1. Introduction

1.1Foreword:

This study is initiated as a partial fulfillment of the requirement of Business Communication course to correlate the theoretical learning with the practical life situation. The study is conducted for determining the existing student’s preferences and reaction towards ball pen.

2. Literature Review:

“Attitude is an evaluative response, usually contrasted with simple belief by its more direct connection with motivation and behavior. An attitude is a state whose real meaning is satisfaction or active dissatisfaction with some way the world is rather than a simple cognition of the way world is”.(http://www.answers.com/attitudes&r=67). This report has mainly focused on student’s attitude toward ball point pen.

While surveying we have come know about some characteristics of ball point pen. Then we have found some technical words used to describe pen’s characteristics such as “Elastogrip”. It means the elastic clasp. (Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary 7th Edition).

3. Problem Statement:

The topic: Student’s Attitude toward Ball Point Pen: A Study Based on BIBM.
The main idea: The main idea is to identify the factors that the students consider while buying a pen and to know which pen the students use most and why.
Time and place context: This study has covered only the present market situation of ball pen. The survey has been conducted only at Bangladesh Institute of Bank Management.
Factors of the problem: While buying a pen, students consider many factors such as superior quality, high availability, lower price, attractive body, co-extruded body, soft rubberized body, oil gel ink, soft needle tip for smooth writing, click lock unbreakable cap, water resistance, ink content etc. But students do not get all of their desired characteristics in one pen. In this report I have focused on the factors that are highly considered by the students.

4. Objectives of the Study:

The study has a broad objective and some specific objectives.

1.4.1 Broad objective: To analyze the ball pen market as well as to find out whether there is any opportunity for the prospective entrepreneur to launch the product in the existing market.

1.4.2 Specific objectives:

a) To identify ball pens of different companies available in the market. b) To identify different factors those are considered by the students when they buy a pen. c) To identify which company’s pen the students use most. d) To find out the students’ satisfaction level of using ball pen. e) To find out the students’ expectation about ball pen for better writing. f) To find out any suggestions from the students to increase their satisfaction level of using ball pen.

5. Methodology:

Data collection method:

• Source of data: Both the primary data and the secondary data has been needed to conduct this study. Primary data: The primary data has been collected from the students directly. Secondary data: The secondary data has been collected from the reference books and websites. • Sampling plan: In order to retrieve the necessary information as precisely as possible from the survey, the following sampling plan has been pursued. a) Sample: The students only. b) Sample size: We have chosen sample size on convenience basis. We have analyzed more answer sheet and pruned some of them. Finally sample size has been 50 students. c) Sample area: The sampling area will be Bangladesh Institute of Bank Management only. • Data collection instruments: Structured questionnaire has been used to collect information from the respondents, because questionnaire method is less time consuming.

Data analysis method: Both the qualitative and quantitative method has been used to analyze the collected data.

6. Time Line:

a) Planning: 15 days. b) Data collection: 3 days. c) Data analysis: 5 days. d) Submission: 7 days.

Total number of required days: 30 days.

7. Scope of the Study:

The study has been conducted only at Bangladesh Institute of Bank Management. It is assumed that students of this Institute will represent the other students in Bangladesh.

8. Limitations:

During the research period we had to face some problems pointed below. As a result of these problems, it may weaken the base of the work and some of the information provided here may have minor discrepancy from the fact. The problems faced are as follows. a) Lack of availability of information. b) Time constraints. c) Some biasness due to small sample size. d) Non availability of any research report on ball point pen. e) Unwillingness of the retailers to provide information about different companies of ball pen. f) Some respondents did not provide all the answers to the questionnaire due to their unawareness. g) Many of the respondents have filled up the questionnaire incorrectly due to lack of their adequate knowledge.

2. Findings & Analysis

2.1 Background of the Ball Point Pen Industries:

In Bangladesh marketing of ball pen is not a new concept. Diamond pen industries (pvt) Ltd is the first pen company in Bangladesh with its brand name “winner”. Today there are many ball pen companies in the market such as Matador Ball Pen Industries Ltd, Tripti Industries Ltd, Cello Writing Instrument & Containers (Pvt) Ltd, Educare Industries Ltd, GQ Ball Pen Industries Ltd etc. These companies produce different characterized ball pens and these pens have different market prices.

Table 1: Market price of different ball point pens

|Name of pen |Market Price (Tk per piece) |
|Matador All Time Ball Point Pen |5 |
|Matador Radiant Ball Pen |5 |
|Matador Orbit Gel Ball Pen |5 |
|Matador Gripper Gel Ball Pen |5 |
|Matador Pin-Point Gripper Gel Ball Pen |5 |
|Cello Fine Grip |14 |
|Cello Gripper |14 |
|Olympic Fine Point Pen |4 |
|Olympic Super Gel |5 |
|Merit Soft Gel Pen |5 |
|Merit Komol Porosh |5 |
|Reynolds |10 |
|Redleaf |14 |
|Econo FX |4 |
|Econo DX |4 |
|Econo Softy |5 |