A STUDY ON CUSTOMER SATISFACTION OF PUMA STORES, CHENNAI

An Internship and Project work Report submitted to the SRM Institute of science and
Technology in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the award of the Degree of

BACHELOR OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION

Submitted by

JAYAPRAVINRAJ R (Reg. No. RA1851001020021)

Under the guidance of

Mr. JAI GANAESH , MBA., (Faculty Guide)

SRM INSTITUTE OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

COLLEGE OF MANAGEMENT

RAMAPURAM CAMPUS

CHENNAI – 89

APRIL 2021
 SRM INSTITUTE OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
SRM COLLEGE OF MANAGEMENT
RAMAPURAM CAMPUS

Certificate

This is to certify that the Internship and Project work Report entitled “A study on
Customer Satisfaction of Puma Stores, Chennai”, in partial fulfilment of the requirements for
the award of the Degree of Bachelor of Business Administration is a record of original project
undergone by Mr. JAYAPRAVINRAJ R (Reg. No RA1851001020021) during the year
December – March2021 of his study in the College of Management, SRM INSTITUTE OF
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY,Ramapuram Campus under my supervision and the report
has not formed the basis for the award of any Degree/Fellowship or other similar title to any
candidate of any University.

Place: Chennai – 89 Signature of Guide

Date: Mr.JAI GANESH,MBA.,

Assistant Professor (SG)
college of Management
SRM Institute of Science & Technology
Countersigned

Head of the Department

Dr. V.S. Sheeja, M.B.A., M.Phil ., Ph.D
Associate Professor & Head

Submitted to the School of Management, SRM INSTITUTE OF SCIENCE AND

TECHNOLOGY, Ramapuram Campus for the examination held on_______________

INTERNAL EXAMINER EXTERNAL EXAMINER

 DECLARATION

I, JAYAPRAVINRAJ R , hereby declare that the Internship & Project work Report, entitled “A
study on Customer Satisfaction Of Puma Stores, Chennai” , submitted to the SRM
INSTITUTE OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY in partial fulfilment of the requirements
for the award of the Degree of Bachelor of Business Administration is a record of original
project undergone by me during the period December – march2021 under the supervision and
guidance of MR.JAIGANESH,MBA., Assistant Professor college of Management, SRM
INSTITUTE OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY, Ramapuram Campus and it has not formed
the basis for the award of any Degree/Fellowship or other similar title to any candidate of any
University.

Place: Chennai – 89 Signature of the Student

Date:
 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

First and foremost, I offer my sincerest gratitude to our Chancellor, SRM INSTITUTE
OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY, for his academic support and the facilities provided to
carry out the project work at the Institute. His wide vision and concern for students have been
inspirational.

I wish to express my profound gratitude to my respected Chairman, SRM Group of

Institutions- Ramapuram& Trichy Campuses, who offered me such a huge opportunity,
incredible Infrastructure and other support which made the project work quite smooth.

I would like to express my deepest thanks to our Director, SRM Institute of Science and
Technology, Ramapuram campus who motivates everyone to complete this project.

I express my heartfelt thanks to our Dean, Faculty of Science & Humanities, SRM
INSTITUTE OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY, Ramapuram Campus who provided all
facilities for carrying out this project.

I immensely thank to our Head of the Department Dr. V.SSheeja, M.B.A., M.Phil .,
Ph.D. Associate Professor & Head for her cordial support, valuable information and guidance,
which helped me in completing this task through various stages.

I take this opportunity to express my profound gratitude and deep regards to my guide
Mr. JAI GANESH.,MBA., Assistant Professor (SG) for his exemplary guidance, monitoring
and constant encouragement throughout the course of this project.

-I thank God Almighty for showering his perennial blessing on me for giving me the
courage to pursue this project work successfully. I owe a lot to my parents, who encouraged and
helped me at every stage of my personal and academic life, and longed to see this achievement
come true.
JAYAPRAVINRAJ
(Reg. No.RA1851001020021)
 CONTENTS

CHAPTER TITLE PAGE NO.

Introduction 1-15

1.1 Introduction 2

1.2 Objectives of the study 4

1.3 Importance of the study 5

I 1.4 Scope of the study 8

1.5 Company Profile 9

1.6 Period of the study 13

1.7 Limitations of the study 13

1.8 Chapterization 15

Review of Literature 16-30

II 2.1 Review of Literature 17

Research Methodology 31-34

III 3.1 Research Design 33

3.2 Sample Size 33

3.3 Sampling Techniques 33

3.4 Instrument for Data Collection 34

3.5 Method of data collection 34

Analysis and Interpretation 35-52

IV 4.1 Data Analysis and Interpretation 36

Findings, Suggestions and Conclusion 53-59

V 5.1- Findings 54

5.2- Suggestions 56

5.3- Conclusion 58

Appendices 61-63
 LIST OF TABLES

Table No. Title Page No.

4.1 GENDER OF RESPONDENTS 35

4.2 MARITAL STATUS 36

4.3 AGE 37

4.4 OCCUPATION 38

4.5 HAVE U VISITED A PUMA STORE 39

4.6 HOW DO YOU KNOW ABOUT THE PUMA STORES? 40

4.7 HOW OFTEN DO U VISIT PUMA STORE 41

4.8 REASON FOR VISIT 42

4.9 RATE THE PRODUCTS SOLD AT PUMA STORES 43

4.10 RATE THE QUALITY OF PRODUCTS SOLD AT PUMA 44

STORES
4.11 ARE YOU SATISFIED WITH THE CUSTOMER SERVICE 45

4.12 IS THE STORE IS CLEAN, ATTRACTIVE AND 46

CONVINIENT FOR USEAGE?
4.13 DOES THE STORE HAS LATEST COLLECTIONS? 47

4.14 THE STORE WILLINGLY HANDLES RETURNS AND 48

EXCHANGES

4.15 IS THE STORE LOCATED IN A EYE CATCHY AREA 49

4.16 ARE YOU SATISFIED WITH OVERALL SERVICE QUALITY 50

AT PUMA
4.17 WILL YOU RECOMMEND YOUR FRIENDS TO SHOP AT 51
PUMA STORES

4.18 DOES PRICE OF THE PRODUCTS AFFECTS ON YOUR 52

SHOPPING?
 LIST OF CHARTS

Chart No. Title Page No.

4.1 GENDER OF RESPONDENTS 35

4.2 MARITAL STATUS 36

4.3 AGE 37

4.4 OCCUPATION 38

4.5 HAVE U VISITED A PUMA STORE 39

4.6 HOW DO YOU KNOW ABOUT THE PUMA STORES? 40

4.7 HOW OFTEN DO U VISIT PUMA STORE 41

4.8 REASON FOR VISIT 42

4.9 RATE THE PRODUCTS SOLD AT PUMA STORES 43

4.10 RATE THE QUALITY OF PRODUCTS SOLD AT PUMA 44

STORES
4.11 ARE YOU SATISFIED WITH THE CUSTOMER SERVICE 45

4.12 IS THE STORE IS CLEAN, ATTRACTIVE AND CONVINIENT 46

FOR USEAGE?
4.13 DOES THE STORE HAS LATEST COLLECTIONS? 47

4.14 THE STORE WILLINGLY HANDLES RETURNS AND 48

EXCHANGES

4.15 IS THE STORE LOCATED IN A EYE CATCHY AREA 49

4.16 ARE YOU SATISFIED WITH OVERALL SERVICE QUALITY 50
AT PUMA

4.17 WILL YOU RECOMMEND YOUR FRIENDS TO SHOP AT 51

PUMA STORES

4.18 DOES PRICE OF THE PRODUCTS AFFECTS ON YOUR 52

SHOPPING?
 CHAPTER- 1
INTRODUCTION

1
 1.1-INTRODUCTION

Definition OF CUSTOMER SATISFACTION

 Customer satisfaction indicates the fulfillment that customers derive from doing business
with a firm. In other words, it’s how happy the customers are with their transaction and
overall experience with the company.

 Customers derive satisfaction from a product or a service based on whether their need is
met effortlessly, in a convenient way that makes them loyal to the firm. Hence, customer
satisfaction is an important step to gain customer loyalty.

 Consumer satisfaction means the degree to which a company’s customers are happy with
their purchase or experience with the company.

Concept of satisfaction:

The existence of many companies on the market is conditioned with a number of

satisfied customers. Customers are the key factor of the existence and company
development on the market. It is obvious then, that firms, which want to face the
competition, need to provide valuable and unique terms to their customers, that will satisfy
their needs. This satisfaction includes not only the feelings associated with the purchasing
process, but also the atmosphere before and after the execution of purchases.

Customer satisfaction index:

CSI results provide: an economic indicator of the quality of economic output; calculation of the
net present value of their company’s customer base as an asset over time; information for
strategic business applications; a predictor of consumer spending & corporate earnings.

