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A Project Report On

STRATEGIES OF NOKIA IN INDIAN MARKET

For

NOKIA
By

Nabendu Maji

nabendu.maji@gmail.com
Under the guidance of Prof. ________ Submitted to The University of Burdwan In partial fulfilment of the requirement for the award of the degree of Master of Business Administration Through Dept. of Business Administration

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The University of Burdwan, Burdwan 713104

DECLARATION
I hereby declare that the project entitle STRATEGIES OF NOKIA IN INDIAN MARKET is the result of original work at NOKIA Priority Dealer Burdwan and the same has not been previously submitted to any examination of any University.

I am fully aware of the fact that decision shall be liable to be rejected and/ or cancelled if found otherwise.

Date

Signature

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Acknowledgement
I gratefully acknowledge the contribution of the all twenty mobile dealers throughout India specially NOKIA Priority Dealer Burdwan who warmly provided me the opportunity to know about their customers. I am thankful to Mr. XXXXXX of NOKIA Priority Dealer Burdwan for enabling me to work on my project work for a long time and helping me at his best. I am also thankful to my supervisor Prof. XXXXXXX (Dept. of Business Administration, Burdwan Raj College) for her constant encouragement and supervision. And thanking all of my friends for encouraging me to choose this topic as my field of project study.

Date : Place : Burdwan Chakroborty) (Chandrima

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NOKIA CERTIFICATE

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CERTIFICATE FROM COLLEGE

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Table of Content
Chapter 1: Introduction: 8 1.1 Introduction and Objectives 1.2 Outline of the Chapters Chapter 2: Literature Review 10 2.1 Introduction 2.2 Country of Origin Effect 2.3 Culture 2.4 Internationalisation and Globalisation theories 2.5 Pricing and Distribution Chapter 3: Industry Analysis 19 3.1 Mobile phone industry in India 3.2 About Nokia 3.3 Nokia in India 3.4 SWOT Analysis 22 23 19 20 10 10 11 13 16 8 9

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Chapter 4: Methodology 25 4.1 Introduction 4.2 Qualitative Research 4.3 Quantitative Research 4.4 A Qualitative Approach 4.5 Data Collection 4.6 Interviews 4.7 Summary Chapter 5: Marketing Strategy 28 5.1 Introduction 5.2 Product 5.3 Pricing 5.4 Place (Distribution) 5.5 Promotion Chapter 6: Analysis 35 6.1 Introduction 6.2 Background of the Respondents 6.3 Analysis and Discussion 37 6.6 Future and Scope of Improvement 39 35 35 28 31 32 33 28 27 25 26 26 26 27 27

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Chapter 7: Conclusion 40 7.1 Conclusion and Recommendations 40 7.2 Limitations of the research Chapter 8: References 41 40

1. INTRODUCTION
Introduction and Objectives
Mobile phones are turning into more of necessity then a luxury. The benefits of the mobile phone are far too many. Ease of communication, the anywhere, anytime contact with friends, relations, colleagues and in theory at least the efficiency brought to busy lives. Nokias growth in India has been substantial. They have led the market with 70% share for long time. Now what is interesting is that there is further scope of improvement in sales. It is a high technology market and India being developing country, will see more and more subscribers to this technology in the future. As noted by, Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo, the president and chief executive of Finnish telecom giant Nokia India is now Nokia's second-largest market, displacing the U.S. and behind only China. This research aims at studying the strategies applied by Nokia in India, and analysing the effects of these strategies on the

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sales of the company. For this purpose, secondary data in form of case studies and news articles have been used to gather the information about the marketing strategies that were applied by Nokia in India. Then dealers on Nokia were interviewed with semi-structured interviews to check the impact of these strategies. The objective was to study the main reasons of success of the market leader Nokia, and also to study the drawbacks of the company. It was intended to study the areas where there was scope of improvement and note down some recommendations.

Outline of the Chapters

Here, a very brief synopsis of the chapters that follow in the study is given. Chapter two Literature Review, summarizes all the past researches that have been conducted in the field of international marketing. The main topics discussed here are Country of origin effect, impact of culture in international marketing, Internationalization and Globalization theories and Pricing and Distribution in international markets. Chapter three Industry analysis, to begin with this chapters deals with the analysis of mobile phone industry in India. Then, history of Nokia is studies. When did the company start, how changes occurred resulting Nokia venturing into mobile phone business. Finally history of Nokia in India is conferred.

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Chapter four Methodology, talks about the methodology used in the research to collect data. First all the available methodologies are discussed and then the best suited one is selected. The important terms used in this chapter are Primary data, Secondary data, Quantitative research methods, Qualitative research methods and semi structured interviews. Chapter five Marketing strategy, points out the marketing strategies applied by Nokia in India since the time of foundation in the country. The data here is secondary and thus is collected with the help of case studies and news articles. Here the strategies are discussed on the basis simple concept of 4 Ps. Chapter six Analysis, deals with discussing and analysing the research results to conclude the objectives of the study. Here, the interviews taken are scrutinized and conclusive lines are drawn. Chapter seven Conclusion, concludes the study with fulfilling of the objective. It further offers recommendations to the company for future planning. Last but not the least, it discussed the drawbacks of the study and offers suggestions for further researches.

2. LITERATURE REVIEW
2.1 Introduction Reviewing the literature on a topic can provide an academically enriching experience but only if it is done properly. Hart (1998) According to Hart, Literature review is of prime importance to the research. To achieve this, review should be regarded as a process of fundamental to any worthwhile research or
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development work in any subject irrespective of discipline. It is the responsibility of the research student to find out what already exists in the area in which research is intended to be done before doing the research itself. The researcher will define framework of his work with the help of ideas and work of others. As Burger says, A literature review summarizes the major findings of scholars and researchers who have conducted research in the area you are interested in investigating. The literature review for this research will have its prime stress on theories of globalization, effects of culture on marketing of a product internationally, COO effect, comparison of Global and Glocal strategies, pricing and distribution strategies for international firms strategy for International brands. Here the attempt is to make a note of what has been written in context of international marketing strategies of brands. Instead of being specific, the review here is of more of international marketing as whole instead of specifically on Nokia. What is noteworthy is Nokia forms a part of the upcoming electronics industry and has an important role to play in the developing markets of countries such as India.

2.2 Country of Origin (COO) Effect As Piron says, in developing a corporate imagery of a product, the importance of various marketing mix variables (e.g. product appearance, brand name, price) is firmly established, as well as that of the imagery elicited by a products COO. Hence now we need to define the COO effect. In words of Mort & Duncan (2000), COO effects can be summarized as the effects generated by a products perceived geographic origin on the part of the customer and how it affects the latters purchasing patterns.

