◽  
Consumer Neuroscience

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to assess whether or not electroencephalography (EEG) provides a valuable and substantial contribution to the prediction of consumer behaviour and their preferences during product consumption. In this study, the authors especially focus on individual preferences during a wine tasting experience. Design/methodology/approach A consumer neuroscience experiment was carried out with 26 participants that evaluated different red wines while their brain activity was recorded with EEG. A within-subjects design was employed and the experiment was carried out in two sessions. All participants took part in a blind taste session (no label session), in which information about the wine was not disclosed, and a normal taste session (label session), during which the bottle and its label were visible. Findings The findings suggest that EEG is a useful tool to study brain activity during product experience. EEG has high temporal resolution, low costs, small dimensions and superior manoeuvrability compared to other consumer neuroscience tools. However, it is noticed that there is a lack of solid theoretical background regarding brain areas (e.g. frontal cortex) and brain activity (e.g. brain waves) related to consumer preferences during product experience. This lack of knowledge causes several difficulties in replicating and validating the findings of other consumer neuroscience experiments for studying consumer behaviour. Originality/value The experiment presented in this paper is an exploratory study. It provides insights into the possible contribution of EEG data to the prediction of consumer behaviour during product experience.

Benchmarking the outsourcing factors of third-party logistics services selection: analysing influential strength and building a sustainable decision model

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sharfuddin Ahmed Khan ◽  
Shahed Alkhatib ◽  
Zaina Ammar ◽  
Md. Abdul Moktadir ◽  
Anil Kumar
Keyword(s):  
Supply Chain ◽  
Strategic Alliances ◽  
Influential Factors ◽  
Decision Makers ◽  
Third Party ◽  
Third Party Logistics ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Decision Factors ◽  
Logistics Service ◽  
Outsourcing Decision

PurposeOutsourcings always affect crucial supply chain functions concerning flexibility and cost. During the decision to outsource and consider third-party logistics service provider selection, decision-makers need to pay more attention to certain critical outsourcing factors such as coordination, integration and cooperation as these key factors are essential to improve overall supply chain performance. The main purpose of this work is to identify the inter-relations among outsourcing decision factors to highlight the most important and influential factors that should be considered and carefully thought through when making outsourcing sustainable decisions.Design/methodology/approachA two-phased methodology has been used in this study. In the first phase, outsourcing decision factors are identified from existing literature and validated by decision-makers from industry and academia. To understand the influential strength and build a sustainable model, the decision-making trial and evaluation laboratory method is used. A courier company in the UAE is considered for implementation.FindingsAll identified and validated factors are segregated into two categories (cause and effect). The result shows that the most influential factors are developing strategic alliances, uncertainty and risk mitigation and deficiency of internal resources for a service.Practical implicationsThere are several insights for industry managers and practitioners. The results of the study may help practitioners and logistics managers to make the logistics service sustainable and more efficient for businesses.Originality/valueThis study focusses on a courier company to understand the interdependencies among outsourcing decision factors; this is unique in this field of literature.

scholarly journals How Digital Marketing along with Artificial Intelligence is Transforming Consumer Behaviour?

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (VII) ◽  
pp. 523-527
Author(s):  
Dr. Manas Khatri
Keyword(s):  
Artificial Intelligence ◽  
Consumer Behaviour ◽  
Consumer Preferences ◽  
Modern Technology ◽  
Marketing Strategies ◽  
Market Analysis ◽  
Digital Marketing ◽  
Middle Income ◽  
The Right

