A SURVEY REPORT ON

CUSTOMER AWARENESS ABOUT THE BRANDS OF MINERAL WATERS IN THE CITY OF VARANASI

Bachelor of Business Administration (B.B.A) (2007-2010)

Approved By AICTE, HRD MINISTRY

Under the Aegis of Dr. Rahul Rajan ( SMS, Varanasi)

Submitted By: Parvaiz Kamal (B.B.A 4th Semester) B/11/082

SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT SCIENCE VARANASI

DECLARATION

I hereby declare that the information presented here is correct to the best of my knowledge and the analysis is as per the norms and guidelines provided for the report. I have utilized the requisite concepts and applied the required methodologies to analyze the primary data collected to reach the conclusion present in the report. I claim the report to be my indigenous work and has not been presented anywhere for any purpose what so ever.

Parvaiz Kamal Roll No. B/11/082 B.B.A 4th Semester SMS, Varanasi

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

It is indeed a moment of immense gratificalm for me to express my deepest gratitude to the faculty of SMS for providing me with any opportunity to carry out this survey and help me create survey report on CUSTOMER AWARENESS ABOUT THE BRANDS OF MINERAL
WATERS IN THE CITY OF VARANASI

I am immensely grateful to prof P.N. Jha (Director of SMS) for providing me opportunity to prove my skills and shoulder the responsibilities through this survey report. I would also like to convey my sincere gratitude to my project guide Dr. Rahul Rajan (Lecturer) for his valuable guidance and suggestions while pursuing the project and for taking pains to give his valuable inputs to structure the report. Without his help and valuable inputs and guidelines, the completion of this project would not have been possible. I am highly indebted and thankful to each and every person who devoted valuable time out of their busy schedule to fill-up the questionnaire in the time. I am also thankful to our faculty and classmates for their suggestion and support to undertake this work and also during the course of study.

PREFACE

It is great privilege for me to place this report before the reader. This report is concern with CUSTOMER AWARENESS ABOUT THE BRANDS
OF MINERAL WATERS IN THE CITY OF VARANASI.

This project is done to know about there prospects in the coming time. This project has been completed with the help of many people who guided through thick and thin and provided me every kind of support in completing my project. At last I want to give my thanks to everybody who has cooperated me a lot in completing my project.

TABLE OF CONTENT

TABLE OF CONTENT

S. No
1 2 3

Topic
INTRODUCTION OBJECTIVES RESEARCH METHODOLOGY SIGNIFICANCE OF STUDY SAMPLE SIZE DATA COLLECTION METHOD UNIVERSE SAMPLING TECHNIQUE RESEARCH DESIGN

Page No

FINDINGS, ANALYSIS & INTERPRETATION CONCLUSION LIMITATIONS BIBLIOGRAPHY ANNEXURE LIMITATIONS

5 6 7 8

INTRODUCTION

INTRODUCTION

Mineral water is water containing minerals or other dissolved substances that alter its taste or give it therapeutic value. Salts, sulfur compounds, and gases are among the substances that can be dissolved in the water. Mineral water can often be effervescent. Mineral water can be prepared or can occur naturally. In many places, mineral water is often colloquially used to mean carbonated water, which is usually carbonated mineral water, as opposed to tap water. Traditionally mineral waters would be used or consumed at their source, often referred to as taking the waters or taking the cure and such sites were referred to as spas, baths or wells. Spa would be used when the water was consumed and bathed in, bath when the water was not generally consumed, and well when the water was not generally bathed in. Often an active tourist centre would grow up around a mineral water site (even in ancient times; see Bath). Such tourist development resulted in spa towns and hydropathic hotels (often shortened to Hydros). In modern times, it is far more common for mineral waters to be bottled at source for distributed consumption. Traveling to the mineral water site for direct access to the water is now uncommon, and in many cases not possible (because of exclusive commercial ownership rights). There are over 3000 brands of mineral water commercially available worldwide.[1] The U.S. FDA classifies mineral water as water containing at least 250 parts per million total dissolved solids (TDS), and is also water coming from a source tapped at one or more bore holes or spring, originating from a geologically and physically protected underground water source. No minerals may be added to this water. The more minerals in drinking water, the harder it is said to be; water with few minerals is described as being soft

NATURAL MINERAL WATER VS. PACKAGED DRINKING WATER

OUR BUREAU Chennai, June 1 The Bureau of Indian Standards recognises two varieties of branded drinking water - natural mineral water and packaged drinking water. Natural mineral water is water from underground source that is packaged close to the source and meets the quality standards without processing. Packaged water On the other hand, packaged drinking water is from any source and has to be treated and disinfected, a process that could involve filtration, UV or ozone treatment, reverse osmosis before it is fit for human consumption. Ask any of the natural mineral water manufacturers, they say the number of processes needed to package water for drinking only shows the poor quality of the raw material. But the natural mineral water, they say, it is fit for human consumption at source and is packed without any treatment. LICENSEES Consider this: There are just 11 natural mineral water licence holders, while there are several hundred packaged drinking water licences approved by the Bureau of Indian Standards, which dictates the quality specifications. Of the 11 licensed by the BIS, one is Evian, a French brand, and of the other Indian brands except for one, in the Aravallis, the rest are in the Himalayan ranges. COST According to market sources, while a litre of packaged drinking water is Rs 1012, natural mineral water starts at about Rs 20 a litre and can go up to Rs 125. According to Mr Behram Mehta, of Sheelpe Enterprises, and licence holder of Aava brand of natural mineral water, a litre of Aava brand costs about Rs 20 in the market. Transportation costs are a key factor in deciding the viability of the brands. A litre of natural mineral water takes up anywhere up to Rs 6 towards transportation.

According to industry sources, the single factor deciding the viability of a brand in the market is the transportation cost - there is virtually no cost involved in the processing.