The concept of customer satisfaction is new to some companies, so it’s important to be clear on
exactly what’s meant by the term.

Customer satisfaction is the state of mind that customers have about a company when their
expectations have been met or exceeded over the lifetime of the product or service. The
achievement of customer satisfaction leads to company loyalty and product repurchase. There
are some important implications of this definition:

2
 Because customer satisfaction is a subjective, nonquantitative state, measurement won’t be exact
and will require sampling and statistical analysis.
 Customer satisfaction measurement must be undertaken with an understanding of the gap
between customer expectations and performance perceptions.
 There is a connection between customer satisfaction measurement and bottom-line results.
 Long-term monitoring of satisfaction with the possibility of analysing particular events effects.
 Notifies feedback during changes of existing product or during launching a new product or
service into the market.
 Effective connection to parallel-conducted track studies (brand tracking, image tracking etc.).
 Evaluation of satisfaction with products within products category.
 Comparison of customer satisfaction with particular affiliates of companies.
 Evaluation of effect in marketing strategy change.

1.2: OBJECTIVES OF STUDY:

PRIMARY OBJECTIVES

To study on customer satisfaction of puma stores. This has been broken into following specific
objectives

SECONDARY OBJECTIVES

1. To find out the level of satisfaction about Puma products

2. To know about the medium of advertisement

3. To study the service which are mostly used by customer

4. To study the service which are mostly not preferred by the customer

5. To find out the reason for liking the puma products

6. To find out the most popular Brand in physical attire

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 1.3 IMPORTANCE OF STUDY:

1. The study was important to acquire the actual information of the promotional
strategies and purchasing behavior of the buyer.

2. Researching customers’ behavior, the person is used as a factor for making

marketing strategies and adapt the marketing mix to their needs. This is the only way for a high -
grade satisfaction of the customers’ needs. In the conditions of marketing orientation in the
company’s work where the customer is in the focus of its activity knowing the customers’ needs
is a condition for an optimal combination and factors for production and the strategy of
marketing. Accomplishment of the economic aims in the process of reproduction, represent high
- grade satisfaction of particular customer’s needs.

3.Being familiar with the consumers’ needs is of great importance to the company.
Economic subjects accomplish their tasks in the process of reproduction and thus satisfy certain
needs. The consumers are the focus activity of the company’s marketing orientation, it is crucial
to know the consumers’ needs in order to achieve an optimal combination of both: the
production factors and the disposal of products. Therefore the research of the of the consumers’
needs and measure his satisfaction is of a great significance.

4.The insights these studies and surveys share demonstrate, in short, that ineffective
customer service has a very real, very negative impact on not only customer satisfaction, but also
an organization’s bottom line. The customer’s business doesn’t always go to the least expensive
option; more often than not, the customer’s business goes to company that demonstrates real,
sincere interest in the client them self. The importance of customer satisfaction cannot be
overemphasized, and no amount of sales savviness can ever make sacrificing customer
satisfaction or service worthwhile.

It’s obvious that satisfied customers are a good thing. However, it may be a bit
harder to articulate exactly companies that prioritize customer satisfaction grow and increase
revenue.

Benefits:

 92% of consumers trust recommendations from friends and family.

 68% of respondents said, a positive review made them more likely to use a business
while 40% said a negative one made them not want to use it.

4
  93% turn to online reviews to decide if a business is good or bad.
 Just under half of consumers won’t consider a business with less than a 4-star rating.
 34% read 4-6 reviews before deciding to trust a business.
 Word-of-mouth is listed as a key influencer for 74% of consumers.
 Facebook and Yelp are the two most trusted review sites.

A customer satisfaction survey is one of the easiest and most reliable methods for
getting a snapshot of satisfaction levels around a particular element of your business (your
products, your complaint resolution, your customer service, and so on).

Popular methods include:

Customer satisfaction score (CSAT) which measures their satisfaction on a particular

interaction.

Customer Effort Score (CES), which examines the ease with which they were able to have
their issue successfully resolved or complete an action (like making a purchase).

Net Promoter Score (NPS), which asks how likely they are to recommend your business to
someone else

Customer Satisfaction Tools And Methodologies:

No matter what strategy or method you’re considering, the tools exist to make it fast, affordable,
and convenient for businesses or any size or budget.

Net Promoter Score:

Promoter.io
AskNicely
Delighted
Wootric

Social Media Monitoring:

Brand24
Mention

5
Google Alerts
Talkwalker

Customer Feedback:
SurveyMonkey
SatisMeter
Feedbackify
OpinionLab
Survicate
PollDaddy
UserReport
GetSatisfaction

Customer satisfaction is your business, regardless of your product, industry, or niche. You must
make it a priority. That’s true today, and will only increase in importance in the years to come.

Collect, analyze, and use data on customer satisfaction for every stage of your funnel, every
interaction and touch-point, every product launch, and more. Pick and choose your moment, of
course, as no one wants to be inundated with surveys all the time. But no area is off-limits for
selectively surveying and asking for feedback.

Buyer performance and customer satisfaction on titan wrist watches considering their usage and
experience of the particular brand.

6
1.4 SCOPE OF STUDY

The purpose of this study is to measure the current satisfaction level of the customers as
well as understanding of the customer’s needs from company's point of view for improving the
service level. ... The research approach used in this thesis is a quantitative method in the form of
a questionnaire to customers.

To provide excellent service, an organization needs to exceed customer expectations. An

important factor in providing good service is to keep promises always and not to guarantee
things that cannot be delivered. The main reason behind the research is to measure whether the
current situation of customer service was satisfactory of company Moon travel.

Furthermore, to consider the possible way that can be improved. The company Moon
Travel is small size Travel Company that sells airline ticket and a few additional services to the
customers. The company situated at Hakaniemi, Helsinki, Finland. The interest of this thesis
comes from the fact of being involved as an employee for the company as well as a student of
business management the author finds attractive to measure customer satisfaction.

In this modern internet era, a non internet based travel agency as like Moon Travel need
to very strategic to make a good impression in front of the customer. The current customer
satisfaction level, factors affecting those satisfactions and customer loyalty factors will be
discussed in this thesis.

The purpose of this study is to measure the current satisfaction level of the customer as
well as better understand the customer’s needs from company’s point of view for improving the
service level. It will also analyze the reason and factors that influences customers’ satisfaction
level and assist to find out the problems with the service of the case company. The analysis
combined with empirical study in order to solve practical problems and find logical solution as
well as give insight that might help the company to improve satisfaction level of customer and
service level of the company.

7
 1.5 COMPANY PROFILE:

Buyer performance and customer satisfaction on puma stores considering their usage and
experience of the particular brand.

Puma started with modest perseverance. The journey began with two brothers with a
talent for making sports performance enhancing shoes. Rudolf and Adolf Dassler founded
Dassler Brothers Shoe Factory in 1924 Their first major break was in the 1936 Olympics when
world class athletes sported Dassler spikes and won gold medals. Puma was founded by Rudolf
Dassler in 1948 and the assets from old business were divided equally between the brothers. The
same year, Puma also launched its first football boot- The Atom. Puma’s first major contribution
to the football world was in 1952 when it released the Super Atom- first football boot with screw
in studs. In the later years, the company developed enhanced version called Brasil. This attained
international glory when the Brazilian team won the 1958 World Cup in Sweden sporting Puma
shoes.

In the 1960’s Puma became famous for advanced production technique of

vulcanization (a technique which bonds the sole and shaft of the shoe). This led to a more

8
enhanced performance. The ‘60s saw world famous athletes like Pelé and Portuguese football
star Eusebio winning events and Puma was continuously in the spotlight. Puma’s world famous
jumping cat logo - introduced to the world in 1967- was the brainchild of a cartoonist from
Nuremberg, Lutz Backes. This logo was amended in 1979 to a puma jumping across the corner
of the word PUMA. This is now seen on all Puma shoes and apparel and is a mark of quality and
superb attention to detail.

Puma was in the spotlight in 1968 when athlete Tommie Smith and John
Carlos, post Tommie’s gold medal win at a 200 m running event, raised fists in a power salute as
a sign of protest against apartheid, racism and discrimination towards African Americans.

The 70s, 80s and 90s brought a lot of fame to the Puma brand as athletes
sporting Puma products continued to successfully win their games. Puma drew world’s interest
for innovative marketing in 1996 when Linford Christie showed up at a press conference wearing
contact lenses with a white Puma cat emblazoned on them. The 2000s focused mainly on Puma’s
expanding line of football related products. Also Usain Bolt was primarily responsible for Puma
being in the limelight during these years. Puma continues to make a name for itself in 2014 with
the release of the evoPOWER football boot and the appearance of its innovative football
products at the Brazil FIFA World Cup.

The story of Puma conveys a strong message to small players vying to

make it big - though you start small, you can make it big with hard work and perseverance.

