MaSh Summers Guide _ 2010_Gyaan

Summer Placements 2010

Marketing Guidebook

MaSh – Marketing Club

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Table of Contents

Disclaimer ......................................................................................................................................... 3

Introduction ...................................................................................................................................... 4

Section-A: Career Choice ......................................................................................................................... 5

Is Marketing The Right Career For You? .................................................................................................. 5

Section-B: Subject-wise Topics ................................................................................................................ 8

What you should know? .......................................................................................................................... 8

Section-C: Interview Questions ............................................................................................................. 11

What Do They Want To Know From You? ............................................................................................. 11

Section-D: Company Write-ups ............................................................................................................. 15

Who are they? ....................................................................................................................................... 15

ADITYA BIRLA GROUP ............................................................................................................................ 16

ASIAN PAINTS ........................................................................................................................................ 20

BRITANNIA ............................................................................................................................................. 23

CADBURY ............................................................................................................................................... 26

Hindustan Unilever Limited ................................................................................................................... 29

Johnson and Johnson ............................................................................................................................ 32

Mahindra & Mahindra ........................................................................................................................... 34

MICROSOFT ........................................................................................................................................... 37

NESTLE ................................................................................................................................................... 40

PROCTER & GAMBLE COMPANY ........................................................................................................... 42

RPG ........................................................................................................................................................ 45

TAS ......................................................................................................................................................... 47


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Disclaimer Disclaimer Disclaimer Disclaimer

Before going through this document & spending substantial time in assimilating the advices given in

the forthcoming pages, we want to make a few things clear to our readers. This document is NOT

going to make the path-breaking thought-leader or a phenomenal marketer out of you. This may

give you some idea of the different concepts of Marketing Management & the other related subjects

in the same domain, but definitely not going to make you the best marketer in this world. Marketing

is a subject can’t be mugged by burning your midnight oil & just writing a few definitions on the

exam-paper.

Marketing needs to be practiced in daily life- we all market our thoughts to the consumers. These

consumers may vary from case to case, from fellow MBA students to the professors & sometimes

the employers visiting our campus during the final interviews. We need to constantly inculcate the

marketing acumen in our thought process to become a successful marketer.

In order to become a good marketer you need to have a good start of your marketing career in some

good marketing organization. That is at the center of our efforts to prepare this document. These

few pages will definitely tell you what you should really do to crack a typical marketing interview.

You need to practice these techniques while preparing for the marketing interviews. In this

document, the views expressed by seniors are their personal opinions and should not be considered

as absolutes.

All the Best!


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Introduction Introduction Introduction Introduction

We hear a lot of things in the campus about the marketing interviews. They range right from the big

names among the marketing companies to the dos & don’ts to be followed during the D-days, i.e.

the placement time. Lot of guys think that they are ‘marketing studs’ & don’t need to prepare. But if

you are a marketing stud, we feel that you need to go through this manual more than others as you

just can’t afford to miss the opportunity to make it to the big marketing companies just because you

have lacked a few things during your preparation.

Keeping the feedback of the alumni of IIMB, our own experience of the interviews & the feedback

from the companies in mind, we have divided the entire manual into three main sections.

Section A covers the different aspects of a marketing career – you need to know them before making

a career choice in marketing. We all have to face the question: Is marketing is the right career option

for me? The earlier you face the question & take an informed decision, the better.

Section B gives a brief overview of the preparations in terms of the Marketing courses and the

important topics from them.

Section C accumulates the different questions generally asked by the marketing companies. We have

also tried to give you an idea about the company-specific interviews to the extent possible.

Section D contains the ‘Company write-ups’ for the various Marketing companies visiting the

campus.

Happy reading & all the best!!!


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Section-A: Career Choice

Is Marketing The Right Career For You?


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You should ask yourself this important question long before you even start preparing for the

marketing companies. One important thing to note here is that many companies don’t have any

clear demarcation between the marketing & sales roles they offer. Hence in different marketing

companies you may find the brand manager is also taking care of regional sales & channel

management in the company.

However for the ease of discussion, we’ll analyze both the marketing & sales roles differently.

Marketing Roles – Positives

a. You get an early exposure about managing a brand in an organization.

b. You get a quick chance to analyze the different parameters contributing to the strength of a

brand. You will get satisfied by establishing your brand – you will be the owner of it.

c. Handling an important brand will give you great visibility inside the organization. You’ll have direct

access to the top management & their guidance as well.

d. You will have enough exposure to the data crunching activities. Especially the companies like P&G

always use data to substantiate any statement. These acquired techniques may be helpful if you

want to make a switch to consultancy jobs at a later phase of your career.

Marketing Roles – Negatives

a. However marketing roles also have a few demerits. These are:

Many a times sales people get the prime focus in the organizations as they are actually the ‘people

behind the volume’; marketing persons are seen as the helping group. Though it actually boasts the

push concept, it is actually subscribed in many sales & marketing organizations, including many of

your dream FMCG companies.

b. Many of the marketing endeavours can be hooked down by sheer debility of the company’s other

functions like production or sales & at the end marketing people may be held responsible for the

failure of a marketing campaign.

c. The sales people feel the fire under their seat all the times throughout the year & hence at the

end of the day, they remain people with the highest incentives among the employees of different

departments.


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Sales Roles – Positives

a. As a fresh recruit from IIM Bangalore, you get the chance to know the sales & distribution network

in depth & then take up the responsibility of a sales area typically as an ASM(Area Sales Manager, in

case of companies like HUL, Dabur, etc) or KAM (Key Account Manager, in P&G, etc).

b. Sales people are typically the highest incentive in case of successful achievement of targets in

terms of sales volume.

c. Sales experience teaches people management skills & inculcates the leadership qualities which are

valued very highly in any phase of one’s career.

Sales Roles – Negatives

a. Among the different roles in an organization, sales roles are most strenuous. Depending on the

market, the sales jobs are highly rewarding but leaves only a very little time for one’s personal

commitments.

b. Volume game sometimes becomes a painful episode. Towards the last week of the month you’ll

start cursing yourself for choosing the sales role, you’ll push our people like anything & in turn be

pushed by your bosses. The first week of the month will be full of getting a fresh target & assessing

the performance of your team members. Only the second week may be a bit normal, that too if you

are not bogged down by any new launch.

c. It may be a boring after a few years while you’ll master the art of people management as you’ll be

doing the same thing repetitively.

Remember one thing – Sales & marketing roles are differently crafted, suitable for different types of

people & demand different skill sets. Hence it is imperative to know what kind of person you are &

what actually gives you a kick. You future plans also play a very important role in determining the

right career choice for you at present.


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Section-B: Subject-wise Topics

What you should know?


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The subjects required to crack the interviews

Among the different subjects from marketing parlance like Marketing Management, RMD,

BrandMan, CRM, Retail Management, Services Marketing, AdMan & SDM are very helpful.

Consumer Behavior is taught in parts in the subjects like BrandMan, Retailing, Services

Marketing, etc. Hence taking these subjects also equip the students with the fundamentals

of Consumer Behaviour which may be tested in the interviews. Also if you are taking the CCS

projects in marketing domains or doing a number of external projects in marketing research,

etc make sure that you brush up your knowledge about these projects & the associated

fundae.

Subject wise Topics Which Need To Be Brushed Up For Sales & Marketing Interviews

Marketing Management: Basic concepts of marketing – 4P’s, 5 C’s, etc (Also prepare the

examples like the launch of a new hair care product which will demand consideration of all

these aspects, clearly state what are the 4P’s & 5C’s in these cases), STP (Segmentation,

targeting & Positioning, their bases, concepts of positioning), Perceptual Value Map,

Hierarchical Value Map (aka ACV, objectives of applying this framework & the benefits),

Basic Positioning Fundae & the supporting advertisements (for example, how Saffola

changed its position over a period of time, how Maggie was positioned in India, etc)

RMD: The different scales (Semantic Differential, Likert, etc, their relative merits &

demerits), Different exploratory & conclusive research techniques, FGD, DI, Projective

techniques, Clustering; Also remember the corresponding software packages (SPSS, SAS,

etc) & mathematical tools (Regression analysis, Clustering, etc) used.

Brand Management: Aaker’s model, Brand Prism (what is the difference between Brand

Image & Brand Personality – tell me two examples where the product advertisements use

these concepts), Umbrella Brand Concepts, Brand Extension, What enables brands to charge

a premium, Brand Differentiation, Cannibalization, etc.

CRM: What are the stages of buying process, what roles are important in the buying

process, Maslow’s hierarchy, Different stages of customer loyalty (Loyalty Ladder), CRM

implementation frameworks, Some elementary idea of the CRM packages in the market &

the different elements of the same (however, this is asked only in case of the CRM based job

profiles).


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Retail Management: How retail in India is different than in other countries (US, European

countries, etc), Different forms of retail & the basis of classification (Hypermarket,

Supermarket, Specialty stores, Category killers, etc), Trading area, Business drivers in retail,

Merchandising, Visual merchandising, Generational cohorts & other forms of customer

segmentation in retail, Supply chain management in retail (not in detail, but it is better to

have some idea about the complexities involved in supply chain management in retail), etc.