WELCOME TO WATER WAR

There will be crises in the world, much graver than the crude oil problem. Some time back, an international seminar was organized at Bonn, Germany, were 3000 delegates from 130 countries were present. In the seminar, some startling observations were made that water will be sold the way crude is sold through tanker and pipelines in the 21st century. Wars are being waged over crude. Similarly there will be wars fought over water. 130 corer people of the world are deprived of clean potable water. This scarcity of water led to business of mineral and packaged drinking water flourishing. Every day, about 6000 die of water-borne diseases. There are as many deaths due to consumption of contaminated water as there were during terrorist attacks on the twin towers. The water crises in India is extremely serious. 97% of water reserve on earth is salty sea waters. 2.5% of the balance 3% is stores in the shaper of icebergs in the arctic region. This leaves us with just 5% drinkable water. Large quantities of fresh water, available in the world today, are stored in the massive ponds on the borders of Canada and America. The rest of the world is witnessing the rapidly and consistently depleting stock of water as a result of rising population, urbanization, industrialization and pollution. In several parts of India, the water shortage has triggered riots. According to a report released by the UN, only 3000 cubic meter water can be available per year for people in Asia. The Indian average is still lower, that is 2500 cubic meter. There is a tradition in Uttar Pradesh that a bride's marriage is considered solemnized only after she performs pooja in worship of a well. Today, in view of most of wells being filled and cemented water tankers are worshipped instead of wells. About 20 crore people of India do not get clean water to drink. Among the water resources available in the country about 80% sources have been contaminated as a result of effluents poured into the waters by industries, or by mixing of dirty waters. Still farmers are advised to prefer cash-rich crops that need more water. In order to consolidate their vote banks, farmers are offered free electricity that is used to extract water from underground through bore well. This renders thousands of wells useless owing to constant lowering of water levels. It is because of water scarcity that India's agricultural output has gone down resulting in the country having to import food.

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At the time of independence, each village of the country had minimum of one source of drinking water. The village that has no single source of drinking water is recognized in governmental parlance as 'no source village'. There were about 750 no source villages in India in 1985. In 1996, despite all tall claims made by the government number of 'no source village' had shot up 65,000. This implies that the 65000 'no source villages' that had minimum one source of drinking water lost their sources either through drying up of wells or through contamination because of industry waste or gutter water. When big dams are constructed across big rivers, water flowing underneath begins to dry up, leading to serious water crises in villages along banks. Municipalities of cities release gutter water into rivers without purifying it and this deprives hundred of villages of their source of drinking water. Permission given for arbitrary setting up of industries along river banks to contributes to polluting waters. People who drink this contaminated water fall prey to various water-borne diseases. Why are these industrialists, guilty of polluting water meant for drinking by people, go scot-free? why are municipalities allowed to release water into rivers without purifying it? When India achieved independence, water distribution was under the control of people. Gram Panchayat of every village used to maintain ponds and wells of its village and what is more, rivers were regarded as wealth of Nature. Our government has constructed dams over almost all the rivers and as a consequence, established bureaucratic control over water. People hardly know the fact that river that was once considered wealth of Nature has become government property because of various irrigation projects. Earlier water was available free to the people but now they have to pay for it to municipalities or irrigation department. Now, plans are being made on a War footing to hand over water administration to private multinational companies, as they say that bureaucrats and engineers cannot competently handle their responsibility. Out of the ten biggest companies in the world, four are associated with water business. These include Germany's RWE, France's Vivandi and Swej Liyonej and America's Enron Corporation. Enron has of course gone bankrupt, but earlier it used to deal in water and make 8000 crore dollars. Its annual turnover was four times that of Microsoft. In India, arrangements for handing over responsibilities of water distribution in cities like Delhi and Mumbai to MNCs are almost complete. The World Bank is brokering the deal as the agent of these companies. When municipality of any city seeks loan from WB for its water project, the World Bank, in turn,puts a condition that water distribution responsibility will be awarded to private companies. Pravate companies imply multinational companies here.

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Our government has formulated its new water policy, dictated by these multinationals, According to this policy, all new irrigation dams and rivers will be entrusted to multinationals. Already, MOCs have staked their ownership on Delhi's sacred rivers like Ganga and Yamuna. In the even of our rivers and water management being handed over to multinationals, the latter will high the price of water so much that it will be beyond the lips of the poor. As a result, they will be at the receiving end of ailments caused by drinking contaminated water. There is also no guarantee that by handing over the charge of water managements in the hands of MOCs, all sections of society will get clean drinkable water. The water supplied by the North Ambrian company responsible for supply of drinkable water in Britain, has recently been found to be of inferior quality. Once government entrusts any multinational with management and distribution of water, it has no longer control over it with regard to its quality and regularity. Multinationals dealing in water are notorious for grabbing government contracts by substantially greasing the palms of bureaucrats and ministers. The top ten companies trading in the water have faced charges of corruption and irregularities. these companies are adopting corrupt practices to take over water distribution system in Mumbai and Delhi. Now it up to the people to rise to the occasion to pre-empt their nefarious designs

WHY MINERAL WATER IS THE BEST DRINKING WATER

GoldFox Water Ionizers Odyssey Under-the-counter Water Ionizer Bottled Waters: Are All Created Equal? Purified Water: To Drink or Not to Drink Chlorination: Heart Disease & Cancer Bathing: A Chemical War Zone? Asbestos: Now In Drinking Water Animal Studies: The Compelling Evidence Mineral Analysis of Michigan Mineral Water

BOTTLED WATERS: ARE ALL CREATED EQUAL? Bottled water is big business. And it usually tastes better than what comes out of your tap. But is it "healthy water?" It depends. Ask yourself: "Is the water hard? Is it moderately high in TDS?" Most bottled water labels in the US do not give the information you need to know the answers to these questions. Request a complete water analysis from the company. Keep in mind many 12

bottled waters are simply processed water using distillation, reverse osmosis, de-ionization or filtration. Frankly you can do this yourself and save money. With over 700 brands of bottled water available in the US, around 80% are processed water. Purchase only natural spring or artesian well waters that come closest to the "healthy water" criteria - hardness 170 mg/l and TDS 300 mg/l. References:(47) Michigan Mineral - Premium Natural Water has a Hardness of 260 mg/l and TDS 362 mg/l.