Outstanding performances of PUMA athletes and teams have strongly influenced international
sports through innovative PUMA products and creative marketing initiatives for more than 60
years. Milestones in PUMA s sports history were the development of the first football boot with
‟ screw-in studs in 1952 by the company’s founder Rudolf Dassler, the legendary “twostripe”
jersey of Johan Cruyff at the world championship in 1974, the PUMA contact lenses of Linford
Christie in 1996, the skin-tight Catsuit tennis dress of Serena Williams at the US Open 2002, the
revolutionary one-piece Cameroon football shirt in 2004, the Italian national team winning the
Football World Cup in 2006, Ferrari with its seventimes world champion, most successful
Formula 1 pilot and PUMA partner Michael Schumacher, who dominated the sports for years,
the world records of sprint hero Usain Bolt as well as the Volvo Ocean Race, “the Everest of
Sailing” that PUMA s eye- ‟ catching sailing yacht ilmostro finished in second place in 2009.
Through creativity and innovative products PUMA has always set standards in sports and style.
Partnerships with federations such as Jamaica, Italy and in Africa provided the brand with the
opportunity to lead the way in creative and innovative global sports marketing. PUMA was not

9
only able to strengthen its positioning as a sport lifestyle brand, but created a whole new market
by establishing the segment sport lifestyle.

PUMA s successful fusion of sports and style within the realm of football was crowned ‟ when
the Italian national team won the World Cup in 2006: The “SquadraAzzurra” 19 represents the
perfect combination of athletic world class and fashionable flair, further extending PUMA s
position as one of the three leading football brands.

As the partner of 13 African football federations, PUMA has not only been the leading sponsor
in Africa for many years, but has also used the continent to launch its most innovative products.
The joy of the game, aesthetics, passion and culture are African values that PUMA also stands
for. The World Cup offers a unique platform for PUMA to demonstrate its long-term
commitment to African football and the continent. While Africa has been carrying the stigma of
conflicts and poverty in the global press, PUMA has always emphasized the positives of the
prospects and uniqueness of the continent. In January 2010, PUMA entered into a partnership
with the Environment Programme of the United Nations (UNEP) to protect biodiversity. The
joint „Play for Life campaign ‟ was launched to support projects in Africa and elsewhere. To
fund this initiative, PUMA launched the Africa Unity Kit, the world s first „continental football
kit designed to be ‟ ‟ worn by the 13 African football national teams that PUMA sponsors.

Puma is in the department store/large retailer industry, an industry that has very high levels of
competition. Although this industry is extremely competitive and growing at a fast pace in
Australia, it is still not as large as the department store industry elsewhere in the world, such as
the USA. This is partly due to the fact that there are boundaries in this industry, particularly in
Australia, as there are few retail stores that can classify themselves as large department retail
stores. Puma is a very competitive and key participant in this industry, as it is both a producer
and a seller. The large retailer industry can be very volatile due to the impact the environment
has on its participants . Due to the introduction of the GST in year 2000, retail turnover has been
increased and there has been a sharp sales slump in the retail sector (Inside Retailing, 2001).
According to the estimation of ARA, total sales were up 5%; however there had been a drop in
department store sales of 3% for the seven months prior to July on the previous corresponding
period. The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) also estimated that department store turnover
was up 27.8%, or approximately $1 billion.

Puma main customer base, thus their main target market; are predominantly female. As the
products are of best standing, i.e. premium pricing and brand categories; the market is customer
based, not demand-based. The products fulfill wants and desires based on image, not needs.
Customers seek the product and service benefits of the image of Puma. Geographically speaking,
the market for large department store such as Puma is mainly concentrated in large shopping

10
centers or downtown. In a large shopping center or downtown shopping district, the market is
strong, with good profit potential. Department stores positioned as premium are hard to imitate
and start because they are built on the prestige of the brand.

Determination that everyone in the company understands and embraces the company values, as
well as benefits from the experience and integrity of their colleagues. Only with self-belief will
individuals have the confidence to make things happen, take the tough decisions and realize their
ambitions for themselves and, ultimately, for the business.

Few businesses succeed without great ideas. PUMA has been built on them and needs them to
flow relentlessly hour by hour, day by day. This demands a willingness to think outside the box,
to zig where others zag and to seek inspiration beyond the more obvious boundaries of our
business universe. Such creativity has inspired the PUMA brand strategy. It will also be needed
to make it a reality.

1.6 PERIOD OF THE STUDY:

(DECEMBER-MARCH2021)

1.7 LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY:

Sample size: Are the number of units of analysis you use in your study determined by
the type of research problem you are investigating? It should be noted that if their sample size is
too small, it will be difficult to find meaningful relationships and generalizations from the data,
since statistical tests usually require a larger sample size to ensure a representative distribution of
the population and be considered representative of the studied groups of people, objects,
processes, etc. Although, of course, sample size is less relevant in qualitative research.

Lack of available and / or reliable data: The lack of reliable data or data is likely
to be an aspect that may limit the scope of your analysis, the size of your sample, or may be a
significant obstacle to finding a trend, generalization, or significant relationship. Not only should
these limitations be described, but it should also provide reasons for which you believe data is
missing or unreliable, which will be very useful as an opportunity to describe future research
needs.

11
 The lack of previous research on the subject: Referencing and criticizing
previous research studies forms the basis of the literature review and helps to lay the groundwork
for understanding the research problem being investigated. Depending on the scope of your
research topic, there may be little prior research on your topic. Of course, before assuming that
this is true, the main international databases should be consulted extensively. It is important to
note that discovering such a limitation can serve as an opportunity to identify new gaps in the
literature and consequently new research.

Measurement used to collect data: Sometimes, after completing the

interpretation of the results, it is discovered that the way in which it collected data inhibited its
ability to perform a comprehensive analysis of the results. For example, not including a specific
question in a survey that, in retrospect, might have helped address a particular issue that emerged
later in the study.

Self-reported data: Self-reported data are limited by the fact that seldom can be
independently verified. In other words, I refer to the case where the researcher has to
investigate what people think about an issue, whether in interviews, focus groups, or
questionnaires, at face value. These self-reported data may contain several potential sources of
bias that you should be aware of and observe as limitations. These biases may become apparent
if they are incongruent with data from other sources. These are:

1)Selective memory, that is, remembering or not remembering experiences or events that
happened at some point in the past. .

2) “Telescope” effect, where self-informants remember events that occurred once as if they
occurred in another time

3) attribution, which refers to the act of attributing positive events and results to the person
himself, but attributing negative events and results to external forces.

4) Exaggeration, the act of representing outcomes or beautifying events as more significant than
they actually were (Price and Murnan, 2004).

Possible limitations of the researcher:

12
 Access: If the study depends on having access to people, organizations or documents and,
for any reason, access is denied or limited in some way, the reasons for this situation
should be described.

 Longitudinal effects: The time available to investigate a problem and measure the chan or
stability over time, is in most cases well limited, for example, because of the expiration
date of project allocation, these limitations are advisable that are expressed in the
research report or in a scientific article.

 Cultural limitations and other types of bias: Bias is when a person, place or thing is
viewed or shown in an imprecise manner. Bias is generally negative, although one may
have a positive bias as well, especially if that bias reflects its reliance on research that
supports only its hypothesis. In reviewing your article, critically review how you have
raised a problem, selected the data to study, what you may have skipped, how you have
ordered procedures, events, people, or places.

1.8 CHAPTERIZATION:

Chapter I talks about the introduction to investments along with the scope, objectives,
profile, importance, period of study etc.

Chapter II talks about the review of literature.

Chapter III talks about the research design, sampling technique, population size,
instrument of data collection, method of data collection.

Chapter IV talks about the analysis and interpretation.

Chapter V talks about the findings, conclusion, suggestions, and bibliography.

13
 CHAPTER-2

REVIEW OF LITERATURE

14
2.1 REVIEW OF LITERATURE

The marketing and consumer behaviour literature has traditionally suggested that
customer satisfaction is a relative concept, and is always judged in relation to a standard
(Olander, 1977). Consequently, in the course of its development, a number of different
competing theories based on various standards have been postulated for explaining customer
satisfaction. The theories include the Expectancy-Disconfirmation Paradigm (EDP), the Value-
Precept Theory, the Attribution Theory, the Equity Theory, the Comparison Level Theory, the
Evaluation Congruity Theory, the Person-Situation-Fit model, the Performance Importance
model, the Dissonance, and the Contrast Theory.

Early researchers, including Engel, Kollat& Blackwell (1968),

Howard &Sheth(1969), Cardozzo (1965), relied on the dissonance theory developed by
Festinger (1957). Subsequent studies (Anderson, 1973; Olshavsky& Miller, 1972) drew on the
assimilation contrast theories proposed by Sheriff &Hovland (1961).