Be updated on the recent innovations & entrance of new players in retail in India.

Services Marketing: How is service marketing is different from product marketing, different

aspects of service marketing, elements of service design, Service blueprint, Different

techniques of demand & supply management in services, etc (The LINKS Game is especially

helpful to develop an understanding in managing services).

Advertisement Management: How different positioning strategies can be consolidated with

the help of advertisements, Rossiter-Persy & other frameworks, ATP Ranking system,

Different modes of advertisements, Viral marketing, Unconventional techniques of

advertisement, etc (Always prepare a few examples, those may be helpful in the interviews).

Sales & Distribution Management (SDM): This subject is very important for the sales

interviews. The interviewers may test your knowledge in different types of channels, the

corresponding sales driving factors, channel management, Promotional programs, Loyalty

programs, Push vs. pull concepts, competitive channel strategy, Brand ACVs, etc.

Sales & Marketing roles involve a lot of people management, interacting with different

people with different level of knowledge, hence it is imperative that you should be able to

communicate effectively with varied categories of people – The interviewer will definitely

check you on the same. You also need to show enthusiasm & energy during the interview.

Remember that you need not mug the different concepts mentioned above, rather you

should learn them by heart, so that you feel absolutely comfortable while discussing these

terms. You need to prepare the examples as well. For example, understand the difference

between the sales channels of P&G & HUL, be ready with a couple of examples of

positioning in each quadrant of Rossiter-Persy framework.


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Section-C: Interview Questions

What Do They Want To Know From You?


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There are two types of interviews:

a) Personal Interviews

b) Functional Interviews

HUL follows both personal interviews and Functional interviews. P&G mainly follows personal

interviews where they mainly check your communication skill, leadership qualities, and story-telling

capability.

a. Personal Interview: In case of P&G, there are typically 2-3 interviews, each continuing for about

45 minutes to an hour. The typical questions may be:

1. Tell me about yourself

2. Mention a situation where you demonstrated leadership qualities

3. Give me an example where you persuaded a group of people to do something

4. Tell me when you added value to an assignment given to you

5. Tell me when you worked in an adverse situation. What was the result? Why do you think you

succeeded/failed?

6. When did you work as a good team-member?

7. Tell me a situation where you have solved a conflict very effectively? Would you always like to

resolve conflicts? When & why not? Give me an example from your life.

8. Do you think you are a good leader/team-player? Why do you think so? Tell me the essential

qualities of a good leader/team-player. Give an example from your experience to demonstrate that

you really have those qualities.

9. Tell me an assignment during your days in college/IIMB & quantify your contribution in that

assignment. Did you face any difficulties in that? Why? How could you accomplish that in a better

fashion?

10. Give me an example when you performed really well given a resource crunch. Describe in detail

how did you manage the situation?

11. Do you think you can train others? Give me an example where you trained a team of people.

How did you go about it? How would you quantify your performance?

12. Have you ever faced any conflict of interest? How did you manage the same? Tell me the

incident in detail.


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To crack these questions, remember the following things:

1. You should have a positive body language – don’t show that you are very relaxed

2. Even if they ask something you are comfortable, don’t readily jump on the same. It is perfectly

O.K. if you just think for about 10-15 seconds before answering

3. Prepare a striking “About Yourself” answer. Remember that is the right moment for you to make

an impression. You can control the rest of the interview if you can actually hit the right chord with

the interviewers through this answer. So give it the best shot you can.

4. Maintain eye-contacts with the right person – have one-to-one when someone asks the question,

but look at everybody when you are trying to make a point or answering a question.

5. Never forget to greet the panel- both at the beginning and end of the interview session.

6. Please don’t bluff! The interviewers have 1001 ways to catch the bluff. It will not only ruin your

chance of getting selected, but also reduce the same for the subsequent candidates.

7. Show enthusiasm – the interviewers should be sent a signal that you are actually enjoying the

interview; more importantly, you are enjoying the chat with the panel.

b. Marketing based Interviews: These interviews are very common in the marketing parlance and

comprise of 80% marketing questions and 20% personal questions. All marketing companies except

P&G follow this model. These may range from asking about the bookish fundae to asking to design a

marketing campaign around a new product concept. A few such questions have been given below:

1. What would you do to increase the sales of Dabur Vatika/ Chic Shampoo/ Bingo/ Ariel/ Lux Soap,

etc in your hometown as a sales manager? – the pane may ask you to do the same in 3-4 different

methods, so be prepared.

2. Talk about a good TV ad that you have seen and state why you are calling it good.

3. Talk about a bad TV ad that you have seen and state why you are calling it bad.

4. Talk about the promotional campaign of Lifebuoy and Lux. Asked to tell the famous Hindi catch-

phrase of both the ads.

5. Distinguish the different brand images that Coke and Pepsi want to build up. Tell us about their

different approaches.

6. How to improve ITC’s sales as a sales manager for any of their products? Repeat the same for

Hindustan Unilever and P&G.


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7. Tell us whether extending credit period is better than increasing margin to lure wholesalers. What

might be the other factors for establishing a good relationship with the wholesalers and other

business partners?

8. Calculate the gross approximate salary of the batch 2009.

1. Remember, the personal questions may be punched in between two marketing questions, or they

may be at the beginning or end of the interview. Don’t show that you are very comfortable in

answering those questions, even if you are.

2. Brush up the marketing fundae. If you have done some projects in marketing, acad related or

outside acad, go back to the basics. E.g. if you have done a market research on the positioning of

Subhiksha, you may expect the questions like ‘how to define unique positioning?’, ‘Mathematically

prove that Classic is a uniquely positioned cigarette brand’, ‘Why semantic differential scale is

faulty?’, etc. So it is important to get the basics correct!


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Section-D: Company Write-ups

Who are they?


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ADITYA BIRLA GROUP

A US $29.2 billion corporation, the Aditya Birla Group is in the league of Fortune 500. It is anchored by an extraordinary force of 130,000 employees, belonging to 30 different nationalities. In India, the Group has been adjudged "The Best Employer in India and among the top 20 in Asia" by the Hewitt-Economic Times and Wall Street Journal Study 2007. Over 50 per cent of its revenues flow from its overseas operations.

The Group operates in 25 countries — India, UK, Germany, Hungary, Brazil, Italy, France, Luxembourg, Switzerland, Australia, USA, Canada, Egypt, China, Thailand, Laos, Indonesia, Philippines, Dubai, Singapore, Myanmar, Bangladesh, Vietnam, Malaysia and Korea.

Globally

Aditya Birla Group is a metals powerhouse, among the world's most cost-efficient aluminium and copper producers. Hindalco-Novelis is the largest aluminium rolling company. It is one of the three biggest producers of primary aluminium in Asia, with the largest single location copper smelter

• No.1 in viscose staple fibre

• The fourth largest producer of insulators

• The fourth largest producer of carbon black

• The eleventh largest cement producer globally, the seventh largest in Asia and the second largest in India

• Among the world's top 15 BPO companies and among India's top four

• Among the best energy efficient fertiliser plants

In India:

• A premier branded garments player

• The second largest player in viscose filament yarn

• The second largest in the chlor-alkali sector

• Among the top five mobile telephony companies

• A leading player in life insurance and asset management

• Among the top three supermarket chains in the retail business

Beyond business — the Aditya Birla Group is:

Working in 3,700 villages

Reaching out to 7 million people annually through the Aditya Birla Centre for Community Initiatives and Rural Development, spearheaded by Mrs. Rajashree Birla

Focusing on: health care, education, infrastructure & espousing social causes

Running 42 schools and 18 hospitals


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Group companies

1. Grasim Industries Ltd. 2. Hindalco Industries Ltd. 3. Aditya Birla Nuvo Ltd. 4. UltraTech Cement Ltd.

Indian companies

1. Aditya Birla Minacs IT Services Ltd. 2. Aditya Birla Minacs Worldwide Limited 3. Essel Mining & Industries Ltd 4. Idea Cellular Ltd. 5. Aditya Birla Insulators 6. Aditya Birla Retail Limited 7. Aditya Birla Chemicals (India) Limited

International companies

Thailand

1. Thai Rayon 2. Indo Thai Synthetics 3. Thai Acrylic Fibre 4. Thai Carbon Black 5. Aditya Birla Chemicals (Thailand) Ltd. 6. Thai Peroxide

Philippines

7. Indo Phil Group of companies 8. Pan Century Surfactants Inc.

Indonesia

9. PT Indo Bharat Rayon 10. PT Elegant Textile Industry 11. PT Sunrise Bumi Textiles 12. PT Indo Liberty Textiles 13. PT Indo Raya Kimia

Egypt

14. Alexandria Carbon Black Company S.A.E 15. Alexandria Fiber Company S.A.E

China

16. Liaoning Birla Carbon 17. Birla Jingwei Fibres Company Limited 18. Aditya Birla Grasun Chemicals (Fangchenggang) Ltd.


