NMIMS SEPTEMBER 2018 SOLVED ASSIGNMENTS AVAILABLE AT NOMINAL COST

Internal Assignment Applicable for SEPTEMBER 2018 Examination

SEMESTER 1

Corporate Social Responsibility

1. Child labour is a violation of human rights. India is sadly the home to the largest number of child labourers in the world. Children are engaged as household servants and are also employed by hotels, service stations, food stalls, workshops, construction sites, carpet industries, etc. They are even employed in hazardous and unhygienic forms of labour in textile, leather and cracker industries, depriving the children of their childhood, and harming their mental, emotional and physical development & well-being. What according to you are five compelling reasons for the existence of child labour in India? Suggest four practical strategies/action plan that can be adopted by business and society to make child labour unattractive and non viable. (10 Marks)

 

2. Saudi petro giant Aramco led refinery project is slated to come up at Nanar village in Ratnagiri district of Maharashtra, also famous as home to Alphonso mangoes. The Rs 3 trillion integrated refinery and petrochemicals complex is a joint venture between Aramco, IOC, HPCL and BPCL The refinery will process 60 mio tonnes per annum (mtpa) of crude and will be able to produce 18 mtpa of petrochem products. The companies claim the project will generate 1.5 lac jobs during construction and 20,000 direct jobs, once completed. The project requires 15000 acres of land, more than 90 % of which is in 14 villages of Ratnagiri district and the rest in 2 villages of adjacent Sindhudurg district. Currently 80 % of this land is used for agriculture and over 16 lac mango trees and three lac cashew trees, the mainstay of the region will be lost. According to the locals, 22000 farmers and 4500 fisher folks will be impacted. The farmers will get paid for land but not the fisher folks whose livelihood will be severely impacted. The locals have been protesting for a year, they fear pollution from the project will affect farming and fishing. According to you should this project be developed? Give reasons for your answer. What needs to be done by the management and board of this Aramco led project to

minimize/ mitigate negative impacts on the environment and local communities? Elaborate on any five of your suggestions? (10 Marks)

 

3. “An individual “blows the whistle” when they disclose information which relates to suspected wrongdoing or dangers at work.” You have proof of an unethical practice in your workplace and you wish to blow whistle on it. (10 Marks)

 

Course: Business Communication

1. Mrs. Bagla is a General Manager at Ganga Tools. The Engineering company has many levels of employees working since years. The attrition rate is quite low at the organization; however, employee relationships need to be worked on as usually conflict rate is seen quite high. Mrs. Bagla, wants to understand and work on the problem. Please help her by listing out and explaining in brief the causes of

miscommunication. (10 Marks)

 

2. Parag has joined Koret Pharma in corporate correspondence department. His department is responsible for keeping in touch with existing clients, introducing them to new products and also reaching out to new customers for new business development. While his task remained more into writing business letters and other persuasive documents, he needs to understand the process. List down steps of business writing process and explain them in brief. (10 Marks)

 

3. Genesis productions Pvt. Ltd. wants to conduct focus groups for a change in their corporate image. They have their market research team who would be conducting focus groups, however, they need some training for the staff in order to making their focus groups effective. In light of this situation, please answer the following questions.

a. Explain in detail the conceptualizing phase for conducting focus groups. (5 Marks)

b. The interviewers of focus groups are called moderators. What moderating skills are important for effective focus groups? (5 Marks)

 

Course: Business Economics

1. Define the term “Elasticity of demand.” Discuss different types of elasticity of demand. Also explain why this concept should be of interest to anyone in business who has a choice to determine the price at which to sell their products. (10 Marks).

 

2. Find below the data for total production costs of a manufacturing firm at various levels of output. Complete the blank table and comment on each column of the table explaining the behavior of short run costs of a firm. (10 Marks)

 

3. a) Large scale production is considered to be economical in the sense of per unit cost. Explain the statement by describing different types of economies of scale. Give examples to substantiate your answer (5 Marks)

3. b) Under perfect competition, a firm’s average revenue and marginal revenue are equal at all levels of output” Explain the statement by giving a hypothetical revenue table. (5 Marks)

 

Course: Information Systems for Managers

1. Raghu has been appointed as the Chief Information Officer of BuyFromMe a leading ecommerce company based in Pune. The company has data on buying habits of its customers. This data is available easily to each employee of the company through shared folders. What is the change Raghu should bring about in this case? (10 Marks)

 

2. The Smart Cube is a leading Knowledge Process Outsourcing company based in Noida. The company boasts of clientele from all parts of the world and they cater to the need of various industries. Their projects involve providing support to organisations in taking business decision. The company has 300 analysts working for various clients. The job of analysts is gathering data from various sources both primary and secondary and convert them into meaningful information. Advice the company on whether it makes sense to go for data warehousing? (10 Marks)

 

3. CapitalStock Data Pvt. Ltd is a data aggregator whose job involves getting data from various companies and aggregating it at one place. The company has appointed a new CIO. He advices the CEO that the company should be on the cloud.

a. What are the advantages the clients will have if the company is on the cloud? (5 Marks)

b. Compare the three models and state which of the three, cloud service model would suite the company? (5 Marks)

 

Course: Management Theory and Practice

Q1. How has leadership affected organisations in India and Worldwide? Cite relevant industry examples. . (10 Marks)

 

Q2. Do you think bureaucratic management holds relevance in the dynamic business environment today? Why? Give suitable examples. (10 Marks)

 

Q3. Jacob has been working in the accounts department of FCP electronics for over a decade now. There has been news of the organization implementing ERP. Jacob is anxious over this, he has insecurity about his job, he is ill confident about his ability to use ERP. He has hundreds of unanswered questions. He as now started looking out for other opportunities to move out of the organization.

a. What according to you is the problem in this case? (5 Marks)

b. In what way do you think could the change have been managed better? (5 Marks)

 

Course: Organisational Behaviour

1. As a manager how will you identify the stress, prevent and manage the stress of individuals working in the organization? Please cite the latest examples of stress from the corporate world. (10 Marks)

 

2. Mr Kabir was working in an Administrative department as officer Administration. He was responsible for keeping account of all the vehicles of the company apart from other arrangements including the guest house of the company. Mr Kabir has been working in the company for 6 years in the same grade without promotions. He was supposed to be very honest in his job. Once the GM of the factory Mr Rakesh Gupta, requested for the company car during office time for his personal work. Mr Kabir refused it by saying that it cannot be given during the office hours as the work would suffer. Mr Srivastava (Sr Manager Admin) was very happy to oblige Mr Gupta as he wanted one of his relatives to be employed as officer. Hence, he shouted at Mr Kabir for his disobedience and threatened to transfer him to stores if he continued to show disrespect to senior officers. Kabir was also an active member of staff union. He immediately went to the Union President and informed him about the misuse of the company car for private purpose by the GM at the cost of the office work. It was decided that Kabir would send a note in writing to Mr Srivastava asking him to approve sending the car to the house of Mr Gupta. Mr Srivastava understood the repercussions and refused to sign the approval. He lent his own car to Mr Gupta.

