Megha Murali

  The Kerala police have received more than 2,800 complaints of domestic violence across the state during the COVID-19 induced lockdown. Of the total plaints received during the period, a total of 2,757 have been settled, an official statement said here. Since the lockdown began, police have received 2,868 complaints of domestic violence from various districts of the state till October 31. Of these, 2,757 have been settled under the aegis of the district police chiefs. State police chief DGP Loknath Behera directed to settle the rest of the 111 complaints under the aegis of the Inspector General (IG) in charge of the police headquarters here and the Women's Cell superintendent of police (SP). The DGP, who recently took part in an online adalat to resolve complaints related to domestic violence, at the behest of the newly-set up Conflict Resolution Centre at the district level, listened to the grievances of many people and suggested solutions, it said. Behera said it w...

 1. E-Commerce Brands 2. Indian Startups 3. Telecom Services Brands 4. FMCG Brands 5. Media Brands What's shown above is an analysis of the brands with respect to the competition analysis framework. Next, let's analyze these brands on the basis of Porter's Generic Strategies. Porter's Generic Strategies has four segments: 1. Cost Leadership, Differentiation, Cost Focus, and Differentiation Focus.  Coming to the E-commerce brands shown above, Flipkart has the cost leadership. Flipkart has the highest amount of capital and a lot to use to develop their brand. The segment of differentiation comes along with Nykaa. It is one of the first beauty apps to be launched. It has a variety of products for consumers to choose from. It also has many sales every now and then. Cost focus can be seen in both Myntra and Nykaa. They have products that are light on the pockets, but still of good quality. While all three of these follow differentiation focus, it does not hold a major positi...

  Today, our daily life runs with e-commerce. We know the risk being more into e-commerce. But the ease in doing our needs makes us more attracted towards this.  Let's briefly look at some positives and negatives ways which e-commerce impacted on its consumers.  Talking about the positives,  It is so simple that you could select and buy what you want in one touch. The tradition to wait in a queues is not required here. We can search for wide varieties of a product. A shop may have only limited space to place their products. But this problem is not seen in this sector.  The price of products is lower when compared to shops. They give offers and best quality products at the same time. We can see certain products with great difference in its price in shops and online platform. The comfort of being at home and shopping as much as you need, only available in here. This system helps us a lot in emergency situations too. The most important factor to be noted is time. W...

  When I was in 10th grade, I started using Facebook. Even though mobile phones were common, I only got a chance then to be online. It was fun. Chatting with friends, connecting to more people and every one I found there.  I remember the days we used to call. Everyone including all the members of my family used to have a conversation through phone calls. And that was the only way to talk. Now, everything has changed and become easier. Today, I talk to my friends and family in different ways. We get to talk daily through WhatsApp, through video calls, get to know everyday joys through the status, and more. Now it feels easier to connect to and with people.  Like this, everything got easier through new technology. Now, one could shop just by sitting at home where everything that you needed was just one click away. Select your favorite brand, compare with more, and get the things you need at the best price. This is the use of e-commerce. Like Amazon and Flipkart, there are s...

  Product-Price Value Perception is an important aspect of the market. An easier way to understand this is by applying it to your daily life and understanding it further.  The first segment is of more benefits but more price. The one product that I have used in this segment is Bhima Gold. Though it's expensive, it always remains a savings and a part of my investment. And, it adds to the appeal of various outfits that I wear. It will always help when I have a rainy day in my life.  The second segment is more benefits and the same price. Crompton fans are my favorite product to show in this segment. Although every other brand has a similar price range for this product, Crompton offers a wide range of high-quality ceiling fans, table fans, pedestal fans, wall fans, and so on. In my household, ever since I can remember, Crompton fans have been our go-to fans. We have not even thought about using another one. The third one is of more benefits and lesser price. Here I have take...