This report highlights the role of AI in digital marketing to change consumer behaviour. It relates the technical aspects of modern technology with digital marketing and their use considering the changes in trends and consumer preferences based on new products and market analysis. Artificial Intelligence is a technology that makes the computers or machines as smart as human being so that they are capable of doing tasks like a human brain. As in this era of technology AI continuous to advance, it is used in almost every field of life. It is combined with digital marketing to make it easier for firms to reach the right customers at the right time. Artificial Intelligence helps the firms to get perception about the customer needs in a very short frame and effectively which boosts their sales and revenues. Some techniques that are used in digital marketing utilizing AI include Big Data analysis, machine learning and customer insights of the specific sector. India has 280 Million facebook users that makes it the top country having the biggest Facebook audience, Inida is second highest based on Instagram audience. The smartphone industry in India is among the develping markets which are adding to the number of middle-income customers and it is estimated that it will reach millions of the cinsumers in future. These analysitics have changed the way marketers make digital marketing strategies and desgin business portfolio in accordance with the products and services available in the market. This report also explain the challenges of ai in digital marketing. Furthermore, it identifies the relevant tools and technologies which help marketer effectively implement the AI in digital marketing.

Myanmar’s tourism

2019 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Aye Aye Myat ◽  
Nora Sharkasi ◽  
Jay Rajasekera
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Capital City ◽  
Third Party ◽  
Digital Marketing ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Internet Connectivity ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Internet Connection ◽  
Tourism Sector ◽  
Use Of Social Media

PurposeStudies show that internet has become a major force propelling growth in tourism sector in many countries. An appropriate diffusion of the information and communication technology (ICT) services can facilitate visibility of hotels and lodges on search sites and third-party booking websites and thus influence demand. It also helps leverage the use of social media for promotion and customer acquisition purposes. Recently, Myanmar, with impressive historical world heritage sites, is witnessing a tourist boom; more hotels are opening up and achieving competitive advantage by offering free internet connectivity to guests and locating their premises in the vicinity of an ICT infrastructure. The purpose of this paper is to investigate ICT readiness to support the lodging industry in Myanmar by focusing on one sub-index of the Network Readiness Index (NRI, a term heavily used by World Economic Forum). The paper focuses on the “Network Use” component of NRI, pertaining to the effect of the “quality of the Internet connection” available to lodges, and its association with the following dimensions: customer service: the availability of ICT services to guests, such as internet connectivity and availability of ATM in the vicinity; digital marketing: the use of social media, keeping records of guests and analyzing aggregate data to extract business insights; and business-to-business online booking: the use of online booking via major third-party intermediary websites like Expedia, Booking.com and Agoda.com.Design/methodology/approachSurveys were conducted in three major touristic cities in Myanmar: Bagan, Mandalay and the capital city, Nay Pyi Taw. A total of 101 valid questionnaires were used. Survey questions were centered around the following themes: internet connection problems, digital marketing activities, and online booking directly or via third party digital intermediary. The data are presented and interpreted by descriptive statistics and regression analysis.FindingsThough, Myanmar is new to internet and commercial use of ICT, the awareness of the importance of leveraging social media and online booking for business development is surprisingly high in the lodging sector. On average, about 80 percent of surveyed hotels are present on the WWW through a dedicated hotel website. However, most websites lack an online booking capability. As a result, and due to a global trend, online booking through third-party intermediaries has become the dominant option for hotel booking arrangements in Myanmar. Agoda, founded in Bangkok in 2002, was found to be the number one choice for online booking intermediary in Myanmar, followed by Booking.com. Analysis of the logistic regression revealed that it was highly likely that areas around ATMs have better internet connectivity. As expected, it was also found that it is very unlikely that hotels reporting a problem in internet connectivity will be able to provide internet service to their guests. Despite the presence of problems in internet connectivity in Mandalay and Bagan cities, located away from the capital; most hotels in these cities resort to leveraging social media for promotion and customer/guest development. The analysis also revealed that cities located away from the capital are more aggressive in leverage online third-booking intermediaries.Research limitations/implicationsWhile researchers were hoping for a higher participation rate in the survey, especially in the city of Mandalay, data collection was challenging, a number of hotels/lodges denied participation. This may have some implications on the generalization of results. However, over 70 and 45 percent of hotels/lodges in the capital city and the ancient city of Bagan, respectively, had participated in the survey.Practical implicationsTourism has a great potential for growth in Myanmar. This research recommends ways to achieve and sustain competitive advantage for the lodging sector, which is vital for tourism.Originality/valueThough a considerable research exists on tourism and the recent advances of the ICT sector in Myanmar, the country’s readiness for the actual usage of the internet for the development of tourism has not been specifically addressed. This paper explores this with compelling research findings useful for policy makers as well as players in the tourism sector.