Questions: What power and power tactics was being used by Mr Kabir? What power Mr Srivastava was using and earmarked and explain the factors used by Mr Srivastava in contributing to the politics. (10 Marks)

 

3. Gulu's Snack Company is a family owned company located in Himalaya Mountains. Gulu started the business in 1956, by selling homemade chips. Nowadays, Gulu's is Rs.58 million snack Food

Company that is struggling to regain market share lost to fierce competitors. In the early 1980, Gulu passed the business on to his son, Gulu Jr., who is currently grooming his son, Gulshan to succeed himself as head of the company. Six month ago, Gulshan joined Gulu's Snacks as a salesperson and after four months, he was quickly promoted to sales manager. Gulshan recently graduated from a local university with an M.B.A. in marketing, and Gulu Jr. was hoping that Gulshan would be able to implement strategies that could help turn the company around. One of Gulshan's initial strategies was to introduce a new sales performance management system. As part of this approach, any sales person who receives a below average performance rating would be required to attend a mandatory coaching session with his/her supervisor. Gulshan is hoping that these coaching sessions will motivate his employees in increase their sales. Here is the description of the reaction of three salespeople who have been required to attend a coaching session because of their low performance over the previous quarter.

Nishant is a hard worker. He takes pride in his work. He has learned selling techniques. He has accompanied top salesman. He has no problem asking for advice and doing whatever needs to be done to learn the business. He has cheery attitude and is a real "team player and giving the company 150 percent at all times. It has been a tough quarter for Nishant, but he is doing his best to achieve his sales targets. He feels that failure to make quota during this past quarter results not from lack of effort but just bad luck in the economy. But he is now hopeful in the next quarter. Nishant is upset with Gulshan for having him attend the coaching session because this is the first time in three years that his sales quota has not been met. He exceeded the sales quota this year yet had not received a "thank you" or "good job" for those efforts. The entire experience has left Nishant demotivated and questioning his future with the company.

Navin is happy to have his job at Gulu's Snack Company although he really doesn't like sales work that much. Navin accepted this position because he felt that he wouldn't have to work hard and would have a lot of free time during the day. Navin was sent to coaching mainly because his customer satisfaction reports were low; in fact, they were the lowest in the company. Navin tends to give scanned presentations and does not listen closely to customers’ needs. Consequently, Navin makes numerous errors is new sales orders, which delays shipments and loses business and goodwill for Gulu's Snack Company. He thinks that the coaching session is a waste of time. He doesn't socialize with others in the

office. He attributes other's success and promotions to "who they know" in the company rather than their hard work. He feels that no matter how much effort is put into the job, he will never be adequately rewarded.

For three of the last five years Nikhil was the number one salesperson in the division and had hopes of being promoted to sales manager. When Gulshan joined the company, Nikhil worked closely with Gulu Jr. to help Gulshan learn all facets of the business. Nikhil thought this close relationship with Gulu Jr. would ensure his upcoming promotion to the coveted position of sales manager. He goes late for appointment or misses them entirely. His sales performance declined dramatically, which resulted in a drastic loss of income. Although Nikhil had been dedicated and fiercely loyal to Gulu Jr. and the company for many years, he is now looking for other employment. Nikhil is bitter and resentful of his current situation and now faces a mandatory coaching session that will be conducted by Gulshan.

Questions

a) How three needs identified by McClelland are related to worker behaviour in each situation? (5 Marks)

b) How is expectancy theory related with the 3 employees? Explain. (5 Marks)

 

Business Communication and Etiquette

1. Share the organizational grapevine that you have experienced in your career or industry. In your opinion please highlight how grapevine communication is beneficial & detrimental to any organization.

 

2. To facilitate inter-departmental cooperation, what measures would you recommend to your colleagues and subordinates to take? What kind of barriers in communication do you face and what is your strategy to overcome them? (10 Marks)

 

3. You are the leader in a healthcare industry. You often work closely with your Corporate Communications and PR team so they can ensure a positive brand image for your chain of hospitals.

a. To stay updated and connected with the latest trends in the industry, state and justify your opinion on the importance of boundary spanning? (5 Marks)

b. A recent incident of insensitive patient interaction at your hospital has tarnished your image in the media. What will you do to control the damage and handle the crisis?

 

Corporate Social Responsibility

1. Sustainability is the current focus of business community globally and businesses worldwide are including sustainability considerations in their strategic business decisions as well as long term plans. Choose any one current and live company, Indian or Multinational and explain how it is implementing any three sustainability actions to reduce their negative environmental footprints and why (refer to the sustainability report of the chosen company) (10 Marks)

 

2. With the introduction of Companies Act 2013 for the first time CSR has been legally acknowledged. Study the section 135, CSR rules as well as Schedule VII of Companies Act 2013. According to you explain 10 logical reasons why in the Companies Act 2013 CSR spend has been made selectively applicable for businesses in our country. (10 Marks)

 

3. “Society is one of the critical stakeholders of business”.

a. How does business impact local community positively as well as negatively?

b. With the help of a live example from any company, Indian or Multinational, elaborate how businesses are finding innovative ways to bring benefits to themselves as well as to the local communities in which they operate.

 

Management Theory and Practice

Q1. Explain with examples, what type of leader is Sundar Pichai (CEO Google). What kind of leadership style does he practice? (10 Marks)

 

Q2. A team leader in an organization wants to take feedback about his leadership from his peers, superiors and subordinates. List the various tools of verbal and non-verbal communication that can be developed for this purpose. (10 Marks)

 

Q3. Ajay had always been an outstanding performer throughout academia. As expected he also got placed at his dream company. This company offered him lucrative compensation, great fringe benefits, job security and encouraging superiors. Two years have passed by at this company and Ajay no longer has the same thoughts about the job; though all has been the same. Ajay seems to have got bored of his mundane job and salary hikes don’t seem to motivate him anymore. He is on the verge of withdrawing.

a. What according to you is wrong with Ajay. (5 Marks)

b. Discuss Herzberg’s two factory in the light of the case.