We all are consumers. And everyone is aware of a product and a brand. For the ones who don't know their difference, a product is made by a company and consumers buy it through the medium called brand. A brand is formed by the experience, consumer perception and lots more. For example, Toyota's product is cars.  A product can be made by different companies. While brand remains unique. And their are customers who prefer certain brands while purchasing. And according to the time and changing trend, the value of a product may go down. But the brand stand strong through it's name. For a brand, it is very important to have experience and built trust in the sector and within the consumers to strengthen it's positioning.  For more details, let me take three product categories and brands which come under it. By knowing their STP, we can analyze them differently.  The first category that I have selected is of cars and the three brands I have chosen is Hyundai, Maruti Suzuki, and ...

When talking about the PLC, we also have to learn about the PLC trend of a product. They are also equally important as well. The three terms that describe it are style, fashion, and fad.  The first term is 'style'. Style is something that comes, goes, and then comes back again. You never know when it will hit the markets and when there will be a decline. If one style starts to fade away, then, of course, the new one will replace it. Society follows the style which they think is trending at the top. For the time a particular style prevails, consumers will have a special interest in it.  Two examples to know about a style society must have or is following are nail art and Kalamkari. Being stylish and following the trend is necessary to stay relevant in our society. One such trend was nail rt. All women in our society felt drawn to this and started following this style. But, this particular style is not completely gone. We still follow this and even try new styles introduced. Thi...

  Marketing is a tough field. Just having studied marketing for a little time, I know that there is a lot of things that I am yet to grasp. Having good skills alone is not enough. When you become a sales executive, knowing to keep up the customer's satisfaction is also very vital. When marketing builds a certain interest for a product or service, sales eventually lead to the activities that actually end up selling these products. No matter where you work if you are a salesman, you need to work really hard to attain the target. And what better way than to know all about this than by watching 'Rocket Singh-Salesman of the Year'? Of course, there are movies that talk about marketing and sales. And the one movie which shows the actual backstory of a salesman is 'Rocket Singh: Salesman of the Year'. Released in 2009, this movie is directed by Shimit Amin. The protagonist of the movie is Harpreet Singh Bedi, who is played by the talented Ranbir Kapoor. This movie narrates...

  There is not one person in this world who doesn't know the magnanimous biking industry ie, Royal Enfield. There is nothing that is not regal about it. Everything about it is legendary.   1901 marked the entry of the first RE motorcycle into the market. Before becoming the famous bike that it is, Royal Enfield was a brand that sold mainly motorcycles, bicycles, lawnmowers, and stationary engines which they manufactured all by themselves. Like I said before, Enfield started selling bikes in 1901 and cars in 1902. Royal Enfield motorcycles had been sold in India since 1949. In 1955, the Redditch company joined Madras Motors in India to form "Enfield India". We all know that the Indian government used these vehicles for police and army purposes ie, for patrolling the country's border. Royal Enfield is also distinctive in its logo with a cannon and a tagline of "Made like a gun". This logo shows the heritage of the Enfield Company.  While looking at the journey...

When understanding the Product Life Cycle we have to know that it has four stages. The first is the introduction stage where something is introduced into the market. The second stage is growth, where can we see the product facing profits and losses. The third stage is maturity in which the product is well established and has a hold in the market. The last stage is the decline where the product's value in the market starts to fall.  The products that come in the introduction phase of my life are sunscreen and lipstick by Maybelline. I was never a girl who used sunscreen. But, come the harsh summers of Kerala, I had to use it. That's when my sister suggested me to use sunscreen. I never quite understood the need for sunscreen. Until I used it, I didn't realize the benefits that it had. After I started using it, my skin has changed a lot. I don't see any patches and spots which were apparently a skin allergy. I am much more comfortable in the sun when I have applied sunscr...

 Jameela Jamil's character Tahani Al-Jamil in the series 'The Good Place' jokes about how she advised Mark Zuckerberg to remove 'the' from Facebook. The movie 'Social Network' shows how one of Mark's investors actually advised him to remove the 'the'.  What started off as a sexist and cruel joke to embarrass a girl Mark had something to do with, Mark got the idea for a social networking site like Facebook. This joke of his blew up and almost all of the campus wanted in on the site he made for 'ranking' girls.  Today, Facebook is just another daily routine for many people. People post pictures, share posts, even 'poke' their friends. Imagine being able to connect with your long-lost friend, sitting in the comfort of your home. You would gladly take it, right? I'm sure all of you would have seen your parents having a gala time talking and catching up with their friends who they have not talked to since they graduated.  The major...