PURIFIED WATER: TO DRINK OR NOT TO DRINK De-mineralized water has little or no minerals. This is the result if you use a distiller, a reverse osmosis unit (RO), or de-ionization (ion exchange resins). However, the research on heart disease and cancer shows a healthy water is hard and moderately high in TDS (total dissolved solids). Why do people purchase these de-mineralized or water softening systems? Usually their thinking goes something like this. "I know I should drink water, but it's so polluted with chlorine, chemicals and toxic metals, that it's not safe. So I'll get rid of these harmful things and all will be OK." Not really. Creating a "healthy water" means removing the harmful agents but keeping the beneficial minerals. "Minerals in drinking water are more easily and better absorbed than minerals from food," according to Dr. John Sorenson, a leading authority on mineral metabolism. Purifying devices remove everything from the water, harmful bacteria and beneficial minerals. This stripped water cannot sustain life even in a fish bowl. All fish require minerals to prosper, and if allowed to live in these types of water will perish. If this type of water is ingested for long periods of time, it can leach out valuable body minerals such as potassium, magnesium, sodium and calcium. Mineralized water is needed for all cellular functions and if there are no minerals in your drinking water your body will rob the minerals from somewhere in your body to satisfy its needs. One can take mineral supplements to replace them however, it is not easy to replace the minerals in our bodies in the same form that we lost them. References: (5) , (7) , (22) , (44) , (46) , (50) CHLORINATION: HEART DISEASE & CANCER Is the chlorine in our municipal drinking water acting as a catalyst triggering tumor development both in atherosclerosis (heart disease) and cancer? In the late 1960's Joseph Price, MD.., wrote a fascinating, yet largely ignored book entitled, Coronaries, Cholesterol, Chlorine. Based on his experiments he boldly 13

shows, "Nothing can negate... the basic cause of atherosclerosis and .. heart attacks and most common forms of strokes is chlorine. The chlorine contained in processed drinking water." Can chlorine be linked to cancer too? Chlorine combines with natural organic matter creating cancer causing trihalomethanes (THMs). Collectively THMs include such carcinogens as chloroforms, bromoforms, carbon tectachloride, bischlorothane and others. Drinking chlorinated tap water destroys beneficial bacteria in the body which will weaken and eventually damage one's immunity, and should also be avoided. Studies from Louisiana, New York, Maryland and Ohio reveal where there are higher levels of THMs the result is higher levels of cancer. References: (2) , (14) , (16) , (18) , (23) , (30) , (34) , (35) , (37) ,(51) ,(52)

BATHING: A CHEMICAL WAR ZONE? Preliminary research suggests that the ingestion of harmful chemicals from drinking water may not be the primary route of exposure. Both skin absorption and inhalation have been studied. Skin versus oral absorption rates for toxic chemicals in both children and adults show much higher rates of chemical absorption from skin than from oral ingestion for toluene, ethyl benzene, and styrene. Inhalation from showering for TCE (trichloroethylene) was 6 to 80 times greater than from drinking. Lover's of hot tubs & pools beware! One should consider a using point of use shower filter. This is for chemical, not mineral removal. This can solve your bathing water problems. References: (3) , (8) , (9) ASBESTOS: NOW IN DRINKING WATER Asbestos is starting to be discovered in some drinking water systems. Many of us have heard the stories of asbestos inhalation and cancer. Dr. Irving J. Selikoff painstakingly documented the relationship between occupational asbestos exposure and increased respiratory and digestive cancer. He found that it generally took at least 20 years of exposure to asbestos before the damage shows and when it does it's generally too far advanced. Selikoff calls this the 20 to 30 year rule for environmental disease to show its horrible face. Studies done in the cities of Duluth, Minneapolis, Iowa City, San Francisco on people drinking water with asbestos are starting to show that they have higher 14

levels of cancer deaths of the stomach, small intestines, pancreas, gastrointestinal area and lungs. This is the same pattern as from asbestos inhalation. Yet these cancers are starting to show up after only 10 to 15 years of exposure. References: (17) , (18) , (42) , (45) ANIMAL STUDIES: THE COMPELLING EVIDENCE The research presented in other sections from Healthy Water has been based mainly on human studies usually looking at large populations or epidemiological analysis. These numerous studies have lead me to advocate that a "healthy water" is one that contains moderate amounts of TDS, is hard, and has an alkaline pH. What do the animal studies reveal? Most animal experiments use water that is made "hard" or "soft" to which various harmful substances like cadmium, lead, chlorine or fluoride, have been added. What is usually found is that animals drinking the hard water have less of the harmful agent in their tissues than the animals drinking the soft water. The animal experiments dramatically and clearly support the main conclusions observed from the human studies. Namely, hard water is healthier than soft water. References: (1) , (6) , (19) , (27) , (32) , (36) , (37)

Mineral Analysis of Michigan Mineral Water Calcium . . . . . . . 193 mg/l Magnesium . . . . . . 58 mg/l Phosphoros . . . . . . 4 mg/l Zinc . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 mg/l Sodium . . . . . . . . . 0 mg/l pH . . . . . . . . . . . .

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Water is the most important liquid in the world. Without water, there would be no life, at least not the way we know it. This source of life makes up about three quarters of the human body. mineralwaters.org is a non-profit consumer web site that offers comprehensive information about and around bottled water. Help support mineralwaters.org and keep this valuable resource free and independent. Over 3'200 brands from more than 130 countries are presented with their contents. Have a look a the list of brands, sorted by country or sorted alphabetically. The Bottled Water Ratings Rate your favourite waters! Ewald Schnug from the German Ferderal Agricultural Research Centre (FAL) in Braunschweig has published the mineral content analysis of a wide number of bottled waters. You can find the results here. Water contains various minerals - some good for your health, others less so. Explore the different ingredients of bottled waters. The best water is of no use if you cannot get it. Therefore, you can now look who is offering your favourite water, or search directly for a distributor by country. Distributors that are not yet listed will find information regarding the listing here Discuss every imagineable aspect of water in the Forum. This is the place to ask questions, read answers, find partners for your new business venture, and open new distribution channels.

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WHERE DOES WATER COME FROM? Some 70% of the earth is covered with water. But nearly all is unavailable for human consumption without being processed first. The oceans make up for 97% and the polar ice shields hold another 2%. Only about 1% is soft water from lakes, rives and underground sources, but even from that tiny amount an increasing part is unsafe for human consumption. All over the world, water is one of the most popular drinks. Its popularity with consumers increased over the last couple of years dramatically. This led to an explosion of available brands. So, keep on exploring the world of water, as it is the best drink for you.