 

Information Systems for Managers

1. The Healthcare industry is inundated with massive volumes of data generated each minute. With the adoption of electronic health, mobile health and wearable technologies this is poised to increase dramatically over the next few years. This comprises of data that exists in the form of records, compliance & regulatory requirement. The recent trends demonstrate the transition from maintaining data in hard copies to digital data. As the Chief-Information-Officer (CIO), of a reputed hospital in the city, the management and you are in talks of migrating this data to the cloud. What are the benefits of adopting the

cloud and the major challenges that you anticipate to face with regard to cloud adoption? Give justification for adopting the cloud. (10 Marks)

 

2. Information Technology (IT) has become an integral part of the modern supply chains. Explain the concept of Supply Chain and with the help of an example from the retail sector, discuss how Information Systems are helping the organization in improving its supply chain performance. Mention any two future IT trends in supply chain. (10 Marks)

 

3. Digital music is gaining firmer ground in India. 56 percent of digital music revenue in Asia comes from music streaming. Players like Gaana, Hungama, Saavn, Wynk etc. offer users to stream music online and save songs offline with a premium subscription. They have grabbed a significant share of the audience who have given up the traditional methods of downloading music to streaming it online. Advertisers and telecom providers have also joined the bandwagon. The primary reasons for this growing popularity can be attributed to the rise in the number of digital natives, improved internet connectivity, more localized curated song lists, personalization of content, competitive pricing, huge library , availability across different platforms, simple user interface and sharing digital music with others across social platforms. Despite this, the path to profitability is challenged by user ability to willingness to pay for subscription, low advertising prices, and high content costs.

a. How do you think these companies use analytics to lure customers to use their app or convert the existing ones from “freemiums” to “premiums” (the subscription based model)? What are the different type of analytics? Does using analytics benefit the companies? (5 Marks)

b. Define Social Media and explain how these companies use Social Media to increase their business? Is it a wise choice to use social media to connect with customers?

 

Business Economics

1. Demand forecasting is not a speculative exercise into the unknown. It is essentially a reasonable judgement of future probabilities of the market events based on scientific background. Explain the statement by elaborating different qualitative and quantitative methods of demand forecasting. Which of the methods described by you is most suitable for forecasting the demand for “expensive mobile” and why? (10 Marks).

 

2. Which market is characterized by the “competition among few”? how is this market different from the “competition among many”? Explain how the producers in this kind of market promote their own interests by giving real world examples like OPEC, Cement Cartels, etc. (10 Marks)

 

3. A) Explain how the consumer attains utility maximisation and producer ensures cost minimization with the help of indifference curve and isoquant technique. (5 Marks)

3. B) “There is a high cross elasticity of demand between new and old cars”. Discuss the statement by explaining the features of cross elasticity of demand. Also compare and contrast cross elasticity with other types of elasticities of demand.

 

Organisational Behaviour

1. What is the role of a leader in motivating his/her subordinates? Explain the impact of leadership styles on subordinates with the help of three different theories of leadership in brief. (10 Marks)

 

2. In a large office an employee named Rozy may feel like a mere payroll number, but her informal group gives her personal attachment and status. With the members of her group she is somebody, even though in the formal structure she is only one of a thousand employees. She may not look forward to monitoring 750 accounts daily, but the informal group gives more meaning to her day. When she thinks of meeting her friends, sharing their interests, and eating with them, her day takes on a new dimension that makes easier any difficulty or tedious routine in her work.

Suddenly Rozy developed some interpersonal and intergroup conflicts with some powerful members of the group. The group did not accept her. Her work became more disagreeable and compelled her to a transfer, to absenteeism and to a resignation.

Questions: Although informal groups may lead to several benefits, can these groups prove harmful?. Suggest some measures for Rozy to check the dysfunctions of informal groups? (10 Marks)

 

3. Hari Sinha is a marketing executive with Hardbyte Computer Peripherals Ltd. Hardbyte is a company with 10 years of existence and has a sound product range in computer peripherals. It sells its products at a slightly higher price in the market because of its goodwill for quality. Hari Sinha is one of the best marketing executives of the company and enjoys several company benefits for his excellent performance. Hari’s boss Sudhir Pradhan is thoroughly satisfied with his work and likes Hari. Hari likes to sell to institutional buyers rather than small-time domestic customers. Hari also likes to work on challenging customers but not at the cost of wasting too much time on to please them. He constantly keeps himself focused on the targets to be achieved for the month and tries to reach the maximum. For him, it matters to be ahead in the race of selling and therefore he works very hard and smart. Sudhir has always tried to ensure that Hari is given enough scope to explore the potential customers on his own. He of course, feels a little worried about Hari’s attitude towards those marketing executives who sell to small customers. He is at times belittling in his attitude towards them and even ridicules their efforts. However, Sudhir has tried to ignore this because of Hari’s performance.Due to the recent slack in the IT industry, Hardbyte’s business with corporate customers has dipped. Because of this Sudhir, has reallocated the targets to all the marketing executives. However, he knows Hari’s fetish for corporate clients too well. But he also knows that Hari will have to be forced to go to small customers for promoting the products. Sudhir, is aware of the fact that Hari is a man of strong likes & dislikes and hence he is in a fix. He is also apprehensive that if Hari is not given an appropriate assignment then he may even consider leaving his job. Sudhir was fully aware that Hari had no dearth of opportunities. Sudhir knows that the dilemma that he is facing is serious and will have to be resolved suitably.

Questions

a) In a rapidly changing global scenario, what is the contribution of Individual Behavior in Organizations from the perspective of attitude, and perception?

b) How understanding of personality helps in enhancing organization’s effectiveness?

 

SEMESTER 2

Strategic Management

Q.1) Carrefour is a French Retail Giant wanting to enter into India’s multi-brand retail industry. Perform a PESTLE analysis for Carrefour’s entry strategy into India.

 

Q.2) Hindustan Motors has ceased to produce “Ambassador” car since 2014. Assuming you to be the new CEO of this company, suggest ways & means of resurrecting the brand “Ambassador” by building a Competitive Advantage. (10 Marks)

 

Q.3) Geely, a Chinese automotive major wishes to enter into India to offer its automotive brands in the Indian market.

A) Perform Porter’s 5 forces analysis. (5 Marks)

B) Based on Porter’s 5 forces analysis, suggest whether the company should enter into India or not. Suggest the reasons behind entry or non-entry into the Indian market.

 

Essentials of HRM

1. Define Job Specification. Create a job specification for the position of a tele caller for an E tailer.

 

2. Differentiate between recruitment and selection. List and explain some of the recruitment methods in the digital age. (10 Marks)

 

3. ‘Speedcall’ is a five year old telecommunications company. As a part of the strategic management to achieve its vision, it decides to conduct training for its first line staff selling over the counter products. The company does a thorough research and decides to conduct trainings on the topic of ‘customer centricity ’ , realizing that giving importance to customers will be the only way to sustainable business. The company hires outside trainers to conducts training based on the outline created by the L&D department of the company. Almost 500 first line staff members are trained and after a year the company sees no effect on sales/ revenue..

a. What do you think is the reason behind failure of the above initiative? . (5 Marks)

b. Elaborate on the concept of training need analysis with reference to the above case.

 

Marketing Management

1. Briefly discuss the various stages of a Product’s life cycle, giving examples of products which are currently in each of these stages and the marketing strategies adopted by them.