Later, Oliver (1977), drawing on the adaptation level theory (Helson, 1964), developed
the Expectancy-Disconfirmation model for the study of consumer satisfaction, which received
the widest acceptance among researchers. These frameworks generally imply conscious
comparison between a cognitive state prior to an event and a subsequent cognitive state, usually
realized after the event is experienced (Oliver, 1980). Following the introduction of the EDP,
Westbrook & Reilly (1983) proposed the Value-Precept theory as a competing framework to
study consumer satisfaction, arguing that what is expected from a product may not correspond to
what is desired and valued in a product, and thus, values may be better comparative standards as
opposed to expectations used in the EDP. In addition, Sirgy (1984) proposed the Evaluative
Congruity model as another competing framework to explain consumer satisfaction. According
to Chon (1992),the Evaluative Congruity Model is a better framework than the EDP because of
its ability in capturing the different states of satisfaction/ dissatisfaction resulting from different
combinations of expectations and performance outcome. Last decades also saw the development
of a number of additional frameworks such as the Attribution Theory, Importance-Performance
model, and the Equity Theory for the study of consumer satisfaction. It is important to note that
some of the posited theories have received intensive attention in the literature (for example, the
EDP), while others have not provoked further empirical research (Oh & Parks 1997). The
following section undertakes a critical review of these theories postulated to explain consumer
satisfaction, as this is important to the development of the research.

15
The Contrast Theory
The Contrast Theory suggests the opposite of the Dissonance Theory. According to this
theory, when actual product performance falls short of consumer’s expectations about the
product, the contrast between the expectation and outcome will cause the consumer to exaggerate
the disparity (Yi, 1990). The Contrast theory maintains that a customer who receives a product
less valuable than expected, will magnify the difference between the product received and the
product expected (Cardozzo, 1965). This theory predicts that product performance below
expectations will be rated poorer than it is in reality (Oliver &DeSarbo, 1988). In other words,
the Contrast Theory would assume that "outcomes deviating from expectations will cause the
subject to favourably or unfavourably react to the disconfirmation experience in that a negative
disconfirmation is believed to result in a poor product evaluation, whereas positive
disconfirmation should cause the product to be highly appraised" (Oliver, 1977, p. 81). In terms
of the above restaurant situation, the consumer might say that the restaurant was one of the worst
he or she had ever been and the food was unfit for human consumption, etc.

If the Contrast Theory were applied to a consumption context, then the poor
performance would be worse than simply poor, and good performance would be better than a
rating of good would suggest (Oliver, 1997). Under the dissonance theory, the opposite effects
occur, perceived performance, whether it is less or more favorable than the consumer's
expectations, is drawn to the original expectation level. It is important to note that these theories
have been applied and tested in laboratory settings where the customer satisfaction was tightly
controlled, situation specific and individually focused. For instance, researchers investigated the
ability of these theories in predicting customer satisfaction with a pen (Cardozzo, 1965), a reel-
type tape recorder (Olshavsky& Miller, 1972), ball-point pen (Anderson, 1973), and a coffee
brand (Olson & Dover, 1975). Thus, it is curious whether hypotheses held by these theories
could be accepted or rejected when applied in a field survey
Customer Satisfaction: Conceptual Issues research study of hospitality and tourism services (Oh
& Parks, 1997). It is, for instance, not clear whether all purchase decisions in tourism and
hospitality services result in dissonance.

This literature review demonstrates that in addition to consumer satisfaction literature

this model has found great degree of support from researchers in other disciplines, and has been
widely used to evaluate satisfaction with different products and services, for example with flu
treatment (Oliver, 1980), with restaurant services (Bearden & Teel, 1983; Cadotte, Woodruff &
Jenkins, 1987; Swan & Trawick, 1981), with automobiles (Oliver & Swan, 1989;), with record
players (Tse& Wilton, 1989) with stock market services (Oliver &DeSarbo, 1988), with video
disc player (Churchill &Surprenant, 1982) with hotel and holiday destination services (Barsky,
1992; Barsky&Labagh, 1992; Pizam&Milman, 1993; Tribe &Snaith, 1998; Weber, 1997).

16
 Learning from previous service experiences may result in more accurate and stable
expectations (Day, 1977). Experienced customers may, therefore, make better choices when
repurchasing, they may have more realistic expectations, and they may be more satisfied with
their choices (Fisk & Coney, 1982; Halstead et al., 1994; Westbrook & Newman, 1987). On the
other hand, inexperienced customers may rely on external sources of information (Halstead et al.,
1994), such as the organization’s promotional material, and word of mouth communication shape
their expectations, leading to expectations that are weaker, less complete, less stable, and
superficial (Halstead et al., 1994; Mazursky, 1989; McGill &Iacobucci, 1992). Thus, measuring
expectations may not be valid in situations where consumers do not have well formed
expectations prior to service experience (Carman, 1990). In such situations, as Carman notes,
expectations may be assumed to be zero, and that expectation measures do not need to be
obtained every time the perception measures are obtained.

Given the complications that surround the measurement of expectations prior to the
service experience, an alternative method of soliciting expectations is that they are measured
after the service experience or simultaneously with the service experience. A number of
researchers have used this method (Dorfman, 1979; Fick & Ritchie, 1991; Parasuraman et al.,
1988). For example, Parasuraman et al (1988) &Dorfman (1979) asked respondents to complete
both expectations and perceptions questions at the same time. Based on their previous experience
with the service, respondents were asked what they expected and then were asked what they had
experienced. However, this approach is also questionable, as expectations might be over/under
stated if the tourists have a very negative or positive experience (Yuksel&Rimmington, 1998).
In addition, respondents’ capability to correctly remember prior expectations raises doubts about
the validity of these measures (Lounsbury&Hoopes, 1985). It is argued that, if expectations are
measured after the service experience or simultaneously with the experience, it is not the
expectations that are being measured but something that has been biased by the experience. For
example, Halstead (1993) found that expectations that are measured after service experience,
were higher for dissatisfied customers than for satisfied customers. This suggests that recalled
expectations will be biased toward the experienced performance (Oliver, 1997).

Author(s) : BLACK, C. P. ; MATTHEW, J. A.

Journal article: Journal of the Textile Institute 1934 Vol.25 pp.T197-T224 ref.46

Abstract : The review begins with a general statement of the physical relationships between the
body and its clothing and what should be sought for in the structures and materials of clothes, as
laid down by Leonard HILL and others. The scope of the many researches cited is divided as
follows: -

17
Heat Transmission through Fabrics.-Broadly speaking the methods used may be subdivided into
three: -

 Methods depending on the rate of cooling of a source of heat which is clothed with the fabric.
 Methods in which the sample rests on a heated plate. The transmission of heat through the
fabric to air is measured by the amount of electrical energy supplied, as heat, to the plate.
 Methods in which the sample is placed between a heating and a cooling element.
 Air Permeability.-Ventilation due to air displacement taking place through the interstices of
the fabric.

Water Vapour Permeability, Absorbency and Drying. Upon the capabilities of fabrics
for dealing with sweat or insensible perspiration must depend to a large extent the comfort and
suitability of garments.

Summary.-
"As already pointed out, most of the workers cited above have used body temperature
as the standard at which the insulating value was to be measured. Some have used skin
'temperature, which is lower, but some have used temperatures as low as 15°C. It is generally
considered that convection and radiation and wind should be allowed full play if body conditions
are to be realized. The thickness of the material is generally considered to be the chief operating
factor where the densities of the material are fairly comparable. Otherwise, if the thicknesses are
much the same, density is the chief operative. As regards moisture permeability, very small
differences are experienced from fabric to fabric unless the ' hole areas ' are very different. In the
case of air permeability, however, very large variations are found by two different
experimenters; one of these points out that any movement in the sample has a quite important
effect on the permeability. This is important, as such movement is an essential part of body
conditions." T. C. Angus.

Author(s) : BLACK, C. P. ; MATTHEW, J. A.

Journal article: Journal of the Textile Institute 1934 Vol.25 pp.T197-T224 ref.46

Abstract: The review begins with a general statement of the physical relationships between the
body and its clothing and what should be sought for in the structures and materials of clothes, as
laid down by Leonard HILL and others. The scope of the many researches cited is divided as
follows: -

18
Heat Transmission through Fabrics.-Broadly speaking the methods used may be subdivided into
three: -

 Methods depending on the rate of cooling of a source of heat which is clothed with the fabric.
 Methods in which the sample rests on a heated plate. The transmission of heat through the
fabric to air is measured by the amount of electrical energy supplied, as heat, to the plate.
 Methods in which the sample is placed between a heating and a cooling element.
 Air Permeability.-Ventilation due to air displacement taking place through the interstices of
the fabric.

Water Vapour Permeability, Absorbency and Drying. Upon the capabilities of fabrics for dealing
with sweat or insensible perspiration must depend to a large extent the comfort and suitability of
garments.