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Its a tendency of consumers to generalize their attitudes and opinions across products from a given country, The basis of this generalization is products familiarity and background with the country, and their own personal experiences of product attributes such as technological superiority, product quality, design, value for money, status and esteem, and credibility of country-of-origin of a brand (Kinra, 2006). According to research works, COO image plays an important role in consumers evaluation of foreign products and brands. It is also noted that product attributes such as product quality have favourable perception, if country perceptions are favorable. This indicates that consumer evaluations are governed by influences other than the quality of the product (Peterson and Jolibert, 1995). It has also been noted that the consumer tends to sometimes substitute other informational cues such as products brand name as a substitute to country information not considering where the product, in reality, is made. Here we can look at the example of a Sony walkman being perceived to be Japanese whereas it may have been assembled in Malaysia. However, it is noticeable that a heightened consumer global awareness and sensitivity to the mounting prevalence of hybrid products in the marketplace may help to diminish this perception (Chao 1998). However, as Anime et. al.(2005) noted, on the basis of a metaanalysis of COO research, Verlegh and Steenkamp (1999, p. 521) conclude rather pessimistically that [d]espite a large body of research, [COO] effects are still poorly understood.

2.3 Culture
Culture consists of a series of response to recurring situations. These responses are a consequence of collective mental programming and all aspects of marketing transactions are affected by it. As Kale (1991) noted, Duesenberry in 1949 observed that all of the activities people engage in are
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culturally determined. Also that almost all purchases made were either to satisfy some physical need or to apply the actions that make up the life of a culture. He also notes that culture has a multi-faceted and ubiquitous effect on marketing. Culture has a strong impact on peoples tastes, color preference, attitude towards product classes. However, cultures impact is the maximum in how the information is received, stored, retrieved and employed for decision making. This clearly indicates to the importance of culture while making decisions regarding marketing activities. Culture may be reflected in general tendencies of persistent preference for particular states of affairs over others, persistent preferences for specific social processes over others, and general rules for selective attention, interpretation of environmental cues, and responses. It is generally known that culture may provide detailed prescriptions (norms) for specific classes of situations while leaving other domains relatively unregulated. (Tse et al 1998) Hofstede (1994) identified five dimensions of national culture, namely Appendix 1); 1. Power Distance This is defined by the degree to which the less powerful people of the organization or institution accept and expect the power to be distributed unequally. The more the power distance, the more is inequality. However it is defined from below (less powerful members) and not from above (more powerful members). It is a sign that inequality in the society has been approved by the leaders as well as followers. This is important as power and inequality are particularly fundamental. 2. Individualism versus Collectivism This is the degree to which individuals are integrated into groups. The individualist societies are the ones where ties between individuals are loose. It is expected that everyone will look after himself/herself and their immediate family. Whereas in the collectivist societies, people are integrated into strong, unified in-groups, usually extended families (with uncles, aunts and grandparents) from birth. These groups continue protecting these people in exchange for unquestioning loyalty. This difference by noted to

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be high amongst the countries and hence is of extreme significance. 3. Masculinity versus Feminity This is determined by the degree of distribution of roles between the sexes in the society. It has been noted that mens value across countries are from very assertive and competitive as well as very different from women to modest and caring and very similar to women. Also mens values differ more among societies in comparison to womens. Name given to assertive pole is masculine and the modest and caring one is called feminine. Though the women are not as caring and modest in masculine countries as they are in feminine but the degree of difference is less than men. 4. Uncertainty Avoidance It refers to societys tolerance for uncertainty and ambiguity. This tells us how much the members of society feel either uncomfortable or comfortable in unstructured situations. These situations are novel, unknown, surprising and different from usual. In cultures that avoid uncertainty, there is an attempt to minimize the possibility of such situations by strict laws and rules, safety and security measures. These people tend to be more emotional and motivated by inner nervous energy. It is exactly the opposite in uncertainty accepting countries. 5. Long term versus Short term Orientation Thrift and perseverance are the values of long term orientation, whereas values associated with short term orientation are respect for tradition, fulfilling social obligations, and protecting ones face. It was originally called Confucian dynamism; however, the dimension also applies to countries without a Confucian heritage. Due to similarities, mostly the comparison is of Eastern countries versus the Western countries. As cited by Hofstede (1994), the basic difference between Eastern thinking (represented by, for example Confucianism, Buddhism, and Hinduism) and Western thinking (dominant in the JudaeoChristian-Muslim intellectual tradition) is that in the East, a qualification does not exclude its opposite, which is an essential element of Western logic (Kapp, 1983). However, Tse et al (1998), noted that studies using Singaporean subjects found

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that traditional Chinese values were fading slowly because of Western influences. This means that slowly the cultural differences are reducing as less importance is being given to it. This thought, however, is not supported by most.

2.4 Internationalisation and Globalisation theories:

Even though the concept of globalization has been around for long, it was only in early 1980s that it became a topic of serious discussion among academics. Since then, the term has become a ubiquitous and potent symbol of the age. Nevertheless, the exact meaning and significance of globalization has been and remains an intensely debatable topic across the academic community, and beyond. In fact in Jessops (1999) view, the definitions of globalization in literature remains chaotic. It is believed, that the reason for this probably is that globalization is studied independently from a number of disciplinary perspectives, each with its own disciplinary filter (Clark & Knowles, 2003). Vignali (2001), defined Globalization the best, Globalisation involves developing marketing strategies as though the world is a single entity, marketing standardized products in the same way everywhere. The internationalization theories concentrate on decision to internationalize or deciding on which market to enter and how to enter. Different approaches have been taken by different authors to solve this problem of internationalization. Though all the theories, to some extent depend on existence of market information to inform internationalization decisions. As Whitelock (2002) documented, there are four major theories of internationalization, namely; The The The and The Uppsala Model of internationalization eclectic paradigm and transaction cost analysis interactive network approach of international marketing purchasing group business strategy approach

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2.4.1 The Uppsala Model of Internationalization: Johanson and Vahlne in 1977 developed a model of internationalization process of the firm on the basis of empirical research. The model focused on the gradual acquisition, integration and use of knowledge about foreign markets and operations, and on the incrementally increasing commitments to foreign markets. The focus of the model is particularly on the increasing involvement in the individual foreign country. Here the concept of psychic difference was considered important, as it was believed that firms expand first into market which are psychically close, and in to more distant markets as they gain more experiential knowledge. This was considered critical as it can be gained only through personal experience and not taught as other objective knowledge in international marketing. The model gained particular support in the early stages of international involvement. However in 1990, Johanson and Vahlne suggested three exceptions to their model as a response to increased market knowledge. These exceptions were when firms have large resources they may be expected to make larger internationalization steps; when market conditions are stable and homogeneous market knowledge can be gained in ways other than through experience; when the firm has considerable experience from markets with similar conditions it may be possible to generalize this experience to the specific market. 2.4.2 The eclectic paradigm and transaction cost analysis: The concept of the eclectic paradigm of international production was first put forward by the Dunning in 1976 at a presentation to a Nobel Symposium in Stockholm on The International Allocation of Economic Activity (Dunning, 1998). As Whitelock cited in Dunning (1998), the eclectic paradigm is set out to explain the extent, form and pattern of international production and is founded on the juxtaposition of ownershipspecific advantages of firms contemplating foreign production the propensity to internalize the cross-border markets for these, and attractions of a foreign market for the production. The entry decisions hence are made in rational way, through transaction cost analysis (TCA). TCA is considered particularly useful for evaluating the vertical integration decisions. TCA