 

2. Mitsui Fonda, the world’s leading automobile manufacturer, is considering launching a hybrid concept car which runs on three fuels: water, electricity and petrol. Priced at Rs. 30 Lakhs, the company is considering making a foray into the Indian markets. To assist the company in taking key decisions, prepare an exhaustive list of all the external environmental variables elucidating all the possible business, market and consumer related information that would be required by Mitsui Fonda, to understand the Indian market and consumer. (10 Marks)

 

3. ‘Zeal’ is a cosmetic brand that has products ranging from suncare to facial moisturisers, deodorant and shower products for men as well as women. While the women’s range comprises beauty and skincare products such as sunblocks, moisturizers, day creams,

night creams, shower gels and deodorants, the men’s range comprises grooming and skincare products such as shaving cream / gel, aftershave balm, day cream, moisturizer and deodorant. For its range of products, the company targets the youth ranging from an age bracket of 15 – 30 years. Having gained significant popularity with consumers and being a trusted brand for the past decade, the company is now planning to diversify its product range to the next level and venture into health care products such as honey, energy drinks, immunity-building beverages etc.

a. Which of the following strategies will you choose:

Extend the existing Zeal brand to the energy drink segment or

Launch a new brand with a completely new brand identity

Justify with a suitable argument discussing the pros and cons of the strategy.

b. Accordingly suggest the most suitable target audience and an appropriate positioning for the brand; given the competition in the health care products

 

Business Law

1. In today’s corporate scenario undergoing long drawn litigation is expensive and time consuming. The senior management of your company has given you a project to find the feasibility of Alternate Dispute Resolutions (ADR). Please prepare a short brief on what is ADR, its types, advantages and practical examples where ADR is feasible than conventional litigation. (10 Marks)

 

2. Junaid is an investigative journalist assigned to identify and bring to light negligence of the Municipal Authority at Mumbai. Junaid is currently investigating whether the initiative of segregation of garbage has been fully implemented but he has not received any response from the authorities. Please help Junaid under what law he can legally obtain information along with the procedure, timelines and cost involved

 

3. Rakesh had planned to go for short holiday in Goa along with his wife. He started looking out for hotels in Goa and based on various websites and reviews he had booked a Le Grand Hotel in North Goa. He paid the money in advance and the booking was confirmed. On reaching this hotel, he found that the hotel was not as per the hotel’s website and reviews. Further, on reaching the hotel he realized that the pictures displayed on the website were in such angle so as to conceal the real look and image of the hotel property. Rakesh demanded a refund, but the Hotel refused stating that Rakesh was supposed to check before booking and quoted the principle of “Caveat Emptor”.

Please help Rakesh in the following:

a. Is Rakesh’s claim defeated under the principle of Caveat Emptor? Please give reasons for your answers. (5 Marks)

b. Assuming if Rakesh wanted to pursue this case before a Consumer Court, what are the remedies he would apply for?

 

Business Statistics

1. The sample data from a research survey conducted in various cities on the amount of time 13-15 year-old children spent with mobiles are as follows:

City

Time with mobiles

(hours per week)

Hyderabad

46

Mumbai

50

Pune

46

Bangalore

54

Bhubneshwar

42

Indore

30

Bhopal

42

New Delhi

50

Chandigarh

46

For the above sample, determine the following measures: i. The mean ii. The standard deviation iii. The mode iv. The 75th percentile Based on your calculations comment on the time spent on mobile.

 

2. ‘Mumbai Ice Cream an ice cream store gives relationship between ice cream sold and temperature. The store has taken a sample of a week’s data. Below you are given the results of the sample

Day

Cones Sold

Temperature

1

350

110

2

200

100

3

210

90

4

100

80

5

80

70

6

70

60

7

50

50

i. Which variable is the dependent variable? ii. Compute the least squares estimated line. iii. Is there a significant relationship between the sales of cones and temperature? iv. Predict sales of a 95 degree day.

Course: Services Marketing

 

1. Tour & Travel operators are facing a difficult time maintaining bottom lines with the hike in diesel & petrol prices. In this scenario, how can a tour operator (XYZ Travels) segment the market & use a Positioning strategy to prop its sagging bottom line (10 Marks)

 

2. Coffee House a coffee bean exporter sensing the high market potential of coffee bars is planning to launch a coffee bar chain in India called “Timepass”. It wants to position its coffee bar chain as an up market leisure hangout for customers. As it lacks knowledge and experience in the coffee retailing industry, the company is undecided about the design aspects of the coffee bars. What decisions relating to the elements of physical evidence are to be taken by Coffee House? (10 Marks)

 

3. The Banking sector is going through a major transformation and witnessing robust growth. Automation is the order of the day. In order to sustain competition and enhance customer experience new initiatives have been introduced. Technology is the driving force & internet & mobile banking are the recent trends. You are the chairman of a 30 year old private sector bank with conservative approach. Employees being from the old school of thought have resisted the new trends now introduced by most of the banks. Your branches are majorly located in South India. The bank is faced with a few takeover threats in the past. The government is insisting merger of the bank for viability and modernization. Your product portfolio requires a change to attract new customers and retain the existing ones. The board is expecting from you a thorough overhaul of the marketing mix.

Questions:-

a. Design an innovative service product offering for your bank. (5 Marks)

b. Evaluate the role and importance of people in a service industry. (5 Marks)

 

Course: Project Management

 

1. You are working for a multi-national bank and are being asked to set up a Project Management Office (PMO) for the bank. Discuss appropriateness of each type of PMO for the bank and recommend

one of them for the bank. Please make suitable assumptions but specify them explicitly. (10 Marks)

 

2. You are involved in a project feasibility study. The project is about installing additional capacity for manufacturing 100 bicyles per day. As part of this study, you are asked to do the demand forecasting. Discuss appropriateness of each type of qualitative forecasting method for your project and recommend one of them. Please make suitable assumptions but specify them explicitly. (10 Marks)

 

3. "This project seems to be a good deal", Mr. Sharma opened the meeting with this statement. "We invest Rs. 80 lac and can get Rs. 1 Cr in just three years. What more do we need?” Mr. Sharma continued. "Let's take the opinion of Ms. Roy. She has recently done a course on project management and can help us from that learning", Mr. Iyer looked at Ms. Roy, who has just joined the organization couple of months back. As she was new, she was not sure how things work in this organization. However, since Mr. Iyer, who is the Head of her business unit, asked her directly, she needed to speak up. "I will need some facts and figure before making any suggestion. In particular, I will need to know estimated cash inflows and outflows." "Oh yes, this project will need Rs. 80 lac up front but will generate Rs. 50 lac each in second and third year." Mr. Sharma quickly provided the data. "And we need minimum 12% rate of return!” Mr. Iyer provided additional data.

a. Which are the methods are available for making such decision? Which one method would you recommend? Why? (5 Marks)

b. Should Ms. Roy recommend this project? Why or why not? (5 Marks)

 

Course: Financial Institutions and Markets

 

1. Geeta had completed her post graduation in Insurance and had joined the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority as the junior manager. On the first day of the job, her manager wanted

her to prepare a report on the nature of the functions of the IRDA. Help her to prepare the report. (10 Marks)