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Canada

19. A.V. Group

Australia

20. Aditya Birla Minerals Ltd.

Laos

21. Birla Laos Pulp & Plantations Company Limited

North and South America, Europe and Asia

22. Novelis Inc.

Singapore

23. Swiss Singapore Overseas Enterprises Pte Ltd. (SSOE)

Joint ventures

24. Birla Sun Life Insurance Company 25. Birla Sun Life Asset Management Company 26. Birla Sun Life Distribution Company Limited 27. Tanfac Industries Limited

News and Events

Grasim to demerge cement business

• Grasim’s shareholders to participate directly in a new subsidiary

• Creates platform for potential consolidation

• Rs. 1000 crore greenfield VSF project, capacity to go up by 25 per cent

The Boards of Directors of Grasim Industries Limited (“Grasim”) and Samruddhi Cement Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of Grasim (“Samruddhi”), in their respective meetings held today, approved a proposal to demerge the cement business of Grasim into Samruddhi.

Samruddhi will issue 1 (one) new equity share to Grasim shareholders for every equity share they hold in Grasim, in addition to their existing Grasim shares. On completion of the demerger, Grasim shareholders will directly hold 35 per cent of Samruddhi, and Grasim’s stake will be diluted to 65 per cent. Samruddhi is proposed to be listed after the Scheme is made effective.

The Restructuring Scheme

under the Scheme, Grasim will transfer its cement businesses, including related businesses / investments but excluding its investment in UltraTech, to Samruddhi. In consideration,


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Samruddhi will issue one equity share of Rs. 5/- face value each credited as fully paid-up to the shareholders of Grasim for every equity share they hold in Grasim as of the Record Date.

Upon effectiveness of the Scheme, Samruddhi will be held approximately 65 per cent by Grasim and the balance 35 per cent will be held directly by the Shareholders of Grasim. Samruddhi is proposed to be listed.

India’s first Super brand in white cement - Birla White

India’s ‘whitest white’ cement has notched up another first. Birla White cement has been elevated to the status of a ‘Super brand’ by popular consensus among industry experts and consumers. This global acknowledgement places it in an elite league of the world’s best brands. Birla White is the only white cement company to be conferred Superbrand status.

From inception the focus was on creating a premium position for the brand. Over the years the brand was nurtured well and advertised strategically to make it top of mind amongst customers. The communication was twofold: one directed towards influencers, like architects, builders and the other, towards end consumers. Today, through its efforts it is the largest manufacturer of white cement in South East Asia, and the sixth largest in the world, making it the first truly global Indian white cement brand.

Birla White has numerous distinctions to its credit. It has received internationally reputed certifications like the CE certification. Over time, Birla White has created a wide and innovative range of allied products.

Brand Equity Economic Times Survey 2009 ranks Peter England “No. 2 Most Trusted

Brand” in India in branded apparel category

For the second consecutive year, Peter England, the largest selling, mid price, menswear brand in the country, ranks among the “Most Trusted Brands” in the branded apparel category. Peter England, which is now a complete wardrobe brand offering shirts, trousers, suits, blazers, T's and denims, sells one garment every six seconds and is available in 600 towns across the country through over 300 exclusive stores and 1,500 MBOs. The No.1 menswear brand in the country in the mid price segment, Peter England offers quality clothing to the discerning men under three distinct offerings viz: Peter England, Peter England Elements and Peter England Elite. Peter England Elite was launched in 2007 marking the brand’s foray into the premium segment.

Peter England has partnered with IPL’s T20 Chennai Super Kings as the non-sport apparel and merchandise partner. A new line of merchandise called the PE-CSK line has been created based on the persona of the Chennai Super Kings team and is available in Peter England exclusive stores.


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ASIA. PAI.TS

Asian Paints is India's largest paint company and Asia's third largest paint company, with a turnover of Rs 54.63 billion. The group has an enviable reputation in the corporate world for professionalism, fast track growth, and building shareholder equity. Asian Paints operates in 20 countries and has 28 paint manufacturing facilities in the world servicing consumers in over 65 countries. Besides Asian Paints, the group operates around the world through its subsidiaries Berger International Limited, Apco Coatings, SCIB Paints and Taubmans.

Asian Paints aims to become one of the top five Decorative coatings companies world-wide by leveraging its expertise in the higher growth emerging markets. Simultaneously, the company intends to build long term value in the Industrial coatings business through alliances with established global partners.

Board of Directors

Mr. Ashwin ChoksiNon-Executive Chairman

Mr. Ashwin DaniNon-Executive Vice Chairman

Mr. Abhay VakilDirector

Mr. P M Murty Managing Director & CEO

Mr. Mahendra ChoksiDirector

Mr. Amar VakilDirector

Mr. Hasit DaniDirector

Ms. Tarjani Vakil Chairperson of Audit Committe

Mr. Dipankar BasuDirector

Mr. Mahendra ShahDirector

Mr. Deepak Satwalekar Director

Mr. Rajendra Shah Director

Dr. S SivaramDirector

Mr. S RamadoraiAdditional Director

Subsidiaries

Apco Coatings is a subsidiary of Asian Paints in the South Pacific islands. Asian Paints operates in Australia, Fiji, Tonga, Solomon Islands and Vanuatu under the brand name of Apco Coatings.


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Asian Paints Industrial Coatings Limited has been set up to cater to the powder coatings market which is one of the fastest growing segments in the industrial coatings market.

Few companies can claim of a history of consistent growth for over two and a half centuries, a presence in over 35 countries and an impact on the lives of over a billion people. Berger does that with elan. Ever since it was founded in England in 1760 by Lewis Berger, who perfected a new process for making Prussian Blue the colour of most military uniforms then, Berger has never looked back.

In November 2002, BIL became a part of the Asian Paints Group. Today, the name of Berger is synonymous with quality and innovation. BIL has presence across three regions viz. Middle East, Caribbean and South East Asia.

Founded in 1979, SCIB Paints today is a reputed name and ranks amongst the top five paint companies in Egypt. SCIB Paints became a part of the Asian Paints group in August 2002

Asian PPG Industries Limited, a joint venture between Asian Paints (India) Limited and PPG Industries, Inc. USA with 50:50 equity sharing was established in March 1997 with the objective of providing solutions to the paint requirements of Indian Automobile manufacturers. The joint venture brought together two leading companies with strengths in technology, manufacturing and customer insight.

Taubmans Paints Fiji, the fourth largest paint company in Fiji, became a part of the Asian Paints family in September 2003. Taubmans Paints is the dominant player in the project sales segment in the country and is a leader in the neighbouring Samoa Islands.


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Milestones

Asian Paints becomes the 10th largest decorative paint company in the world Asian Paints is more than twice the size of its nearest competitor Present in 22 countries with 27 manufacturing locations, over 2500 SKU's, Integrated SAP - ERP & i2 - SCM solution Rated Best Employer by BT-Hewitt survey, 2000 Bluest of the blue chips by Hindu Business Line; Most admired company to work for by ET-BT survey, 2000 Asian Paints aims to become the 5th largest decorative paint company in the world

News and Events

Asian Paints launches Colour Next 2009

ColourNext 09 is a celebration of colours born out of imagination and research. It’s the outcome of a comprehensive trend mapping exercise conducted by Asian Paints across India, taking into account a variety of factors like international trends, consumer insights and expert opinions. Join us and experience the colours of tomorrow.

Asian Paints Colour Next, the world’s first India-specific colour forecast, has, over the last 6 years, developed & fine tuned a proprietary research process to study the Indian design and décor space, identify emerging directions and develop design themes & colour palettes around them.

The process, spread over 6 months and spanning India, involves interactions with a cross section of society, from direct consumers, to designers, to opinion leaders. The output was then ratified by two panels of industry leaders and finally presented in the form of the Colour Next Palette of Lead Colours & Supporting Colours for 2009


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BRITA..IA

Britannia Industries Limited is an Indian company based in Kolkata (started in 1892) that is famous for its Britannia and Tiger brands of biscuit, which is highly recognized throughout the country. Britannia is India’s largest biscuit firm, with an estimated 38% market share. Britannia strode into the 21st Century as one of India's biggest brands and the pre-eminent food brand of the country. It was equally recognized for its innovative approach to products and marketing: the Lagaan Match was voted India's most successful promotional activity of the year 2001 while the delicious Britannia 50-50 Maska-Chaska became India's most successful product launch. In 2002, Britannia's New Business Division formed a joint venture with Fonterra, the world's second largest Dairy Company, and Britannia New Zealand Foods Pvt. Ltd. was born. In recognition of its vision and accelerating graph, Forbes Global rated Britannia 'One amongst the Top 200 Small Companies of the World', and The Economic Times pegged Britannia India's 2nd Most Trusted Brand. The Britannia brand is all about eating healthy for leading a better life Largest company in the Indian Food processing industry whose product range also includes Breads and Cakes. Manufacturing and sourcing locations spread across the length and breadth of the country. Pan-India presence with a coverage of tens of thousands of outlets and having one of the strongest distribution networks in the country. Exporter of key biscuit brands enjoying brand loyalty in export markets.

