A Dissertation On

CUSTOMER SATISFACTION ON MOBILE POSTPAID CONNECTION

AT BHARTI AIRTEL LIMITED (Bhubaneswar)

Submitted by:-

HRIDAY PRASAD ROLL NO.2074006 PGDM (IB)

UNDER GUIDANCE OF:

DR.ADYASHA DAS

INDIAN INSTITUTE OF TOURISM AND TRAVEL MANAGEMENT (BHUBANESWAR)

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MAY 2009

DECLARATION

I do hereby solemnly declare that this work reported in this dissertation project is original and has been carried out by me independently from Bhubaneswar, in partial and fulfillment of the requirement of the PGDM (IB) Degree of IITTM, Bhubaneswar. This is exclusively prepared conceptualized by me and is not submitted to any other institution or published any where before.

Hriday Prasad

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
This Dissertation bears the imprint of many persons without their support this study would not have been possible. I am thankful to Dr. Adyasha Das for providing me support and encourage me to make this project. Without her moral support this dissertation could not have been a great success for me. I also thank full to Indian Institute of Tourism & Travel Management (IITTM) for offering such a wonderful PGDM program that allows geographically scattered students to pursue a world class educational program. I owe gratitude to the faculty and administration of IITTM (IB) program that had been kind enough to help me in their respective roles.

HRIDAY PRASAD

GUIDANCE CERTIFICATE
This is to certify that the Dissertation entitled Customer Satisfaction on Mobile Post- paid Connection, Bhubaneswar done by Mr. Hriday Prasad, PGDM(IB) as a part of his partial fulfillment for the requirement of PGDM(IB) programme of Indian Institute Of Tourism And Travel Management , Bhubaneswar under my supervision and able guidance. Hope, This Dissertation report will satisfy the objective of the organization to a great extent and I wish him a bright future. May he meet success in his occupational life ahead.

Dr. Adyasha Das

CONTENTS
Page No. Chapter-I Introduction Company profile Product profile Literary review Chapter-II Objectives of the study Limitations of the study Chapter-III Research methodology Chapter-IV Data Analysis & Interpretation Chapter-V Findings Recommendation Annexure Bibliography 07-08 10-14 16-17 19-20 21-22 23-24 25-28 29-36 37-38 39-40 41-44 45-46
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CHAPTER-I

INTRODUCTION

INTRODUCTION
The telecom industry is one of the fastest growing industries in India. India has nearly 200 million telephone lines making it the third largest network in the world after China and USA. With a growth rate of 45%, Indian telecom industry has the highest growth rate in the world. History of Indian Telecommunications started in 1851 when the first operational land lines were laid by the government near Calcutta (seat of British power). Telephone services were introduced in India in 1881. In 1883 telephone services were merged with the postal system. Indian Radio Telegraph Company (IRT) was formed in 1923. After independence in 1947, all the foreign telecommunication companies were nationalized to form the Posts, Telephone and Telegraph (PTT), a monopoly run by the government's Ministry of Communications. Telecom sector was considered as a strategic service and the government considered it best to bring under state's control.

The first wind of reforms in telecommunications sector began to flow in 1980s when the private sector was allowed in telecommunications equipment manufacturing. In 1985, Department of Telecommunications (DOT) was established. It was an exclusive provider of domestic and long-distance service that would be its own regulator (separate from the postal system). In 1986, two wholly government-owned companies were created: the Videsh Sanchar Nigam Limited (VSNL) for international telecommunications and Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Limited (MTNL) for service in metropolitan areas. In 1990s, telecommunications sector benefited from the general opening up of the economy. Also, examples of telecom revolution in many other countries, which resulted in better quality of service and lower tariffs, led Indian policy makers to initiate a change 7

process finally resulting in opening up of telecom services sector for the private sector. National Telecom Policy (NTP) 1994 was the first attempt to give a comprehensive

roadmap for the Indian telecommunications sector. In 1997, Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) was created. TRAI was formed to act as a regulator to facilitate the growth of the telecom sector. New National Telecom Policy was adopted in 1999 and cellular services were also launched in the same year.

Telecommunication sector in India can be divided into two segments: Fixed Service Provider (FSPs), and Cellular Services. Fixed line services consist of basic services, national or domestic long distance and international long distance services. The state operators (BSNL and MTNL), account for almost 90 per cent of revenues from basic services. Private sector services are presently available in selective urban areas, and collectively account for less than 5 per cent of subscriptions. However, private services focus on the business/corporate sector, and offer reliable, high- end services, such as leased lines, ISDN, closed user group and videoconferencing.