 

2. Ajit has recently joined an investment management company and his profile consisted of capital market instruments. His manager in order to estimate his understanding of the market, asked him to prepare a report on the role of the capital market. Suggest relevant points to be included in his report. (10 Marks)

 

3. Neeta had recently joined a company after completing her graduation and the company was almost six years old. The company had been doing good in the recent past and had plans for expansion for which it wanted to raise money through IPO. Neeta’s manager gave her the task of getting information on the major stock exchanges of India where the equity can be listed.

a. Collect relevant information about BSE (5 Marks)

b. Collect relevant information about NSE (5 Marks)

Financial Accounting & Analysis

Q1. From the following information of A star Ltd. prepare the Cash Flow statement for the year ended 2017 and 2018 as per AS – 3. (10 Marks)

Liabilities 31-3-2017 31-3-2018 Assets 31-3-2017 31-3-2018

Equity share capital 2,20,000 2,50,000 machinery 2,00,000 2,30,000 9% Preference Share Capital 1,00,000 1,10,000 Building 1,50,000 1,76,000 Securities Premium 20,000 26,000 Land 18,000 18,000 Profit & Loss A/c 1,04,000 1,34,000 Stock 84,000 98,000 5% Debentures 70,000 64,000 Debtors 38,000 38,000 Creditors 38,000 46,000 Bills Receivable 42,000 62,000 Bills Payable 5,000 4,000 Cash 42,000 32,000 Provision for Tax 10,000 12,000

Dividends payable 7,000 8,000

5,74,000 6,54,000

5,74,000 6,54,000

 

Q2. Balance Sheet for JK Ltd. for the year ended 31st March 2016 & 2017 (10 Marks)

Liabilities 2016 2017 Assets 2016 2017 Equity Share Capital

2,00,000

2,00,000 Land 50,000 50,000 9% Preference Share Capital

1,50,000

1,50,000 Building 1,50,000 1,35,000 Reserves 1,00,000 1,22,500 Plant & Machinery

1,50,000

1,35,000 17% Debentures 50,000 75,000 Furniture 50,000 70,000 Creditors 75,000 1,00,000 Stock 1,00,000 1,50,000

Bills Payable 25,000 37,500 Debtors 1,00,000 1,50,000 Tax payable 50,000 75,000 Cash 50,000 70,000

650000 760000

650000 760000

Profit & Loss Account for JK Ltd. for the year ended 31st March 2016 and 2017 Particulars 2016 2017 Particulars 2016 2017 To Cost of goods sold

3,00,000

3,75,000 By Sales 4,00,000 5,00,000 To Operating Expenses Administrative Selling

6,500 10,000

7,250 10,000

To Interest on Debentures

8,500

12,750

To Net Profit 75,000 95,000

4,00,000 5,00,000

4,00,000 5,00,000

Using the tool of commonsize financial statement analysis, comment about the improvement or decline of financial performance of the company.

 

Q3. The following extracts are available from the financial statements of companies V ltd. and J Ltd. for the year ended 31st March 2017: (Rs. In Lakhs) Particulars V Ltd. J Ltd.

Revenue from operations

1,500 6,000

Manufacturing cost

900 4,050

Interest paid

105 375

Depreciation

135 675

Selling expenses

135 225

Income Tax

90 225

Non-operating income

45 285

Dividend paid

120 600

Fixed Assets

1,500 7,350

Current Assets

525 2,250

Current Liabilities

375 2100

Debentures

600 3,300

Reserves

450 1,200

Share Capital

600 3,000

Which company would you recommend for investment? Justify. Which company has efficiently employed capital using return on capital employed and better operational efficiency using operating profit ratio? Which company would you recommend for investment? Justify. (5 Marks) 3 b) Which company has better solvency using current ratio and share value using earning per share? From the above information answer the following questions with the help of suitable ratios: 3 a)

Course: Organisational Theory, Structure and Design

 

1. You are a consultant at Super Manufacturing; a family owned company is having 4 members of the family as the main decision maker. Generally they take decisions with experience. The company is facing a big problem of low performance and low morale of the employees. Discuss the various approaches of organizational effectiveness and find out the most suitable approach to effectiveness in such situation (10 Marks)

2. Megha recently joined Capex Healthcare Pvt. Ltd.’ As a Factory Manager. Before joining she was working as a factory manager of Index Healthcare Solutions. Comparatively a small system with a simple organizational structure. Generally, a simple organisational

structure is followed in small-organisations comprising of the owner and a few employees. As the number of employees increases, the layers in the organisational structure also multiply, which results in a complex structure of the organization. Thus, a complex organisational structure is a result of various divisions of an organisation spread across the globe. Discuss the common problems Ms. Megha will face in managing new organization. What she can do to overcome with this problem.

(10 Marks)

3. ‘Pebble Pharmaceuticals’ is facing a big issue of conflict between Amit the production head and Prashant the head of Purchase department. A full lot of cough syrup is ready but cannot be dispatched because labels are not available. The purchase department takes labels once in a year to reduce the cost. If any specific demand will come from the departments they follow the due process of purchase. Although the store department already made a request for labels when cough syrup production started but Prashant is waiting on the request from Mr Amit the head of production. It happened because last year Amit and Prashant had a big conflict of sub-standard purchase, huge raw material was rejected by production department due to substandard quality. Prashant has taken it a personally and trying to play politics against him.

a) Describe the type of conflict discussed and what are the possible outcomes of such conflicts. (5 Marks)

b) Suggest how the organization can avoid such conflicts. (5 Marks)

 

Course: Operations Management

1. Pick up an organization and discuss the various factors an operations manager should consider before choosing a production processing system for the organization? (10 Marks)

2. With reference to a particular organization, explain the inputs of MRP System? (10 Marks)

3. An electronics company purchases transistors at Rs.30 per unit. An annual requirement of the transistors is 5000 units. The ordering cost is Rs.200 and carrying cost is Rs.4 per unit, lead time is 5 days.

a. Calculate EOQ (5 Marks)

b. Reorder point based on the given information. (5 Marks) (Assume 275 working days).

 

Course: International Business

 

1. ABC Company is a solution provider for the market entrants.Your client XYZ wants to introduce his product in the market. As a Service provider analyse the various forces of Micro Environment so that it could help his client to identify all possible threats and opportunities in the market. (10 Marks)

2. The five forces Model by Porter is a vital tool for analysing the industry in which it operates. You are required to analyse how it has aimed to examine the five key forces of competition in case of Apple Inc., American multinational Technology giant. (10 Marks)

3. A) You are working in a reputed market Research Company. You are asked by your senior to prepare a short presentation for your clients explaining them the importance of Market research in today’s Era and also how the company will help the Client to have a better Business Opportunity. (5 Marks)

3. B)Enumerate the various steps/Process to effective Market Research that can be carried out for an Organisation. (5 Marks)

 

Course: Consumer Behavior

1. Nokia wants to regain its market share in the smart phone category. As a Marketing Manager design a suitable questionnaire with an objective of understanding Nokia’s customer perception in the current scenario. (10 Marks)

2. Suggest ways in which a leading brand of electronic brand can focus on ensuring customer loyalty on a long term basis (10 Marks)

3. Xiaomi launched its affordable smart TV Mi TV 4A in India. The Chinese tech major had launched its flagship Mi TV 4 in India on 14th February 2018. The new Mi TV 4A is expected to replicate the

success of its higher placed sibling with similar features on offer and an even smaller price tag.