Water is the most important liquid in the world. Without water, there would be no life, at least not the way we know it. This source of life makes up about three quarters of the human body. mineralwaters.org is a non-profit consumer web site that offers comprehensive information about and around bottled water. Help support mineralwaters.org and keep this valuable resource free and independent. Over 3'200 brands from more than 130 countries are presented with their contents. Have a look a the list of brands, sorted by country or sorted alphabetically. The Bottled Water Ratings Rate your favourite waters! Ewald Schnug from the German Ferderal Agricultural Research Centre (FAL) in Braunschweig has published the mineral content analysis of a wide number of bottled waters. You can find the results here. Water contains various minerals - some good for your health, others less so. Explore the different ingredients of bottled waters. The best water is of no use if you cannot get it. Therefore, you can now look who is offering your favourite water, or search directly for a distributor by country. Distributors that are not yet listed will find information regarding the listing

17

Discuss every imagineable aspect of water in the Forum. This is the place to ask questions, read answers, find partners for your new business venture, and open new distribution channels. Where does water come from? Some 70% of the earth is covered with water. But nearly all is unavailable for human consumption without being processed first. The oceans make up for 97% and the polar ice shields hold another 2%. Only about 1% is soft water from lakes, rives and underground sources, but even from that tiny amount an increasing part is unsafe for human consumption. All over the world, water is one of the most popular drinks. Its popularity with consumers increased over the last couple of years dramatically. This led to an explosion of available brands. So, keep on exploring the world of water, as it is the best drink for you.

Facts shows that 80% of diseases are due to water contamination and we are here to help/educated our Brothers and Sisters in India and globally to avoid drinking contaminated water and we proudly Join our hands with Andhra Pradesh Govt. dream project to serve good Drinking water at rural and urban level.

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ALFAWATERS At Outset, we would like to introduce ourselves as the Manufacturer of Packaged Drinking Water as per ISI Standard: 14543. Our state of the art manufacturing facility is located at Cherlapally, Hyderabad, India. We have installed capacity of 50,000 Liter Per Day with processing speed of 3000 Liter Per Hour. (Grundfos Pressure Pump).

PURITY We purify raw water contaminates through our state of the art RO SYSTEM, Reverse Osmosis technique, Out of the five available technique in the world to purify the water we are using the most advance and reliable technique of RO Process. Reverse Osmosis - Pressure is used to force fresh water through a thin membrane that does not allow the minerals to pass. In osmosis, two solutions are separated by a membrane that will only let the solvent particles pass through and the large particles cannot pass through the membrane. OUR EXCELLENCE We have an excellent blending technique of Raw water to final product water, to purify the TOTAL DISSOLVE SOLIDS TDS, we have an excellent fleet of imported machinery equipments like Pressure Sand Filter Aquario, Spain, Activated Carbon Filter - Aquario, Spain (Completely made of Inoxidable Stainless Steel), Reverse Osmosis Membranes Osmomics, USA and additional two UV Systems to ensure that bacteria should not exist at any level or stage of process. QUALITY We are processing our product in the best hygienic condition by latest American Reverse Osmosis Membrane Filtration Technology. Our plant has 5stage filtration system. This technology helps to extract all the impurities and microorganisms from the water without using any chemical treatment.

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PACKAGING We are using completely food grade material for packing of product. The raw material, used for packing is tested and also certified by laboratories. We are using SS 316 L grade pipes for flow and restoring the water. FUTURE PLANS Our focus is on client service and building long term relationships based on mutual trust, respect and delivery results. We seek to establish profitable and long lasting business relationships with prospective clients . WHAT WE OFFER Our products offer packaged water that naturally contains exactly the right proportion of minerals and other trace elements which give the body the right nutrients to promote general good health and overall well-being. We deliver our orders within a day, which is why we are admired by our customers We cater mainly to Restaurants Hotels General public Corporate houses Marriage ceremonies TEAM Our is backed by a team of hard-working, motivated and determined professionals. We have quality analyst, technicians, testers and management professionals who ensure that at every stage, safe and pure water is delivered. Our team believes that time is precious and we deliver our assignments on time. Our success is mainly due to the hard-work and perseverance of our team

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WHAT ARE WE ALL ABOUT? A LITTLE MORE DETAIL At Just Drinking Water (JDW), we care passionately for the quality and taste of all the water we pack for our customers. We also try really hard to minimise our business impact on the environment. This ethos ranges from the way we physically manage our business to minimise our carbon footprint, the sourcing of all the materials used in our products, through to the choices we have made in our product packaging. We know our consumers have already woken up to the reality of environmental issues surrounding them - and that they are looking to industry for a lead in tackling their environmental impact. It is important that our suppliers can demonstrate they take environmental issues seriously also, and that they continue to drive improvements in their own environmental performance

HOW DOES THAT MAKE US DIFFERENT? In the UK, the water JDW sell is packed in cartons. There are many environmental issues involved in packaging and we have specifically chosen cartons over the cheaper but less sustainable alternatives, because we believe our cartons have the strong environmental credentials our customers demand. Thats why we say think inside the box The beverage carton has a unique environmental attribute: it is the only beverage package commonly found made mainly from a renewable material; namely wood. Taking this further, our ultimate goal is for our suppliers to ensure that all the wood fibre used in our packaging board comes from independently certified sustainable managed forests. Cartons are extremely resource efficient. The unique make up of the package, means that it not only protects the contents from light and air, which can harm any valuable vitamins and minerals in the product; it uses the minimum amount of materials to make the package. It manages to do all this, without the need for preservatives.

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Cartons are very transport efficient! Comparing both sides of the value chain, the carton packaging material is delivered to the filling sites in reel format, so just one truck can transport enough packaging material for nearly a million 1 litre water cartons. If you think of the alternative, it takes over 50 trucks to deliver a million formed plastic or glass bottles of the same size to a bottling plant. Please hold that thought in your mind for a moment to let it sink in, then you can tell others why we are urging you to think inside the box . Cartons are recyclable! So what, so are plastic bottles yes, and we encourage their recycling, however, cartons are mostly made from renewable resources (forests) in the first place, which in our book counts as a big plus.Cartons are collected for recycling across many parts of the UK and Tetra Pak are working hard to actively drive the availability of carton collection systems across the nation. Watch this space and keep an eye on the press for more details as this area is developing rapidly.

