Hindustan times

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PREFACE
Theoretical knowledge is not complete in it self unless it is supported by practical
experience.
Always all profession courses aim to groom the student professionally so that he
may be exposed to the real working environment of the corporate world, its
challenges and its constraints
So to get acclimatize with the practical world it is necessary to interact with the
outside world to give a shape or direction to the theoretical knowledge. So a
professional course like PGDBM/MBA has been designed in such a way what student
can be utilize during the interaction with the practical world. So the course design
include field training as part of the course.
Hence, we had the opportunity to utilize the theoretical knowledge during this
project period.
We had done our summer training in Hindustan times. The company has
assigned us a project to "Study the buying behavior of dropout readers of Hindustan
times".

This project includes our sincere efforts, and we affirm that the findings of this
report are original to the best of our knowledge and belief. We sincerely hope that
this proves to be useful to the company.
Where we tried to find out the effort of Hindustan times to decrease the dropout
reader's of Hindustan times as

Market assessment of Hindustan times

Hindustan times share for Dropout readers.

Key area of improvement

Action plans.

Key success factors for decrease the market share of dropout readers of
Hindustan times.

INTRODUCTION OF THE COMPANY

COMPANY PROFILE
(Hindustan times)
Top of Form
The Hindustan Times Ltd., India's foremost media company with a significant
presence in the print medium for more than seven decades now, is home to some
leading newspapers in the country - Hindustan Times (the flagship English daily)
and Hindustan (Hindi news daily).
From its inception in 1924 Hindustan Times has played an active role in India's
freedom struggle and celebrated its seventy-fifth anniversary in 1999. Leadership
through quality and innovation has always been the hallmark of The Hindustan
Times Ltd.
With branch offices in most states of India, the present work force exceeds 3,500
employees.
The Hindustan Times Ltd. plans to consolidate itself as a vibrant and modern media
powerhouse through strategic partnerships, ever-increasing scope of operations and
a consumer focused approach.
ORGANISATION
Dr. K.K.Birla is the Chairman of HT, and Ms. Shobhana Bhartia is the ViceChairperson.
The company was founded in 1924 and has grown to become one of India's
largest Media Companies. The Hindustan Times is the third widely read newspaper
in the country. With circulation of over 10 lakhs and is the undisputed leader in
Northern India.

Objectives
Hindustan Times believe in continuous improvement and providing greater value to
its readers and advertisers. It has set many a standards for its competitors and will
continue to do so in the years to come. It is the smart-age newspaper in India to
evolve into a new international size, sleeker and smarter, which ensures enhanced
ease of reading and convenient handling.
In its endeavor to provide its readers with greater value, it has revamped its existing
supplements and added new ones to its portfolio, offering a daily supplement
catering to specific target audiences. Supplements like HT Estates (on real estate and
interiors) are the first of their kind in their respective categories. The enlarged
operations and enhanced look have also paid off with a substantial increase in
circulation across the country.
In a major incentive for the advertisers as well as the readers, Hindustan Times has
entered into a strategic alliance with The Indian Express, Mid-Day and Deccan
Chronicle. These alliances, along with its strong presence in North India make it one
of the most formidable media players.
Hindustan Times Group
Leadership through quality and innovation is the hallmark of The Hindustan Times
Limited. The organization has been a major force for over seven decades in the print
media and comprises of the following brands:
Hindustan Times
The flagship publication of the group; Hindustan Times (Delhi edition) was launched
in September 1924. Mahatma Gandhi inaugurated it and Shri K.M. Panikkar took
over as the first editor.
Hindustan Times has the unique distinction of having become the highest selling
English daily in north India within a month of its launch and has maintained this
supremacy to date. The newspaper has a two-third-readership share of all English
newspapers published from Delhi.
It has maintained its number one position in northern India primarily because of its
tradition of credibility, authenticity, and the depth and width of its coverage. It has
one of the biggest networks of correspondents in India and abroad, reporting the

latest developments from the spot, round-the-clock. Using state-of-the-art printing

technology.
Hindustan times has gone through several changes in the last one year, donning a
new look and reaching out to more readers across the country. The publication has
completely redesigned its format with an all-new masthead, sporting a contemporary
international look.
It brings to its loyal and discerning audience, exclusive, high-caliber content along
with in-depth reportage that allows its surfers to follow a story in depth. Its content is
enriched by virtue of it being part of the Hindustan Times group.
Hindustan Times is the Number 1 English newspaper selling in India with more than
1.5 million copies countrywide. Niyam regurarly contributes for various columns,
sections, and supplements, of the newspaper. The Troubleshooting column publishes
in the main newspaper every Monday and is highly popular. It attracts a large base of
readers and their questions. Some people are even known to cut and keep the column
for their reference.