Xiaomi claims that the price point and specifications of the new TV series will let the Indian market shift to a Smart TV segment that has otherwise been limited to high-end TVs. The success of the TV can be predicted by looking at the high demand of the Mi TV 4 55-inch that was launched just two weeks ahead of the new SmartTV series.

a. Suggest a suitable STP for the new launch (5 Marks)

b. How will Xiaomi’s existing image help the product category of Television (5 Marks)

 

Course: Taxation – Direct and Indirect

1. Mr. Fernandez has a portfolio of equity shares worth Rs. 2 crores by current market valuation. He had inherited the shares from his father 10 years ago. He has become extremely concerned about the introduction of 10% LTCG tax on equity shares in this year’s Union Budget. Not sure about the impact of this newly introduced tax, he is contemplating selling of all the shares before 31st March 2018, and escaping the taxation. He has sought your opinion on this. Prepare a detailed report citing the implications of the LTCG tax, and guide Mr. Fernandez in his decision making. (10 Marks)

2. ABC Ltd.’s profit before tax as per P&L account was Rs. 240 crores. The following information was available regarding ABC Ltd on scrutiny:

During the year, it had paid royalty of Rs. 40 crores to a German company, but TDS was not deposited with the IT department till the time of filing income tax returns.

For a bill of Rs. 30000, ABC Ltd made cash payment of Rs. 30000 to the vendor on 29th January 2018.

Critically analyze whether the above expenditures will be allowed or disallowed as deductions, with reasons, discussing the applicable sections. What will be the impact of such allowance / disallowance on the computation of Profits and Gains from Business or Profession of ABC Ltd for the AY 2018 – 19? (10 Marks)

3. A) Harish, an Indian citizen, leaves India for the first time on May 22, 2015 for London and returns on April 9, 2017, and stays in the country thereafter. Determine the residential status of Harish for the assessment year 2018-19? (5 Marks)

3. B) During the assessment year 2018 – 19, Harish (the above mentioned person) had the following details of income: (5 Marks)

 

Course: Corporate Finance

 

1. A Project costs ₹ 1,00,000 and is expected to generate cash inflows as:

Year Cash inflows(₹)

1

20,000

2

22,000

3

25,000

4

28,000

5

20,000

The cost of capital is 12%. Calculate Profitability Index and suggest whether project should be accepted or not. (10 Marks)

2. Alok works in an organization which has debt and equity in its capital structure. The net income of the firm is ₹ 2,00,000. The organization pays ₹ 50,000 every year as interest component to debenture holders. Calculate the weighted average cost of capital if the cost of equity is 12% and cost of debt is 9%. If the company’s

new project will provide a return of 10%, suggest whether company should make the investment or not. (10 Marks)

3. Mr. Sharma was working with Delta Ltd for the past five years. The company was planning for expansion and required a funding of ₹ 20,00,000 for the same. He was considering two financial plans and expected EBIT due to expansion was ₹ 8,00,000. Apart from equity(Face value ₹10) , if the company raised debt, cost of debt was 8%. Tax rate is 35%. Calculate EPS for each financial plan and suggest which financial plan is better for the firm.

3a) Plan A: Funding through 100% equity (5 Marks)

3b) Plan B: Funding through 50% Equity and 50 % Debt (5 Marks)

Strategic HRM

1. ‘Strategic human resource management is largely about integration or strategic fit between HR strategy and business strategy’. Do you agree? Differentiate between external fit and internal fit. Give example of any one organization you know of, that have achieved a fit between business strategy and HR strategy.

 

2. XYZ limited is exploring ways of compensating and rewarding employees as a strategy to improve retention. As an advice state and explain various reward management strategies available to XYZ ltd. Highlight the strategies available to the management in dealing with poor performance in the workplace.

 

3. Siemens is a 150-year old Company, but it’s not the company it was even a few years ago. Until recently, Siemens focused on producing electrical products. Today the firm has diversified into software, engineering, and services, and is also global, with over 400,000 employees working in 190 countries. In other words, Siemens became a world leader by pursuing a corporate strategy that emphasized diversifying into hightech products and services, and doing so on a global basis.With a corporate strategy like that, human resource management plays a big role at Siemens. Sophisticated engineering services require more focus on employee selection, training and compensation than in the average firm, and globalization requires delivering these sevices globally. Siemens

sums up the basic themes of its HR strategy in several points. These include:

i. A living Company is a learning Company. The high-tech nature of Siemen’s business means that employees must be able to learn on a continuing basis. Siemens uses its system of combined classroom and hands-on apprenticeship training around the world to help facilitate this. It also offers employees extensive continuing education and management development.

ii. Global teamwork is the key to developing and using all the potential of the firm’s human resources. Because it is so important for employees throughout Siemens to feel free to work together and interact, employees feel they are part of a strong unifying corporate identity. For example, HR uses cross-border, cross-cultural experienced as prerequisites for career advances.

iii. A climate of mutual respect is the bais of all relationships – within the Company and with society. Siemens contends that the wealth of nationalities, cultures, languages, and outlooks represented by its employees is one of its most valuable assets. It therefore engages in numerous HR activities aimed at building openness, transparency, and fairness, and supporting diversity.

3. A) Describe your opinion on how Siemens rates people as a vital tool in creating organizational competitive advantage (5 Marks)

3. B) Advice Siemens on how it should go in drafting a Training and Development Strategy and show how it should be linked to other HR functional strategies

 

Employee Development & Talent Management

1. JK Tyre is one of the leading tyre manufacturing companies in the country with a sales turnover of Rs 10,000 corers. It is either number one or number two in the country in different product categories & enjoy a very healthy market share. It also exports tyres to other countries. But in recent times, market share of JK Tyre has declined. There are a number of customer complaints & customer satisfaction index has come down. It has a strong sales & marketing workforce of around 650 all over India & few of them are in outside India locations. CEO of JK Tyre feels that company’s Sales & Marketing employees must develop ‘customer orientation’ to improve sales. As the Head of Talent management, what process

would you follow for creating a n employee development program? . (10 Marks)

 

2. One Stop for all, a global retail company is planning to open 30 new outlets in Mumbai. They need to hire employees in the following categories:

Stores Manager

Floor Leaders

Customer Relationship Executives

Cashiers

The Company would prefer that the store’s manager is well aware of the philosophy and culture of the Organization. Draw a Talent Acquisition Plan considering various acquisition techniques. (10 Marks)

 

3. Ankur Dutta, the HR manager of Landmark consultants, is facing problems of high attrition and employee dissatisfaction. The major reasons sighted is unhappiness with the current performance appraisal system that employee find biased and outdated. Ankur wants to design a new performance appraisal system.

a. Suggest any three modern Performance appraisal techniques that Ankur can consider . (5 Marks)

b. What kind of problems and biases may be employees facing with the current system?