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approach is based on the assumption that the markets are competitive hence the performance of supplier is efficient. When the range of suppliers is restricted, there is little threat of replacement and the transaction costs are high. These benefits of integration should however be compared to the costs of integration (i.e cost of resource commitment). According to Johanson and Vahlne (1990), eclectic paradigm has high descriptive power for firms having experience from many regions of the world. 2.4.3 The interactive network approach of international marketing and purchasing group: In 1986, Johanson and Mattsson noticed that both Uppsala model and eclectic paradigm concentrate on firm or individual perspective of market entry. The firm decides the entry method for specific market abroad. They believed that both models ignore the characteristics of the firm and market, which appear to be important in industrial systems. In words of Turnbull (1986), the chief limitation is the one-sided focus upon the activities of manufacturer together with the intermediary in the flow of goods and services to the customer. Whereas, definitions of industrialization system stress on developing and maintaining lasting relationships. The four variable of integration defined are: the element and process of interaction, characteristics of parties involved, the atmosphere surrounding the interaction, and the environment within which the interaction takes place (Whitelock, 2002). The interpretation of these variables helps the firm decide on the market to enter and which customers to deliver. Hence, there is a need to assess its own position in relation to the customers and also the environment of market which is affected by the other actors or competitors. 2.4.4 The business strategy approach: As Whitelock (2002) cited in Welford and Prescott (1994) The business strategy approach is based on the idea of pragmatism. Ried (1983) believed that nature of market opportunity, firms resources and managerial philosophy are the basis of deciding expansion strategies which may in turn result in foreign expansion. The factors which need to be assessed in

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this approach for market selection are market attractiveness, psychic distance and accessibility and informal barriers. Whilst choice of organizational structure will depend on these market characteristics in addition to company specific factors as international trading history, size export orientation and commitment. Also number of competitors is considered important factor (Whitelock, 2002).

2.5 Pricing and Distribution

2.5.1 Pricing According to Solberg et. al. (2006), until their research, the literary topic of international pricing had not been completely ignored by the scholars. However the studies published till then stressed chiefly on the normative dimension of international pricing. Hence, the emphasis had been laid on how pricing decisions ought to be made (Cavusgil 1988, 1996; Walters 1989; Weekly 1992). They say that though a few of these studies have been based empirical evidence, the major drawback amongst most of them had been that they have been less generalized. Either too broad and examined only general nature of international pricing; too specific, focusing on a specific countrys exporter or focused on issues such as the impact of technology on international pricing, pricing in emerging markets, the development of gray markets, and the control of the pricing mechanism under different environmental conditions. The effectiveness of strategic pricing by the exporter is dependent on his control over the decision making and the actual outcome of pricing activities in its markets. The literature stresses two facets that need to be considered in this context: the issue of centralized versus decentralized pricing and the issue of control within the distribution channel. Solberg et. Al. (2006), categorized firms into four categories on the basis of low and high preparedness for internationalization on the Y axis and Multilocal and Global markets in which they operate in X axis. The categories were: Prototype 1: The Local Price Follower Firm Prototype 2: The Global Price Follower Firm
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Prototype 3: The Multilocal Price Setter Firm Prototype 4: The Global Price Leader Firm 2.5.2 Distribution Once a corporation is well established in its market, it starts looking for new international markets. In such cases chances are that it forays into an emerging market and to limit its exposure appoints a local distributor. In the beginning, sales take off, revenues grow, and the entry is praised as a smart move. But after a while, stagnation sets in and sales plateau. These partnerships nearly always blow up in the end. 1. Select distributors. Don't let them select you Objective market assessment should lead to strategic decision of entry into a new international market. However, Arnold (2000) noted that it was not the case usually. His studies revealed that companies moved into new market as reaction to proposals from prospective distributors. In fact, the most eager potential distributors may be precisely the wrong people to partner with. So there is a need to find distributors, one should the market led approach rather than distributor led. 2. Look for distributors capable of developing markets, rather than those with a few obvious customer contacts Multinationals long term goals should be kept in mind and given prime importance while choosing the distributor and deicing the terms of relationship. As Arnold (2000) noted, "The most obvious distributor is not necessarily the best partner for the long term". 3. Treat the local distributors as long-term partners, not temporary market-entry vehicles There is a need to structure the relationships in such a way that the distributors become marketing partners. Thus, will be willing to invest in long-term market development. 4. Support market entry by committing money, managers, and proven marketing ideas It is very important for the multinational to maintain strategic control. For this purpose, multinationals must commit adequate corporate resources. It holds particular importance at the time of market

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entry, as the multinational are least certain about their prospects in new countries. 5. From the start, maintain control over marketing strategy Distributors should be allowed to adapt a multinational's strategy to local conditions. However multinationals should pilot the planning sessions about the decision making. This helps the multinational to exploit the full potential of a global marketing network. 6. Make sure distributors provide you with detailed market and financial performance data The quality of information that the multinational has about the market, determines its ability to take advantage of its competitive advantages. Since the corporation is new to the country, it has to rely on distribution channel for such information. Also in a few countries they may be the only source of such information. 7. Build links among national distributors at the earliest opportunity The key objective for the multinational establish a customer base in the new country. However it is important to create links among its national distributors as soon as possible. This will lead to transfer of ideas and hence provide a better and consistent performance in the implementation of international strategies.

