TABLE OF CONTENTS

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ..................................................................................................................... 1 CHAPTER 1 ........................................................................................................................................... 3 1.1 History of the company ........................................................................................................... 3

1.2 Vision Statement............................................................................................................................ 4 1.3 Mission Statement ......................................................................................................................... 4 1.4 Values ........................................................................................................................................... 4 1.5 Corporate Profile ........................................................................................................................... 6 Figure 1: Hierarchy at PSO .................................................................................................................. 7 1.6 Organizational Structure ................................................................................................................ 8 1.7 Departments .................................................................................................................................. 9 1.7.1 Industrial Consumer Department ............................................................................................. 9 1.7.2 Training & Organization Development Department ............................................................... 11 1.7.3 Retail Sales Department ........................................................................................................ 11 1.7.4 Brands Management Department........................................................................................... 12 1.7.5 Operations Department.......................................................................................................... 13 CHAPTER 2 ......................................................................................................................................... 15 SWOT Analysis of PSO .................................................................................................................... 15 2.1 Strengths:................................................................................................................................. 15 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 Weaknesses: ......................................................................................................................... 16 Opportunities: ....................................................................................................................... 16 Threats: ................................................................................................................................ 17 Conclusion ........................................................................................................................... 18 Recommendations ................................................................................................................ 19

CHAPTER 3 ......................................................................................................................................... 20 MARKETING STRATEGIES ........................................................................................................... 20 0

3.1 Marketing Mix ............................................................................................................................ 21 3.2 Advertising Agencies: .................................................................................................................. 22 3.3 Assignments given at PSO ........................................................................................................... 22 3.3.1 Public Service Message 1 ...................................................................................................... 22 3.3.2 Public Service Message 2 ...................................................................................................... 23 MY EXPERIENCE DURING INTERNSHIP PROGRAM ................................................................ 25 Annex 1 ................................................................................................................................................ 26 Annex 2 ................................................................................................................................................ 32 GLOSSARY ......................................................................................................................................... 37

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY PSO is the leading oil marketing company in Pakistan having the privilege of conducting the largest internship program in Pakistan, in fact very few companies in the Asia offers
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anything comparable to what PSO offers. The internship program started from 21st of JUNE 2010 and lasted till 1st of August 2010. My six weeks internship at PSO mainly entailed two tasks, the Public Service Messages and Internship Video. The first public service message was primarily focused on the eunuchs (third gender) with the view to highlight the injustice they generally face due to the deviation from societal norms of the other two genders. The video was aimed to reveal the ordeals of their existence and in doing so liberating the thinking of those who look down upon them and treat them as an abnormality and sin. While shooting this video we faced a lot of difficulties due to the reluctance of the eunuchs and so called social bindings. The venture was however completed after lot of pursuance and offering little cash to them. The theme of the second public service message was to sponsor a child. In the video it was highlighted that instead of paying few coins as charity to the young beggars, making arrangements for their education is the help in real terms which can actually change their destiny. Education can bring the long lasting difference in the lives of the children, living below poverty line. Instead of promoting any particular organization, our video was aimed to create the awareness and importance for the need of Sponsoring a Child for Education. The major task was to develop a video about taking the internship program as a separate brand of PSO and to promote it simultaneously. In order to keep the interest alive without compromising the objective, the thirty minutes video had to be informative and interesting. Our video primarily covered the activities of internees working in marketing, finance, health safety & environment, engineering, supply chain, human resource, corporate planning & new business development departments. My task was to find out, what their internship work exactly comprises of. Apart from taking video shots inside office premises , we also had to cover the internees working in the field i.e. petrol stations for the retail groups at customer appreciation day, the marketing groups survey on brand perception, the interns trip to the Lubricant Manufacturing Terminal and the Sea view.

We decided to go for a movie-like theme for our internship video; it commenced with the exposure of an ex-internee, cherishing the days of his internship at the PSO. The movie further proceeded to display the activities of the interns working in various departments. To add humor and to make the video more interesting, a PSO version of American Idol; a music video with an all-intern cast and a slide show of photographs with a nostalgic note was shown towards the end.