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Mineral Water under the name 'Bisleri' was first introduced in Mumbai in glass bottles in two varieties - bubbly & still in 1965 by Bisleri Ltd., a company of Italian origin. This company was started by Signor Felice Bisleri who first brought the idea of selling bottled water in India. Parle bought over Bisleri (India) Ltd. In 1969 & started bottling Mineral water in glass bottles under the brand name 'Bisleri'. Later Parle switched over to PVC non-returnable bottles & finally advanced to PET containers. Since 1995 Mr. Ramesh J. Chauhan has started expanding Bisleri operations substantially and the turn over has multiplied more than 20 times over a period of 10 years and the average growth rate has been around 40% over this period. Presently we have 8 plants & 11 franchisees all over India. We have our presence covering the entire span of India. In our future ventures we look to put up four more plants in 06-07. We command a 60% market share of the organized market. Overwhelming popularity of 'Bisleri' & the fact that we pioneered bottled water in India, has made us synonymous to Mineral water & a household name. When you think of bottled water, you think Bisleri. We at Bisleri value our customers & therefore have developed 8 unique pack sizes to suit the need of every individual. We are present in 250ml cups, 250ml bottles, 500ml, 1L, 1.5L, 2L which are the non-returnable packs & 5L, 20L which are the returnable packs. Till date the Indian consumer has been offered Bisleri water, however in our effort to bring to you something refreshingly new, we have introduced Bisleri Natural Mountain Water - water brought to you from the foothills of the mountains situated in Himachal Pradesh. Hence our product range now comprises of two variants : Bisleri with added minerals & Bisleri Mountain Water.

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It is our commitment to offer every Indian pure & clean drinking water. Bisleri Water is put through multiple stages of purification, ozonised & finally packed for consumption. . Rigorous R&D & stringent quality controls has made us a market leader in the bottled water segment. Strict hygiene conditions are maintained in all plants. In our endeavour to maintain strict quality controls each unit purchases performs & caps only from approved vendors. We produce our own bottles inhouse. We have recently procured the latest world class state of the art machineries that puts us at par with International standards. This has not only helped us improve packaging quality but has also reduced raw material wastage & doubled production capacity. You can be rest assured that you are drinking safe & pure water when you consume Bisleri. Bisleri is free of impurities & 100% safe. Enjoy the Sweet taste of Purity !

Bisleri Ltd.
Founded Headquarter s Key people Products Parent Website Signor Felice Bisleri 1965 Mumbai, India Mr. Ramesh J. Chauhan (Chairman Bisleri International Pvt.Ltd.) Water Beverage Parle Agro Official Website

Bisleri is a brand of mineral water in India. Bisleri has 60% market share in packaged drinking water in India

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It is available in 8 pack sizes: 250ml cups, 250ml bottles, 500ml, 1 liter, 1.5 liter, 2 liter, 5 liter, and 20 liter. It's operations run throughout the subcontinent of India and is one of the leading Mineral Water supplying companies in India. Currently Bisleri has 8 plants & 11 franchisees all over India.(as of 2007).

HISTORY
Bisleri was originally an Italian Company created by Signor Felice Bisleri who first brought the idea of selling bottled water in India. Bisleri then was introduced in Mumbai in glass bottles in two varieties bubbly & still in 1965. Parle bought over Bisleri (India) Ltd. in 1969 & started bottling Mineral water in glass bottles under the brand name Bisleri. Later Parle switched over to PVC non-returnable bottles & finally advanced to PET containers. Since 1995 Mr. Ramesh J. Chauhan has started expanding Bisleri operations. In 2003 Bisleri announced it's venture to Europe. The brand name Bisleri is so popular in India that it's used as generic name for bottled mineral water. [In India, Bisleri is to mineral water what Xerox is to photocopying.]

BISLERI WITH ADDED MINERALS:

This product is bottled drinking water at its best. Bisleri with added minerals has a TDS count (total dissolved solids count) of approximately 100. It contains minerals such as magnesium sulphate and potassium bicarbonate which are essential minerals for healthy living. They not only maintain the pH balance of the body but also help in keeping you fit and energetic at all times. Bisleri with added minerals is also put through multiple stages of purification to ensure the elimination of all forms of bacteria. This makes the water you drink completely safe to consume. Bisleri with added minerals is available in 250ml cups, 250ml bottles, 500ml bottles, 1 litre bottles, 1.5 litre bottles, 2 litre bottles and 5 and 20 litre cans. We at Bisleri value our customers & therefore have developed 8 unique pack sizes to suit the need of every individual. We are present in 250ml cups, 250ml bottles, 500ml, 1L, 1.5L, 2L which are the non-returnable packs & 5L, 20L which are the returnable packs

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BISLERI MOUNTAIN WATER: Bisleri Natural Mountain emanates from a natural spring, located in Uttaranchal and Himachal nestled in the vast Shivalik Mountain ranges. Lauded as today's 'fountain of youth', Bisleri Natural Mountain Water resonates with the energy and vibrancy capable of taking you back to nature. Bisleri Natural Water is bottled in its two plants in Uttaranchal and Himachal Pradesh and is available in six different pack sizes of 250ml, 500ml, 1 litre, 1.5 litre, 2 litre and 5 litres Aquapax 500ml TPA pack Our Aquapax TPA (Tetra Prisma Aseptic) 500ml unit shown below with its resealable stream cap opener, is a premium natural mineral water with pragmatic carton pack attributes, keeping the water fresh, protected from light and air. The Aquapax natural mineral water product proves there is no need to compromise on product quality when choosing an environmentally friendly paper package. Designed for consumers with a genuine taste for premium quality natural mineral water and a pure thirst for the environment.

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The Aquapax TPA500ml product is a stunning metallised carton, made from over 70% paper its the only mineral water available in the UK packed in aseptic bacteria free conditions and sealed from both light and air to maintain absolute product taste integrity from the day its packed to the day its decanted or until you simply open it and drink it.