The Delhi-based English newspaper, Hindustan Times , is part of the KK Birla group
and managed by Shobhana Bharatiya, granddaughter of GD Birla. It is owned by HT
Media, one of India's top media conglomerates, which other than Hindustan Times is
also home to the Hindi daily Hindustan The KK Birla group at present owns 75.36
per cent stake in HT Media, currently valued at Rs 834 crore.
When Shobhana Bhartiya joined Hindustan Times in 1986, she was the first woman
chief executive of a national newspaper and probably one of the youngest.
The HT Media Ltd. plans to consolidate itself as a vibrant and modern media
powerhouse through strategic partnerships, ever-increasing scope of operations and
a consumer focused approach.
New look for Hindustan Times
The Hindustan Times (HT)has a new look since February 1st, 2004. To Shekhar
Bhatia, HT editor, "it's younger, more vibrant and more contemporary. HT has
always reflected the concerns and interests of its readers. To make the paper even
more relevant to their needs, the publisher has revamped the news package."

The Hindustan Times/India February 1, 2004 (extracted article of the editor)

"The business page is now more corporate and more global. The new Weather Report
in the city section is as much for the busy executive as for those who are not frequent
flyer.
For readers to turn straight to the Sport pages after page one, their favorite section
now is an easy-to-access slot in the middle of the paper. For the young sports fans,
HT has a new cricket tutorial by the legendary Geoff Boycott. And for the young at
heart there's a golf guide.
Some of the changes will particularly please the busy readers who want a quick news
capsule over a cup of coffe. Watch out for the 2- Minute HT from Monday to Friday.
Sunday is the day when people want to read something more than just news. So
include yourself with Brunch - the new 28-page magazine. Brunch is the guide to the
good life, and as a definitive lifestyle magazine it's the only one of its kind in the city.
A new masthead is not the only change in HT city. It now offers more on lifestyle and
entertainment with a range of options for the five-to-nine life. And if that's not
enough, there is the HT Premiere, the new Thursday pullout on moviesand movie
stars.
The publisher has used colour only where it helps to bring alive the mood of the
story, whole graphics give the reader the bigger picture."
Leadership through quality and innovation is the hallmark of The Hindustan Times
Ltd. The organisation has been a major force over seven decades in the print media.
Hindustan Times, the flagship publication of the Group,has editions from
Delhi,Lucknow,Patna and Kolkata thus,dominating the Northern, Eastern and
Central regions of the country.The newspaper is also printed out of 10
Centres(incl.Bhopal,Chandigarh,Jaipur,Bhagalpur,Ranchi,Raipur...) Hindustan
Times is the first smart-age newspaper in India to evolve into a new international
size.Sleeker and smarter,it ensures enhanced ease of reading and convenient
handling. The publication has completely redesigned its format with an all-new
masthead, sporting a contemporary international look.
HINDUSTAN TIMES

Established in 1924

Played active role in India's freedom struggle

Live Editions from Delhi, Lucknow, Patna & Kolkota.

Brand extensions of Delhi edition in Chandigarh, Ranchi, Bhopal, Raipur &

Jaipur.

Delhi and North India's no-1 English Daily

A complete bouquet of user-friendly supplements daily catering to varied

needs of family members.

Introduction of community newspapers along with the main brand catering to

specific geographical areas.

Contents reengineered to focus on emerging business, lifestyles etc.

SOME INFLUENTIAL SUPPLEMENTS...

HT CAREER
EVERY THURSDAY

Positioned on the Career platform

Targeted at the Working Professional

Circulation areas - Delhi, Chandigarh, Lucknow, Patna, Ranchi, Kolkata,

Bhopal, Jaipur and Raipur (including all key cities around each of these print
locations).

HT HORIZON
EVERY WEDNESDAY

Positioned on the Education platform

Targeted at the Students.

Circulation areas - Delhi, Chandigarh, Lucknow, Patna, Ranchi, Kolkata,

Bhopal, Jaipur and Raipur (including all key cities around each of these print
locations).