International Marketing

1. You are an American breakfast cereal company & wish to enter into India. Elaborate on the International Marketing research process steps to understand more about the buying habits of Indian consumers.

 

2. You are the CEO of Home Depot & wish to enter into India. Suggest any 3 entry options to enter into India. Which one amongst

the 3 suggested entry options, would you finally choose & why? (10 Marks)

 

3. You are an Indian exporter of the following 2 products: (10 Marks)

Spices

Dry fruits

a. Suggest Best practices in Packaging & also suggest as to how will you overcome the common problems plaguing packaging for Spices. (5 Marks)

b. Suggest Best practices in Packaging & also suggest as to how will you overcome the common problems plaguing packaging for Dry fruits.

 

Sales Management

1. Maggi brand of Nestle is contemplating to make a foray in soft drink market. Based on this assumption, prepare selling strategy for intermediaries (wholesaler & retailer) & customer (end user). (10 Marks)

 

2. UCS is into hygiene business catering to hotel industry since last three decades. It is planning to expand its business in other parts of the country. As a Sales Manager draft a suitable sales action plan for UCS. (10 Marks)

 

3. Papper-mint is a new brand of casuals which is to be launched in niche segment. The product line consists of T-shirts, jeans, cotton trousers, watches and eye-wear. The brand is targeted at the younger audience. The brand is to be marketed through the franchise stores which will be exclusive and on retail boutiques.

Questions:

a. Design a Selling Strategy to be adopted between the company & the franchise

b. Suggest suitable compensation methods which you will follow for the employees. (

 

Brand Management

Q1. Patanjali is an Indian brand of Ayurvedic, herbal and wellness products. In 2014 Patanjali was already competing with The Himalaya Drug Company which was then in the Rs 1500 crore turnover range, with targets around 12% growth. Himalaya however, is a much older company than Patanjali, founded in 1937, though it started thinking of itself as an FMCG player only as late as 2009. It has also expanded beyond pharma to wellness and personal care, has its own stores, sells online – a very similar journey in fact. In that context, Patanjali’s growth is indeed commendable. (Biotique is a beauty brand also based on the Ayurveda platform but has not expanded its product range.) Its growth becomes even more astounding when we look at Patanjali’s revenue declaration for FY 2016-17, where the brand clocked a revenue of INR 10,000 Crore. Baba Ramdev declared that he was on a “MNC bhagao” mission, and that Patanjali would take over as the largest brand in a year or two, eventually wiping out MNCs. There haven’t been that many new, successful entrants in the FMCG world in the recent past at the national level. Barriers to entry are the high cost of awareness required for a national brand (read celebrity endorsements and mainstream TV advertising), managing a sophisticated network and uniform quality control. A big cost saver for the brand was that they didn’t need to spend on advertising in the initial years because of the high brand recall of Baba Ramdev whose popular TV show and public appearances had gained him mass media awareness at a very low cost. The brand has now launched a series of advertisements about its various products the most famous being the Dant Kanti Ad which openly takes on other toothpaste brands. It is a separate matter that many of Patanjali’s ads are reported for being misleading and challenged in Court.

After entering and expanding in the food and grain market in the last two years. Patanjali has announced to enter in the apparel sector with the prospective launch of Patanjali Jeans and expand its presence in the fast food sector, by opening Quick Service

Restaurants which would provide over 400 vegetarian fast food items.

Critically analyze the brand extension strategy of Patanjali with respect to whether it would have positive effects on the brand? What are the risks associated with such a strategy for Patanjali? (10 Marks)

 

Q2. Lenskart is India’s one of the biggest eyewear company. It was founded in 2010 by Peyush Bansal. Lenskart is India’s first eyewear online portal that offers an excellent service of providing eye glasses and lenses. After becoming the number one online store for eyewear in India Lenskart has also started offline stores throughout the country. Peyush Bansal is the founder and CEO of Lenskart. He was born on 26 April 1985, and went to McGill University, for graduation in the branch of Electrical – IT, Control & Automation. After that, he did his post graduate diploma in entrepreneurship at IIM Bangalore. After his studies, he went to the USA and worked for Microsoft Corporation as a Program Manager. He worked there for one year and came back to India to pursue his dream of becoming an entrepreneur. After returning to India he began his journey as an entrepreneur and started an online classified business with a website called searchmycampus targeted to college students. While this business was going well Peyush conceived an idea of selling specs online in India. Lenskart also operates in countries like Australia, US, UK and many other countries.The main objective of Lenskart is to providing high-quality eyewear to millions of Indians at affordable prices, giving free eye check ups at home and by extending the services to the remote corners of India.

The biggest challenge that Lenskart faced was to persuade the customers to rely on online store as an alternative way of purchasing. The company needed to change the pre-set traditional mindset of people and instill confidence in them that they sell quality eyewear products at prices better than their brick-and-mortar counterparts. The company raised 4 million Dollars in the first round of funding in 2011 from IDG. Then in 2013 company raised 10 million dollars from Ronnie Screwvala-led Unilazer Ventures Pvt. Ltd. In the third series of funding in 2015 Lenskart had raised 22 million dollars from TPG Growth. Hong Kong-based TR Capital and existing investor IDG Ventures. In the last round of Investment Company raised Rs.400 crore from World Bank arm IFC, Ratan Tata, and Infosys co-founder Kris Gopalakrishnan.

Analyze the marketing strategy of Lenskart? What are some of challenges it faces and how can it overcome them?

 

Q3. Cinthol, a heritage brand from Godrej Consumer Products Ltd, has prospered in the highly competitive bathing soap market in India as the brand has managed to keep pace with changing consumer preferences through marketing actions. After three decades with a single product under the brand name Cinthol, in 1968, the company introduced New Cinthol in a new package, fragrance an shape. An new advertising campaign was designed for New Cinthol, which was positioned on the freshness platform. Subsequently, variants of the brand, such as Cinthol lime, Cinthol fresh, Cinthol cologne, Cinthol deo and Cinthol Fresh Aqua, were launched. The brand gradually extended to include deodorant sprays and talcum powder.The primary target for the brand has been the Indian male,and the company has used well-known male film stars as brand ambassadors to communicate the brand promise of confidence that comes from the freshness and deodarising properties that Cinthol offers. The brand depicts the active outdoor man as the context for brand communications. Cinthol has changed its portfolio, communication strategy and execution, and the packaging and other marketing mix elements to keep the brand contemporary. The brand core promise of freshness and protection that gives self-confidense to the user, however, has remained consistent. The current campaign tries hard to push the brand into the youth space. Created by Creativeland Asia, the TVC depicts a few youngsters enjoying the product at various water bodies, highlighting the new tagline, 'Alive is Awesome'. Sajan Raj Kurup, founder and creative chairman, Creativeland Asia says that the new campaign is an experiential one which will go beyond traditional media. "Over the years, I have seen Cinthol stand for an invigoratingly cool and alive soap brand. I felt that it's time Cinthol claimed back its standing in the experiential era. It celebrates and recognises a more adventurous and international India. And, a less inhibited and intimidated Indian," he adds. Thus, the insight behind the campaign was to generate a whole new idea with the 'Alive is Awesome' tagline.

a. Discuss the branding and marketing strategy used by Cinthol. (5 Marks)

b. How has Cinthol managed to survive and thrive over the years?