Cellular services can be further divided into two categories: Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) and Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA). The GSM sector is dominated by Airtel, Vodafone-Hutch, and Idea Cellular, while the CDMA sector is dominated by Reliance and Tata Indicom. Opening up of international and domestic long distance telephony services are the major growth drivers for cellular industry. Cellular operators get substantial revenue from these services, and compensate them for reduction in tariffs on airtime, which along with rental was the main source of revenue. The reduction in tariffs for airtime, national long distance, international long distance, and handset prices has driven demand.

COMPANY PROFILE

About Bharti Airtel Limited:

Bharti Airtel Limited, a group company of Bharti Enterprises, is Indias leading integrated telecom services provider with an aggregate of 62 million customers. Bharti Airtel has been rated among the best performing Companies in the world in the Business Week IT 100. Bharti Airtel is structured into three strategic business units Mobile services, Broadband & Telephone (B&T) services and Enterprise services. The mobile business provides mobile & fixed wireless services using GSM technology across 23 Telecom circles. The B&T business provides broadband & telephone Services in 94 cities. The Enterprise services provide end-to-end telecom Solutions to corporate customers and national & international long distance Services to carriers. All these services are provided under the Airtel brand. Airtels high-speed optic fiber network currently spans over 53,000 kms covering all the major cities in the country. The company has two International landing stations in Chennai that connects two submarine cables systems - i2i to Singapore and SEA-ME-WE-4 to Europe. Vision:By 2010 Airtel will be the most admirable brand in India. Loved by more customers Targeted by top talent Benchmarked by more businesses. Bharti Airtel crosses the 62 million customer mark

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Becomes the fastest private telecom company in the world to achieve this milestone Enters into the league of the worlds top telecom companies, moves towards top 5 global mobile companies Adds last 25 Million in just 14 months, accelerates towards the 100 million customer mark Rapidly expands network, to roll out across all census towns and over 5, 00,000 villages covering over 95% of the population.

Bharti Airtel has achieved the distinction of becoming the fastest private telecom company in world to achieve this landmark in a single country within 143 months of start of operations. The 50 million customer base covers mobile as well as broadband & telephone customers. Commenting on this major global landmark, Mr. Akhil Gupta, Joint Managing Director, Bharti Airtel said, We are delighted to have achieved this major landmark, which puts Bharti Airtel amongst the top telecom companies in the world. It underlines the strength of our unique business model and our vision to provide affordable services like lifetime prepaid to customers across the length and breadth of the country. I would like to thank our partners for having shared our vision. This milestone highlights the emergence of India as one of the top telecom markets in the world and we are proud to have been at the forefront of this growth. Going forward, we believe this growth momentum will remain intact and we are gearing towards the 100 million customers mark. Bharti Airtel crossed the 10 million customer mark in November 2004. In July last year, it crossed the 25 million customer mark. The company added the next 25 million customers in just 14 months. This is amongst the fastest rate of customer additions by any telecom company in the world. Mr. Manoj Kohli, President & CEO, Bharti Airtel added, This is a very proud moment for us and I would like to thank our 50 million customers for believing in Airtel. It is a tribute to our commitment to provide best-in-class services to our customers and lead the market with exciting innovations. We are committed to create a world-class organization and benchmark it with the best in the world. As the market gets ready for the next wave of growth, we are committed to expanding our telecom networks wider and deeper across the country and partner Indias growth story. 11

In the mobile business, Bharti Airtel plans to make considerable investments in Network expansion to establish presence in all census towns and over 500,000 villages across India by 2010, thereby covering 95% of the countrys total population. The companys strategic focus will be on further strengthening the Airtel brand through best-inclass customer service, which is backed by wide national distribution. In the Enterprise business, Bharti Airtel will invest substantially in the long distance business to achieve the scale of a global carrier within next 2-3 years. It is also strengthening the corporate business towards becoming a preferred managed services partner for the top 2000 corporations. In Broadband & Telephone SBU, Bharti Airtel will initiate large-scale deployments of broadband network infrastructure in 94 towns, with a sharp focus on the home and SME segments. It is readying to offer triple play to its customers with the launch of its IPTV service. The company is also looking at commencing national DTH operations by the end of the current fiscal.

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ORGANIZATION STRUCTURE

GM FINANCE GM NETWORK CEO GM HR GM LEGAL COO

GM CSD

ZONAL BIZ. MANAGER (SALES)

GM MARKETING

ZM POST PAID

HEAD CSD

ZM PRE PAID

ZM PCO

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TM

CSM

TM

TM

GM MARKETING

SR MANAGER USAGE & RETENTION

SR. MANAGER ACQUISITION

SR. MANAGER VAS

SR. MANAGER BRAND & COMM.