Summary.-
"As already pointed out, most of the workers cited above have used body temperature as the
standard at which the insulating value was to be measured. Some have used skin 'temperature,
which is lower, but some have used temperatures as low as 15°C. It is generally considered that
convection and radiation and wind should be allowed full play if body conditions are to be
realized. The thickness of the material is generally considered to be the chief operating factor
where the densities of the material are fairly comparable. Otherwise, if the thicknesses are much
the same, density is the chief operative. As regards moisture permeability, very small differences
are experienced from fabric to fabric unless the ' hole areas ' are very different. In the case of air
permeability, however, very large variations are found by two different experimenters; one of
these points out that any movement in the sample has a quite important effect on the
permeability. This is important, as such movement is an essential part of body conditions." T. C.
Angus.

Literature review on fashion industry trends

This report presents the literature about fashion and designers’ motivation, inspiration including
academic theories and concepts which grounded my research. The literature review starts with
theconcept of fashion from different academic approaches and the definition of fashion trend and
fashion cycle. In order to understand the evolution of the current fashion trend the literature
review continues with an overview on the revival of this trend throughout the Hungarian history
and the development of the use of cultural heritage elements in fashion. The literature review
ends with the presentation of academic findings about the possible designer motivations,
inspirational sources.

19
MERCHANDISING
In the textile business, merchandisers have a particularly strong role because of the intensive
nature of product range. The process of buying and selling goods andservices are termed as
merchandising. In other wards, the area of a company thatdevelops strategies to have the right
merchandise, at the right places, at the right time andat the right locations to meet the needs and
wants of the target customers. Effectivemerchandising saves time and money. It coordinates
various departments in theorganization. erchandising forms an effective liaison with the
buyers. It identifies anddevelops potential new buyers. It builds good relationship with the
buying houses andmerchandiser attends to !ueries, order processing and evaluation of apparel
products. "omerchandising is of greater importance in apparel industry.The term merchandising
means simply to buy and sell commodities for a profit.The role of merchandising varies
depending upon whether it is performed in retail or manufacturing context, erchandising
involves the conceptualization, development, procurement of raw materials, sourcing of
production and delivery of product to buyers.The merchandiser must combine logical and
analytical thin#ing with initiative andexpressive creativity.
.
There has been an increasing trend of global sourcing garment supply from "outh$East %sia but
the challenges confronting retailers sourcing commodity and seasonal garments from countries
such as &hina are less well understood. % supplier evaluation model developed from the
'aufmann and Hedderich()**+ framewor# assesses the delivery, flexibility, cost, !uality,
reliability and culture sourcing challenges from &hina using a case study approach of a -'$based
garment sourcing company using a fuzzy logic method. The results have identified that the
highest challenges include unforeseen ris# in delivery process, rigid negotiability, language
barriers and &hinese$style business customs.

Fashion and Identity

Identity is conveyed through fashion, clothing and style by all of us on a daily basis. We can
externalise our identity whether it be your ethnicity, personality or heritage through
representation. What we wear represents or stands for us, or stands for something about us
(Barnard, 2014). Furthermore, your subculture, political views, religion and many other social
factors can influence your representation of yourself. Some will represent themselves with the
purpose of attracting or in some cases, rejecting others with similar or different views. Fashion
can generate and reflect changing power balances between regions, countries, groups, and
religions (Craik, 2009). Symbolism is a powerful tool, with regards to religious clothing,
iconography, propaganda, subliminal advertising and much more. Gender, sexuality and
androgyny have been proficient in sparking controversy within the fashion industry for decades
with people challenging the boundaries of identity and representation. Issues include the
articulation of concepts of femininity, the impact of feminism on dress, the projection of

20
masculinity and the subgenres of gay and queer fashion and more generally, of transgressive and
“mobile indentities” (Craik, 2009).
Status, Wealth and Political Identities

Views and perspective fluctuate between groups with different identities and ideologies. The
representation of class, wealth, gender, race, sexuality, physical/mental ability and so on can
have either negative or positive connotations depending on which group of people you are
asking, this is interpretation. The NBA commissioners held certain commercial and conservative
beliefs and values, and the sportswear and platinum chains worn by the players connoted
criminality and other family-unfriendly values to them. To the players, who possessed different
economic and cultural values, the same garments connoted loyalty and a
commemoration/condemnation of slavery (Barnard, 2014). Because the NBA commissioners
identified with different political, economic and societal groups than the NBA players their
interpretations opposed one another. This can also be seen as stereotyping in regards to racism
and classism.

Status and wealth have an impact upon subculture and social groups. Classism has been current
throughout history in relation to subcultures. One poignant example is the public perception of
“chavs” in the United Kingdom. Chavs have different connotations depending on one's class. To
the middle classes, the clothes indicate laziness and a lack of respect (Barnard, 2014). This is an
example of classism, where one with a more stable financial and social standing is identifying
those of less wealth/class as inferior.

Subculture and Political Statements

In the same regard, subcultures can also relate to each other's identity and representation.
Looking at the evolution of subculture and the teenager you can see trends amongst many
different subcultures which either connects them or polarises them. For example, the goth
subculture can be categorized alongside emo, new romantic and other youth cultures due to
common interests, representation and ideologies. Each of these groups will use what they wear to
negotiate relations with those other groups (Barnard, 2014).

Political statements are one form of representation that are infamous throughout subculture and
modern society and have been powerful means of communication throughout fashion. To
reference merely one, anti-establishment politics are commonly communicated through dress,
most well known by the punk era in the late 70's. This type of fashion politics bubbles up from
an ideology, subculture, or political movement among groups seeking political or cultural change
(Craik, 2009). Because of various political, economic and technological movements happening

21
in late 1970's England, the punk subculture wanted to express their anger and discontent towards
the monarchy and government. This was expressed through the deconstruction of clothing be it,
ripping, tearing, burning, piercing, stabbing, fraying etc. Punks were generally working class, the
one's most affected by the economic crises in the country at the time. To the upper and middle
classes, the identification of punk was seen as dirty, criminal and left wing. To eachother, Punk
was standing for their beliefs, fighting back.

The use of political statements are not just apparent within subculture but within the fashion
industry as a whole. Living in the capitalist society that we do, many have discovered that
fashion is a powerful means to spread awareness, promote their cause to others. More notorious
examples include PETA protesters running on runways at fashion shows to protest the popular
use of animal skin and fur and Pussy Riot's appropriation of neon colours and balaclavas to
protest women's rights in Russia. As fashion is a form of art itself, many fashion designers have
been known to have political agendas involved in their work such as Marc Jacobs' work with the
Tibetan Freedom Coalition in 1997. Alongside this he also campaigned for Obama's re-election
in the United States. Jacobs is clearly happy with the idea that fashion can have a political
function and is happy to use his work to support the political causes whose values he shares
(Barnard, 2014).

Nationalism & Religion

Fashion and dress can be influenced by your national identity, ethnicity or race, either by
personal choice or in a governed fashion. Some countries have been known to have nation wide
uniform to maintain control and civilise societies. Throughout history there has been cultural or
ethnic appropriation through both the east and west. Many eastern cultures have been known to
adopt western dress codes in order to project certain political statements to other countries. Some
leaders and regimes have unquestioningly accepted Westernization as the path to modernization.
Others have rejected Western ways and sought to impose indigenous or alternative cultural codes
(Craik, 2009).

Fashion has also been known to portray the cultural aspects of your Nationality. This has been
apparent through fashion house's adopting particular motif's or iconography which become
iconic patriotism. Burberry's tartan print is now an iconic part of British culture due to the
brand's roots in England and English traditionalism. Beginning in 1920. Burberry targetted an
upper-middle class clientele that aspired to emulate the aristocracy. It became the accepted
uniform of the country squire, perfectly suited for hunting, shooting and fishing (Craik, 2009).
All of these are things steeped in British symbolism.

22
TITLE:-
CAPTURING RELATIVE IMPORTANCE OF CUSTOMER SATISFACTION DRIVERS USING
BAYESIAN DOMINANCE HIERARCHY.

AUTHOR:- DUVERGER, P, & WANG, X(2018).

ABSTRACT:-

Customer satisfaction traditionally focuses on large data sets collected over long
periods of time across several business units. Business Unit managers or property managers
a have a different focus in that they need to address dissatisfaction issues on monthly basis
on property basis. In search of zero defects they are confined to small sample lacking power
where they cannot draw the relative importance of each variable responsible for making the
overall perceived quality in the customer’s base. We propose to use Bayesian approach to
estimate the relative importance of predictors in the presence of small samples. Based on 12
consecutive months of customer satisfaction survey data collected in hotel, we show how
the hotel manager can easily prioritize his or quality management action plan on a monthly
basis. The result of our study complement the current customer satisfaction research
methods while managing limited resources.