CHAPTER 1

1.1 History of the company

In 1976 three companies, Dawood petroleum, ESSO & Pakistan National Oil joined together to form PSO. The organization consist of Board of Management, Managing Director, Management Committee, Executive Committee, Code Leadership Team, Employer Leadership Team & nineteen individual departments working under them. 1

1.2 Vision Statement To excel in delivering value to customers as an innovative and dynamic energy company that gets to the future first.2 1.3 Mission Statement We are committed to leadership in energy market through competitive advantage in providing highest quality petroleum products and services to our customers based on: y Professionally trained, highest quality, motivated work force, working as team in an environment, which recognizes and rewards performance, innovation and creativity, provides for personal growth and development. y Lowest-cost operations and assured access to longterm and cost effective supply sources. y y Sustained growth in earnings in real terms. Highly ethical, safe, environment-friendly and socially responsible business practices.3 1.4 Values4 1. Excellence y Passion for customers

Pakistan State Oil, viewed 3 August 2010, http://www.psopk.com/about_us/ Pakistan State Oil, viewed 6 August 2010, http://www.psopk.com/about_us/vision_mission_values.php

Pakistan State Oil, viewed 6 August 2010, http://www.psopk.com/about_us/vision_mission_values.php

Pakistan State Oil, viewed 6 August 2010, http://www.psopk.com/about_us/vision_mission_values.php

y y y y y 2. Respect y y y 3. Integrity y 4. Innovation y y

Total Quality Management Corporate Leadership Cohesiveness Teamwork Effective Communication

Respect for individuals Valuing Contribution Equal Opportunity

Business Ethics, Honesty

Creative Ideas New Products and Processes

5. Corporate Responsibility y y Health, Safety, Environment Community Development

Ever since PSO revamped its image, it has aimed to provide its customers with an image that conveys a progressive and environmental friendly organization. This is also indicative in its new corporate logo:

The logo consists of three colors, Green, Blue and Yellow. The letters PSO and the underlying crescent are green in the color, portraying national colors of the Pakistani flag, portraying it as a patriotic and domestic organization. The blue background of the logo depicts the color of the sky, the yellow sunlight indicates PSOs link with the nature. The logo conveys that the organization is completely conversant with environmental needs, and its operations are conducted in the most eco-friendly manner. 1.5 Corporate Profile PSO is the market leader in Pakistans energy sector. The company has the largest network of retail outlets to serve the automotive sector and is the major fuel supplier to aviation, railways, power projects, armed forces and agriculture sector. It is the largest oil marketing company in the country and is currently engaged in storage, distribution and marketing of various POL products. It has the status of being the first Pakistani Public Sector Company to become a member of the World Economic Forum (WEF), and winning the Karachi Stock Exchange Top Companies Award making PSO a notable company world over. With its 3612 distribution outlets, PSO has the largest network in the country. Out of these, 1,610 outlets have been upgraded as per the New Vision Retail Program. These included the most modern facilities like electronic dispensing units, convenience stores, business centers, Easy Payment Centers and customer friendly staff to provide unmatched and diverse services to its customers, all of which are comparable to international practices. PSO serves 2.8 million retail customers on daily basis, along with 2000 industrial units and business houses. The company has also been meeting the fuel needs of various government entities, armed forces, railways, agriculture sector, IPPs and industrial
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units. PSO also provides Jet Fuel to Refueling Facilities at nine airports in Pakistan and ship fuel at three ports. In July 2002, PSO Loyalty Cards were introduced to reward the retail customers for their loyalty and patronage towards the company. In February 2003, PSO launched its Fleet Cards and Corporate Cards, which are fuel-based credit cards for the business entities. These cards along with the companys Prepaid Cards provide convenience, flexibility and security to customers, while enabling them to earn redeemable loyalty points and avail attractive discounts on non-petroleum products. PSOs leading retail brands include:5 y y Premier-XL (petrol with multi-functional additive), Green-XL (environment friendly diesel with an additive that provides more mileage, smooth running & less black smoke), y y Deo (diesel engine oil) Carient (passenger car motor oil).