Executive team Mr. Nusli Neville Wadia Chairman Ms. Vinita Bali Managing Director Mr. Shridhar panshikar National Sales Manager Mr. Purnendu roy Head of R&D

Products

Britannia offers the largest range of cheese (Cheese slices, Cheese cubes, Processed cheese blocks etc.) in India. Britannia’s Biscuit Brands:

MarieGold ( Britannia's oldest brand enjoys a heritage that spans the last 50 years),


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Tiger, Good Day, Milk Bikis, 50-50, Nice Time, Little Hearts, NutriChoice Digestive Biscuit Others include Bread, Cake and Rusk businesses.

Recent Market Information

2007 Britannia industries formed a joint venture with the Khimji Ramdas Group and acquired a 70 percent beneficial state in the Dubai-based Strategic Foods International Co. LLC and 65.4% in the Oman-based Al Sallan Food Industries Co. SAOG. The two companies are key regional players in the biscuit and cookies segment in the GCC markets and export their products across the world. 2008 Britannia launched Iron fortified 'Tiger Banana' biscuits, 'Good Day Classic Cookies', Low Fat Dahi and renovated 'MarieGold'. 29th August 2008 goes down in the history of our company as the day, when Britannia started manufacturing and marketing its products in Sri Lanka. Products manufactured in Sri Lanka include the most popular Milk Bikis, Milk Cream Smileys, Vita Marie Gold, Creams and Cookies.

Product / Services Asian Paints becomes the 10th largest decorative paint company in the world. Asian Paints is more than twice the size of its nearest competitor. It is recognized as one of the most admired companies in India. Present in 23 countries with 27 manufacturing locations, over 2500 SKU's, Integrated SAP- ERP & i2 - SCM solution. Rated Best Employer by BT-Hewitt survey, 2000 Bluest of the blue chips by Hindu Business Line, Most admired company to work for by ET-BT survey, 2000. On the recommendations of Booz, Allen and Hamilton, Asian Paints restructured itself into Growth, Decorative and International business units and adopted SCM and ERP technology. Asian Paints aims to become the 5th largest decorative paint company in the world.

Financials

Sales of Rs. 7,312 MM for the quarter ended 30th June 2009, a growth of 5.5%

Net profit of Rs. 474 MM, an increase of 17.5%


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Consolidated Revenue of Rs. 8,211 MM and Net Profit of Rs. 448 MM grew by 9% and 33% respectively.

Company Release

“In an intensely competitive market, we significantly increased our investment behind brands and maintained operating margin. Invigorated focus on working capital management also contributed to cash from operations of over Rs. 1,750 MM during the quarter.” Britannia launched several new and renovated offerings, which included ‘NutriChoice Nature Spice Cracker’ with the goodness of Ajwain & Jeera, Britannia ‘Top’ and a renovated ‘MarieGold’ – more tasty and fortified with 10 Proteins, Vitamins & Minerals, in line with Britannia’s ‘Health & Nutrition’ platform. Consumers continue to re-affirm their trust in Brand ‘Britannia’ and have once again voted ‘Britannia’ among the Top 10 Most Trusted Brands across all categories and # 2 Most Trusted Food brand, in an independent survey conducted by AC Nielsen and The Economic Times.

The Times of India, 05-Oct-09 In 2007, Britannia Industries gave a commitment to the Clinton Global Initiative (GCI), a forum set up by former US President Bill Clinton that seeks to find solutions to the world's most pressing problems. That commitment was to help secure every child's right to growth and development. Last month, at the 5th GCI annual general meeting held in New York and attended by the world's who's who, Britannia's progress report in fulfilling its commitment was one among two progress reports to gain acknowledgement out of 1,400 progress reports.

In terms of BRAND EQUITY, Britannia is 9th most trusted Brand.


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CADBURY

Cadbury Schweppes is the No. 1 confectionery and third largest soft drinks company in the world. A company with a history of more than 200 years, it manufactures, markets and distributes branded chocolates, confectioneries and beverages and has market presence in around 180 countries. The company has manufacturing operations in more than 35 countries. Its operations are divided into five regional operating units - Americas Beverages, Americas Confectionery, Europe, Europe Beverages, Middle East and Africa, and Asia Pacific. Cadbury began its operations in 1948 by importing chocolates and then re-packing them before distribution in the Indian market. After 59 years of existence, it today has five company-owned manufacturing facilities at Thane, Induri (Pune) and Malanpur (Gwalior), Bangalore and Baddi (Himachal Pradesh) and 4 sales offices (New Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and Chennai). The corporate office is in Mumbai. The company has a strong brand image in the country, almost synonymous with the word “chocolates”.

Executive team Chairman C Y Pal Vice Chairman Rajiv Wahi MD Anand Kripalu

Company Locations In India, the corporate office is located in Mumbai and regional sales offices are located in Delhi, Mumbai, Calcutta and Chennai. CIL also has 5 manufacturing facilities in India at Thane, Pune, Gwalior, Bangalore and Baddi (HP) and 4 sales offices (New Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and Chennai).

Product / Services Cadbury’s products in India are almost synonymous with chocolates. It enjoys a 70% market share in India. Cadbury Diary Milk, Eclairs, Celebrations, 5 Star and Perk and Temptations are the main chocolate products. Bournvita is their flagship chocolate based health drink, and accounts for 24% of revenues in India Halls, and Bytes a sweet cocoa coated snack variety are other products


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Competitors Nestle and Amul are competitors in the Chocolates segment, but they are both relatively smaller than Cadbury. Boost, Choco Horlicks, Complan etc compete with Bournvita, which is the market leader in the brown drink segment in India.

Brand Value Research data shows that the Cadbury brand equity is highly differentiated from other brands with consumers. The Cadbury umbrella brand has endured in a highly competitive market, and has established a link, in the mind of the consumer, that Cadbury equals chocolate. Cadbury India’s brand image is attributable to its strong marketing practices over the years. In the recent years it has used brand ambassadors such as Amitabh Bachchan, Preity Zinta and Cyrus Broacha to appropriately position its products. The punchline “kuch meetha ho jaye” and the highly India specific advertising campaigns struck the right chords with the Indian chocolate consumers. Marketing in Cadbury is about reshaping consumer habits and breaking socio-cultural barriers. It has managed to position its product Dairy Milk as “a sweet for all occasions” including the festivals in India.

Worm Threat The allegations that Cadbury’s dairy milk bars contained worms, let the Maharashtra government to stall production at the Pune facility, and resulted in a lot of bad publicity for Cadbury in September 2004. The heat of negative publicity melted Cadbury's sales by 30 per cent, at a time when it sees a festive spike of 15 per cent. For the first time, Cadbury's advertising went off air for a month and a half after Diwali, following the controversy. As a brand under fire, in October itself, Cadbury's launched project 'Vishwas' - an education initiative covering 190,000 retailers in key states. But what the company did in January 2004 is what really helped de-worm the brand. By investing up to Rs 15 crore (Rs 150 million) on imported machinery, Cadbury's revamped the packaging of Dairy Milk. The metallic poly-flow was costlier by 10-15 per cent, but Cadbury didn't hike the pack price. Simultaneously, Cadbury's roped in brand ambassador Amitabh Bachchan to do some heavy duty endorsement putting his personal equity on the line for the brand. The company upped ad spends for the Jan-March quarter by over 15 per cent. The recovery began in May 2004, and by June, Cadbury's claimed that consumer confidence was back.

Awards and News

'Bournvita Confidence Academy' was launched by Cadbury for the second year in succession. It is a nationwide hunt to unearth talent in young prodigies aged 12-16. The nationwide search, attracted applications from over one-lakh school students out of which only six young prodigies have been selected to compete with each other in 2008 Bournvita Confidence Academy


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Cadbury Schweppes plc has scooped two awards at Wal*Mart's Year Ending Meeting, maintaining its position as one of the retail giants top global suppliers The company is now targeting a foray in the dark chocolate segment to counter the threat posed by foreign chocolate brands in the Indian market Anand Kripalu, an IIT-Chennai and IIM-Calcutta alumnus, appointed the Managing Director of Cadbury India, taking over from Bharat Puri, September 2005. Recently launched Bytes, a product in the Bagged Snack Category, September 2004. It was launched it in the south with the positioning `Snacking ka meetha funda.’

Recent Developments

Mumbai, August 2009, Cadbury India Limited, India’s leading Confectionery Company today announced the launch of a new marketing campaign for its leading mints brand ‘Halls’. The new TVC revolves around the theme “Thandi Saans Ka Blast” to demonstrate the ‘Intense cooling leading to a feeling of rejuvenation’.