Using our Aquapax as part of your marketing mix is an innovative means of communicating your corporate brand message and / or values to your customers and prospective customers. The >72% paper pack is perfect for overprinting with your brands look and feel wrapping around the front 5 panels of the pack. For our part, we ensure full compliance with drinking water and food standard legislation on the rear 3 panels. We do this in a completely discrete manner, so as to enhance the overall bespoke production look and feel for your design. A co-branding production run for brand promotional purposes, guarantees you benefit from a cost effective exclusively tailored marketing opportunity that will impress your clients. Aquapax is the original and still the only cartonised (new word) mineral water available in the UK. As the message of responsible drinking comes higher up the agenda for any organisation with a commitment to CSR, branded mineral water is a perfect addition to your marketing mix. Its possibly the only marketing activity you will undertake that might actually help your customers maintain healthy hydration levels as part of a positive lifestyle message. Your customised Aquapax helps you develop an intimate relationship with your customers as they subtly ingest your product, knowing they are

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benefiting their health and wellbeing while affirming the trust they have in your business. If you would like to consider a co-branding production, please contact us with details of who you are, the entity you are representing and the quantity of water you are interested in branding.

A minimum full print run is just 100,000 units, however, we can uniquely combine print runs to bring the minimum down to just 50,000 units on selected co-print, co-brand opportunities. From a value stance, production runs of 200,000+ qualify for generous quantity discounts. Marketing on a package made from >70% paper is perfect for any business with its own thirst for the environment, and we welcome premium quality ethical brand building enquiries for overprinting on our environmentally more sustainable package. You can convey the message of your* choice on the Aquapax natural mineral water carton, for brand development campaigns, product launches, corporate hospitality events, sponsor relationship branding and the like. When it comes to the pack design, you essentially have 3 options: 1. You can ask us to design your pack for you. Simply write a brief on the purpose of the pack, its planned usage period and what you would like to achieve. Then send us the logos, and other elements you want included on your pack and we will provide you with what we consider a perfect solution. 2. You can ask your own marketing agency to design your pack for you we recommend writing them a brief (see 1 above). Please ask them to contact us for a copy of our generic pack template, showing where they can implement their design. 3. You can design your Aquapax carton yourself. Please contact us directly and register the brief (see 1 above) to receive our generic pack template. * Were really pretty open minded, however, for the record, Just Drinking Water Ltd reserves absolutely the right to decline any co-branding or branded pack design which in its exclusive opinion is offensive Aquapax 250ml TBA pack Our Aquapax TBA (Tetra Brik Aseptic) 250ml unit (shown below in slim pack guise) is the mainstay of our emergency water supply range. This product is

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designed for efficient storage and provides 250ml measures of wholesome hydration in potentially adverse circumstances. All product packaging is designed by Just Drinking Water Ltd and supplied by Tetra Pak Ltd. Aquapax contain wholesome potable water, aseptically sealed in bacteria free conditions. Pack access is gained through puncturing the aluminium barrier foil with the attached straw or by using any appropriate clean sharp implement. Once punctured, the wholesome water can either be consumed for rehydration, by simply sucking the water through the straw directly into the patients mouth, or sprayed as a bacteria free cleansing agent, directly to any wound or other area in need of cleansing.

Aquapax 1000ml TBA pack

Our Aquapax TBA (Tetra Brik Aseptic) 1000ml unit shown below in its slim guise with re-cap lid opener, is the 1 litre version of the TPA250ml product effectively holding 4 times the volume of the TBA250ml product for greater rehydration satisfaction. In a nutshell, this is potable, portable water, packed in >75% paper cartons, suitable for space efficient, long life storage and convenient distribution in times of need. In emergency scenarios where recycling is impractical, the empty Aquapax cartons are easily squashed for burning, eliminating problems of reverse distribution from the field of application / operations.

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Whats in the water? Not all waters are equal, yet most people seem to believe if it comes in a bottle it must be good. We urge you to read this section to understand a little more about minerals in water and what some of the different minerals are. In this way, you will discover what the characteristics of different mineral waters are and which of these characteristics appeal to your taste buds. You might also discover there are certain waters you would prefer not to drink. AQUAPAX pure still mineral water is naturally low in minerals, has a near perfect pH balance, and is virtually nitrate free. This makes AQUAPAX suitable for infant consumption as well as suitable for anyone on a low sodium or nitrate sensitive diet. Natural Mineral Water: (NMW) is water originating from an underground water table or deposit, which is bottled / packed at source, and is microbiologically wholesome and naturally free from pollution and harmful micro-organisms. It is characterised by a stable composition (minerals, trace elements etc.) which is preserved intact by the extraction and bottling methods. NMW in its state at source may not be the subject of any addition other than the introduction or reintroduction of carbon dioxide under certain conditions. Spring Water: is water originating from an underground water table or deposit, which is also bottled at source. It should be microbiologically wholesome and naturally free from pollution and harmful micro-organisms, however, it does not need to demonstrate a stable composition. Bottled Drinking Water: is any bottled drinking water which is neither spring water nor natural mineral water. It can come from a variety of sources, including municipal (tap) sources. Unlike natural mineral water and spring water, bottled drinking water can be treated without restriction providing it does not make the water unsafe.

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Now you know a little more about whats in the water why not try having a search beyond the marketing graphics of the water brand you normally drink to compare some of our transparent mineral and other contents to theirs? Some things are more difficult to find than others, so good luck in your search. Company Information We were on holiday when the tsunami struck Southeast Asia on 26 December 2004. The horrific story was broadcast graphically over the world media. The very element that had destroyed the lives of so many people was the same element so vital to sustain life afterwards, water! Our natural response to this catastrophe was to send large quantities of food and bottled water out to the disaster zone and distribute it to the needy. Television footage showed people in hot, humid conditions drinking water from plastic bottles. Yet bottles passed from mouth to mouth inevitably breed bacteria, presenting an ongoing health hazard. While low on the scale of importance at that time, it occurred to us that the same plastic bottles would also be difficult to dispose of from an environmental standpoint; landfill means they stay in the ground for an estimated 400 years, while burning a product made from the earths diminishing oil reserves is not a sustainable option. Our product definition took shape; an environmentally sustainable packaged clean drinking water, which can be easily stored for long periods, bacteria free, protected from light and air in an aseptically packed state. A product shape thats perfect for storage and emergency use, while equally suitable for an environmentally conscious and caring consumer market. Just Drinking Water - Think inside the box Weve spent a long time researching and invested a great deal of energy in developing our product offering were now open for business and seeking Alliances with environmentally aware organisations that can see the future. There is a market for a fundamentally renewable and thus more sustainable paper based drink cartons as a space efficient, recyclable, long shelf-life packaging alternative for plastic containerised water. It Just makes sense to us and we would be delighted to hear from you if you feel the same.