Figure 1: Hierarchy at PSO

Board of Management

Managing Director
5

Pakistan State Oil, viewed 3 August 2010, http://www.psopk.com/products_services/ Qureshi, Irfan. Personal Interview. 26 July 2010 Executive Committee Employee Leadership Team Code Leadership 7 Team

Management Committee

Marketing Supply Chain Retail Business Corporate Planning Procurement Services Legal Affairs Corporate Communication Consumer Business Aviation, Marine, Exports Chemicals Corporate & Fleet Cards, Brand Management Finance & IT

Operations Supply Logistics Construction & Retail Facilities

Finance IT & Communication

Lubricants

1.6 Organizational Structure Organizational structure of PSO is based on the concept of diffused management. Each of its department like marketing, human resources department industrial commerce, finance lube sales agency, operations are headed by general managers. Managers are working under the control of deputy managing directors. Overall Company works on decentralized system except few matters, which are important and are centrally decided. The company has board of directors, which consists of chairman and other members.7 General

Pakistan State Oil, viewed 7 August 2010, http://www.psopk.com/about_us/board_management.php

1.7 Departments Departments that were under my observation during internship program. y y y y y Industrial Consumer Department T&OD Department Retail & Sales Department Brand Management Department Operation Department

1.7.1 Industrial Consumer Department8 Industrial consumer department deals with the direct consumers, which are big organizations and purchase oil from PSO in bulk form for final consumption. There are about 43 contracted companies some of them are given below. y y y y y y y y y y y
8

Pakistan Railway Pakistan Army KESC & WAPDA Tapal Energy Gul Ahmed Energy Japan Energy Kohinoor Energy Pakistan Steel Sitara Energy HUBCO Cement Industry

Askari, Nihal. Personal Interview. 30 June 2010

Sugar Industry Sindh and

Zonal Heads constantly co-ordinates with clients of a particular zone.

Balochistan come under South zone. Punjab lying under central zone and NWFP concerns with North zone. There are many types of machines and engines that are used in different factories, having various characteristics, according to these characteristics the manufacturer of these engines and machines recommend a particular type of oil to be used which are generally called lubes. The general formula for lube is Base oil + Additives = Lubricants. To obtain these oils, the companies issue tenders to all oil marketing companies like PSO, Shell & Caltex. Each company fills the tender with minimum prices. The tender opening ceremony held at Islamabad. Tender goes to those who have offered lowest prices. The Shell and Caltex are major competitors of PSO, because of multinational corporations, they have many branches all over the world and set the prices with lowest margin and compensate the loss by other branches. Despite these problems PSO has won many contracts. The major consumer's i.e. Pakistan Army, Pakistan Navy, Pakistan Steel, Pakistan Railway and many IPP's are contracted with PSO. After winning the contract a copy of order sent to the blending plants, which include the contract no. and type of product. The blended product is tested by PSO owned Laboratories and sample is sent to the customer. Customers again test it in their own Laboratories or in an independent Laboratory called HDIP (Hydro Carbon Development Institute of Pakistan). In case of recommendation the delivery to the customer starts. y Industrial Consumer department sales at least 210-liter drum of product and pays freight if there is a consignment of at least 50 drums. y y PSO Markets 72% of total product through industrial Consumer department. SLS-37 is a form contains the details of customer, which includes RTD (Round Trip Distance) from depots, what they are producing, where product is to be delivered. y y Customer code is issued to each customer. Except lubes the government sets the prices of product.
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The prices are amended by Govt. notification called PS-48, the copy of amended prices is sent to the terminals and one copy to the customers. 1.7.2 Training & Organization Development Department The Training Division in PSO had been there for a long time since 1979. However, it was renamed as the Training and Organization Development Department in the year 2000 by the company's management to peruse its NEW VISION Concept. As a part of the radical organizational changes that came in PSO, after its revamping as a company with international standards, a new management was brought in the T&OD too. The vigilant team of T&OD is now headed by the GM T&OD, Mr. Vaqar .A. Khan, who along with his vibrant training officers, have proven to be strategic business partners and have been contributing tremendously in materializing the Company's NEW VISION Concept in its true essence.9

T&OD Vision Our Vision is to come in line with the overall Company's vision of having a skilful and motivated workforce that works for the mutual advantage of themselves and the Company, ensuring an enhanced level of performance.10 T&OD Mission Statement To bring about a planned change in the organization through human resource dynamics and continuous training to ensure sustained improvement.11 1.7.3 Retail Sales Department The automotive or retail network of the company is the visible part of the operations of Pakistan State Oil in the eyes of public. It is also the most costly both in terms of capital
9

Khan, Vaqar. Personal Interview. 28 June 2010 Khan, Vaqar. Personal Interview. 28 June 2010 Khan, Vaqar. Personal Interview. 28 June 2010