Dietary supplements versus functional foods: consumers' attitudes to their consumption

2020 ◽  
Vol 122 (12) ◽  
pp. 3853-3868
Author(s):  
Petra Chaloupkova ◽  
Miloslav Petrtyl ◽  
Vladimir Verner ◽  
Ladislav Kokoska
Keyword(s):  
Dietary Supplements ◽  
Functional Foods ◽  
Unsaturated Fatty Acids ◽  
Consumer Preferences ◽  
Multiple Correspondence Analysis ◽  
Herbal Products ◽  
Content Type ◽  
High Prevalence ◽  
Chi Squared ◽  
First Time

PurposeThe popularity of dietary supplements (DSs) and functional foods (FFs) is currently widespread worldwide. In general, European countries represent one of the most important markets for both two groups; however, regional differences were reported in their consumption and preferences. The main objective was to determine the attitudes of Czech adult consumers towards DSs and FFs and to find out which ones are most commonly used and for what reasons.Design/methodology/approachThe data were collected from 1,049 respondents using a questionnaire survey. A Pearson Chi-squared test was used to determine the association between consumer preferences and selected socio-economic characteristics. A multiple correspondence analysis was used to compare relations among 13 categories of DSs and FFs and the socio-demographic variables.FindingsThe authors’ findings showed a high prevalence of awareness regarding the terms DSs and FFs (79%) and use (99%) of both these categories among the respondents. Data indicated that average consumption of FFs was slightly higher (56.7%) than that of DSs (48.6%). The most popular FFs were identified as dietary fibre, unsaturated fatty acids, followed by probiotics and prebiotics, whereas vitamins, minerals and herbal products were mentioned as the most preferred DSs. The most frequent reasons for consumption of both food products were stress relief, digestive care and immunity boosting.Originality/valueThe authors report for the first time on consumer attitudes to and preferences for the use of DSs and FFs. The findings can contribute to an understanding of general attitudes and preferences regarding both food categories in the EU population.

A qualitative study on evolution of relationships between third-party logistics providers and customers into strategic alliances

2014 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 2-17 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sanjay Sharma ◽  
Aniket Ghosh Choudhury
Keyword(s):  
Strategic Alliances ◽  
Strategic Alliance ◽  
Evolutionary Process ◽  
Third Party ◽  
Business Strategies ◽  
Third Party Logistics ◽  
Case Study Methodology ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Study Approach

Purpose – The purpose of this exploratory study is to highlight the stages in the relationship which eventually lead to an integrated logistics alliance. Design/methodology/approach – The stages involved in the evolutionary process have been explained with the help of concepts of mental models and knowledge-related asymmetries. The study has been justified by applying multiple case research design which involves examples of successful logistics alliances. Findings – The analysis using case study approach provides a detailed overview how third-party logistics providers develop successful relationships with different industry firms over a period of time which eventually lead to innovations benefiting both the partners. Research limitations/implications – In the paper, a qualitative case study methodology has been adopted which is limited in nature when compared to quantitative approach. Nevertheless, the multiple cases discussed in the paper involve organizations from diverse sectors thus providing a holistic perspective and adding value to the current strategic alliance literature. Practical implications – The complete understanding of the concepts discussed in this paper will help companies revisit their business strategies and identify areas of improvements in their current engagement practices with third-party logistics providers. Originality/value – Many a time, relationships fail to develop into an alliance and research related to the attributes causing these failures might be limited. In the past, though many papers have talked about strategic alliances between third-party logistics providers and customers, little has been discussed about how such relationships evolve into successful strategic alliances.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document