Mumbai, May 2009, Cadbury Dairy Milk Éclairs – the deliciously creamy caramel filled with a rich Cadbury Dairy Milk chocolate center recently launched a new TVC with the theme "Chocolate ka Meetha Bomb".

Mumbai, February 27, 2009: Cadbury India Ltd. today launched Cadbury Bournvita Li’l Champs its latest offering for young children at a unique event with tennis ace Sania Mirza and an excited group of children and their mother’s at their corporate office.

Mumbai, October 07, 2008: Cadbury India Ltd. today announced the launch of CADBURY BOURNVILLE FINE DARK CHOCOLATE, the first dark chocolate product from the much-loved Cadbury India basket. Bournvita Li’l Champs is a specially created nutrition supplement for 2 to 5 year olds with the goodness of natural ingredients and the power of 20 scientific nutrients


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Hindustan Unilever Limited

Hindustan Unilever Limited (HUL) is India's largest fast moving consumer goods company, with leadership in Home & Personal Care Products and Foods & Beverages. HUL's brands, spread across 20 distinct consumer categories, touch the lives of two out of three Indians. HUL in India since 1956 is a 51% subsidiary of transnational Unilever, UK. A top marketer of soaps and detergents, it has the country`s largest personal products business such as leading in shampoos, skin care products, colour cosmetics, deodorants and fragrances. It is also a top player in tea, processed coffee, branded wheat flour, tomato products, ice cream, jams and squashes, manufactured in around 80 factories nationwide. The operations involve over 2,000 suppliers and associates. HUL`s distribution network, comprising 7,000 redistribution stockists, directly covers both the urban population and about 250 million rural consumers. It also has a presence in specialty & bulk chemicals, animal feed and fertilizers. HUL commands over 60% market share in soaps and has presence in all segments. In detergents and hair care segments, it enjoys market shares of 30% and 72% respectively. All the products and brands endow the company with a scale of combined volumes of about 4 million tons. One of the country`s largest exporters, HUL has been recognized as a Golden Super Star Trading House by the Government of India. The company has mainly grown through the inorganic route. The list of merged companies includes Modern Foods, Ponds, Amalgam group of companies, Lakme, Brooke Bond Lipton India and others. On Over the last three years the company has embarked on a programme called Shakti for creating micro-enterprise opportunities for rural women. It is also focusing on health and hygiene, education, women empowerment, and water management.

• Headquarters: Mumbai, India

• Supplier of products to parent company Unilever in the tea and HPC category

• 400 brands across 20 categories

• 2005: $50 billion company (Americas 32%, Europe 43% & APAC 25%)

• 25% of the business comes from 25 retailers

• A total of 1,200 managers

• 15,000 employees and 100 factories

• India: Turnover of 13718 crores (Soaps & Detergents 46% and personal products 28%); Net profit of 1925 crores; EPS = 8.73

• HUL covers 1 million outlets directly and 6.5 million outlets indirectly. Cater to a total of 7.3 million outlets in India

• Globally, HUL covers 2,47,000 people in 100 countries

Business goals - “Unilever's mission is to add Vitality to life. We meet everyday needs for

nutrition, hygiene, and personal-care with brands that help people feels good, look good

and get more out of life.”


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Locations

Sales and Marketing offices are located across India in all major cities and towns.

Key Executives

• Harish Manwani, Non-executive Chairman

• Nitin Paranjpe, Chief Executive Officer, Managing Director, Director

• D. Sundaram, Vice-Chairman, Finance & IT Director

• S. Ramadorai, D.S.Parekh, C.K.Prahlad on the Board of Directors

Products and services

HUL has 20 distinct consumer categories.

• Home and Personal Care (Soaps, Laundry, Skin Care, Oral Care, Hair Care and Cosmetics Brands include: Lux, Lifebuoy, Liril, Hamam, Breeze, Dove, Pears, Rexona, Surf, Rin, Wheel, Sunsilk, Clinic, Fair & Lovely, Pond’s, Pepsodent, Close-up, Axe and Lakme.)

• Foods (Tea, Coffee, Foods and Ice-cream Brands include: Brooke Bond, Lipton, Bru, Kissan, Knorr Annapurna, Kwality Walls )

• Exports Health & Personal Care (HUL is the only source of Pears brand across the world)

• Tea (Branded packaged and instant tea for Unilever)

• Marine Products (Surimi, Crabsticks, Shrimps, etc.)

• Rice (Basmati and basmati-based ready-to-eat)

• Castor (Oil, Oil-based products and specialty oils)

• Water (‘Pureit’ water purifier)

Major Competitors

• Proctor & Gamble

• Reckitt Benckiser

• Marico

• TTK Sara Lee, etc.

Core values

• Deep roots in local cultures and markets around the world

• Unparalleled inheritance and foundation for our future growth.

• Bring knowledge and international expertise to the service of local customers.

• HUL has been attracting, holding and molding the finest talent in India and abroad

• The institution stands today for the highest standards of quality, innovation and consumer service

• An environment marked by fairness, the belief that even perfection can be improved upon

• Assurance that all you need is merit in order to progress.


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Recent Developments

• HUL closed buyback offer of 25% of its stake (630 crores) in Jan 2008

• Water business is now national, with Pureit brand now extended to 364 towns across 20 states

• Project Shakti, launched in 2001 has doubled the direct rural reach.

• Marico Industries acquired Nihar coconut oil from HUL for Rs 216 crore this year.

• HUL transferred its entire shareholding in its 100% subsidiary Tea Estates India Limited (TEIL) to Maxwell Golden Tea Private Limited (MGT), a Woodbriar Group company

• Product Watch: Aviance launched Aviance Men's Solutions (AMS) - a multi-functional product range for men's skin care

• HUL has completed its exit from its tea plantations business both in South India and Assam. It had sold its interests in Rossell Industries Limited and Doom Dooma Tea Company Limited in Assam during the last 12 months.

• January 6, 2009: Hindustan Unilever Limited (HUL) announced today, that it has decided to license ‘Lakme’ and ‘Lever Ayush’, brands to its subsidiary, Lakme Lever Private Limited, for the Beauty and Wellness services business. The Board of Directors of the Company approved this decision.

Financials

• Company Type Public (52.07% held by Unilever)

• 2008 Sales Rs. 1,634,519 Lakhs

• Net Profit Margin Rs. 210,147 Lakhs

• Earnings per Share 9.64

Hindustan Unilever Limited – June Quarter 2009 Results

• FMCG sales and Operating profits grow 13%

• Strong volume growth in Personal Products and Foods

• 60bps improvement in operating margins after 180 bps increase in brand investments

• PAT before exceptional items and mark-to-market charge grows 7%; PAT (bei) flat


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Johnson and Johnson

Johnson & Johnson was founded in 1886 in New Brunswick, New Jersey on a revolutionary idea: Doctors and nurses should use sterile sutures, dressings and bandages to treat peoples’ wounds. Its family of companies consists of more than 250 operating companies in 57 countries. It has around 112,000 employees of which more than 40,000 are in the US. Johnson & Johnson spread its roots to India, during the endemic post-independence turmoil of 1947. Every day, millions of people around the world enjoy the benefits of products from the Johnson & Johnson Family of Companies. That’s why J&J’s companies offer the world’s broadest range of health care products. Whether you have a skin blemish or sniffles or a serious medical condition, you and the health professionals you trust can turn to our companies’ products for comfort and care. In your home, products from J&J’s consumer health companies brighten your smile, add lustre to your hair and ease that nagging headache. You can rely on them to help keep baby fresh, sooth an irritating itch, or relieve an aching muscle. In operating rooms and laboratories, doctors and nurses, too, rely on products from their medical technology companies. They use these products to perform hip replacements, implant coronary stents, and run tests for metastatic breast cancer that give people hope for a longer, more active life. These And products from their pharmaceutical companies have likely helped someone you know. These prescription medicines treat a wide array of conditions, ranging from migraines and rheumatoid arthritis to cancer and serious infections.

Company Locations

Headquarters in Mumbai J&J Consumer

They offer products and information targeting baby care, skin and hair care, oral care, nutritionals, pain relief, topical care and much more. Creating meaningful innovation in health care within the Consumer business franchise relies on a research strategy equally rooted in technology and consumer insights, in keeping with their vision: BRINGING SCIENCE TO THE ART OF HEALTHY LIVING™.

Product / Services

The companies/products/divisions are divided in the following way:

• Consumer Health Care: baby care, skin and hair care, wound care, oral care, women’s health, nutritionals, vision care and over the counter products (ex-Tylenol).


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• Medical Devices & Diagnostics: J&J's Medical Devices and Diagnostics division offers surgical equipment, monitoring devices, orthopaedic products, and contact lenses, among other things.

• Pharmaceuticals: Its Pharmaceuticals division makes drugs (including schizophrenia medication Dispersal and psoriasis drugs) for an array of ailments, such as neurological conditions, blood disorders, autoimmune diseases and pain.