10

11

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outlay and in maintenance. PSO operate approximately 3610 fuel pumps around the country near 270 outlets in Karachi alone. This makes PSO the largest oil marketing company in the country both in terms of size and volume. PSO has recently invested billion of rupees in upgrading its distribution network and in building the image in the mind of the customer. PSO in the near past was subject to major criticism although having the highest share in the market nearly 72% for its low quality service and fuel quality in comparison to other oil marketing companies.12 It is these retail outlets that the quality of products supplied to the customer is really subjected to close scrutiny. They are selling the company name, the quality backed PSO and the service which PSO personnel delivering while the transactions takes place. These Gas stations need proper maintenance regular supervision, frequent checkups from the company representatives at frequent interval. Proper maintenance not just include that fuel pumps are working in order but rather insuring that each and every aspect of service being provided from the fuel station are in perfect condition. This would help customer enjoy their transaction with the company, maximize customer satisfaction and automatically generating repeated sales. As part of the work in retail department we were also required to go to outlets with sales officers and gained first hand experience in the skills utilized in selling lubes and fuel to different dealers. We learned the approach used by the sales officer in their interaction with the dealers and procedure of how the order is taken and the delivery conformed. I also noticed that the sales officers have taken keen interest in improving the service and cleanness of their areas outlets in order to increase the sale of the outlet under their supervision. The job description for sales officers includes constant interaction with the dealers who can sometimes pose to be quite difficult, hence it is a challenge managing them and getting things to run smoothly. 1.7.4 Brands Management Department
12

Shah, Asif Ali. Personal Interview. 15 July 2010

12

Mr.Aziz A. Khan gave us a brief overview of the department and interesting discussion on branding and its significance was carried out. It was more of an interaction session in which our contribution and opinions were also encouraged. Some of the important points of the discussions are given as follows. Branding however is not only confined to advertising. It is also associated with packaging. Innovative and distinctive packaging provides the brand with a competitive edge and positive association with which quality can also be created. This helps to reinforce the promise of the brand to deliver the best quality every time. The main aim behind advertising the PSO brand is to differentiate it from the other OMCs especially SHELL the archival of PSO. This is especially the case as the product being dealt with homogenous product. Advertising results in higher recognition and recall, a more distinct brand positioning and stronger brand equity.13 The New Vision outlets that have been created with an investment of Rs. 20 million each, also contribute to building a stronger brand because these outlets have strong associations of a modern, efficient image, speedy service, well-trained staff, cleaner premises and a more congenial environment. All this adds to brand equity and customer loyalty. All these elements differentiate the new vision outlets and also resonate with the customers making the program a successful one. 1.7.5 Operations Department Operations dept: provide the operational facilities. There are 9 installations and 28depots through out the country. Oil is reached at terminals by through pipelines and at depots by tank lories, where oil is stored for temporary period.14 Annual financial estimation for the construction and repairing of pipelines, storage tanks, electrical work, look after the machines, generators, storage tanks and pipelines etc are done by this dept:

13

Khan, Aziz. Personal Interview. 31 July 2010 Hassan, Zahid. Personal Interview. 30 July 2010

14

13

How much distance should be between tanks? Tanks and buildings are also measured by this dept: terminal B & C storage or product is explosive and harmful. Company is needed of how many storage tanks? What should be height, capacity and how much storage there for particular time is required to provide the customers? are done by the same dept: but they do not store the product for annual period. The designing of new petrol pumps, the choice of new area, expenditure, size, budget estimation and all other facilities are provided by this dept: but the finance dept: pay this amount and the construction is done by the construction dept: There are two types of budget. 1) Capital Budget (annual) 2) Revenue Budget This budget is used at daily or monthly bases, for sudden repairing, all the bills of electricity, new building color, instrument of the lab and the specific particular of the Petrol Pumps. Purchase dept: purchases all things like computers and other equipments.

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CHAPTER 2 SWOT Analysis of PSO 2.1 Strengths: 2.1.1 Storage Capacity: Being the oldest and having adequate resources at its disposal, PSO has more storage capacity of oil and lubricants compared to its competitors in Pakistan. It has the storage capacity of 350000 tons while shell has the storage capacity of only 70000 tons. 2.1.2 Maximum Number of Outlets: The company has the largest infrastructure and it holds the maximum number of outlets i.e. 3610 on its inventory to attract more customers. Its biggest competitor i.e. Shell has only 1200 outlets at its disposal. 2.1.3 Man Power: The company boosts to be the biggest employer in its own field, giving it a definite edge over its competitors in the area of human resource management. Employees are
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the only type of resources which cannot be copied and recruiting the best and in more number is its strength. 2.2 Weaknesses: 2.2.1 Government Pressures:

Being a government owned organization; PSO management at times has to scum to the politically motivated pressures, forcing them to take the decisions which are commercially not viable. As last this year Pakistan witnessed the worst shortfall of energy, under these circumstances PSO was pressurized to supply fuel to government energy plants on credit and as such its liabilities increased.