3. INDUSTRY ANALYSIS:
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3.1 Mobile phone industry in India: With a subscriber base of more than 851 million, the Mobile tele-communications system in India is the second largest in the world. Mobile telephony was introduced in India in 1995. The first call was made by Nokia 2110 on its own network. It was thrown open to private players in the 1990s. GSM was comfortably maintaining its position as the dominant mobile technology with 80% of the mobile subscriber market, but CDMA seemed to have stabilised its market share at 20% for the time being. By March 2010 the country had 584 million mobile subscribers, up from 350 million just 15 months earlier. The mobile market was continuing to expand at an annual rate in excess of 40% coming into 2010. The country is divided into multiple zones, called circles (roughly along state boundaries). Government and several private players run local and long distance telephone services. Competition has caused prices to drop and calls across India are one of the cheapest in the world. The rates are supposed to go down further with new measures to be taken by the Information Ministry. In September 2004, the number of mobile phone connections crossed the number of fixed-line connections and presently dwarfs the wireline segment by a ratio of around 20:1. The mobile subscriber base has grown by a factor of over a hundred and thirty, from 5 million subscribers in 2001 to over 881 million subscribers as of October 2011. India primarily follows the GSM mobile system, in the 900 MHz band. Recent operators also operate in the 1800 MHz band. The dominant players are Airtel, Reliance Infocomm, Vodafone, Idea cellular and BSNL/MTNL. There are many smaller players, with operations in only a few states. International roaming agreements exist between most operators and many foreign carriers. The government allowed Mobile number portability (MNP) which enables mobile telephone users to retain their mobile telephone numbers when changing from one mobile network operator to another. India is divided into 22 telecom circles.

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3.2 About Nokia Nokia Corporation (Finnish pronunciation: [nki]) is a Finnish multinational communications corporation that is headquartered in Keilaniemi, Espoo, a city neighbouring Finland's capital Helsinki. Nokia manufactures mobile electronic devices, mostly mobile telephones and other devices related to communications, and in converging Internet and communications industries, with over 132,000 employees in 120 countries, sales in more than 150 countries and global annual revenue of over 42 billion and operating profit of 2 billion as of 2010. It was the world's largest manufacturer of mobile phones in 2011, with global device market share of 23% in the second quarter. Nokia's estimated share of the converged mobile device market was 31% in the fourth quarter, compared with 38% in the third quarter of 2010. Nokia produces mobile devices for every major market segment and protocol, including GSM, CDMA, and W-CDMA (UMTS). Nokia offers Internet services such as applications, games, music, maps, media and messaging through its Ovi platform. Nokia's joint venture with Siemens, Nokia Siemens Networks produces telecommunications network equipment, solutions and services. Nokia also provides free-of-charge digital map information and navigation services through its wholly owned subsidiary Navteq. Nokia has sites for research and development, manufacture and sales in several countries; as of December 2010, Nokia had R&D presence in 16 countries and employed 35,870 people in research and development, representing approximately 27% of the group's total workforce. Nokia is a public limited-liability company listed on the Helsinki, Frankfurt, and New York stock exchanges, and plays a very large role in the economy of Finland, accounting for about a third of the market capitalization of the Helsinki Stock Exchange (OMX Helsinki) in 2007. The Nokia brand, valued at $25 billion, is listed as the 14th most valuable global brand in the Interbrand/BusinessWeek Best Global Brands list of 2011. It is the 14th ranked brand

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corporation in Europe (as of 2011), the 8th most admirable Network and Other Communications Equipment company worldwide in Fortune's World's Most Admired Companies list of 2011, and the world's 143th largest company as measured by revenue in Fortune Global 500 list of 2011. In July 2010, Nokia reported a drop in profits by 40%, which turned into an operating loss of 487 million in Q2 2011. In the global smartphone rivalry, Nokia held the 3rd place in 2Q2011, trailing behind Samsung and Apple. On 11 February 2011 Nokia announced a partnership with Microsoft; all Nokia smartphones introduced since then were to run under Microsoft's Windows Phone (WP) operating system. On 26 October 2011 Nokia unveiled its first Windows Phone handsets, the WP7.5 Lumia 710 and 800. Nokia Logos:

(Nokia Company logo. Founded in Tampere in 1865, incorporated in Nokia in 1871)

(The brand logo of Finnish Rubber Works, founded in Helsinki in 1898. Logo from 1965 to 1966.

(The Nokia Corporation "arrows" logo, used before the "Connecting People logo.)

(Nokia introduced its"Connecting People" advertising slogan, coined by Ove Strandberg and used since 1992.)

(Nokia's current logo used since 2006, with the redesigned "Connecting People" slogan.)

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3.3 Nokia in India: Nokia has been the pioneer of mobile telephony in India, the existence here is from 1994. As noted above, the first ever GSM call in India was made on a Nokia 2110 on its own network. Although the conditions in Indian telecom industry were not very conducive, Nokia maintained an aggressive strategy. Import of mobile phones was not easy and the tariff applied on them was as high as 27%. Consumers too were not interested in purchasing mobile phones as call rates were as high as Rs16 per minute ($0.40). Another problem faced by Nokia was highly competitive environment in the industry. Powerful global players like Samsung, Blackberry already had there presence in India in consumer durables, electronics and engineering sectors, and hence were aware conditions prevailing in Indian market. However, overcoming all odds, Nokia India came out as the market leader with 56% share in 2003-04 and still continues to lead with 80% in 2007 (Indu P., 2005) Asia is the fastest growing market for Nokia. Competitors such as Samsung, Motorola nad Sony Ericsson have captured huge market shares. The consumer is going for high technology at reasonable prices. They respect any provider who gives the best combination of both. Nokia has retained the top spot for quite some time in India, the recent figures are; Nokia in 2006, Started a manufacturing in Sriperumbudur, Chennai. His plant as on December 2007 employed approximately 6000 people. The current investment on this is about US$ 210 million in the plant since January 2006. Nokia announced to further invest US$ 75 million in year 2008. Nokia's key strategy has always been to lead the market on the
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basis of technology as it has always held. The difference it holds is the capability to be more sensitive to the people with lower purchasing power which hold the major share of these growing and developing countries market. Voice and Data a leading telecom publication in India published their findings from the 2011 survey on Mobile phone Industry.
Position Brand Market Share Revenue 2011 (Rs. crores) Revenue 2010 (Rs. crores)

#1 #2 #3 #4 #5

Nokia Samsung Micromax RIM (Blackberry) HTC

39.0% 17.2% 6.9% 5.9% 1.4%

12,929 5,720 2,289 1,950 450

12,900 4,700 1,602 1,210 226

3.4 SWOT ANALYSIS: Strengths

- Huge market share. - Nokia has the strong brand name which is its one of the most important strength because it is then favourable for Nokia to launch its new products because it is reliable for the customers by establish as strong brand. - Its distribution network is wide globally so the products are easily available for the target customers. - Size should enable Nokia to amortize Development costs and to get cost advantages Research and

- Nokia has also strong finances which make it possible to make innovations easily. Nokia products are easy to use for everyone, even an illiterate person in some developing countries use Nokia easily. - Nokia has high range of products which is attractive for the customers. Nokia mobile sets have high re-sell value as compared to others which is favorable for Nokia as well as for the customers.
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Weaknesses - Nokia have high prices as compared to others but its good quality and reliable products somehow cover this weakness of Nokia but still it is weakness and lower class is unable to purchase Nokia products. - Some of the Nokia products are not user friendly which didnt get success in the market. As the Ngage is considered a flop. - Being the market leader, its increase role in Symbian is giving Nokia a bad image, much like Microsoft in the PC industry. - Nokias sales and service centres are cooperatively very few therefore its after sale service is not impressive. If the customers face the problem in the product then they have to face difficulty.