  While viewing the movie 'Jobs', I felt it customary to keep my phone away. It was not because I wanted to pay full attention to the movie, but, it was purely based on the fact that Steve Jobs, the man who found Apple, deserved respect. Released in 2013, Jobs tells the story of Steve Jobs, the founder of Apple. It tells the iconic and amazing saga of Steve Jobs and the hardships he went through to build Apple and the greatest mobile the world has ever seen, the iPhone. Through very pleasing frames and acting, we understand why Apple became the brand it is today. It is all because of one man. It's founder, Steve Jobs. Played by Ashton Kutcher, he has done a pretty good job in trying to portray the man that was Jobs.  Steve Jobs has made Apple iconic. It's as easy as that. The struggle he goes through just makes it possible for a common man to relate to him.  Although a brilliant man, he never feels like attending classes when joins a reputed university. He wastes his ti...

 I am a person who's long been attached to her phone. No matter what the circumstances maybe, I will always have a phone in my hand. What do I do on my phone, you ask? I will always be surfing through either Whatsapp or Instagram. Don't ask me why am I interested to look at it, I just know that I am addicted.  Today, the top 10 brands in the world in terms of brand value are: 1. Instagram 2. WhatsApp 3. Amazon 4. Apple 5. Google 6. Facebook 7. Uber 8. YouTube 9. Netflix 10. Gmail All these apps are extremely important in a person's life. While some apps can make lives, some apps can break them. Although I am a person who likes all of these apps, some people just do not understand them. While Facebook can be a toxic place for people because of the moral policing held by the 'boomers' of today, Instagram is comparatively more free and relaxed. Coming to the e-commerce app that is Amazon, many people still support the fact that physically shopping for things is much ea...

  When a company promotes its product on different forms of media to do marketing, it's called advertising. We watch ads on tv and also listen to them on the radio and come across them in the newspaper. There is a message in every ad and they're known to have a massive impact on society. What’s a stereotype? A set idea that people have about what someone or something is like. Most ads are stereotypes giving a stereotypical message to the audience, which in my opinion is wrong. Consequently, society starts following and accepting that notion assuming it to be the culture of the society. Advertisements can be one of the best tools for changing society. But instead of giving out the right message most of the ads convey a stereotypical message. When a company promotes its product on different forms of media to do marketing, it's called advertising. We watch ads on tv and also listen to them on the radio and come across them in the newspaper. There is a message in every ad and t...

  Online shopping has become an everyday thing for most of us now. As we are stuck at home and can't go out, will there be a better time for us to shop online? No queues, no trials, and absolutely no jhanjat! Just search for what you like and voila! The product will be yours. Although many people still miss going out shopping, I am one who enjoys sitting in my comfy pajamas and shopping till my heart is full and my pocket, empty.  'The Wish Lister' is the first type of online customer that frequents almost all online shopping sites. They are not exactly interested in buying anything, but they just add whatever they would like to own into their wish list. It's not like they will come back and buy it, but if they like a product, it will be wish-listed, that's for sure.  The second type is 'The Rational Visiter'. They will not just buy something impulsively. They'll think about it, decide what to buy and only then will they buy it. If they see something tha...

More than 20,000 people in Philippines were ordered to evacuate their home as the most powerful typhoon of the year, Goni  hitting the county on Saturday, with the authorities warning of "catastrophic" winds and storm surges. Typhoon Goni is expected to browse the southeaster tip of the main island of Luzon early Sunday before making landfall in the afternoon with wind speed of up to 205km/h, the state weather forecaster said. Schools as well as government-run evacuation centers and gymnasiums which has been closed since the Corona pandemic will be used an emergency shelters. "It looks like we will have really strong winds, increasing the chances of widespread flooding and landslides, "Mark Timbal, spokesman for the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council, told local broadcaster ABS-CBN. "Storm surges are imminent on our east coast. We are monitoring Mayon and Taal volcanos for possible valcanic mud flows. Authorities have ramped up preparations...