2.2.2 Slow Up- gradation:

Most of the pumps and Inventory Carrying Systems are still operating manually. This laps and lack of up-gradation has resulted into increased operating cost and decreased profits. Though there profits are increasing but at a decreasing rate.

2.3 Opportunities: 2.3.1 Government Investments:

PSO gets priority in government sponsored schemes therefore receives more investments in the state owned projects. The reason is that being the only national petroleum company, PSO gets preferences. 2.3.2 Bio-Diesel Project:

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Being the pioneer & the only investor in bio-diesel project in Pakistan the company is exploring the possibility to use it to its fullest advantage in terms of generating additional revenue. It will decrease their production cost and such the selling price will also be reduced as compared to its competitors. Under these circumstances the company can attract more customers then its competitors. 2.3.3 Alternate Means of Transportation:

The oil pipeline being laid between KPT & Port Qasim Karachi has substantially reduced the transportation cost of the company having direct bearing on its profit margins. With the installation of pipelines the dependency on vehicles for transport is reduced and it is one time cost. Moreover the pressure through pipelines can be controlled and with the passage of time average production cost will also decrease.

2.4 Threats: 2.4.1 Policy matters: Lack of consistency in policy matters, law & order and political condition of the country has direct impact on the future of the company. Whenever a new government comes, prominent changes in the administration take place and as such a lot of time is wasted in adjusting and understanding the new system. 2.4.2 Natural disasters: The recent floods have damaged the pipelines of PSO nation wide, causing huge financial loses to the company. 2.4.3 Outstanding Payments: The outstanding bills of government owned companies i.e. WAPDA etc have adversely affected the balance sheet of the company. Currently only WAPDA has to pay Rs.136 billion to PSO.
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2.4.4 New Entrants: Risk of forward integration of supplier is another threat to PSO. The PARCO, one of the main POL product suppliers to OMCs, has adopted the forward integration strategy by commissioning its own OMC with TOTAL and named it as TOTAL-PARCO. This venture alone has adversely affected the operations and profit of the PSO. 2.4.5 Lack of Funds: In order to keep pace with diversified and rapidly changing technologies, lot of funding is required which is unfortunately not available. Due to the non-availability of required funds company will not be able to capture the market share in the field of lubricants.

2.5 Conclusion Pakistan State Oil is playing an important role in the economic development of the country. PSO is not only a national marketing company but also serves as vehicle of government energy policy. PSO not only shoulders the responsibility of meeting the petroleum needs in all sectors of economy and defense but also undertakes all measures for the conservation of energy by reducing stocks, trans-shipment in handling losses. PSO is supplying oil in even those areas where other companies have refused due to security reasons. My pre-conceived ideas about the company have remarkably changed after spending six weeks with it as an internee. I have found it to be very organized and professionally focused. Despite being a government owned company, PSO has successfully managed to develop a corporate culture, giving it a definite edge over other government organizations. Specific job description facilitates the employees for enhanced productivity and efficient working. Responsibilities are clearly marked and defined by the management giving due leverage to the employees to excel in the areas of their

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specialties. A well defined performance and seniority based promotion policy is a vibrant tool to keep the incentives alive. The company has also improved its products and adapted selective marketing techniques like fleet and corporate loyalty cards. Meeting national objectives can be termed as a significant hallmark of the company as nation wise it is the sole fuel provider at nine airports. The company has another distinction of reaching out the earth quake effected areas during 2008. PSO further consolidated its patriotism by ensuring uninterrupted fuel supplies to its defaulters i.e. WAPDA, KESC etc so that a common man does not feel the crunch.