Competitors

• Merck

• Novartis

• P&G


J&J India awards received:

• Six Sigma Award by J&J consumer products India

• J&J consumer products India ranked 4 in best places to work ‘03

J&J worldwide Awards

• Johnson & Johnson's pharmaceutical companies were ranked third in sales in the United States during 2002 by IMS Health.

• Fortune magazine ranks Johnson & Johnson as the 6th Most Admired Company in America and the first among pharmaceutical companies

They have taken three new initiatives as a part of their CSR (visit their website for details)

• Crisp & Clear Vision: Introduction of new contact lenses for clearer vision

• Living Positively: Mothers 2 Mothers initiative taken by them for HIV infected pregnant women in South Africa.

• Sweet Dreams: Products for infants, for their better sleep cycle.

Sales of $15.1 Billion Decreased 5.3% Versus 2008 Third Quarter EPS of $1.20 increased

2.6% Versus 2008 Third Quarter.

New Brunswick, NJ (October 13, 2009) – Johnson & Johnson today announced sales of $15.1 billion for the third quarter of 2009, a decrease of 5.3% as compared to the third quarter of 2008. Operational results declined 2.8% and the negative impact of currency was 2.5%. Domestic sales declined 8.1%, while international sales declined 2.5%, reflecting operational growth of 2.4% and a negative currency impact of 4.9%. Net earnings and diluted earnings per share for the third quarter of 2009 were $3.3 billion and $1.20, respectively, representing increases of 1.1% and 2.6%, as compared to the same period in 2008. The Company raised its earnings guidance for full-year 2009 to $4.54 - $4.59 per share, which excludes the impact of special items.


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Mahindra & Mahindra

Mahindra & Mahindra (M&M) is best known for utility vehicles and tractors in India, but the company is also active in IT and financial services, steel processing, and infrastructure. Its automotive division, the company's oldest unit founded in 1954, makes jeeps and three-wheelers. M&M's farm equipment Sector, formed in 1963 during India's green revolution, manufactures tractors and industrial engines. M&M also produces military vehicles. The US $6.7 billion Mahindra Group is among the top 10 industrial houses in India. Mahindra & Mahindra is the only Indian company among the top three tractor manufacturers in the world. Mahindra is the market leader in multi-utility vehicles in India. It made a milestone entry into the passenger car segment with Logan. The Group employs over 50,000 people. The Mahindra Group has ambitious global aspirations and has a presence in five continents. M&M has one tractor manufacturing plant in China, three assembly plants in the United States and one at Brisbane, Australia.

Company Locations Headquarters in Mumbai

Product / Services The Group has presence in financial services, trade and logistics, automotive components, information technology, infrastructure development and After-Market.

Automotive

The Group exports its products to several countries in Europe, Africa, South America, South Asia and the Middle East. Its various products in this category are:

• Two wheelers- recently launched Mahindra Rodeo and Mahindra Duro (125 cc )

• Three wheelers- champion and alpha

• Light commercial vehicles- trucks and buses

• Sports utility vehicles- Scorpio, bolero

• Used cars - Purchase, Sale and Finance- first choice

• Cars- Mahindra Xylo, Mahindra Renault Logan

Mahindra Aftermarket sector

This sector has three businesses.

• Mahindra Spares Business

• Mahindra First Choice Services Ltd.

• Mahindra First Choice Wheels Ltd.


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Farm equipment sector

The Mahindra Group's Farm Equipment Sector is the largest producer of agricultural tractors in India and among the top 3 tractor brands in the world. It has enjoyed an unparalleled market leadership in the domestic market for the last 26 years with a present market share of 42%.

Infrastructure Development Sector

This sector has the following businesses:

• Mahindra Holidays & Resorts –leader in life time holiday market

• Mahindra Lifespaces Developers Limited – corporate property developers

• Mahindra World City –developing India’s first Integrated Business City and India’s first SEZ

• Mahindra Infrastructure Developers – development, ownership and management of infrastructure projects

• Acres Consulting Engineers- fastest growing multidisciplinary engineering consultancy organization

Mahindra retail

Mahindra Retail is an extension of the Mahindra Group’s trading foray in the domestic market in toys games and apparel under licenses from various international brands like LEGO, Disney and Mattel, among others. The Group believes that this is the opportune time to enter and extend its distribution business into direct retailing, when the organized retail market is expanding in India. Recently they have come up with a specialty retail store with focus on mothers and children upto 9 years of age.

Financial services

Mahindra finance -providing finance for utility vehicles, tractors and cars in the rural and semi-urban sector

Mahindra rural housing - set up with an objective of meeting the housing finance needs of the rural/semi urban customers across the country


1. Mahindra's Q4 net profit up by 89%. In September 2009, Mahindra tractor and auto

sales have registered record breaking sales figures. Auto sector- 27K units and tractors 17K units.

2. Mahindra has recently featured as one among 13 Indian companies in Forbes Asia

50 list.


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3. Farm Equipment Sector has recently won the Agriculture Leadership Award and it is the tractor company worldwide to be bestowed with Japan Quality Medal. It also holds the distinction of being the only tractor company worldwide to win the Deming Prize.

4. ET awards 2008-09 honored Keshub Mahindra with Lifetime Achievement Award while Mr. Anand Mahindra, VC & MD, Mahindra Group was declared the Business

Leader of the Year.

5. Mahindra’s Automotive Sector has won the all India award for export excellence instituted by the Engineering Export Promotion Council. The Automotive Sector has been crowned the Star Performer for 2007-08 on the basis of its growth in exports over previous years.

6. Mahindra FES was honored with the 'Golden Peacock Award for Occupational

Health & Safety - 2009' for Excellence in Occupational Health and Safety practices.

7. Forbes has ranked the Mahindra Group in its Top 200 list of the World's Most Reputable Companies and in the Top 10 list of Most Reputable Indian companies. Mahindra has recently been honored with Bombay Chamber Good Corporate Citizen Award for 2006-07.

8. The company has made strategic acquisitions across the globe including Stokes

Forgings (UK), Jeco Holding AG (Germany) and Schoneweiss & Co GmbH (Germany). Its global subsidiaries include Mahindra Europe Srl. based in Italy, Mahindra USA Inc. and Mahindra South Africa. M&M has entered into partnerships with international companies like Renault SA, France, and International Truck and Engine Corporation, USA. And Mahindra Satyam has recently signed a 5 year multi-million dollar SAP contract with GSK

9. M&M Group Revenues touched USD 6.7 bn in FY 08

CSR

Since 2005, the Group has pledged to dedicate 1% of its profit (after tax), on a continuous basis towards Corporate Social Responsibility. A unique kind of ESOPs - Employee Social Options was launched to enable Mahindra employees to involve themselves in socially responsible activities of their choice. The Group also announced a special gift: to provide free cochlear implants to 60 profoundly hearing-impaired, under-privileged children.

In addition to giving impetus to the Nanhi Kali project for the girl child and the Mahindra All India Talent Scholarship for the economically disadvantaged, the Mahindra Group is planning to set up two Mahindra Pride Schools. These schools will have an emphasis on employability, including training for Information Technology, Retail, Automotive Engineering etc. and will be primarily for the weaker sections of society.


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MICROSOFT

Founded in 1975, Microsoft (NASDAQ "MSFT") is the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential. It develops and manufactures a wide range of software products for both personal and business users. Microsoft’s software includes scalable operating systems for servers, personal computers and intelligent devices. It also sells server applications for client/server environments and software development tools, along with a range of integrated online services. Microsoft’s business strategy emphasizes the development of a broad line of software products for information technology (IT) professionals, knowledge workers, developers, and consumers, marketed through multiple channels of distribution. Microsoft spends on average 15% of its total revenues on product research and development.

Executive team

Bill Gates, Chairman of the Board and Chief Software Architect Steven A. Ballmer CEO

Company Locations

The company has subsidiaries in more than 60 countries worldwide. Microsoft is headquartered in Redmond, Washington. In India, it is based in Hyderabad.

Product / Services

The company reports its revenues through the following business segments:

Microsoft Platforms & Services Division Includes the Windows Business Group, the Server & Tools Group, and the Online Services Group

Microsoft Business Division Includes the Information Worker Group, the Microsoft Business Solutions Group, and the Unified Communications Group

Microsoft Entertainment & Devices Division Includes the 7)Home & Entertainment Group and the 8)Mobile & Embedded Devices Group

Microsoft’s Windows Business Group produces Windows Vista, Windows XP, Windows 2000, and other standard Windows operating systems The Server and Tools segment consists of server software licenses and client access licenses (CALs) for Windows Server, SQL Server, Exchange Server, and other servers. Microsoft’s Information Worker segment is responsible for developing and delivering technologies that focus on improving productivity for information workers in corporations. It consists of the Microsoft Office System of programs, servers, services, and solutions. The Microsoft Business Solutions segment


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includes the businesses of Great Plains, Microsoft bCentral, and Navision. Microsoft Business Solutions develops and markets a range of business applications designed to help small and mid-market businesses become more connected with customers, employees, partners, and suppliers. Microsoft unified communications technologies offer customers choices in how their communications and collaboration software is delivered, managed, and maintained. Microsoft’s Mobile and Embedded Devices segment consists of Windows Mobile software, Windows Embedded device operating systems, MapPoint, and Windows Automotive. The Home and Entertainment segment includes the Microsoft Xbox video game system, PC games, the Home Products Division (HPD), and TV platform products.