TITLE: -
DYNAMIC EFFECT OF CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE LEVELS ON DURABLE PRODUCTS
SATISFACTION.PRICE AND POPULARITY MODERATION.

AUTHOR: - WAN, J. N, DU J., CHIU, Y. L., & LI, J. (2018)

ABSTRACT:

We investigate the dynamic effects of customer experience levels on

satisfaction in China’s Automobile Industry. Based on Large Scale Sample of 657,300
online reviews, these empirical studies found three meaningful Findings. First, Higher
customer experience is associated with a decrease in customer satisfaction. Second,
with low- priced cars, satisfaction is higher for high- priced cars and it declines at a

23
slower rate. Third, satisfaction with popular cars, which is often lower than unpopular
cars, declines at a faster (slower) rate than satisfaction with unpopular car when they
are High- Priced (low- Priced). Therefore, both price and popularity have important
moderating effects on the relationship between satisfaction and customer experience
level. We discuss the managerial implication of these results, as well as avenues for
future research.

TITLE:
TWO FACTOR MODEL OF CUSTOMER SATISFACTION: INTERNATIONAL TOURISM
RESEARCH.

AUTHOR: - PARK, S., LEE, T., & JUN, M. (2018)\

ABSTRACT:-

We applied theories of behavioral economics and conducted a field of

research on 881 tourists from China visiting Seoul through guided tour programs. We
randomly assigned participants to study conditions based on theories of expectation,
reciprocity, and peak- end rule. At the end of the tour, participant evaluated various
aspects related to tour satisfaction and general impression of the city. A conformity
factor analysis supported this variables can be explained by two correlated factors.
Identified as the current satisfaction factor and the future behaviors Factor (FBF). The
multiple indicator causes (MIMIC) model showed that CSF was impacted by
expectation and tour season, and FBF by expectation, tour Season, and first visit. Our
result suggest that providing additional information before each activity can improve
tourism satisfaction and non- manipulated variables such as tour season and first visit
can be incorporated to further enhance tourism satisfaction.

TITLE:
IMPACT OF SERVICE QUALITY ON CUSTOMER SATISFACTION
IN
MALAYSIA AIRLINES: A PLS-SEM APPROACH.

AUTHOR:- FAROOQ, M., S., SALAM, M., FAYOLLE, A. JAAFAR, N., &
AYUPP, K.(2018)
24
ABSTRACT:-

This study is aimed to assess the quality of service provided by Malaysia

airlines and its impact on overall customer satisfaction. This study employed a
convenience sampling method for collecting data and 460 respondents using a self-
administered questionnaire, designed of five dimensions of AIRQUAL scale.
Moreover Variance based structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) was used for
testing the proposed structural model. Finding of this study revealed that all five
dimensions of AIRQUAL scale i.e. airline tangible, terminal tangible, personnel
services; empathy and image have positive, direct and significant impact on the
customer’s satisfaction of Malaysia Airlines. This Study investigated the impact of
service quality dimensions on customer’s satisfaction in Malaysia Airlines. Due to
limited resources and time constraints these study involves respondents from Malaysia
airlines only, for that reason a comparative analysis of findings with other airlines was
not possible, therefore it is considered as limitation of the study. Moreover
importance-performance map was also performed for exploring the importance of
various dimensions of service quality. Findings indicate that airlines should focus on
personal service and image for enhancing customer satisfaction. It is expected that
finding s of these study will help airlines to understand the role of various dimensions
of service quality for enhancing their customer satisfaction.

Title:
A WITHIN- RESTAURANT ANALYSIS OF CHANGES IN CUSTOMER
SATISFACTION FOLLOWING THE INTRODUCTION OF SERVICE INCLUSIVE
PRICING OR AUTOMATIC SERVICE CHARGE.

AUTHOR: LYMN, M., & BREWSTER, Z .W. (2018)

Abstract:
Many U.S restaurants have recently adopted on tipping policies or are
considering doing so these study examines the effect of such moves’ away from
tipping on restaurants online customer ratings. The results indicate that
 Restaurants receive lower online customer ratings.

25
  Online Customer ratings decline when tipping is replaced with service charged
than when it is replaced with service-inclusive pricing, and
 Less expensive Restaurant experience greater declines in online customer
ratings when replacing tipping with either alternative than do more than ex
[pensive restaurant. These finding provide us from the argument for the
retention od tipping specially among lower and mid-tier restaurant.

TITLE:
BRAND LOYALTY WITH HOSPITALITY BRANDS: THE ROLE OF CUTOMERS
BRAND IDENTIFICATION, BRAND SATISFACTION AND BRAND
COMMITMENT.

AUTHOR: RATHER, R, & SHARMA, J. (2018)

Hotel Operator struggle to satisfy the wants of their customers and

subsequently retain them by attempting to know the factors could build up a strong
brand relationship and loyal customer base. Over the recent decade, Practitioners have
engaged in making and maintaining the future connections with the customers and
regard brand loyalty as their main goal in developing business and increasing the
competition within the market. This study was done in order to analyze and
understand the four marketing perspectives such as customer brand Identification,
Brand satisfaction, Brand Commitment, Brand loyalty. For these survey 180
respondents of hospitality Brands. This paper incorporates the factors that regulate to
brand loyalty in marketing literature and provide strategies to hospitality manager for
increasing Brand loyal Customers.

TITLE:
AMODERATING ROLE OF GREEN PRACTICES ON THE REALRIONSHIP
BETWEEN SERVICE QUALULITYA ND CUSTOMER SATISAFCTION: CHINESE
HOTEL CONTEXT.

26
AUTHOR: LEE, S., SUN, K,.A.,Wu, L., & Xiao, Q. (2018)

ABSTRACT:

The purpose of the current study is to investigate the existence of a moderating effect
of a green initiative on the relationship between the service quality and customers
satisfaction in the Chinese hotel Context. The study a 2 *2 between subjects
experimental design using Scenarios. Four Scenarios provide a mixed combination or
low case for a hotel green Participation, and good or poor cases for service quality.
The study uses the survey method to collect data from the Chinese Guest. It finds the
main effects of service quality on customers satisfaction and significant moderating
role for green initiatives on the relationship between service quality and customer
satisfaction, but increasingly found and opposite direction of the moderating role to be
hypothesized. The study results also reveal on insignificant main effect of green
initiative on customers satisfaction.

TITLE:
SERVICE QUALITY, CUSTOMER SATISFACTION AND LOYALTY IN
HOSPITALS. THINKING FOR FURTURE.

AUTHOR:MEESALA, A., & PAUL,J. (2018)

ABSTRACT:

In developing countries health care industry has recorded the significant growth rate in
the current years. This study identifies the most critical factors in hospitals related to service
quality that will ensure survival and success in future. This study was conducted using the data
from the consumers who received services from 40 different private hospitals in Hyderabad,
India. Tangibility, reliability, responsiveness, assurance and empathy (service quality
dimensions). We found that reliability and responsiveness (not empathy, tangibility and
assurance) impacts patience satisfaction. Patients Satisfaction is directly related to patients
loyalty to the hospital. Marital status and age have not impact on the regression weights of the
variables analyzed; however, it was found that to some extent gender goes.

27
TITLE:
CUSTOMERS SATISFACTION TOWARDS ORGANISED RETAIL OUTLET
IN ERODE CITY.

AUTHOR:U. DINESHKUMAR, P. VIKRAMMAN

ABSTRACT:

In the consumers future purchase intentions customers’ satisfaction plays an

important role and is an important factor. In main aim of this paper is to identify the
attitude and behavior of the customers who are purchasing in the organized retail
outlets in the Erode City of Tamil Nadu state in India. Satisfied Customers are likely
to tell other of their favorable responses and those who are not satisfied are likely to
give negative responses. For the survey 200 questionnaire have been randomly
distributed to retail customers. For these study chi-squre test, correlation has been
performed and the data is analyzed.

28
 CHAPTER-3

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

29
CHAPTER 3: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

INTRODUCTION:

Research methodology is a way to systematically solve the research problem. It may

be understood as a science of studying how research is done scientifically. In it we study the
various steps that are generally adopted by a researcher in studying his research problem along
with the logic behind them. It is necessary for the researcher to know not only the research
methods/techniques but also the methodology. Researchers not only need to know how to
develop certain indices or tests, how to calculate the mean, the mode, the median or the standard
deviation or chi-square, how to apply particular research techniques, but they also need to know
which of these methods or techniques, are relevant and which are not, and what would they mean
and indicate and why. Researchers also need to understand the assumptions underlying various
techniques and when they need to know the criteria by which they can decide that certain
techniques and procedures will be applicable to certain problems and others will not. All this
means that it is necessary for the researcher to design his methodology for his problem as the
same may differ from problem to problem.