2.6 Recommendations
y In order to built customers confidence, quality and quantity must be ensured by the company by upgrading its dispensing units, aggressive checking and taking due steps to eliminate the possibility of adulteration. y y The ambiance of the outlets must be competitive to its rival companies. The customers can further be attracted by the provision of additional facilities i.e. service station, tuck shop, oil changing facility, wash room, tire shop and mosque etc. y Pump attendants must be well dressed, well behaved and properly trained as they are the front line brand ambassadors of the company. y Instant prizes should be offered to the customers instead of long awaited prize schemes i.e. Haj and Umra visas as the customers may lose their interest. y The media advisors should launch the campaigns more vigoursly keeping in view the latest market trends. y Quick and prompt decisions should be taken by the management to resolve the problems initiated by the outlets, like machine disorder, supply management etc. y The PSO should take advantage of government policies like import duty relaxation and also offer the provision of CNG to its customers. y Sign posts indicating the distance and direction of the outlets to be placed on the highways for commuters.

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It should be ensured that eatables and other commodities being sold at the tuck shop are of good quality, hygienic and of reasonable price.

Safety and security measures meeting international standards must be adopted at the outlets.

The lubricants and other items required to be sold at the pumps must be displayed prominently and professionally.

Incentives should be offered to the employees as well as to the customers and schemes like target oriented bonuses and Customer of the Month can be used.

CHAPTER 3 MARKETING STRATEGIES PSO has now moved into the new era where petroleum product has been now treated as a FMCG. Its all about marketing. The company cannot create demand but can shift demand towards itself. There is no as such segmentation as far as fuel is concerned, but services are targeted towards different segments. PSO introduced the concept of Fleet Cards and there target markets are different companies. You can get that card and fuel on behalf of that card for the whole month on credit and then can clear the bills at the end of month. Similarly a common man is a target market for Corporate Loyalty Card and it offers the same service as that of the Fleet Card, the only difference is that it is for an individual car. Similarly there are different kinds of lubricants, each targeting a different target market. There major target markets are the truck drivers. The same product line has then so many different versions like for 3000CC vehicle, for 800CC vehicle, for CNG running vehicles and so on.

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As far as promotion is concerned, the company believes in aggressive promotional activities and those activities are aimed at shifting the demand of the customers of other petroleum companies. As far as pricing is concerned, being the national company PSO has always tried to offer lower prices of lubricants as compared to its customers. While for the fuel the price is set by government. 3.1 Marketing Mix15 More emphasis was given to the advertisements through Billboards, TV. Commercials, Electronic and print media. y y A sizable amount was kept in the budget for sponsoring road signs. Following sponsorships were made: 1. ITCN exhibition. 2. BBC Hard Talk Show. 3. Cricket tours. 4. Golf tours. y y More eye catching and colorful banners have replaced the old banners. New Logo indicating companies vision and its concern about environment have been introduced. y More innovative sales promotional campaigns like PSO LOYALTY CARD have been introduced for motor gasoline, diesel and oil users. y Safety awareness drive has been launched by the company and the messages relevant to the safe driving have been displayed at the outlets. y To attract the customers, company is making a serious endeavor to improve the packing of its lubricants. y Pakistans largest logo tower has been constructed at Rawalpindi railway station by the PSO. y PSO is using the event of Basant for its marketing by distributing kites to its customers at various outlets.
15

Khan, Rifat Ali. Personal Interview. 8 July 2010

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PSO is striving hard to upgrade its lubricants in order to compete and acquire its due market share.

3.2 Advertising Agencies:16 Following advertising agencies are on its panel: 1. CMC 2. Orient 3. Interflow 4. IAL 5. Fourays 6. Mass 7. Argus 8. BBCL

3.3 Assignments given at PSO Public Service Messages y y Eunuchs (third gender) Sponsor a Child

3.3.1 Public Service Message 1 The Third Gender: Our first public service message was regarding the third gender or Eunuchs. Our video aimed at highlighting the ordeals of living the life of an outcast, the misery that has become a way of life and the mistreatment that the normal of our society deem the Eunuchs only entitlement. Robbed of even the basic necessities of life, the eunuchs are forced on to the streets resorting to beggary and prostitution as their means of earning a livelihood. The public service message aims to voice a topic that is considered taboo in our parts of the world, bring out the harsh realities and thus create empathy for these