Opportunities - Nokia can expand its market share by introducing brand in new market and by catering new target market as well. - It can also capture more market share and attract more customers in existing market by changing price and introducing new product range and also by innovating product features of existing products. - Increase their presence in the CDMA market, is still dominated by LG and Samsung. Nokia also need to concentrate on Android platform. - Through excessive advertisement and effective market communication it can strong its reputation and increase its sales and also create good brand image among the people. - Nokia itself becoming the item of everyday convenience the day is not so far that it will become the item of everyday use.

Threats

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- As the telecommunication industry is increasing with that not only opportunities increasing but also threats are equally increasing with the growth of the telecom industry. - The competition is getting explosive with the growth of the market. More and more competitors are entering in the market which is a big threat for Nokia. - Some competitors offer products at low prices and as the economy is falling down the customers are more attracting towards the products of low prices. So those competitors can take away the market share of Nokia. - Another threat for Nokia is the growth of WLL network because Nokia provides CDMA cell phones so its products can go toward the down fall with the rise of WLL network.

4. METHODOLOGY
4.1 Introduction Selection of type of method for data collection is one of the most critical parts of any research. This chapter is all about discussing the different techniques and method of data collection and selection of the most suitable method for the particular study. This is done through evaluation of the strengths and weaknesses of each method. The federal definition of research by Messiah College as defined in the federal policy [45CFR46.102 (f)] is Research means a systematic investigation, including research development, testing, and evaluation, designed to develop or contribute to generalizable knowledge. Data can be collected in two forms, namely, primary and secondary data. The data collection methods used in this
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research involves the search for both primary and secondary data. Information gathered by observing phenomena or surveying respondents. Primary data are originated by the researcher for the specific purpose of addressing the problem at hand. Also that obtaining primary data can be expensive and time consuming. {Malhotra (2005)}. Since primary data is collected with specific purpose, it is the most significant. Depth interviews, focus groups, observations and surveys are the major methods of gathering primary data. In this particular study, depth interviews have been used as a means for obtaining primary data. Information compiled inside or outside the organization for some purpose other than the current investigation. According to Malhotra (2005), Secondary data are data that are collected for some purpose other than the problem at hand. Usually journals, existing reports, and statistics by public and private authorities are used collect Secondary data. Here, the secondary data have been collected using marketing journals and other existing reports that were based on the topic. Specifically a case study from ICFAI, India on Nokias Strategy in India. Secondary data in this particular case helped the researcher to comprehend marketing strategies implemented by Nokia in India. As a general rule stated by Malhotra (2005), Examination of available secondary data is a prerequisite to the collection of primary data. Start with secondary data. Proceed to primary data only when the secondary data sources have been exhausted or yield managerial returns. The study hence, involved collection and analysis of primary data in foundation with the secondary data. 4.2 Qualitative Research A qualitative study is defined as an inquiry process of understanding a social or human problem, based on building a complex, holistic picture, formed with words, reporting detailed views of informants, and conducted in a natural setting (Cresswell, 1994). Another way of defining it is to say it focuses on "quality", a term referring to the essence or ambience of something (Berg 1989). Others would say it involves a subjective methodology and yourself as the research instrument (Adler & Adler 1987). A variety of empirical material is needed to be collected and studied for the purpose of
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qualitative research. These include, case study, personal experience, introspective, life story interview, observational, historical, interactional, and visual texts that describe routine and problematic moments and meaning in individuals' lives.

4.3 Quantitative Research Quantitative Research methods are important and the traditional form of data collection and analysis. We need to develop some understanding of this them. Quantitative research provides a more general outcome rather than more specific. Since the answer is made exactly to what the question is, there is no scope extra input from the interviewee. Also there is no personal touch to encourage the interviewee to give concentrate and give answer. Another problem being one can not check the genuineness of data very easily. However when the sample is large or more generalized views are needed than quantitative research method is a better option.

4.4 A Qualitative Approach Quantitative research gives measurable quantities as the outcome. However, here the human nature is under consideration. The objective is to comprehend and assess perceptions of different consumers towards the mobile phone. More stress may be given to feature, looks, cost, software or any other feature of the mobile phone. Since the study kind of tests out the effect of marketing activities by checking the brand loyalty of the interviewee, it is important to understand the emotion associated with the answer given by him. People have different perspective for different concepts, it is amazing how some may react in a positive way, some in negative way and some may have no reaction at all to it. 4.5 Data Collection Since the objective of this research is to measure degree of success of marketing strategies implemented by Nokia, it is very important to first identify the marketing strategies applied by Nokia in India. For this purpose, the best available sources are case studies, news articles and personal knowledge of the
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marketing strategies. After getting a complete picture of the existing scenario, there was a need to get the public interpretation of the brand and its value. For the purpose of getting more generalized view, the dealers of mobile phones were interviewed. Since they deal with buyers and prospective buyers on a regular basis, they can give an overview of the market. Also it was thought that their personal choice will be considered for the same. Hence for a new research a primary research was conducted. A secondary research was also carried out to understand the marketing activities and future in general.

4.6 Interviews As King (2004) says, The interview remains the most common method of data collection in qualitative research, employed in various forms by every main theoretical and methodological approach within qualitative applied psychology. It is therefore important for the researcher to look at the problem from the perspective of the interviewee. Hence, there is a need to not completely structure the interview.

4.7 Summary
This chapter was used to explain the methods available for conducting the study. Case studies and news articles were used for secondary data. After discussing the pros and cons of each method, the right method for this research, i.e. qualitative analysis was selected, where in-depth, semi-structured interviews were adopted as a source of primary data. The personal effect of interview was used to develop rapport with the interviewee and modify the questions according to the need. Also due to some distant interviewees telephonic interviews were used. Next chapter will involve deep discussion of the analysis and findings of the gathered data.