HT ESTATES
EVERY SATURDAY

India's first Property Product

Complete guide on Property & Interiors

Circulation areas - Delhi & NCR

Hindustan
Hindustan ranks among the Top 10 newspapers read by the rural and urban readers
(NRS 2001) the publication's readership has grown by an impressive 29.6 per cent to
57.56 lakh (NRS 2001), up from 44.41 lakh (NRS 2000). Hindustan has also emerged
as the fourth largest read newspaper among Hindi dailies on an all-India basis.
Hindustan is the strongest in Bihar, Western UP and Delhi. It dominates Bihar with
a 78 per cent reach in the state, besides having a significant presence in Delhi and
Uttar Pradesh.
SUPPLIMENTS OF HINDU HINDUSTAN

HINDUSTAN CITY

NAYI DISHAYEN

RANGOLI

RAVI UTSAV

MAIN NEWS

Www.hindustantimes.com
Hindustantimes.com, the online arm of the newspaper, is a comprehensive resource
for news, information and lifestyle content on the Web. Besides carrying stories from
the newspaper, the site regularly breaks news and has exclusive coverage by its
independent editorial staff. It continues to build on its loyal readership base by
adding multimedia content and providing interactivity to its users.
The site provides sections written by popular columnists, along with in-depth web
exclusives on entertainment, fashion and lifestyle. It also hosts micro sites of topical

interest, which showcases original and premium content and encourages audience
participation thus exploiting the possibilities of interactive journalism.

Kadambini
Kadambini, a Hindi language monthly literary magazine was launched in 1960.
Today, it is the most prestigious and widely circulated magazine of its genre. The
magazine has a vast readership among the intelligentsia - a factor, which guides its
editorial policy. Special issues on different subjects are brought out periodically.
Nandan
Nandan - the children's monthly magazine in Hindi was launched in November 1964.
It is the highest selling Hindi children's magazine in India. Nandan acquaints and
informs the new generation about India's glorious heritage and cultural values. With
a blend of Indian folklore, fairytales and abridged versions of great classics from the
world of literature, Nandan both educates and entertains its young readers.
OBJECTIVES
PRIMARY OBJECTIVE
TO STUDY THE BUYING BEHAVIOUR OF CUSTOMER & CAUSES OF SHIFTING
FROM ONE NEWSPAPER TO ANOTHER NEWSPAPER.
IS EITHER DUE TO

PROMOTIONAL SCHEME OF THE NEWSPAPERS.

OR, DUE TO CONTENT OF THE NEWSPAPERS.

SECONDARY OBJECTIVE

To know the potential of different newspapers.

To find out the market size.

To know the taste & preferences of the customer.

To know the customer's buying behavior.

To make & develope the strategy for growth.

To develop the scope of competitive advantage with the competitors.

To retain old customer & attract new customer.

To increase the satisfaction level of customers.

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
Basically, it was a dropout consumers survey to find out the buying behavior,
attitudes of different customers & causes of shifting one newspaper to another
newspaper. It also helps to get actual market share of the company & position of
other competitors in market.
Data sources
The data sources are the samples, which are chosen for primary data from various
customers. And secondary data which was provided by the organisation.
Sample size
Sample size means the units interacted. For this project purpose the sampling size is
498 consumers.
Survey area
The survey area was Delhi & NCR.
Research Instruments
The research instruments used here are Questionnaire, personal interviews &
observation. Questionnaire are both close ended and open ended to keep the
variation in responses within the limits of accuracy.
Sampling Techniques
Simple judgmental sampling technique was used for the selection of respondents.
Data Collection
Data was collected through Questionnaire, personal interviews & observation.

SAMPLING PLAN
In sampling plan I considered mainly these things
Sampling unit
Sample size
Sampling unit gives the idea who is to be surveyed. in these my target were all the key
customers
In deciding the sample size, We chose all the major location of Delhi & NCR where all
the potential customers were available.
Data Analysis
And for analysis part we took the sample of 498 customers who were assumed the
representative of Delhi & NCR dropouts' customer.
Collected primary data is analyzed with the help of graphs.
LIMITATIONS
Many problems come as a hurdle the course of data collection from the different
sources. These problems not only slowed down the collection process but also create
other subsidiary problems. Some of these are:

The respondents were not so eager to give the information.

Security guards created problem to inter the apartments.

Most of the respondents were available in the morning between 7am to 9am.

The respondent who we were supposed to interview would not give us time as
their work was disturbed and we had to approach them more than once which
was a time consuming factor.

The findings of the survey were totally dependent on the response of the
respondents that may not be correct in every case.