Our Values

As a company, and as individuals, we value integrity, honesty, openness, personal excellence, constructive self-criticism, continual self-improvement, and mutual respect. We are committed to our customers and partners and have a passion for technology. We take on big challenges, and pride ourselves on seeing them through. We hold ourselves accountable to our customers, shareholders, partners, and employees by honoring our commitments, providing results, and striving for the highest quality.

Market Information

November 10, 2004: Microsoft Launches Beta Version of New MSN Search Service with more useful answers to the questions and more control over search experience, resulting in faster access to the information sought.

November 8, 2004: Microsoft Corporation announced that it has reached an agreement with Novell, Inc. to resolve all antitrust claims as of today relating to Novell's NetWare product and all of the other products and businesses which it currently owns.

November 5, 2004: New edition of Microsoft Office rounds out company’s portfolio of business management applications that address the sales, service

October 25, 2004: Microsoft signs new agreements to fund and deliver educational resources, training and facilities to expand the use of technology in African classrooms.

April 2004: the company announced the release of a new Microsoft Office suite for the Mac.

June 15, 2006 Microsoft announces that Bill Gates will transition out of a day-to-day role in the company in July 2008; Ray Ozzie is named chief technology officer and Craig Mundie chief research and strategy officer

July 20, 2006 Microsoft announces a new $20 billion tender offer and authorizes an additional share-repurchase program of up to $20 billion over five years

Jan. 30, 2007 Microsoft launches Windows Vista and the 2007 Microsoft Office System to consumers worldwide


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Feb. 27, 2008 Microsoft launches Windows Server 2008, SQL Server 2008 and Visual Studio 2008

Sep, 2008 Microsoft Showcases Windows HPC Server 2008 at Leading Financial Services Conference; New HPC offering provides enhanced productivity, performance and scalability; proves to be a valuable tool to analyze risk and provide a lever for growth in a turbulent economic environment.

Recent Developments

Microsoft Corp. announced revenue of $16.63 billion on 22nd Jan, 2009 for the second quarter ended Dec. 31, 2008, a 2% increase over the same period of the prior year. Client revenue declined 8% as a result of PC market weakness and a continued shift to lower priced netbooks. However, strong annuity licensing drove Server & Tools revenue growth of 15%. Entertainment and Devices revenue grew 3% driven by strong holiday demand for Xbox 360 consoles with a record 6 million units sold in the quarter.

During the quarter, Microsoft showcased significant new product innovations by debuting Windows 7, Windows Azure, Office Web applications, Windows Server 2008 R2 and Office Communications Server 2007 R2. Microsoft also announced general availability of Silverlight 2, Exchange Online, SharePoint Online, Windows Small Business Server 2008, Windows Essential Business Server 2008 and a new release of Microsoft Dynamics NAV.

Microsoft has unveiled changes to the company’s business intelligence strategy in 2009, including the consolidation of capabilities found within Microsoft Office Performance Point Server 2007 into Microsoft Office SharePoint Server Enterprise and now branding them as Performance Point Services for SharePoint.

Steve Ballmer, chief executive officer of Microsoft, says that Microsoft SharePoint “unleashes a suite of capabilities that dramatically improves the way people work. The SharePoint community is discovering that in the same way Office delivers a valuable suite of productivity technology. Microsoft buries Windows Vista for good on Oct. 22 and replaces it with Windows7


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.ESTLE

Nestlé is a multinational packaged food company founded and headquartered in Vevey, Switzerland. It resulted from a merger in 1905 between the Anglo-Swiss Milk Company for milk products established and the Farine Lactée Henri Nestlé Company. Several of Nestlé's brands are globally renowned, which made the company a global market leader in many product lines, including milk, chocolate, confectionery, bottled water, coffee, ice cream, food seasoning and pet foods. Nestlé India is a subsidiary of Nestlé S.A. of Switzerland. With seven factories and a large number of co-packers, Nestlé India is a vibrant Company that provides consumers in India with products of global standards and is committed to long-term sustainable growth and shareholder satisfaction. The Company insists on honesty, integrity and fairness in all aspects of its business and expects the same in its relationships. This has earned it the trust and respect of every strata of society that it comes in contact with and is acknowledged amongst India's 'Most Respected Companies' and amongst the 'Top Wealth Creators of India'.

Company Locations Stores across world Presence in India: Punjab, Uttarakhand, Delhi, Mumbai, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kolkata, Gurgaon (Head Office)

Product Lines Nestlé has a wide range of products across a number of markets including coffee (Nescafé), water, other beverages, ice cream, infant foods, performance and healthcare nutrition, seasonings, frozen and refrigerated foods, confectionery and pet food.

Senior Executives

Peter Brabeck-Letmathe (Chairman) Paul Bulcke, Nestlé CEO Lars Olofsson, EVP of Strategic Business Units and Marketing

Joint ventures Nestlé holds 26.4% of the shares of L'Oréal, the world's largest company in cosmetics and beauty. Others include Cereal Partners Worldwide with General Mills, Beverage Partners Worldwide with Coca-Cola, and Dairy Partners Americas with Fonterra.

Baby Milk Marketing

In the late 1970s, Nestlé attracted much criticism for its baby milk marketing policies especially in developing countries. This centered on its promotional strategies which present Nestlé milk products as a risk free, healthful or more healthful option than breastmilk. As a result, mothers who might otherwise have breastfed or nursed started using or switched to its infant formula or follow-on formula milk products. Their babies were then exposed to the widespread health problems caused by incorrect use such as mixing formula with


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Contaminated water and too dilute or concentrated mixes etc. Use of slave labour In April 2006, a Forbes article reported on Nestlé's use of slave labour in the production of their chocolate. According to the article, the International Labour Organisation, part of the UN, estimates that 284,000 child labourers work on cocoa farms in West Africa, mainly in the Ivory Coast. Melamine in Chinese milk In late September 2008, the Hong Kong government claimed to have found melamine in a Chinese-made Nestlé milk product. On 2 October, 2008 the Taiwan Health ministry announced that six types of milk powders produced in China by Nestlé contained traces of melamine. Nestlé has announced that it will begin a recall of milk products produced in China. 2008: Nestlé India creates fresh milestones innovates with Kitkat to tap new segments. Nestlé India Ltd has announced that in recent years the Company has initiated various activities to make its chocolate business stronger and more robust. Greater emphasis on consumer insights and Innovation & Renovation enabled it to achieve milestones that have made this portfolio even more relevant to the emerging lifestyles. In 2007 the Company has led growth in the chocolate industry which grew at around 23%. The Company has now added fresh milestones. It has launched two new products - KIT KAT CHUNKY and KITKAT MINI - under the Company's No.1 global confectionery brand

Recent Developments Nestle launches a series of initiatives to further highlight its commitment to Creating Shared Value. As a first new initiative, the Company is launching the Nestle Healthy Kids Global

Programme. nestle intends to double the number of countries in which it has nutrition and physical activity education projects by the end of 2011, bringing such schemes to over 100 countries where it operates. This new global programme addresses some of the world's most complex challenges today - both malnutrition and increasing obesity rates, particularly among school-age children. Nestle currently supports education programmes that reach over 10 million children. Secondly, the opening of the Abidjan Research & Development Centre in Cote d'Ivoire demonstrates nestle's commitment to rural development in Africa. The R&D Centre's new research programmes will help to increase agricultural productivity and the safety of foods by developing and improving local crops - such as manioc, corn, millet, coffee and cocoa - and cereal-based products in the West African region. Nestle invests in major innovation centre for breakfast cereals VEVEY - Cereal Partners Worldwide, the joint venture between Nestle and General Mills, is building an Innovation Centre in Orbe, Switzerland. The centre will focus on nutrition, health and wellness, and will accelerate the company's development of innovative and nutritious breakfast cereals. Construction began early this year and it will be completed by the middle of 2010. Nestle India shows strong results for Q3 increasing profit by 13.5%


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PROCTER & GAMBLE COMPA.Y

The Procter & Gamble Company (P&G) is a brand behemoth. The world's #1 maker of household products courts market share and billion-dollar brands. P&G's business is divided into three global units: beauty, health and well being, and household care. It also makes pet food and water filters and produces soap operas (As the World Turns). More than 20 of P&G's brands are billion-dollar sellers, including Actonel, Always/Whisper, Braun, Bounty, Charmin, Crest, Downy/Lenor, Folgers, Gillette, Iams, Olay, Pampers, Pantene, Pringles, Tide, and Wella, among others. Acquisitive P&G bought Clairol in 2001 and a majority of Wella in 2003. Its purchase of Gillette in late 2005 was its biggest buy in company history. Headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio, it has manufacturing facilities in 42 countries. The company employs about 98,000 people.