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5. MARKETING STRATEGY
5.1 Introduction Marketing strategy of a company in a new country plays a vital role in determining its future in that country. Knowing that Indian market is very different from other markets it was already operating in, Nokia came up with an Indiaspecific strategy or a global strategy. It adapted the Indian conditions by launching new products and enhancing the products with features designed specifically for local customers, as well as promotional campaigns targeted at Indian audience to gain a foothold in the market. To capture the widespread Indian market, it developed an extensive distribution network which also helped it take its products to rural markets in India. Here, to discuss the strategy, we consider the simple concept of 4 Ps, namely; product (customization), price, place (distribution) and promotion. 5.2 Product 1998 was 51st year of Indian independence, hence Nokia provided the ring tone of National son Saare Jahan se Achha ye Hindustan Hamara in 5110 model. The introductory offer for this model also had inter-changeable covers. The success of 5110 initiated Nokia to focus on feature-specific localization. In1999, Hindi (national language, and mother tongue of 43% Indians) user interface was provided in Nokia 3210. Also, Nokia also tied up with Sony music for top 20 hit songs as ring tones. Nokia 3210, became an instant hit. The model 3610 was launched with an enhancing Hindi text messaging facility in 2001.

The most successful customization came in 2003 when Nokia came with 1100 and 1108 specifically designed for Indian market. It had features of anti-slip grip, dust resistance and torchlight. Since, in India people dont know English in villages, Nokia came up with Saral Mobile Sandesh (SMS in Hindi).

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Nokia sales increased from 58.2% in July 2003 to 59.6% in July 2004.

Nokia was also the first handset manufacturer to launch games download in India in 2003. It had spearheaded the industry in online distribution of tones, graphics and game downloads. These services did not just increase their sale of mobile phones but were also fruitful as they made huge profits by selling the games. In 2005, Nokia also launched games based on Indian mythology namely Makhan chor and Swayamvar. Both were arcade games involving two most of the famous characters namely, Lord Krishna and Arjun. Nokia also tied up with Bharti cellular in 2005 to customize its handsets through which its users could access multimedia services by using an additional key on the mobile phone. Also since many FM channels were introduced in India in early 2000s, Nokia banked on the opportunity by coming with FM phones attracting a lot of youth. Later on in 2005, Nokia came with SMS services in other Indian languages including Marathi, Tamil, Bengali and Kannada. In November 2007, Nokia came with Bollywood classic movie Sholay preloaded in N95 8GBand N81. This gave opportunity to cinema buffs to now watch the movie Sholay on the go. The N series is a multimedia sub-brand of Nokia.

Nokia launched Nokia 1680 classic in April 2008. It is a Nokia dual-band GSM cell phone. It has a camera, multimedia playback, web browser and e-mail client. This mobile phone sold more than 30.000 units in 2008.

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Nokia 5800 XpressMusic is a smartphone and portable entertainment device by Nokia. It was introduced on January 2, 2008 and released on April 27, 2008. Code-named "Tube", it is the first touchscreen-equipped S60 device by Nokia, the version being s60v5. It's part of the XpressMusic series of phones, which emphasizes music and multimedia playback. The touchscreen features tactile feedback (though it does not use Nokia's Haptikos technology). The 5800 has a compatibility mode for Java applications that are not touchscreen-aware. It works by using part of the screen for displaying the essential buttons required by the program. On January 23, 2009, Nokia announced it had shipped the millionth 5800 XpressMusic device, even though it still had not been fully released worldwide. Nokia 5800 was the best seller in India in 2009.

The Nokia 5230 Nuron is a low-cost smartphone from Nokia that is manufactured in South Korea and Mexico and is famous and commonly used in India. Nokia 5230 was the best seller in 2010, 150.000 units sold.

The Nokia E7-00, also known as Nokia E7, is a business-oriented QWERTY smartphone by Nokia from the Nokia Eseries. It was announced at Nokia world in September 2010 together with the Nokia C6-01 and Nokia C7 and started shipping in February
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2011. It is the second phone after the Nokia N8 to be running the Symbian^3 operating system.

Nokia Lumia 800 (codenamed 'Sea Ray') is a Windows Phone OS powered smartphone, first unveiled on 26 October 2011 at the Nokia World 2011 event.[4] It was Nokia's first mobile phone to run Windows Phone OS. It marked the company shifts of focus in favour of Windows Phone for its premium priced phones. Nokia Lumia 800, 5+ million sold within March 2012.

5.3 Pricing Pricing of the phones was of prime importance for success in India. Being a developing country, the purchasing power of the people was not high as compared to other developed countries. Research unveiled that phones of lower price range (below Rs8000 or $200 approx.) amounted for 65% of the total sales in India. Nokia depended majorly on rural market; therefore, pricing was a major success factor for the company. Nokia did achieve success in India, in spite of the fact, that its handsets were not the cheapest in the market. Nokia 1100, which was specially launched for India, was priced at Rs. 4000. This price, although was at a premium as

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compared to entry level phones, but was enhanced with several special features which were not available in other phones of the same price. The head of marketing at Nokia India, Sanjay Behl said, The phone is a combination of product benefits and pricing. This model further became the bestselling model ever in India. It also increased the brand preference of Nokia from 66% to 77% within 9 months of its launch. This show how nature of Indian consumer is value sensitive. The major strategically move by Nokia in this regard was that it charged a lower price in India than most of other countries for the same model.

5.4 Place (Distribution) Mobile phones in India are considered as to be consumer durable, hence they are not just sold through exclusive telecom retailers but also through general retailers. Nokia designed its distribution strategy on lines of FMCG business. An important reason for the success of mobile phones in India was limited reach of the landline phones in several parts of the country. By mid 2005 the mobile phone sales in smaller towns and cities was higher than those of the metropolitans. The sales in these urban markets were beginning to saturate. The distribution in these small towns called for non-traditional channels. Nokia strengthened their distribution network, and selected distributors from FMCG line or experience holders for durables or automobiles. In fact, about a fifth of the mobile phone sales in India were consumer durables or service providers shops. In 1995, Nokia tied up with HCL Infinet for sales and distribution of its phones and appointed them as Nokia distributor for GSM handsets in India. HCL Infinet provided a complete range of Nokias GSM mobile phones, data products and mobile services. The retail network they developed was very strong and dedicated. They came up with Nokia Professional Centers (NPCs), Nokia Priority Dealers (NPDs) and redistribution

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stockiest all over India. NPCs were one stop shops for the complete range of Nokia mobile phones, batteries, chargers, accessories, covers, hands free kits and car kits amongst others. It also provided the after sales services for Nokias handsets. NPCs were multi brand retails outlets with 60% of their area dedicated to Nokia. While redistribution stockists were for supplying handsets across India. HCL also came with Nokia Care Centers (NCCs) for providing solutions to mobile related problems. These were spread all over the country and provided phone repairing software upgradation services. They also displayed complete range mobile phones, data products and complete mobile phones accessories. Nokias vast distribution network covered almost every city or town where mobile network was available. Nokia has opened its retail outlet Nokia Priority as well as many Consumer authorized dealers at various places.
Manufacturer Dealer

Place Mix

5.5 Promotion Gaining acceptance of Indian consumer is not as simple as other countries. India is a multicultural country, where people have strong believe in their mythology, nationality and cultures and to add to it, their purchasing power was not as high as other countries where Nokia was operating. Hence, to achieve approval of the mobile consumers in India, Nokia decided to localize its products heavily. For the purpose of developing the products specifically for markets with high population and low penetration, Nokia developed a team called Mobile Entry Business Unit. Nokia entered India with one for mobile services to start, and had to establish its non-popular brand. To build credentials the company used both print and television campaigns. In the early days, print media concentrated on Nokias status, global R&D and international awards won to establish brand awareness.