SR. MANAGER PCO

MANAGER PRE PAID

MANAGER PRE PAID

MANAGER DATA

MANAGER COMM.

MANAGER POST PAID

MANAGER POST PAID

MANAGER SMS

MANAGER ALLIANCES & TIE UPS

MANAGER VOICE MANAGER PCO MANAGER NATIONAL LONG DISTANCE & ROAMING

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PRODUCT PROFILE

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Normal plan:
My Plan 299 249 Delight Supersaver 399 399 full value All-in-one 699 1299 pack 2499 pack 125 pack (for government employee)

Corporate plan:
CUG-EMI-249 CUG-249 (R1) CUG- 249 AES CUG Gold- 299 CUG platinum- 399

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Toppings Available
Local Mobile pack Local Airtel pack Local Landline pack Night pack STD pack Local SMS pack Local + National SMS pack International pack

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LITERARARY REVIEW

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Customer Satisfaction
The Value of Customer Satisfaction By Andrew Mennie, General Manager eGain Communications EMEA What is the connection between customer satisfaction and the bottom line? Ever wondered how much customer satisfaction is worth? We all know and accept that it is a strategic goal for all organizations involved in the delivery of customer service. Yet in all my experience as a professional in this arena, I have never come across a customer services director who could articulate the financial value of customer satisfaction to their business. Conversely, I have never met a customer service Director Who wasnt measured on it. How Bizarre. Big business is happy to measure it but doesnt know what its worth. One of the reasons for the difficulty in making the connections is the Intangibility of customer churn. That is to say, how dissatisfied does customers have to be before they leave and sign with the competition? What Might be an intolerable experience for one customer may well exceed all Expectations of another. Then theres competition. What if there isnt any? Before deregulation how concerned were the large utility companies with Customer satisfaction or British Telecom comes to that. Interesting therefore that the telecoms sector is where war is being waged on customer Satisfaction Could it that be high customer satisfaction attracts new customers and helps retain existing ones? Sounds like that could be worth something. There is no question that customer satisfaction is difficult to measure, but why is measurement so essential? As a student I opened my first bank as an adult with a major high street Bank. They attracted me with their offer of a $ 10 deposit to the account. I stayed with them through the four years of university, through the gradually Increasing overdraft, the unintentional forays beyond the overdraft limit, the lost ATM cards, the replacement cheque books, the minimal deposits, the regular and very small withdrawals. Except for the penalty charges for the overdraft excursions the bank made very little money out of me, and in fact incurred untold cost in maintaining me as a student customer. 19

All that effort, clearly with the goal of keeping me in my earning years and reaping back their investment. In fact I felt consciously loyal to them at that point and even recognize that it was my turn to pay them back. So why was their customer service so poor once I became a full-time employee? I stayed with them for several years using them for mortgage service, investment and insurances but eventually churned to one of the first telephone banks. I have been with them a few years now and every time I phone them they are aware of my recent communications with them, request that I have made and they dont try to sell an unwanted insurance policy at the end of every call.

Ten Basic Rules for Customer Satisfaction 1. Involve top management. 2. Know the customers. 3. Let the customers define what attributes are important. 4. Know the customers requirements, expectations, and wants. 5. Know the relative importance of customer decision criteria. 6. Gather and trust data. 7. Benchmark the data against competitors, and identify competitive strengths and
weaknesses.

8. Develop cross-functional action plans that enhance strengths and correct

weaknesses.

9. Measure performance continually and spread the data throughout the organization.
10. Be committed to getting better and better and better.

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CHAPTER II

OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY

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OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY

Creating an awareness to Airtel postpaid customers about the facilities in postpaid connections. Analyzing the problem faced by postpaid customers. Collecting the data bases of different age group of customers interested in different types of toppings offer. Motivating the customers to take postpaid connections. Analyzing which postpaid plan is more used by customers. Analyzing which type of topping is more used by customers. Analyzing the satisfaction level of customer towards postpaid connection.

Scope of the study:

The study is conducted on AIRTEL postpaid user at AIRTEL RELATIONSHIP CENTER. The study is confined to the area of Hyderabad and Secunderabad. The size of the sample was: 300

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LIMITATIONS

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LIMITATIONS

The present study is subjected to following LIMITATIONS.