16

Kumar, Aneel. Personal Interview. 16 July 2010

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people who because of their deviation from the gender norms arent even treated as humans. We came up with this particular topic after putting forth various ideas involving the environment, road safety etc, but decided to go with the one on the eunuchs because it is a subject people would rather keep in the dark because of societal taboos and thus rendering it a non clich. To shoot are video we had to hit the streets looking for eunuchs that would be willing to be filmed for our video. This actually was the most difficult part as most of the eunuchs refused to be filmed on the pretext that we have to take permission from their head. After determined pursuance and offering financial compensation they finally agreed to be filmed for our public service message. It starts of by stating what the society considers a norm when it comes to gender, and how the eunuchs are pushed into a grey circle completely ignored by society. The clips that follow show their life at their streets which basically consists of beggary and prostitution. Dignity is a concept quite unknown to them. While some of these clips may be harsh and bitter yet they are only aimed to create a feeling of empathy. The eunuchs are suffering a fate worse than that of animals and are deprived off the basic necessities of life. Our theme therefore is that the third gender while regarded as abnormal is still human and ought to be treated as human. Our public service message ends with the tag line which reads:

3.3.2 Public Service Message 2 Sponsor a Child:

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Objective: To develop a public service message for PSO that can be used by the company to create awareness on social issues. Detailed Methodology After successfully developing first public service message, our group proceeded to undertake the second social message. The group initially deliberated on various social issues that our country is facing. It was felt that education is vital for the progress of any society, it was therefore decided that the message should be based on for making education more accessible to the children who are less privileged and are part of the lower middle class of our society. The inspiration was taken from the Citizen Foundation which is already working on to the concept of sponsoring a childs education. We genuinely felt that if the more fortunate shoulders the responsibility of a childs education, illiteracy rate in the country can be substantially reduced. Upon this concept our tag line was developed which reads; Sponsor a Child- Your Helping Hand Can Change a Life. To begin with, the script of the message/advertisement was written and reviewed. The ad show a representing many other children similar to him, working in streets to earn livelihood for them and their families. Children belonging to this particular class dont have the means and resources even to pursue their primary education. The main character of our public service message is a young boy of 6years compelled to work as a windscreen cleaner on the road signal of Karachi. The boy haling from a very poor family is apparently going to face the similar fate of his father. Being caught in the vicious circle of poverty he cannot attend a school. A man pays him for cleaning his car windscreen but it wont be enough to permanently alter his state. However if the child is provided with education he can hope for a brighter future. We focused on the fact that members of the society can help build their future if they took the responsibility to provide for their education. We showed this in our ad by that man enrolling a poor child in a school. In order to show that if each of us should take the responsibility of a childs education so that the society as a whole can progress we showed each of our group members holding the hand of a child. This was a reflection of our tagline. (Sponsor a ChildYour Helping Hand Can Change a Life)
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In addition to it we were also given tasks to carry out the research regarding customer perception about PSO & to arrange for an event named Customer Care Day at different outlets of PSO in Karachi. Apart from this we also arranged for an event to collect money in order to give charity, mainly to MANZIL FOUNDATION & also to other small organizations. We collected Rs.0.5 million.

MY EXPERIENCE DURING INTERNSHIP PROGRAM PSO is known for its internship programs which actually inspired me to go all the way to Karachi and learn new things. Internship programs are basically designed to give a practical exposure to the students of what they have studied in their class rooms and books. The experience by itself was a pleasant surprise which was full of learning, meeting new people and understanding corporate culture. Throughout the course of my internship I was encouraged and guided by my supervisory staff. There professional handling and trust made me to excel for continuous improvement and simultaneously gave me the confidence to accomplish my projects as a winner. The objective and can-do attitude that I developed working on stretched and tedious projects helped me to convert my opportunities into strengths. It can also be termed as a period of self-discovery where it was revealed that how far I can go, an estimate that I have been revising to this day because of the new spirited attitude towards life. PSO stands as a company having its own culture, professionalism and strong ethics. Equity and mutual respect are the core values which I greatly cherished. The company offers a very well-defined and structured internship program providing great
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opportunities of learning. My experience as an internee with PSO can be summarized to be very befitting, fruitful and useful.

During our internship we also carried out a survey regarding customer perception about PSO. For this we first designed a questioner and then we were assigned a certain number of questioners as well as areas in which we have to conduct the survey. The time given to us was of 8 hours. We got those questioners filled from common persons using the vehicles. A consumers suggestions are the most important for improving the product quality an as such it highlights the importance of conducting marketing research. We also carried out for another activity regarding finding out the common mistakes taking place in communication with in the departments. For this we interviewed different employees of PSO and then got all the questioners filled with the help of their answers. The questioners which we designed and got filled are attached at the end of this report.