FINDINGS

We have got the opportunity to do our summer project at Hindustan times. The
company had assigned us the project to study the buying behavior of dropout
customer & find out the causes of shifting one newspaper to another newspaper.
We have surveyed 498 households and gathered the following findings.

Times of India have good image rather than Hindustan times among dropout
customer.

Times of India leading the market with 26% of market share & Hindustan
times have the second positions with 24% market share.

Hindustan times have 59% brand loyal customers those will be not influenced
by the scheme to change their newspaper.

There are 41% customer who preferred gift as a scheme, 17% customer
preferred additional newspaper, 15% preferred discount & 21% customers are
not interested in any kind of scheme.

There are 44% customers who are enjoying the scheme of Hindustan times &
56% customers who are not enjoying the Hindustan times scheme.

There are 76% customers who are not shifted from Hindustan times & 24%
customers who are shifted from Hindustan times due to various reasons like
promotional scheme, content news coverage etc.

Most of the customer emphasis on content & news coverage then other things
like appearance price supplement etc.

The most favorite section of newspaper is the local news followed by political
news then editorial news, sports, supplement, international & entertainment
news.

The average time devoted by readers is 30 minutes to 1 hour.

ANALYSIS OF THE FINDINGS

Table & Graph
Table

1. Market share of different newspaper.

2. Market share of dual newsreader.
Graph
1. Market share of different newspaper.
2. Market share of dual newsreader.
3. Reasons of favorite.
4. Time devoted to reading newspaper.
5. Choice of different topics of newspaper.
6. Shifted or not shifted customer.
7. Scheme enjoying & not enjoying the customer.
8. Choice of various type of promotional scheme.
9. Readers of HT & TOI.
10. Enjoying HT scheme.
11. Shifted & not shifted customers of HT.
12. Brand loyal & scheme driven customers of HT.
13. Preferences of various types of HT scheme.
14. Enjoying TOI scheme.
15. Sifted & not sifted customers of TOI.
16. Brand loyal & scheme driven customers of TOI.
17. Preferences of various types of TOI scheme.
Total sample size = 498

The Times of India has the 26% of total market share.

The Hindustan Times has the 24% of total market share.

The Navbharat Times and Dainic Jagran have 3% of total market share.

Hindustan has 2% of total market share.

The Hindu and Punjab kesari have only 1% of total market share.

The Rastriya sahara, Amar Ujala and Economics Times have 0.2% share.

The Indian Express has 0.4% market share.

Market share of dual newsreader

Most favorite combination of duel readers is TOI and Navbharat Times with
22% share among duel readers.

The Hindustan Times and Navbharat Times have 16% shares among duel
readers.

Third favorite is TOI and Economics Times with 14% share among duel
readers.

Fourth favorite is The Hindustan Times and Hindustan with 11% share among
duel readers.

Reasons of favorite

There are 24% readers who give importance to the news coverage.

There are 24% readers who give importance to the content.

There are 16% readers who give importance to the clarity of presentation

There are 15% readers who give importance to the appearance.

There are 7% readers who give importance to the trustworthiness.

There are 6% readers who give importance to the appearance.

There are 5% readers who give importance to the price.

There are 6% readers who give importance to the frequent promotional

scheme

Time devoted to reading Newspaper

Total sample size = 485

250 readers are those who give in between 30 minutes to 1-hour time to the
newspaper.

150 readers are those who give in between 15 to 30 minutes time to the
newspaper.

59 readers are those who give more than 1-hour time to the newspaper.

26 readers are those who give less than 15 minutes.

Choice of different topics of newspaper

18% people like to read local news.

14% people like to read political news.

13% people like to read sports news.

11% people like to read editorial.

10% people like to read international news.

10% people like to read supplement.

9% people like to read entertainment news.

8% people like to read business news.

7% people like to read vacancy/appointment news.

Shifted or not shifted customer

Total sample size =498

204 customers are shifted one newspaper to another newspaper recently.

281 customers are not shifted one newspaper to another newspaper recently.

13 customers are dropped the reading newspaper.

Scheme enjoying & not enjoying the customer

Total sample size = 485

211 customers are buying newspaper under promotional scheme.

274 customers are buying newspaper without promotional scheme.

Choice of various type of promotional scheme

Total sample size = 485

There are 202 customers who preferred gift in scheme.

There are 84 customers who preferred additional newspaper in scheme.

There are 76 customers who preferred discount in scheme.

There are 20 customers who preferred gift & discount both in scheme.

There are 1 customer who preferred additional newspaper & discount both in
scheme.