1. Method of data collection was through personal interview and therefore bias
becomes a major limitation.

2. Due to the time constraints all the customers were not covered. 3. The sample was restricted to 300 customers, which may restrict the scope and
completion of study.

4. The scope of study is restricted only to the twin cities of Hyderabad and
Secunderabad.

5. Owing to their pre occupation some customers were unable to answer the
complete questionnaire.

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CHAPTER-III

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

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METHODOLOGY MARKETING RESEARCH

Definition of marketing research is approved by the board of the American Marketing Association (AMA) is: Marketing research is the functions which links the customer and public To marketer through information used to identity and define marketing Opportunities and problems; generate define and evaluate, marketing Actions, monitor marketing performance, and improve understanding of marketing as a process. Simply, marketing research is the systematic design, collection, analysis and Reporting of the data findings relevant to a specific marketing situation facing the company. Careful planning through all stages of the research is a necessity. Objectivity in research is all- important. The heart of the scientific method is the objective gathering and analysis of the information. The function of marketing research within a company is to provide the Information and analytical inputs necessary for effective. Planning of future marketing activity. Control of marketing operations in the present. Evaluation of marketing results.

A research may undertake any of three types of research investigations depending upon the problem. These three types of research included. Basic research Applied research Designated fact gathering

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Steps in Marketing Research Process

Marketing Research Process can be carried out through the following steps: Define the problem and research objectives

Develop the research plan

Collect the information

Analysis and interpretations

Present the findings RESEARCH METHODOLOGY/ DESIGN The methodology adopted for eliciting the data required for the study was survey method. It is the overall pattern or framework of the project that will dictate as to what information is to be collected, from which sources and by what procedures. RESEARCH METHOD Research methodology must be classified on the basis of the major purpose of the investigation. In this problem, description studies have been under- taken, as the objective of the project is to conduct the market share study to determine the share of the market received by both the company and its competitors.

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DATA COLLECTION The information needed to further proceed in the project had been collected through primary data and secondary data. PRIMARY DATA Primary data consists of information collected for the specific purpose at hand for the purpose of collecting primary data, survey research was used and all the retail outlets sellers using different brands and their competitors were contacted. Survey research is the approach best suited gathering description. SECONDARY DATA The secondary data consists of information that already exist somewhere Having been collected for another purpose. Any researcher begins the research work by first going through the secondary data. Secondary data includes the information available with the company. It may be the findings of research previously done in the field. Secondary data can also be collected from magazines, newspapers, other surveys conducted by known research agencies etc. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY The respondents are the mobile postpaid connection holder with Airtels toppings facilities. The survey was carried in twin cities of Hyderabad and Secunderabad with the sample size of 300. The survey was carried out with the help of a structured questionnaire, which helps in accomplishing the research objectives. The respondents by means of personal interview administer this structured ended questionnaire.

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CHAPTER-IV

DATA ANALYSIS & INTERPRETATION

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PL T ENB CUS OMERS AN AK Y T

140 120 100 80 60 40 20 0

299

249 PLANS
NO OF CUSTOMERS

399

Others

In my study I found that most of the customers (40%) having Supersaver 399 plan. My plan 299 - (20%), 249 delight- (10%) & others (30%) It is shown in the above bar diagram.

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MOD OFP YMENT E A

160 140 120 100 80 60 40 20 0

Cash

Credit card

Cheque

Internet Banking

NO OF CUSTOMERS

In my survey I observed that most of the customers paid their bill through cash (45%) & credit cards (35%) respectively. And the rest cheque (18%) & Internet banking (2%).

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Others 5%

Toppings taken by customers

Local SMS pack 20% Local Mobile pack 10% STD pack 65%

In my survey I found that most of the customers have taken STD pack (65%). It is shown in the above pie diagram.

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CUSTOMER'S PROBLEM TOWARDS POSTPAID CONNECTION

250 200 150 100 50 0

Bill Payment Never Get bill on Wrongly Charged Never Get bill time
NO OF CUSTOMERS In my survey I found that most of the customers (70%) have faced their Problems towards bill payment in counter. 20%, 7% & 3% are those who never receive bill on time, wrongly charged & never get the bill.

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TOPPINGS SOLD IN THE MONTHS OF 2008

50 45 40 35 30 25 20 15 10 5 0

January

February Toppings Sold

March

April

The interesting observation of this survey is the sales of the toppings were increasing regularly. It reveals that popularity of toppings were increasing through sales. These are the data of only one AIRTEL RELATIONSHIP CENTER.