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A pure thirst for the environment

Our Products Wholesome, clean drinking water; packaged in more environmentally sustainable and fundamentally renewable paper cartons, with practical packing attributes that facilitate a long storage-life Our Vision To satisfy people's needs for environmentally friendly, unpretentious packaged drinking water. Our Mission To develop a sustainable business with a minimal carbon footprint, packaging, selling and distributing clean drinking water. To share our company profits Justly with select organisations who share our ethics and in that way, to create positive change for people who are least able to help themselves.

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HISTORY :- LEAVING A MARK ON HISTORY

Things seethe and hiss, the earth trembles and clouds of ash blot out the sun. These are the beginnings of the Gerolsteiner mineral water about 500,000 years ago. Where today Gerolstein, the location of the water's source, is to be found, volcanic eruptions and rivers of lava gave the landscape a new face the Volcanic Eifel was created. Over the course of centuries, mountain ranges, rock formations and maars took on the shape they have today. Things went on underneath the earth's surface as well: every drop of rain was and is filtered and purified on its way through the volcanic rock layers. Roman soldiers were amongst the first to savor the fresh mineral water from Gerolstein's wells when they started occupying the region in the Gallic war(5850 B.C.). But it was only in 1888 that mine director Wilhelm Castendyck founded the Gerolsteiner Sprudel GmbH, having the water filled into clay jugs to begin with and switching to glass bottles as of 1900. During World War II the Gerolsteiner plant is destroyed by air assault, but the company is back to filling the first bottles as early as 1946. During the 50s Gerolsteiner takes over several mineral water companies, turning into the Gerolsteiner Sprudel GmbH & Co. In 1970 sales for the first time rise to above 100 million bottles. In 1998 Gerolsteiner is the first company to introduce the PET reusable bottle for mineral water to the market in Germany. In 2001 Gerolsteiner Apple Spritzer is introduced to the market, followed in quick succession by Gerolsteiner Naturell (2003) and Gerolsteiner Fit (2005). Finally, the year 2006 entails a major innovations-campaign: with new products (Moment, Naturell plus Fruit, Sport) and new packaging varieties (PET in a six pack) Gerolsteiner changes from being a mineral water specialist to a supplier of natural non-alcoholic beverages.

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OBJECTIVES

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OBJECTIVES
Primary Objectives
The main objective of the study is to find out the most preferred water among the customers and also to know the level of satisfaction of customers regarding various mineral water. The survey aims at gauging and analyzing General publics opinions, demands, requirements and satisfaction level about the quality, content, veracity and presentation of the mineral water survey to then.

Subsidiary Objectives
To know the reason behind drinking various mineral water To know about the kind of water mostly preferred by the customers To know their opinion about the scope of improvement in their Preferred mineral water

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RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

36

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

Significance of the study This report presents a view about the customers preference among various mineral waters.

Sample Size Sample size refers to the number of persons to be selected from the universe for conducting a survey.

Data Collection Method These are two types of data: 1)Primary data 2)Secondary data The best method of collecting data is the primary data collection method because it provides more scope for getting required information. I have done this survey through questionnaire method

Universe The universe is the entire group of item that researcher wants to study and generalize. My universe was all the mineral water customers of Varanasi.

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Sampling Technique As the universe is quite large so a relatively small group of individuals are selected for representing the whole universe. I follow the non probabilistic convenience sampling for my survey. The sample size is 100 Research Design To know about the present condition or status regarding particular item or group of items descriptive research is conducted. The descriptive study describes the state as it exists at present.

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FINDING,ANALYSIS & INTERPRETATION

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PRIMARY DATA TABULATION AND INTERPRETATION

Question 1Since how long have you been using branded mineral water? Time 3-4 Months 6months-1years More than 1 year No. Of Users 22 38 40

45 40 35 30 25 20 15 10 5 0

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40

22

3-4 months 6months-1year <1year

3-4 months

6months1year

<1year

Interpretation The data given above showing that 22% of consumers were using mineral water since 3-4 months, 38% were using since 6 to 4 months and rest were using more than 1 year.

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Question 2The frequency of your purchase? Frequency of purchase Daily Weekly Frequently Occasionally Rarely No. of users 18 24 10 12 36

40 35 30 25 20 15 10 5 0 Daily Weekly Frequently Occasionally 18 10 12 24

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Rearely

Interpretation Thus the data is showing that about 18% of the people purchasing mineral water daily,24% in a week, whereas 36% of people are rarely using mineral water.

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Question 3The brands you find in the city of Varanasi?

Brands Pepsi Bisleri Coca Cola Mc Donald Others

No. of respondents 26 43 19 9 3

3 26

19

43

Pepsi Bisleri Coca Cola Mc Donald Others

Interpretation 26% of respondents says that they find the pepsi brand in the city, 43% of respondents says that they find the Bisleri brand in the city whereas 31% says they find coca cola, Mc Donald and other brands.

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Question 4The brand of mineral water you prefer the most?

Brands Pepsi Bisleri Coca Cola Mc Donald Others

No. of users 16 43 28 6 7

0% 0% 7% 16% 6% 28% 43%

Pepsi Bisleri Coca Cola Mc Donalds Others

Interpretation:The data above given showing that Bisleri is most preferred brand among the consumers with 43%, whereas coca cola comes on 2nd with 28%.

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Question 5The reason for your preference? Reasons Brand Name Easy availability Packeging Others No. of respondent 17 61 13 9

70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0 Brand name 17

61

13

Easy availability

Packeging

Others

Interpretation:In the opinion of 61 respondents the reason for there preference of mineral water is brand name, 17 respondent says that it is because of easy availability whereas 22 respondent says is because of packaging and other reason.

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Question 6The availability of your preferred brand? Availability Frequently available Occasionally available Rarely available No. Of Respondent 76 13 11

11

13

Frequently available

Occationally available

Rarely available

76

Interpretation:The data showing that 76% of respondent says that the availability of there preferred brand is frequently available, 13% there preferred brand is Occasionally available and 11% of respondent says that the availability of there preferred brand is Rarely available.