There are 102 customers who are not interested in any kind of scheme.

Readers of HT & TOI

Total sample size = 485

There are 120 customers who buy Hindustan times out of 498 samples.

There are 128 customer who buying times of India out of 498 samples.

Rest are buying other different newspaper.

Enjoying HT scheme
Sample size of TOI = 120

61 customers are buying under promotional scheme.

59 customers are buying without promotional scheme.

Shifted & not shifted customers of HT

Sample size of HT = 120

There are 29 customers who early buying times of India but presently buying
Hindustan times.

There are 91 customers who buy Hindustan times from a long time.

Brand loyal & scheme driven customers of HT

Sample size of HT = 120

There are 59 customers who are brand loyal of Hindustan times. They will
never sift their newspaper due to promotional scheme.

There are 61 customers who are scheme driven customer. They can change
their newspaper when any other newspaper offers any scheme.

Preferences of various types of HT scheme

Sample size of HT = 120

There are 72 customers who preferred gift in scheme.

There are 8 customers who preferred additional newspaper in scheme.

There are 17 customers who preferred discount in scheme.

There are 3 customers who preferred gift & discount both in scheme.

There are 20 customers who are not interested in any kind of scheme.

Enjoying TOI scheme

Sample size of TOI = 128

48 customers are buying under promotional scheme.

80 customers are buying without promotional scheme.

Sifted & not sifted customers of TOI

Sample size of TOI = 128

There are 81 customers who early buying Hindustan times but presently
buying times of India.

There are 47 customers who buy times of India from a long time.

Brand loyal & scheme driven customers of TOI

Sample size of TOI = 128

There are 67 customers who are brand loyal of times of India. They will never
sift their newspaper due to promotional scheme.

There are 61 customers who are scheme driven customer. They can change
their newspaper when any other newspaper offers scheme.

Preferences of various types of TOI scheme

Sample size of TOI = 128

There are 55 customers who preferred gift in scheme.

There are 14 customers who preferred additional newspaper in scheme.

There are 22 customers who preferred discount in scheme.

There are 6 customers who preferred gift & discount both in scheme.

There is 1 customer who preferred additional newspaper & discount both in

scheme.

There are 30 customers who are not interested in any kind of scheme.

CONCLUSION
The conclustion from the survey is as follows -

There are only two companies in english newspaper, which is leading the
market. 1) Hindustan times 2) Times of India.

THE Hindustan times is the only newspaper which is headed in the right
direction & healthy mix of glamour & substance.

We find that many customers who are in dropout list they are still continuing
with Hindustan times.

The reason behind the dropout Hindustan times is the Unfulfillment of

promotional scheme.

Children got Hindustan times next in there school are also a cause of dropout
the Hindustan times at home.

Lots of customers are not aware about various promotional scheme of the
newspaper.

Few customers are registered the scheme of Hindustan times but they are
getting Times of India.

Hindustan times guys had taken 90 rupees from the customer for three month
delivery of Hindustan times. But they didn't get a single a day.

Vendors are also registered there name for promotional scheme but they are
not taking newspaper.

SUGGESTIONS
After analyze the findings of the project, we come to following suggestion, which,
from my point of view, will be useful for the company.

There should be advertisements of promotional scheme in the newspaper

because lots of customers are unknown about different promotional scheme.

There should be an index of news on first page. Which will help to customer to
select there favorite news to read.

There should be a summary of all news on one page. Due to less time people
are unable to read whole newspaper.

Distribution process of gift must be easy so every customer can benefited by

the schemes.

There should be a kid's section for children.

Education & business segment should more emphasis.

HT City should not have vulgar photographs.

Need to improve promotional activities for Hindustan times regular customer

like.

1. Need to implement some competition like quiz, crossword, story writing,

poem writing, name & title, passage writing etc. and some prizes are given to
the winners.
2. Need to add some interesting competitions and topics for kids, housewives,
and old age people.
3. Should give an additional booklet by the end of the month which will include
some general knowledge that has been happened during the two or three
months means current G.K. it will include political news, new appointments
through out the world, sport events, honors given to different personality
either relating to business world/cinema etc.
4. This will give them the advantages like...

Awareness and attraction of more and more readers.

Getting some sponsorship from different companies also.

BIBLIOGRAPHY
1. Principles of marketing: Kotler & Armstrong
2. Research methodology: P.P.Arya & Yesh pal
3. Marketing research: Naresh k. Malhotra
4. www.hindustantimes.com
5. www.google.com