From what has been stated above, we can say that research methodology has many
dimensions and research methods do constitute a part of the research methodology. The scope of
research methodology is wider than that of research methods. Thus, when we talk of research
methodology we not only talk of the research methods but also consider the logic behind the
methods we use in the context of our research study and explain why we are using a particular
method or technique and why we are not using others so that research results are capable of
being evaluated either by the researcher himself or by others. Why a research study has been
undertaken, how the research problem has been defined, in what way and why the hypothesis has
been formulated, what data have been collected and what particular method has been adopted,
why particular technique of analyzing data has been used and a host of similar other questions
are usually answered when we talk of research methodology concerning a research problem or
study.

30
3.1 RESEARCH DESIGN

A research design is conceptual framework within which research is conducted; it

constitutes the blue print for the collection, analysis and measurement.

Decision regarding what where how much and by what means concerning an inquiry
constitutes a research design.

“A research design is the arrangement of condition for collection and analysis of data in a
manner that aims to research purpose in the economy in procedure”

For my Project Report DESCRIPTIVE STUDY is desirable as to find out customers

satisfaction at the store I have tried to ask WHO WHRE WHEN AND WHAT kind of questions
to the customers and tried to find out the attributes that affected them while making their
purchase decisions.

3.2 POPULATION AND SAMPLE

 POPULATION: - INFINITE.

 SAMPLING UNIT: - INDIVIDUAL.

 SAMPLE SIZE: - 62 CUSTOMERS (SIXTY TWO).

 METHOD : - CONVENIENCE SAMPLING.

 TYPE OF SAMPLING:- NON RANDOM SAMPLING

3.3 SAMPLING TECHNIQUE

Convenience sampling ( Random sampling) Random sampling is a procedure for sampling from
a population in which (a) the selection of a sample unit is based on chance and (b) every element
of the population has a known, nonzero probability of being selected. Random sampling is one of
the simplest forms of collecting data from the total population. Under random sampling, each
member of the subset carries an equal opportunity of being chosen as a part of the sampling
process

31
3.4 INSTRUMENT FOR DATA COLLECTIONS:
Questionnaire.

3.5 METHOD OF DATA COLLECTION:

Primary.

32
 CHAPTER- 4

DATA ANALYSIS AND INTREPRETATION

33
TABLE 4.1: GENDER

s.no Gender no of response percentage

1 Male 41 66
2 Female 21 34

3 Total responses 62 100

CHART 4.1: GENDER

21

male
female

41

INTREPRETATION: The above chart is the evident that shows the gender of the
respondents. Here 66% are male and 34% are female. Here majority of the respondents are male

34
TABLE 4.2: MARITAL STATUS

s.no Marital status no of response percentage

1 Single 56 90

2 Married 6 10

Total responses 62 100

CHART 4.2: MARITIAL STATUS

single
married

56

INTREPRETATION: The above chart is the evident that shows the marital status of the
respondents. Here 90% are single and 10% are married. Here the majority of the respondents are
single.

35
TABLE 4.3: AGE

s.no Age no of responses percentage

1 18-25 55 90
2 25-30 4 7
3 30-35 1 1
4 35-40 1 1
5 40+ 1 1
Total response 62 100

CHART 4.3: AGE

60
55

50

40

30
Series 1

20

10
4
1 1 1
0
18-25 25-30 30-35 35-40 40+

INTREPRETATION: The above chart is the evident that shows the age of the respondents.
Here 90% are in between the age of 18-25, 7% are in between the age of 25-30, 1% are in
between the age of 30-35, 1%are in between the age of 35-40, 1% are in between the age of 40+.
Here the majority of the respondents are in the age of 18-25

36
TABLE 4.4: OCCUPATION

s.no Occupation no of responses percentage

1 Government sector 7 10
2 Private sector 18 29
3 Self employed 38 61
Total response 62 100

CHART 4.4: 0CCUPATION

Self employed
38
Series 1

Private sector
18

Government sector
6

0 10 20 30 40

INTREPRETATION: The above chart is the evident that shows the occupation of the
respondents. Here 10% are working in government sector, 29% are working in private sector,
61% are self employed .Here the majority of the respondents are self employed.

37
TABLE 4.5: HAVE U VISITED A PUMA STORE

s.no Have u visited a puma store no of responses percentage

1 Yes 45 73
2 No 17 27
Total responses 62 100

CHART 4.5: HAVE U VISITED A PUMA STORE

17

yes
no

45

INTREPRETATION: The above chart is the evident that shows the visiting of the
respondents to the puma stores. 73% are says that they visited puma stores, 27% are says that
they haven’t visited the puma stores. Here the majority of the respondents are visited the puma
stores.

38
TABLE 4.6: HOW DO YOU KNOW ABOUT THE PUMA STORES?

s.no How do you know about puma no of responses percentage

stores?
1 Advertisement 29 47
2 Recommended by friends 21 34
3 Through internet/social media 12 19
Total responses 62 100

CHART 4.6: HOW DO YOU KNOW ABOUT THE PUMA STORES?

35
29
30

25
21
20

15 Series1
12
10

0
advertisement recommended by friends through internet

INTREPRETATION: The above chart is the evident of the responses from the respondents
how do they know about puma stores. 46% are says that they knew about the stores through
internet, 34% are through by friends, 19% through internet. Here the majority of the respondents
know about the store through advertisement.

39
TABLE 4.7: HOW OFTEN DO U VISIT PUMA STORE

s.no How often do you visit puma no of responses percentage

store
1 Often 13 21
2 Rarely 49 79
Total responses 62 100

CHART 4.7: HOW OFTEN DO YOU VISIT PUMA STORES

13

often
rarely

49

INTREPRETATION: The above chart is the evident of the responses from the respondents
that how often they visit puma stores. 21% were visit often, 79% were visit rarely. Here the
majority of the respondents responds to no.

40
TABLE 4.8: REASON FOR VISIT

s.no Reason for visit no of responses percentage

1 Brand name 21 33
2 Quality 37 60
3 Range of products 4 7
4 Price 0 0
Total responses 62 100

CHART 4.8: REASON FOR VISIT

40 37
35
30
25
21
20
Series1
15
10
4
5
0
0
brand name quality range of products price

INTREPRETATION: The above chart is the evident of the responses from the respondents
for the reason of visit. 33 % were visiting for brand name, 60 visiting for quality, 7% were
visiting for range of products, 0% were visiting for price. Here the majority of the respondents
responds to quality.

41
TABLE 4.9: RATE THE PRODUCTS SOLD AT PUMA STORES

s.no Rate the products sold at no of responses percentage

puma stores
1 High 37 59
2 Average 24 40
3 Low 1 1
Total responses 62 100

CHART 4.9: RATE THE PRODUCTS SOLD AT PUMA STORES

24
high
average
low
37

INTREPRETATION: The above chart is the evident for the responses from the respondents
about rating the products sold at puma stores. 59% were rating the products as high, 40% were
rating the products as average, 1% were rating the products as low. Here the majority of the
responses are high.

42
TABLE 4.10: RATE THE QUALITY OF PRODUCTS SOLD AT PUMA
STORES

s.no Rate the quality of products sold no of responses percentage

at puma stores
1 High 35 57
2 Average 25 40
3 Low 2 3
Total responses 62 100

CHART 4.10: RATE THE QUALITY OF PRODUCTS SOLD AT PUMA

STORES

low 2

average 25

high 45

0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50

Series1

INTREPRETATION: The above chart is the evident of the responses from the respondents
about the quality of the products sold at puma stores. 57% rating it as high, 40% rating it as
average, 3% rating it as low. Here the majority of the responses are high.

43
TABLE 4.11: ARE YOU SATISFIED WITH THE CUSTOMER SERVICE

s.no Are you satisfied with the no of responses percentage

customer service
1 Satisfied 40 64
2 Highly satisfied 20 34
3 Neutral 1 1
4 Dissatisfied 1 1
Total responses 62 100

CHART 4.11: ARE YOU SATISFIED WITH THE CUSTOMER SERVICE

45
40
40

35

30

25
20
Series 1
20

15

10

5
1 1
0
satisfied highly satisfied neutral dissatisfied

INTREPRETATION: The above chart shows the responses from the respondents about the
satisfaction with the customer service. 64% were satisfied, 34% were neutral, 1% were
dissatisfied, 1% were highly dissatisfied. The majority of the responses are satisfied.

44
TABLE 4.12: IS THE STORE IS CLEAN, ATTRACTIVE AND
CONVINIENT FOR USEAGE?

s.no This store is clean, attractive, and no of responses percentage

convinient for usage?
1 Highly satisfied 22 35
2 Satisfied 34 55
3 Neutral 6 10
4 Dissatisfied 0 0
5 Highly dissatisfied 0 0
Total responses 62 100

CHART 4.12: IS THE STORE IS CLEAN, ATTRACTIVE AND

CONVINIENT FOR USAGE?

highly dissatisfied 0

dissatisfied 0

neutral 6
Series1

satisfied 34

highly satisfied 22

0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40

INTREPRETATION: The above chart is the evident for the responses from the
respondents about the cleanliness , attractiveness of the store. 35% were highly satisfied, 55%
were satisfied, 10% are neutral, 0% were highly dissatisfied. The majority of the responses are
highly satisfied.