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Annex 1

Questionnaire

________________________________________________________________

1. On an average how many times do you visit a petrol station

_______Once a weak _______Twice a weak _______Thrice a weak _______Other Please specify

2. Which petrol station(s) do you mostly visit

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_______PSO _______SHELL _______Caltex _______PSO and Shell _______PSO and Caltex _______Caltex and Shell _______Any other

3. Why do you generally visit the above mentioned stations PSO Better fuel quality Convenience of location Better service Availability of credit facility Relationship Urgency rather than preference Shell Caltex

4. How do you rank the overall service level of each of the following (Just Tick) PSO Excellent Shell Caltex

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Good Satisfactory Bad Worse 5. Please identify the status of the below mentioned services

Services

Cod e

Aware

Unaware

Want it

Dont want it

Use

Dont use

A B C D E F G H

Oil change Air/Tyre facility Drinking water Convenience stores Toilets CNG Workshops Car wash

O A D C T G W CW

6. In your opinion at which patrol station fueling time is appropriate ?

_______PSO
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_______Shell _______Caltex

7. Which fuel company is reliable in your opinion ?

_______PSO _______Shell _______Caltex

8. What is the service level of pump attendants in your opinion at : (Just Tick)

PSO Very helpful Helpful Unconcerned Unhelpful Very unhelpful

Shell Very helpful Helpful Unconcerned Unhelpful Very unhelpful

Caltex Very helpful Helpful Unconcerned Unhelpful Very unhelpful

9. Please complete according to the Legend given below each box : (If usage status is NO then proceed to question 6 )

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A Usage status

B Where you these services

C do Satisfaction avail Level

D Reasons for using

E Want to use

not in future

Oil change Air/tyre facility Drinking water Convenience store CNG Workshop services Car wash Toilets Legend Yes(Y) No(N) Shell(S) Caltex(CX) PSO(P) Completely satisfied(1) Satisfied(2) Neutral(3) Dissatisfied(4) Completely Satisfied(5) None(1) Know now(2) Use Other(3) Yes(1) No(2) Not concerned(3)

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10. In your opinion, which fuel company, gives the best customer service.

_______PSO _______Shell _______Caltex

Annex 2 Questionnaire

Name: Name Of The Firm: Designation:

1) Do you set aside adequate time for a meeting with your subordinate? YES NO

2) Do you practice Management By Wandering Around (getting out of the office and talking to the subordinates as they do their jobs)? YES NO

3) How do you communicate with your subordinates?

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Directly (face to face) Indirectly Through Memos/announcements

4) While giving instructions do you prefer going into details? YES 5) Do you repeat your instructions more than once? NO

YES

NO

6) Do you take direct feedbacks from your subordinates about how they feel about the situation in general? YES NO

7) Do you give constructive feedbacks to your subordinates so that they can improve their performance? YES NO

8) Does your boss give you clear and precise instructions? YES NO

9) Is your boss a good listener? YES NO

10) Can you freely discuss your problems with your boss? YES 11) Are you free to make suggestions at your work place?
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NO

YES

NO

12) What is the most common source of miscommunication in your organization? Physical Distractions Mixed Messages Use of Complex Statements Language Differences

13) How can organizational miscommunication be avoided? one option) Good Managerial skills Giving frequent feedbacks Active listening Good conversational skills

(You can tick more than

How much time is used up on average in getting the correct message across? 5min 10min 15min 20min

How much cost on average is incurred due to miscommunication? 5% 10% 15% 20%
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How important is the use of email in communications in the company? Fairly important Very important Important Not important at all

How strong are horizontal communication channels? Very strong Fairly strong Strong Weak

How strong are vertical communication channels? Very strong Fairly strong Strong Weak

How often are open meetings held in the organization? Everyday Every week Every month Only sometimes What are the means of feedback in the company? Via email
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By phone By memos Direct response

Are there precautions against communication noise in your company? Yes No

How rich are the communication channels? Very rich Rich Lean Very lean

Would you agree that noise hinders most of your communications? YES NO

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GLOSSARY CMC: Corporate & Marketing Communications. IAL: International Advertising Private Limited. BBCL: Big Bang Communications Limited. ITCN: Information Technology Commerce Limited. T & OD: Training & Organization Development. IFEM: Inland Freight Equalization Margin. OMC: Overseas Employment Corporation. PQA: Port Qasim Authority.

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