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Even after the market grew, concentrated on product attributes.

Nokias

advertisements

Until 2003, Nokia used all their international advertisements with slight modifications in India. For instance, the advertisement for NGAGE showed two young persons getting bored stuck in traffic jam and then they show them combat with super natural powers. It showed how NGAGE could help them pass their time. But it did not have a very good effect on the Indian audience as they could not relate themselves to the people over there. There was needed to make special advertisements for India. Nokia India marked its special presence in advertisement world with Made for India ad campaign on the launch of Nokia 110. This was the fourth advertisement created in India but created maximum stir in the industry. The advertisement showed that the Nokia 1100 was launched first in India and addressed all the concerns of Indian consumers. The advertisement made a clear deviation from hitherto hip urban-focused advertisements that Nokia are known for. It aimed at highlighting the broad appeal of mobile phones across all socio-economic segments of India. The aim was to highlight Nokias Indian image. One advertisement that Nokia made in 2000 was a public interest advertisement, urging users to switch off their cell phones while watching movies. It showed a clip where hero picks up an argument with person sitting in front row in a movie theatre. One of the advertisements was for Nokia 2280 which was offered in bundle with reliance mobile connection. This was a simple one which educated the audience of availability of cheap handset with bundled airtime. Nokia was not the market leader in colored handsets. To regain its share, it came up with advertisement Har Jeb mei Rang (color in every pocket) for Nokia 2600. It was a very colourful advertisement, showing colours spreading out of Nokia phone. It showed the idea of colour spreading happiness in every life. Nokia came up with some good advertisements around the end of 2007. One of them starring the superstar of Hindi cinema, Shah Rukh Khan calling Nokia as his friend and companion for 10 years. He expresses how it brings and spreads happiness and how it has been with him through the ups and downs of his
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life. Other advertisements have been model specific as Nokias advertisements have always been. Other advertisements include Nokia 7900 Prism, The new edge in fashion and Nokia E series, Success is the name of the game. Another advertisement shows Nokia 1650 with features of cricket game, alarm amongst others at a very reasonable price. Nokia followed model-specific advertising for most part. Different advertisements were made for each model of Nokia, making it easy to target the specific audience, which will demand that model. Even different media was used according to the audience. Nokia even faced the problem of brand identification in the early stages as there were no specific signs suggesting that it was an advertisement from Nokia. Since 2005, Nokia has embarked a new advertising plan to consolidate its ad campaigns and strengthen its brand identity.

6. ANALYSIS
6.1 Introduction Analysis of the data is very important part of any research. The quality of data collected matters, but what matters more is the interpretation of that data. This chapter deals with Analysis and Discussions of the findings. Firstly, data of all the respondents to the interview was compared to give better understanding of the situation. Then, this comparison was used to achieve the objectives of the research by evaluating them on the basis of secondary data. Unique personal quotes from respondents were
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taken as a basis of comparison of the different views to consolidate it into finding of the research. To get a more generalized view of the thoughts, mobile dealers (retails) were interviewed. These dealers deal in many brands and have the first hand knowledge of market and consumer perceptions. However, the thoughts still vary due to personal choices and the type of customers they deal in, which in turn depends on location. To begin with we will discuss the background of the respondents.

6.2 Background of the Respondents For the purpose of collection of primary data, 20 dealers of mobile phones in India within the age of 20-40 were interviewed. The number of interviewee was restricted to such a small number because of uniformity of the responses from the responses. It was believed that information was getting repetitive and no new information was being achieved. Out of the 20 respondents, 7 owned Nokia phones. The youngest respondent was 22 years of age and the eldest 38. Being the dealers of mobile handsets, these respondents had more than decent knowledge of the phones, making it easier for the researcher to conduct the interview. The background details of these respondents are given below:

Name Deepak Himangshu

Ag e 22 23

Location Dealership Faridaba d New Delhi

Handset Owned Nokia, Apple, All iPhone major companies Nokia,Samsung, Samsung All mejor companies

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Kaushik Rishi Aman Avinash Rahul Annu Bipin Akshit Anshaj Prasant Bhushan R Sharma Mrinal Pankaj Lovlin

31 28 26 24 32 28 38 23 25 24 28 26 38 26 23

Kolkata

Sarab Abhishek

27 24

Nokia, All major companies Gurgaon All major companies Delhi Nokia Priority Varanasi Nokia, Apple, All major companies Patna Nokia & All major companies Vadodara Nokia Priority Mathura Nokia, Samsung, major companies Pune Nokia & All major companies Mumbai Nokia, All major companies Ahmadab Nokia, All major ad companies Bangalor Nokia, Apple, All e major companies Nasik Nokia & All major companies Arambag Nokia, All major h companies Chandiga Nokia & All rh major companies Gwalior Nokia, Blackberry, HTC, Sony Ericsson Amritsar Nokia, Apple, HTC & major companies Agra Nokia, Samsung, All

Nokia Sony Ericsson Nokia Samsung Nokia Samsung Micromax Nokia LG Nokia Blackberry Sony Ericsson Nokia Samsung Blackberry

HTC Nokia

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Souvik

23

Burdwan

major companies Nokia Priority

Samsung

6.3 Analysis and Discussion To start the conversation and make the interviewee comfortable, more general questions were asked. First of all they asked to comment on the cellular phone market of India. They were asked about the way the market has grown and about the future of the market. They all have answered almost in the same manner that, the Indian cellular phone industry has witnessed exceptional growth in the past few years. The future also seems to be bright as mobile phone is considered as consumer durable in the country. 6.3.1 Success and the Brand Not surprisingly, when asked about the market leader, most of the respondent had no doubts that it was Nokia all the way. But so many retailers answered Samsung. As per data Nokias market share is 39% in GSM handsets and Samsung Share is
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almost only 17%. In the Smartphone and Duel SIM sector market share of Samsung is increasing very highly. And other companies like Micromax, Motorola and Sony Ericsson are giving Nokia good competition and have seen major increase in sales. When asked about reasons of Nokias success, the respondents believed that features of the phone were main driving force for the sales of handsets. Other important reasons included, brand image due to past experience, long battery life, user friendliness, sturdiness, number of models offered. Some of the respondents reply was as follows: People look for durability and simple ness in usage Rishi People purchasing Nokia also had problem, but that was really rare in comparison users of other handsets faced problems on a more regular basis Akshit Nokia has always satisfies the customer, now they believe that this company is reliable there is a strong brand preference Avinash Survey on Ranking of the Nokias offering: Name Adv erti se me nt 3 2 1 1 3 2 1 4 2 1 3 5 7 3 Batte User Featur Pric Regio Servi ry Friend es e nal ce Life ly Flavou r 1 1 3 2 2 3 5 6 7 4 7 6 6 7 2 6 2 4 1 4 7 5 1 7 5 7 5 1 6 3 6 3 5 6 3 3 3 5 6 2 2 5 4 5 5 6 7 5 6 2 5 6 4 1 3 4 7 4 7 5 6 7 2 1 4 3 2 4 4 6 5 7 4 7 4 1 4 7 6 2 1 3 1 2