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Question7The source of information regarding your preferred brand? Sources of information Newspaper Friends Relatives Others No. of buyers 36 53 8 3

8 3 36

53

Newspaper Friends Relativs Others

Interpretation:In the opinion of 36 respondents the source of information regarding there preferred brand is newspaper, 53 respondents says friends are the source of information regarding there preferred brand whereas 11 respondents says relatives & others.

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Question 8Is your buyer decision affected by the advertisement?

YES

69%
Buyers decision

NO 31%

NO, 31% YES, 69%

Interpretation
In the opinion of 69% of my respondents advertisement of particular brand attract the customer and 31% says no advertisement doesn't attract the customer.

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Question 9The extent of impact? Extent of impact High Moderate Low No Effect No. of users 36 49 7 8

50 45 40 35 30 25 20 15 10 5 0

49 36

7 High Moderate Low

8 No. Effect

Interpretation
From the above data it is clear that 36% of respondents says the extent of impact is very high towards there preferred mineral water brand whereas 49% says the extent of impact is moderate.

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Question 10Are you aware of the non-branded mineral water in the city of Varanasi?

YES

87 % 13%

NO

90% 80% 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0%

87%

13%

Yes

No

Interpretation
87% of respondent says that they are aware of the non branded mineral water, whereas 13% of respondent says that they are not aware of non branded mineral water.

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Question 11The extent of their availability in the city of Varanasi?

Availability Frequently available Occasionally available Not available

No. Of Respondent 81 19 0

19

81

Frequently available Occasionally available Not available

Interpretation
In the opinion of 81% of my respondent about non branded mineral water is frequently available, whereas 19% says that it is occasionally available.

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Question 12Given opportunity would you sift to non-branded water?

YES

7% 93%

NO

93% 0 7%

Yes No

Interpretation
Pie Representation above shows 7% of buyers agree that they are ready to changeover to another brand because of various schemes and 93% are also there who says no, they will stick on their own brand.

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Question 13The satisfaction level with your preferred brand?

Satisfaction Level Highly Satisfied Satisfied Dissatisfied

No. Of Respondents 59 34 7

Dissatisfied Satisfied Highly Satisfide 0

7 34 59 20 40 60

Interpretation

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According to the above given data 59% of respondents were highly satisfied with there preferred brand, 34% were satisfied and only 7% of respondents says they are dissatisfied with there preferred brand.

Question 14Would you like any changes in your preferred brand?

YES

4% 96%

NO

4%

Yes No
96%

Interpretation
Pie Representation above shows 96% of do not want to changes in there preferred brand whereas 4% says that they want to change in there preferred brand.

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CONCLUSION

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CONCLUSION
The following use the conclusion drawn from the analysis of the survey: With the study we can conclude that though there are many water brands fighting hard for respondent. Bisleri is most preferred one. The study also clearly states that the satisfaction level derived by the customer from the mineral water is average. With the study we could make out that respondents also pay equal weightage to other drinks apart from the mineral water itself. The reason for the preferred brand is easy availability. It is also found that majority of respondents were know about the non-branded mineral water. And they also know that nonbranded mineral water is frequently available in the market.

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LIMITATIONS

56

LIMITATIONS
Although proper care has been taken to keep the survey free from errors, but the study factor suffers from some in consistencies. The errors, what so ever might have crept into the study due to the following reasons? 1) The questionnaire was not taken seriously by many surveyed correspondents due which they have filled improper responses or might have just filled the questionnaire without properly analyzing the questionnaire or the purpose it is meant for. 2) The surveyed segment is too small to be considered as a true representative of general opinion of the masses of Varanasi and near by area. 3) Due to restricted time and resources the survey or could not cross the geographical boundaries to conduct the survey and hence is not able to gain sufficient time and data to effectively carry out meaningful survey. 4) The survey was conducted in a very general way as no other variables such as age group of survey people, their education level, work environment etc. was not considered. 5) Due to lack of resources and time proper of the surveyed area could not be gathered and incorporated onto the study. 6) Only very basic tools of data analysis have been applied to the research work as the nature and extent of survey did not provide scope for the application of extensive data analysis tools.

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BIBLIOGRAPHY

58

BIBLIOGRAPHY
The following are the sources of data used for creating this reported providing illustrations and quantitative data here in:
www.google.com www.mineralwaters.org

Research Methodology

C.R Kothari

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ANNEXURE

60

ANNEXURE
Dear Sir/Madam, I, Parvaiz Kamal, a student of B.B.A 4th Semester of SMS, Varanasi is conducting a field survey on the topic as a part of my curriculum, the data of which would be kept confidential. Please provide your kind support infilling up this questionnaire. Personal Information:Name Age... Qualification. Occupation Address.. Contact No............................................................ Gender 1) Since how long have you been using branded mineral water? a) 3-4 months b) 6 months-1years c) more than 1 years 2) The frequency of your purchase. a) Daily b) Weekly c) Frequently 3) The brands you find in the city of Varanasi. a) Pepsi b) Bisleri c) Coca cola d) Occasionally e) Rarely d) McDonald d) Others e) Others d) Others

4) The brand of mineral water you prefer the most. a) Pepsi b) coca cola c) Bisleri d) McDonald 5) The reasons for your preference. a) Brand name b) Easy availability c) Packaging

6) The availability of your preferred brand. a) Frequently available b) Occasionally available available

c) Rarely

7) The source of information regarding your preferred brand. a) Newspaper b) friends c) Relatives d) Others 8) Is your buyer decision affected by the advertisement? a) Yes b) NO

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9) The extent of impact. a) High b) Moderate

c) Low

d) No effect

10) Are you aware of the non-branded mineral water in the city of Varanasi? a) Yes b) No 11) The extent of their availability in the city of Varanasi a) Frequently b) Occasionally available c) Not Available 12) Given an opportunity would you sift to non-branded water? a) Yes b) No 13) The satisfaction level with your preferred brand a) Highly satisfied b) Satisfied c) Dissatisfied Satisfied 14) Would you like any changes in your preferred brand? a) Yes b) NO 15) If yes any suggestions .................................................................................... d) Highly

...

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