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OVERAL S TIS ACTION LA F

Unsatisfied 5% Excellent 25%

Average 20%

Good 50%

In my survey I found that most of the customers view towards Airtel Post paid connections & toppings are Good (50%) & Excellent (25%). But Airtel must take care towards Unsatisfied customers (5%), if they want to stay at top.

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Less than CONSISTENSY LEVEL OF CUSTOMERS 6 Months 6 months to 1 year 10% 5%

More than 2 years 50%

1 to 2 years 35%

In my survey I observed that (50%) of the customers are constantly buying Post paid connections for the past two years, 35% between 1to2 years, 10% between 6months to 1 year and 5% less than 6 months. The survey indicates good consistency level & commitment of the customers.

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CHAPTER-V

FINDINGS

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FINDINGS

Customers are satisfied with various plans. It was observed that most of the customers expressed their unhappiness over billing services. Either they were wrongly charged or they never received bills on time. Senior citizens are very particular about rentals. Through my survey, I came to know that most of the customers are satisfied with our plans and toppings. Through my survey I observed that most of the customers are using STD pack. I observed that most of the customers are using supersaver-399 plan. I observed that most of the customers like Airtel advertisement and punch-line.

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SUGGESTIONS

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SUGGESTIONS

To ensure better customer satisfaction & maintain higher level of Customer

relationship management, the billing department has to be more effective & efficient.

To retain existing customers means offering the best scheme. This would
automatically attract new customers. Airtel need not spend on advertisement to attract new customers.

Airtel should continue to offer the best toppings to stay at the top. There should be no compromise in quality and the network facility.

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ANNEXURES

QUESTIONNAIRE
Title: Customer Satisfaction on Airtel Mobile postpaid & Toppings offer 41

(A) Customer Name (B) Age (C) Mobile No. (D) Occupation

: : : : Self Employed Government Employee Non Government Employee Student Others [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ]

(E) Income per month :

Less than Rs 5,000 Rs 5001 to 10,000 Rs 10,001 to Rs 20,000 Above Rs 20,000

1. Which plan you are using? (a) My plan-299 (c) Supersaver-399 (b) 249 Delight [ ] (d) Others 2. What do you think before taking the connections? (a) Rental (c) Network coverage (b) Brand Value [ ] (d) All of these 3. How long have you been using Airtel postpaid connection? (a) Less than 6 Months (c) 1 to 2 years 4. How you pay your bill? (a) By Cash (b) By Cheque 42 (b) 6 months to 1 year [ ] (d) More than 2 years

[ ] (c) By Credit card 5. Mostly where do you pay your bill? (a) Airtel Relationship Center (c) Drop Box 6. Which type of problem you are facing in postpaid connection? (a) Bill payment (c) Wrongly charged (b) Never get bill on time [ ] (d) Never get bill 7. Are you satisfied with Airtel call center executives? (a) Excellent (c) Satisfied (b) Good [ ] (d) Unsatisfied 8. Are you satisfied with Airtel floor executives? (a) Excellent (c) Satisfied (b) Good [ ] (d) Unsatisfied 9. Are you aware of various toppings offer of Airtel? (a) Yes (c) No 10. Which topping you normally use? (a) STD pack (c) Local SMS pack (b) Local Mobile pack [ ] (d) others 12. Do you know about Airtel Night pack topping? (a) Yes (c) Not heard 13. Do you know about International topping? (a) Yes (b) No 43 (b) No [ ] (b) some what [ ] (b) E-seva [ ] (d) By Internet Banking

[ ] (c) Not heard 14. Are you satisfied with Airtel toppings? (a) Excellent (c) Satisfied (b) Good [ ] (d) Unsatisfied

15. Which companys advertisement and punch lines you like most? (a) Airtel [Barriers break when people talk ~ Express yourself] (b) BSNL [BSNL, Best hai Mere liye] (c) Idea [An Idea can change your life] (d) Reliance [One nation one tariff] (e) Tata Indicom [ Do more live more] 16. Overall Satisfaction on postpaid connection (a) Excellent (b) Good (c) Satisfied (d) Unsatisfied 17. Would you like to give your suggestions to improve the satisfaction level of customer? (a) Yes (b) No [ ] [ ] [ ]

If yes specify your suggestions

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BIBLIOGRAPHY

TEXT BOOKS Principles of Marketing Philip Kotler and Gery Armstrong Marketing Research D.D. Sharma Marketing Research Green & Tull Websites: WWW. BHARTIAIRTEL.IN WWW. AIRTEL.IN WWW. GOOGLE.COM

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