Deepak Himangs hu Kaushik Rishi Aman Avinash Rahul Annu Bipin Akshit Anshaj Prasant Bhushan R

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Sharma Mrinal Pankaj Lovlin Sarab Abhishek Souvik TOTAL

7 4 5 7 5 6 72

6 5 6 4 7 4 92

4 6 3 5 6 3 84

1 7 7 2 4 2 81

2 3 4 6 3 5 86

5 1 2 3 1 7 81

3 2 1 1 2 1 64

Nokia had great offering in Indian market to acquire more market share. Battery Life (92) (Ranked 1st) is the highest parameter which was able to attract more Indian customer. Low price (86) (Ranked 2nd) is the second parameter which is made more potential buyer to actual buyer. Nokias User Friendly (84) (Ranked 3rd) operation is the key factor in the Success of Nokia. The Innovative Features (81) (Ranked 4th) and Regional Flavour (81) (Ranked 4th) in Nokia phones made the people of India to buy more Nokia product. Both Features and Regional Flavour got the forth rank in the preference parameter. Impact of Advertisement (72) (Ranked 5th) of Nokia also impressed a large number of population to buy the product. After sales Service (64) (Ranked 6th) of Nokia is also able to assure people about the service after sales. This attracted huge number of byer in the Indian market. With the help of above offerings Nokia has also created its market reputation; it has increased its Brand value in India as well as in the International market.

6.6 Future and Scope of Improvement Any market with high technological environment goes through rapid changes. There are many changes taking place in mobile phone market in India. The demands of consumer are changing. They prefer purchasing phones with most features. The idea was to carry a gadget with everything in it, from camera to mp3 player to internet surfing to office support. - Nokia can expand its market share by introducing brand in new market and by catering new target market as well. - It can also capture more market share and attract more customers in existing market by changing price and introducing

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new product range and also by innovating product features of existing products. - Increase their presence in the CDMA market, is still dominated by LG and Samsung. Nokia also need to concentrate on Android platform. - Through excessive advertisement and effective market communication it can strong its reputation and increase its sales and also create good brand image among the people. - Nokia itself becoming the item of everyday convenience the day is not so far that it will become the item of everyday use. - Nokia should increase more products with Duel SIM facility.

7. CONCLUSION
7.1 Conclusion and Recommendations This chapter concludes the study by highlighting the key findings of the study and then some recommendations for Nokia for future. Then the chapter discusses to the limitations of the study and endows the suggestions for future research. The aim of the study is to critically analyze Nokias marketing strategy in India and to examine the effect on its sales. For this purpose secondary sources were used to collect the information of marketing strategies and semi-structured interviews of mobile phone dealers in India were conducted to check the market response of Nokia. The conclusions that could be drawn were, the main drivers of sales of Nokia are the product features. The marketing strategy though aggressive and very customer specific was not the prime force towards the sales. The prices of Nokia phones are competitive but they are not the price leaders. However, much information on the distribution network could not be gathered. There is need for Nokia to differentiate itself from the past. This should be done by becoming more customer-friendly to the Asian markets. Nokia should project itself more aggressively to the low end, mass market with its low range (but hi-quality) products. There is also a need to develop a PDA phone for its high range customers. Over the time, quality has been Nokias success factor. They
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have developed a brand name, and the consumers have a high brand preference. There is need to in-cash on this by continuing to launch the good quality products. The major drawback was not up to the mark after sales customer services. The key strategy that can be suggested is to maintain its leadership with reasonably quality driven, low end products for the mass market. Considering the future, this will be wise investment. With this they can bank upon the brand preference and increase the margin instead of sales. 7.2 Limitations of the research The biggest limitation of this research was time. Due to time constraints, the interviews were restricted to a very small number. Cost was also disadvantage in the process of the research. The dealers were chosen for interviews as it was believed that they would give a more generalized view of the whole market. However, their answer replicated their specific customer base and personal choice. If time is no limitation, the consumers should be directly contacted for their views.

8. REFERENCES
Berger, A.A. (2000), Media and Communication Research Methods: An Introduction to Qualitative and Quantitative Approaches, Sage publication, pp23 Bilkey, W. J. and Nes, E. (1982), Country-Of-Origin Effects On Product Evaluations, Journal of International Business Studies, Spring/Summer, Vol. 13, No. 1, pp. 89-99. Cassel, C. and Symon, G. (2004), Essential guide to Qualitative methods in Organizational Research, Sage Publication, London Chao, P. (1998), Impact of Country-of-Origin Dimensions on Product Quality and Design Quality Perceptions, Journal of Business Research, Vol. 42, pp. 16 Nokia still rules the minds of Indians: The Mobile Indian survey http://www.afaqs.com/news/story.html? sid=31077_Nokia+still+rules+the+minds+of+Indians: +The+Mobile+Indian+survey http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_best-selling_mobile_phones
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http://conversations.nokia.com/2009/04/27/nokia-annualgeneral-meeting-2009-highlights-competitors-new-products5800-fever-and-more/ www.edissertations.nottingham.ac.uk/1698/2/07MAlixnd1.pdf Marketers who dominate the market, http://www.economictimes.indiatimes.com, 19 Dec, 2007, 1700 hrs IST, TNN Federal Definition of Research, http://www.messiah.edu/academics/irb/forms/Federal %20Definition%20of%20Research.pdf. Marketing Research and Information Systems, http://users.wbs.warwick.ac.uk/dibb_simkin/student/glossary/ch 06.html Of global brands & Asian consumers, http://in.rediff.com/money/2006/apr/04guest.htm, April 04, 2006 Nokia's Big Plans for India, http://www.businessweek.com/globalbiz/content/aug2007/gb20 070831_914354.htm?chan=search, August 31, 2007

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