45
TABLE 4.13: DOES THE STORE HAS LATEST COLLECTIONS?

s.no Does the store has latest no of responses percentage

collections?
1 yes 57 91

2 no 5 9

total responses 62 100

CHART 4.13: DOES THE STORE HAS LATEST COLLECTION

yes
no

57

INTREPRETATION: The above chart is the evident that shows does the store has latest
collections.91% responses as yes, 9% responded as no. The majority of the response are yes.

46
TABLE 4.14: THE STORE WILLINGLY HANDLES RETURNS AND
EXCHANGES

s.no The store willingly handles returns no of responses percentage

and exchanges?
1 Strongly agree 21 33
2 Agree 27 43
3 Neutral 13 23
4 Disagree 1 1
5 Strongly disagree 0 0
Total responses 62 100

CHART 4.14: THE STORE WILLINGLY HANDLES RETURNS AND

EXCHANGES

30 27
25
21
20

15 13
Series1
10

5
1 0
0
strongly agree agree neutral disagree strongly disagree

INTREPRETATION: The above chart shows that the respondents response towards the
store handling the returns and exchanges. Here 33%were strongly agreed, 43% were agreed 23%
were neutral, 1% disagree, 0% were strongly disagree.

47
TABLE 4.15: IS THE STORE LOCATED IN A EYE CATCHY AREA

s.no Is the store located in eye catchy no of responses percentage

area?
1 Yes 47 75
2 No 15 25
no of responses 62 100

CHART 4.15: IS THE STORE LOCATED IN A EYE CATCHY AREA

15

yes
no

47

INTREPRETATION:The above chart is the evident that shows does the store of puma
located at the eye catchy location of respondents or not. Here 75% are reacted to yes, and 25%
were no. Here majority of the respondents are answered to YES.

48
TABLE 4.16: ARE YOU SATISFIED WITH OVERALL SERVICE
QUALITY AT PUMA

s.no Are you satisfied with the no of responses percentage

overall service quality of puma
1 Yes 57 91
2 No 5 9
Total responses 62 100

CHART 4.16: ARE YOU SATISFIED WITH OVERALL SERVICE

QUALITY AT PUMA

yes
no

57

INTREPRETATION:The above chart is the evident that shows does the respondents are
satisfied with the overall service quality at puma. 91% are satisfied,9% were dissatisfied. Here
majority of the responses answered to yes.

49
TABLE 4.17: WILL YOU RECOMMEND YOUR FRIENDS TO SHOP AT
PUMA STORES

s.no Will you recommend your no of responses percentage

friends to shop at puma stores
1 Yes 50 80
2 No 12 20
Total responses 62 100

CHART 4.17: WILL YOU RECOMMEND YOUR FRIENDS TO SHOP AT

PUMA STORES

60

50
50

40

30
Series1

20
12
10

0
yes no

INTREPRETATION: The above chart is the evident that shows that will you recommend
your friends to shop at puma stores. 80% responds to yes,20% responds to no. Here the
majority of the respondents answered to yes.

50
TABLE 4.18: Does price of the products affects on your shopping?

s.no Does price of the products Percentage

affects on your shopping?
1 yes 71
2 no 29

CHART 4.18 : Does price of the products affects on your shopping?

29
yes
no

71

INTREPRETATION : The above charts is the evident that shows the price of the product
affects on your shopping to the puma store. 72% are say to yes affect the product due to high price and
29% say no to affect the product due to the price. Here the majority of the respondents are affects the
shopping due to price

51
 CHAPTER– 5
FINDINGS, SUGGESTIONS AND
CONCLUSION

52
 5.1 FINDINGS

 Research findings shows that 73% majority of the customers have visite pumastore.

 47% Majority of the customers are known about the store through advertisement.

 60% Majority of the customers reason for visiting puma store is for quality.

 59%Majority of the customers have highly rated theproductssold by puma stores.

 64% Majority of the customers were satisfied with the puma stores customer service.

 55% Majority of the customers were highly satisfied at the hospitality of the puma store.

 91%Majority of the customers have agreed that the store has latest collection.

 The store willingly handles returns and exchanges and most of the customers felt

convenient with this kind of actions of puma store.

53
 47%Majority of the customers agreed that the puma store is located in a eye catchy

location.

 91%Majority of the customers according to findings are satisfied with overall service

quality of puma stores.

 Some of the customers agreed to the point that they will never recommend their friends to

shop at puma stores, to change this sort of negativities the shop have to increase

efficiency and effectiveness of quality and price range of products.

54
 5.2 SUGGESTIONS

 Customer of puma store is well known about the product range provided by the brand.

 From the survey it is clear that majority of the customers were young people, and the

advertisements, products offered by puma stores exactly matches the demand of youth.

This makes puma ahead of its competitors. Puma should continue the same.

 From the survey it is clear that service quality offered by the puma stores has a good

influence on customers. So puma should maintain its customer service quality to retain

and satisfy customers.

 In order to improve its sales, advertisement promotion should be taken care, excellent

 customer care should be provided and also it should reduce its service time.

55
 Often the product range displayed in the ads are not available in stores, so it should be

ensured that product ranges are available as soon as possible. Or the website should

provide a solution like e-tailing.

 Due to emergence & tough competition from rivals puma stores should soon implement

online ordering and selling. If cash on delivery scheme is implemented it can enhance

sales.

 For common doubts & queries suitable recordings can be made. Queries &

recommendations can be uploaded in website of puma.

 Website of puma can be improved again by including detailed information of new

products, offers & promotions. It should also provide Customer‘s feedback option while

they use online.

56
 5.3 CONCLUSION

 Fashion interacts with several economic, financial, psychological, and sociological factors,
which reinforce the importance and need for fashion companies to understand their
customers’ behaviors. Fashion participates in, find inspiration from, and adapts to the
evolution of societies as it manages the relationships between eager fashion shoppers and
competitive fashion firms.

 The research was conducted to investigate customer satisfaction on puma stores. To study
about the quality of puma products, medium of advertisement, whether the store location is
convenient for the customers etc. These are central questions that must be taken into
consideration in order to define the role of satisfaction level in customers mind towards
puma.

 In relation to these questions a well- structured questionnaire consisting of 18 questions were

created and asked to the customers to fill the form. A lot of information was gathered from
the respondents which gave deep insights into their feelings, perception and opinions about
Puma stores.

 In conclusion, after reviewing the analysis of the results, it can be said that Puma has
established a great satisfaction level in the minds of the consumers. In addition, Puma
communicates its identity in a way that consumers do indeed understand what the brands
stands for. Furthermore, the brand realizes which factors influence a consumer’s expectation,
but rather satisfy them in order to gain their loyalty.

57
APPENDICES

58
QUESTIONNAIRE

1. Gender
a) Male
b) Female

2. Marital status
a) single
b) married

3. Age
a) 18-25
b) 25-30
c) 30-35
d) 35-40
e) 40+

4. Occupation
a) Government sector
b) Private sector
c) Self employed

5. Have you ever visited a puma store?

a) Yes
b) No

6. How do you know about the store?

a) Advertisement
b) Recommended by friends
c) Through internet

7. How often do you visit our store?

a) Often

59
b) Rarely

8. Reason for visit

a) Brand name
b) Quality
c) Range of products
d) Price

9. How do you rate the products sold at puma stores

a) High
b) Average
c) low

10. How do you rate the quality of the products sold at puma stores
a) High
b) Average
c) Low

11. Are you satisfied with the customer service provided at puma stores
a) Satisfied
b) Neutral
c) Dissatisfied
d) Highly dissatisfied

12. This store is clean, attractive, convenient for usage

a) Highly satisfied
b) Satisfied
c) Neutral
d) Dissatisfied
e) Highly dissatisfied

13. Does the store has latest collections

a) Yes
b) No

14. The store willingly handles returns and exchanges

60
a) Strongly agree
b) Agree
c) Neutral
d) Disagree
e) Strongly disagree

15. Is the store located in a eye catchy location

a) Yes
b) No

16. Are you satisfied with the overall service quality at puma
a) Yes
b) No

17. Will you recommend your friends to shop at puma stores

a) Yes
b) No

18. Does price of the products affects on your shopping?

a) Yes
b) No

61
 BIBLIOGRAPHY

Websites

 sdm.ac.in
 www.google.com
 www.scribd.com
 studylib.net
 www.allfreepapers.com
 global.puma.com
 www.researchgate.net

References:

 puma – Building Customer Relationships

 Marketing Strategy of puma

62