Exploring the Possibilities of Marketing Value-Added Fish and Fish Products in Assam

--Pradip C Bhuyan and Chandan Goswami

This paper attempts to explore the possibilities of production and marketing of valueadded fish products based on the consumption and preference patterns of consumers in Assam. The study revealed that the percentage of respondents opting for ready-to-eat fish is more in urban areas than rural areas. About 41% of respondents were willing to pay up to 20% extra for ready-to-eat fish. Non-availability, lack of awareness, not having tasted the product yet, disliking the taste and fear of presence of intramuscular bones were stated as the reasons for not taking or less eating of ready-to-eat fish. Out of the different fish recipies/fish products, fish curry and fried fish were found to be more popular among the eating joints. A majority of the managers/owners of eating joints opined that there is a probability of utilizing low-valued fish like grass carp, silver carp, common carp, etc. for preparation of value-added fish products. The problems associated with producing and selling value-added fish products, as perceived by eating joints, were: less demand, non-availability of suitable varieties, irregular supply of suitable variety of fish, high cost of suitable varieties of fish, non-availability of boneless fish like boneless chicken, etc. The study suggests some strategies which would help the planners, policy makers and farmers in decision making for need-based fish production and efficient fish marketing for improving the production and marketing of value-added fish and fish products in the state.

© 2013 IUP. All Rights Reserved.

Mall Mania: A Study of Factors Influencing Consumers’ Preference Towards Shopping Malls in Coimbatore City

--R Swamynathan, A Mansurali and Umesh Chandrasekhar

Mall shopping is a buzzword for Indian youth. Mall culture is viewed as a significant change in the life style of Indians, as shopping is no longer an activity of buying things but also viewed as a status symbol and a one-stop retail solution. Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore have received greater economic and social contributions from malls and now it is the turn of the the Tier-2 cities like Coimbatore. The coimbatorians are in josh with the advent of two malls and a few more are to come up in the city as they attract them with comfort, entertainment, fashion, food court, window shopping, multibrand portfolio, quality, mall essence, convenience, attractiveness and luxury. This paper focuses on the factors influencing the consumer preference towards malls in Coimbatore. This city is important for its revenue growth, which is nearly twice as much as India’s growth, and high frequency of shopping attitude after the advent of malls. The research design is descriptive and primary data were collected using a survey questionnaire. The sample consisted of 406 respondents and the sampling method was simple random sampling. The respondents were potential general public shopping in the malls. The data was analyzed using SPSS 17. Paired-t-test, factor analysis, ANOVA and frequencies tests were performed. The results give an insight into the frequency and hours of spending pattern of the shoppers in the malls. A model for mall-mania has also been derived through factor analysis.

© 2013 IUP. All Rights Reserved.

A Study of the Factors Influencing Cultural Tourists’ Perception and Its Measurement with Reference to Agra

--Amitabh Mishra

The major growth of the Indian tourism sector is contributed by domestic tourism which tends to be more focused on cultural destinations. Travel and tourism for fun, pleasure and recreation is still considered an elite ‘five star’ activity by a majority of the Indians. At the same time, travel and tourism for cultural purposes forms an integral part of the Indian population, where people from all ages, religions and income groups often manage time and resources for cultural tourism. Tourism has a huge potential for poverty alleviation by increasing job opportunities and spending by tourists. Most important from India's point of view is the fact that these employment opportunities are created in the small and medium segments of the economy and disperse throughout the country. When people of a country visit such sites and experience their culture, they understand ‘who they are and where they have come from’ (Palmer, 1999). Since viewing of such sites by domestic tourists offers glimpses of a nation's past, their promotion becomes vital in the construction of national identity (Johnson, 1995). The measurement of perception of tourists and thereby identifying gaps in the current service-good composition and customizing pro-tourist product mix, becomes crucially important for all the stakeholders of the tourism industry. This paper primarily studies those crucial factors which have a direct impact on the perception of tourists in the heritage city of Agra.

© 2013 IUP. All Rights Reserved.

Service Quality Versus Customer Satisfaction in Banking Sector: A Literature Reviewbile Devices

--Sunayna Khurana

All banks in India offer similar services but are different in terms of service quality. This paper analyzes the literature regarding service quality and customer satisfaction in the retail banking industry, and explains the relationship between service quality and customer satisfaction and their effect. The findings suggest that improved service quality should be adopted to give maximum satisfaction to the customer. The paper also contributes knowledge and background for banks to apply these findings to better shape and focus their position in the market and also to provide maximum satisfaction to the customer.

© 2013 IUP. All Rights Reserved.