Company Locations Mumbai, Singapore

Product / Services Effective April, 2006, the company's operations are categorized into 3 "Business Units" with each Business Unit divided into "Business Segments," according to the company's Investor Relations Fact Sheet

• P&G Beauty & Health o Beauty Care segment o Health Care segment

• P&G Household Care o o Pet health, snacks and coffee segment o o Baby Care and Family Care segment o o Fabric Care and Home Care segment

• Gillette o o Duracell and Braun segment o o Blades and razors segment

22 of P&G's brands have more than a billion dollars in sales. Ariel a brand of washing powder/liquid. Available in numerous forms and scents

Oral-B includes power toothbrushes and interdental products

Pampers is a brand of disposable diaper marketed by Procter & Gamble worldwide. The main competitor in the United States is the Huggies brand. Also marketed under the Pampers brand are disposable training pants bearing the sub-brand Easy Ups. Pampers introduced a mascot called "Pampa" ("Bang Bang" in China), an elephant, in several


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markets, despite Pampas being lowland plains in South America. Tampax is a brand of tampon produced by Procter & Gamble.

Tide is the company's first and best selling laundry detergent that is available in powder and liquid and a variety of scents.www.tide.com

Zest is the first synthetic detergent deodorant beauty bar for bath which leaves no sticky soap film. Also available in body washes.

Competitors Hindustan Unilever Ltd. (in Home products and hygiene and healthcare) L’Oreal (In beauty segment) Nirma (in detergents) ITC (new competitor in soaps)

Recent Market Information P&G Recognized for Business Performance and Societal Contributions in Kanter's

SuperCorp Rosabeth Moss Kanter, a respected business scholar, Ernest Arbuckle Professor of Business at Harvard Business School, one of the Times of London's 50 most powerful women in the world, and author of 18 books, has written SuperCorp: How Vanguard Companies Create

Innovation, Profits, Growth, and Social Good. In it, P&G is one of several companies recognized for prosperous track records and unrelenting dedication to core values that guide them as they grow.

Warner Chilcott Acquires P&G's Global Pharmaceuticals Business

P&G Focuses on Winning in Consumer Health Care Aug. 24, 2009 -- The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE: PG) and Warner Chilcott plc (NASDAQ: WCRX) today announced an agreement for the sale of P&G's global pharmaceuticals business to Warner Chilcott for an up-front cash payment of $3.1 billion.

The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE: PG) today announced the appointment of Maggie Wilderotter (54), chairman and chief executive officer of Frontier Communications Corporation (NYSE: FTR), to its board of directors. The appointment is effective immediately. Procter & Gamble Company has been awarded the "Presidential Green Chemistry

Challenge Award for Designing Greener Chemicals" for 2009 by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on behalf of the White House. The award, administered each year, recognizes individuals, companies and technologies that incorporate the ideals of sustainable chemistry into their formulation, manufacture, and end use. P&G Chemicals and Cook Composites and Polymers (CCP) jointly received the award based on the Chempol® MPS technology, which was collaboratively developed and commercialized by the partnering organizations.


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FORTUNE Lists:

Global Most Admired Companies- P&G ranked #3 for 2007 - For the 50 most admired companies overall, Fortune’s survey asked businesspeople to vote for the companies they admired most, from any industry. P&G also recognized for its innovation and talent management. P&G ranked #1 in its industry of Household & Personal Products.

America’s Most Admired companies – P&G ranked #10 in 2007 (up from #10 in 2005) out of 582 companies; #1 in Household & Personal Products. Also ranked #1 in People Management, and in the top 10 on six of the eight key attributes of reputation evaluated. Best Companies to Work for - Ranked in Top 100 - #68 in 2007 (up from #81 in 2004). Though P&G—which acquired Gillette in 2005—is massive—it uses anonymous hotlines, blogs by executives, and online Q&As with its CEO to help employees feel connected. According to the Nielsen Company, in 2007 P&G spent more on U.S. advertising than any other company; the $2.62 billion it spent is almost twice as much as General Motors, the next company on the Nielsen list. P&G was named 2008 Advertiser of the Year by Cannes International Advertising Festival.


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RPG

RPG Enterprises, established in 1979, is one of India’s fastest growing business groups with a turnover touching USD$3.25 billion. The group has more than twenty companies managing diverse business interests in the areas of Power, Tyres, transmission, IT, Retail, Entertainment, Carbon Black and specialty. Wide-ranging businesses, growing returns and a reputation to reckon makes working with RPG an enriching experience where entrepreneurial skills are valued, excellence is the by-word and performance is a pre-requisite.

Management Board

R.P Goenka- Chairman Emeritus

Harsh Goenka- Chairman

Sanjiv Goenka- Vice Chairman

Group of companies

1. Power

• CESC

• Noida Power Company

2. Transmission

• KEC International

• Nitel

• RPG Transmission

3. Tyres

• CEAT

• CEAT Kelani

• Philips Carbon Black

4. Technology

• RPG Cables

• RPG Life sciences


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• Zensar Technologies

• Raychem RPG

5. Retail

• Spencers’ Retail

• Music World

• Books and Beyond

6. Entertainment

• Saregama

Recent Milestones

• RPG Cables Highest EBITDA in industry @ 8%

• Zensar’s revenue was up from Rs 782.93 to Rs 908.08 Cr showing a 16% growth y-o-y

• Zensar inaugurates its third Global Delivery Centre in India in Pune in April

• Zensar gets into a strategic partnership with Twofour Media, renowned for its wide range of factual entertainment and lifestyle programming

• Zensar is awarded the Emerging Business Applications Award for 2009 at the Oracle UK Partner Awards

• CNBC-TV18’s Exporter of the Year Award for the year 2009 - IT, ITES and electronics segment for the third consecutive year at the International Trade was awarded

• Zensar receives the Certified Advantage Partner Status for Oracle for Middle East- highest level of partnership status in the region

• Zensar is certified by the Indian Department of Scientific and Industrial Research in recognition of the in-house R&D efforts

• CEAT opens a Wheel Management centre for trucks


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TAS

TAS, formerly known as the Tata Administrative Services, was conceived by J.R.D Tata, the late chairman of the Tata Group, in the 1950s. His dream was to select and groom some of the best young Indians; provide them opportunities for professional growth, and use that pool of talent as a group resource-one that could be tapped by companies across the Tata Organization. Most companies today allow a degree of job rotation for career growth. TAS, which is essentially a training program, is perhaps the only employment brand in Indian business that consciously recruits for lifelong mobility, across companies, industries and functions, in order to impart that macro view of business which is critical in preparing young professionals for general management. The Tata family of enterprises comprises 93 companies in seven business sectors. TAS is the single largest employer in private sector.

Executive Team

There are two decision-making bodies that define and direct the business endeavors of the Tata Group. These are called the Group Executive Office and the Group Corporate Centre. Group Executive Office: Ratan Tata, R.Gopalakrishnan, IshaatHussain, Kishor Chaukar, Arun Gandhi and Alan Rosling. Group Corporate Centre: Ratan Tata, N.A.Soonawala, J.J Irani, R.K.Krishna Kumar, R.Gopalakrishnan, Ishaat Hussain, Kishor Chaukar, Arun Gandhi and Alan Rosling.

Company Locations

Tata Group Companies are located all over India and in several locations abroad and TAS employees work closely with all the seven major business units of the Tata Group.

1. Information and Communication or CIS (TCS, VSNL, Tata SKY, Tata Elxsi Software)

2. Engineering (Tata Motors, Telco,Voltas) 3. Chemicals (Tata Chemicals, Tata Pigments, Rallis India) 4. Materials (Tata Steel, Tata Advanced Materials) 5. Consumer Products (Tata Tea, Titan, Tata McGraw Hill, Westside showrooms) 6. Services (Taj Group of Hotels, Tata AIG, Tata Financial Services etc.) 7. Energy (Tata Power, Tata BP Power etc.)

Competitors As an Indian conglomerate, it competes with Reliance and the Birlas. There are specific competitors in each of its businesses, notably Infosys, Wipro, Maruthi, Hyundai, Videocon, Arcelor Mittal Steel, Lipton Tea, HMT, ING Insurance etc.


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Recent Developments Tata Administrative Services (TAS) is the only Indian entity to figure amongst the “Top 10 Preferred Recruiters” at the premier Indian B-schools in India this year. The flagship talent and development arm of the Tata Group has emerged third among the preferred recruiters, according to the latest AC Nielsen Campustrack Survey 2007. TAS is the central talent pool and leadership pipeline for the Tata Group. It is a development programme designed to groom and prepare young professionals for general management for the Tata Group. It deputes talent across companies, functions and geographies. It remains perhaps the only Indian employment brand that recruits for long term mobility across sectors, functions, geographies and businesses.

Documents

MaSh Summers Guide _ 2010_Gyaan