INDIAN INSTIUTE OF MANAGEMENT RAIPUR

ADVANCED MARKETING RESEARCH

AMR- TERM PROJECT

PROPOSAL
Group 09
KUMAR ABHISHEK

15PGP118

ABHISHEK SOLANKI

15PGP126

ASWIN R SEKHAR

15PGP129

ABHISHEK TIGGA

15PGP145

ABSTRACT:

To study the factors that may affect a students preference towards a particular contractor in the
hostel mess
Although now a days Hostel life is much necessary for students but still there are some
limitations. There are many problems and limitations in the hostel life, especially the quality of
food.
Through this study we look to examine the various factors which may influence a students
preference towards a particular contractor in the hostel mess. The study will examine the
respondents opinion on various parameters such as the quality of food, behavior of the mess
staff, regional variety of food, arrangement of sitting facility in the mess etc.
We will also look to examine the factors that worked out and did not work out for KMK Event
Management when they were managing the mess facility at IIM Raipur and a similar study shall
be carried out for the current mess contractor at IIM Raipur, Shakthis caterers.
This study will comprise of a survey floated across the first year and final year students followed
by a cross-tab and factor analysis on the data collected so as to figure out the prevalent factors.

INDIAN INSTITUE OF MANAGEMENT RAIPUR

BACKGROUND:

Indian Institute of Management (IIM) has been set up by the Government of India, Ministry of
Human Resource Development in 2010 at Raipur, the capital of Chhattisgarh.
Currently, about 350 students have enrolled at IIM Raipur to pursue different courses in
management.
The institute also provides mess facility to all the students. The mess serves meals and evening
snacks. The Mess Committee decides the menu for the week and is able to accommodate
requests from students. The Mess is managed by a private contractor.
For the academic session 2015-16, KMK Event Management which is a Hyderabad based firm
managed the mess facility at IIM Raipur. However, after certain concerns were raised from the
students ranging from the quality of food to the behavior of the staff, the contract has been
handed over to the Chennai based Shakthis caterers for the academic session 2016-17.

IIM RAIPUR:

Indian Institute of Management (IIM) has been set up by the Government of India, Ministry of
Human Resource Development in 2010 at Raipur, the capital of Chhattisgarh. Chhattisgarh is
one of the fastest growing states of India with its rich mineral, forest, natural and local resources.
The Institute believes in preparing ethical leaders who are not only committed to business,
commerce and industry but are also socially conscious towards their contribution in nation
building and bring in name for the country globally. The institute is abuzz with activities carried
by the student clubs which are now expanding their scope of activity and bringing luminaries
from the Corporate.
Presently IIM Raipur operates from the Government Engineering College Campus, Raipur. The
Government of Chhattisgarh has allotted over 200 acres of land for the proposed IIM Raipur
campus in Naya Raipur. The proposed campus will be a state-of-the-art campus presenting a
blissful mix of modern architecture, culture & heritage of Chhattisgarh.1

MESS AND CANTEEN FACILITIES AT IIM RAIPUR:

The mess serves meals and evening snacks. The Mess Committee decides the menu for the week
and is able to accommodate requests from students. The mess serves all types of food including
South Indian, Chinese and Non-Veg (thrice a week). The mess is managed by a private
1 http://iimraipur.ac.in/about_iimrp.htm

INDIAN INSTITUE OF MANAGEMENT RAIPUR

contractor. The payment for mess is made at the beginning of every trimester along with the
trimester fees. The campus has a 24X7 canteen on the campus and caters to the late night pangs
of hunger of students. The place is pretty much the epicenter at around 2 am.2
KMK EVENT MANAGEMENT:

KMK, an ISO 9001:2008 certified Event Management Company has been Organizing &
Managing events for over a decade and half now. Since its inception, KMK has successfully
executed over 10,000 events. The experienced team at KMK thinks with their customer hats on,
delivering customized solutions tailored to every clients need.
At KMK, one of the leading Event Management companies, every event is seen as an
opportunity to stretch and prove the firms potential.
Head office in Hyderabad with strategic presence in 5 leading cities of the country, Bangalore,
Vizag, Vijayawada, Tirupati & Delhi.3
SHAKTHIS CATERING:

ShakthiS is the culmination of years of culinary aspirations & passion for hospitality. The
journey started in 2009. As an organization they believe in the goodness of nutritionally
balanced meals with the right blend of the six tastes (sweet, sour, bitter, salt, hot, and a special
taste from raw vegetables and herbs).
The founder, Abirami Subbu Ramanathan (Abi) hails from the region of Chettinad (India), a
name that is synonymous with culinary excellence, deep traditions, and keen business acumen.
Abi feels blessed to have inherited these qualities.4

2 http://iimraipur.ac.in/resour_mess.htm

3 http://www.kmklimited.com/aboutus.html

4 http://shakthiscatering.com/who-we-are/

INDIAN INSTITUE OF MANAGEMENT RAIPUR

STUDY PROPOSED:
Through this study we look to examine the various factors which may influence a students
preference towards a particular contractor in the hostel mess. The study will examine the
respondents opinion on various parameters such as the quality of food, behavior of the mess
staff, regional variety of food, arrangement of sitting facility in the mess etc. We will also look to
examine the factors that worked out and did not work out for KMK Event Management when
they were managing the mess facility at IIM Raipur and a similar study shall be carried out for
the current mess contractor at IIM Raipur, Shakthis caterers.
DELIVERABLES AND METHOD:
This study shall look at the different factors that influence a students preference towards a
particular contractor in a hostel mess facility. The nature of this study shall be exploratory. More
specifically, the study shall look at:
The different factors that influence a students preference.
1. Factors that relate to the quality of food.
2. Factors that relate to other facilities provided by the mess contractor. (Ambience/facility
layout etc.)
3. Factors that worked for KMK event management while managing mess facility at IIM
Raipur.
4. Factors that did not work out for KMK event management while managing mess facility
at IIM Raipur.
5. Factors that worked for Shakthis Caterers while managing mess facility at IIM Raipur.
6. Factors that do not work for Shakthis Caterers while managing mess facility at IIM
Raipur.
7. Factors that make student prefer KMK event management over Shakthis caterers and
vice-versa.
The study team shall approach the project as follows:
1
2
3

Discussion/Consultation with upto thirty students from the current batches at IIM Raipur
to arrive at a more comprehensive list of factors.
A survey with 50 to 60 students from the current batches of students at IIM Raipur to
capture the data in quantitative form.
Use statistical tools to analyse the impact of the different factors in influencing a
students preference.

INDIAN INSTITUE OF MANAGEMENT RAIPUR

KEY DELIVERABLES:

List of factors that may influence a students preference, measure of how students relate the two
mess contractors namely KMK event management and Shakthis caterers on these factors and the
relative preference for these two contractors.
LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY:

The study shall be limited to the students who are currently pursuing management courses at the
Indian Institute of Management Raipur and avail the mess facility available on the campus on a
regular basis. (i.e. excluding students who are a part of weekend programs)
STUDY TEAM
The study shall be undertaken by the students of Indian Institute of Management Raipur as a part
of the course on Marketing Research. It shall be supervised by faculty member Dr. Jagrook
Dawra.
TIME FRAME
We would require a total of one month (04 weeks) to complete the project and submit our draft
report.
CONTACT DETAILS
Dr. Jagrook Dawra,
Associate Professor Marketing Area,
Indian Institute of Management Raipur
STUDENT TEAM:
STUDENT NAME

CONTACT DETAILS

Kumar Abhishek

+91-7225018118

Abhishek Solanki

+91-7225018126

Aswin R Sekhar

+91-7225018129

Abhishek Tigga

+91-7225018145

INDIAN INSTITUE OF MANAGEMENT RAIPUR