HR Audit

1. “As we understand that the human factor is an important strategical element that explains a company’s differentiation capacity, it is crucial that a measurement effort of the way this function is done in the company is checked. That is the concept of the HR audit, which goes beyond the simple investigative methods, and is an extension of the traditional concept of the Audit”. Based on the above statement, find out the methodologies used by modern day companies to do the HR Audit.

 

2. Why is HR alignment with business goals important? Explain with reference to HR Audit. (10 Marks)

 

3. The strategic Audit of HR offers the most insight to the fundamental question “how is the HR department performing”. a. Do you agree with the above statement? (5 Marks)

b. Substantiate your answer with relevant examples.

 

International HR Practices

1. XYZ Ltd is a leading telecommunication company in India. The company is contemplating international expansion in Africa. After considering all the positives of such project, the board of directors now want to consider the possible bottlenecks. As an HR Manager, you are asked to point out these possible barriers or bottlenecks. List out the same.

 

2. ABC Ltd. is a global strategy consultancy firm based in India. They are planning to enter European market by starting their company in UK. They are planning to start a unit with 50 employees for which you are asked to design the compensation program. What will be the key components of international compensation program.

 

3. Indian Automobile company, operating in Saudi Arabia, has to shut its operations due to unforeseen political circumstances. This

affects 150 Indian employees who were working there. In this background, as an HR Manager, answer the following:

a) What will be your repatriation process?

b) Highlight the readjustment challenge.

 

Insurance and Risk Management

1. Alok has completed his MBA and has joined the insurance industry. He was recruited for non-life insurance. He wanted to prepare himself with various types of non-life insurance policies offered in the industry, so he approached his brother who was also working in insurance industry to brief him. If you are his brother elaborate on various types of policies offered in non-life insurance category.

 

2. Neha was accompanying her manager in selling life insurance. Her manager wanted her to understand the different factors that affects the cost of life insurance. He asked her to make a small report covering the factors. Help Neha to prepare the report.

 

3. In the insurance sector, underwriters or actuaries use various methods to determine the rates of premium. As an insurance company is a profit business, the rate of premium charged for insurance must be sufficient enough to provide for losses and expenses while at the same time earn profit for the company. Alok works as an actuary in an insurance company. Suggest which method of premium calculation would be used in the following cases:

a) Same rate of premium is charged from individuals under the same situation

b) Method frequently used by commercial fire insurance companies

 

International Banking & Foreign Exchange Management

1. Many Indian Companies are not listed in US stock market because the procedure of listing is not easy, What are the other ways to raise capital in USD? Explain their types in details.

 

2. Foreign exchange exposure is said to exist for a business or a firm when the value of its future cash flows is dependent on the value of foreign currency / currencies. If a British firm sells products to a US Firm, cash inflow of British firm is exposed to foreign exchange and in a case of the US based firm cash outflow is exposed to foreign exchange. What are the different types of exposure in foreign Exchange transaction? How to reduce it?

 

3. Punjab National Bank on Monday detected fraudulent transactions worth Rs 11,300 crore at its Brady House branch in Mumbai. The PNB in its cautionary note to other public and private sector banks said that the suspected fraud was carried out by the perpetrators in collusion with the staff. It went on to explain the modus operandi of the scam and said: "It was found through SWIFT trail that one junior level branch official unauthorisedly and fraudulently issued Letters of Undertaking (LoU) on behalf of some companies belonging to Nirav Modi Group for availing buyers' credit from overseas branches of Indian Banks." It further said that none of the transactions were routed through the Core Banking Solution or CBS system, thus avoiding early detection of fraudulent activity. a. What is the CBS that the bank official bypassed to issue fake LoU by using SWIFT?

b. What was the role of Punjab National Bank‘s Officials in this fraud? How they use NOSTRO account of Punjab national Bank?

 

Retail Banking

1. Discuss the critical importance of the ‘Need for Regulations (both Internal as well as External)’ in the Banking industry. Express your views with reference to the recent turmoil in the Banking industry, which in turn adversely affects other sectors/ markets as well.

 

2. With reference to the rural areas and the Agricultural sector, discuss the guidelines given by the RBI on ‘Priority Sector Lending’. Also explain what options the Banks have as ‘Channel Partners’ to reach rural customers

 

3. The Banking industry being a ‘service industry’, customer service is an important aspect of the Retail Banking setup. This is true for commercial/retail banks as well central banks and the regulators/government. Discuss the following questions that affects the customers to a large scale in the retail banking setup

a. With the process of Demonetization implemented over a year ago, discuss the issue of change of currency notes (money product) in retail banking. Have the banks provided proper customer service for the same issue? (5 Marks)

b. With emphasis on Digital/ E-payments, with incentives/concessions provided to make non-cash transactions through digital modes, highlight the various benefits and risks the customers may face during these modes of financial transactions.

 

Commercial Banking System & Role of RBI

1. Cash Reserve Ratio plays an Important role in the economy and RBI plays an important role in monitoring inflation through CRR .Discuss how RBI perform this critical function using CRR as an instrument.

 

2. Assume you are a CEO in a bank. Your Bank has been nominated as one of best branches in managing its liabilities. Highlight through a presentation on the various components of liabilities a bank has and how these liabilities acts as a source of funds with which bank finances its operations. (10 Marks)

 

3. A) You have recently joined a bank. Your manager ask you to prepare a short presentation on Asset Liability Mismatch. Describe in detail about ALM and its significance in banks. (5 Marks)

B) As an actuarial in an insurance company, discuss how ALM plays an important role in this sector.

 

Treasury Management in Banking

1. In today’s era, due to the uncertainties in the economic environment, most Organizations have increased their cash holding. As a part of the treasury team in an organization, highlight some of the best practices in treasury operation with respect to cash holdings.

 

2. Mr.X has been appointed as a controller/Treasurer in a treasury Department. Discuss the role of Mr.X in an organization as a Controller. (10 Marks)

 

3. A) You are working in cash Payment department of an Investment bank. Highlight the advantages of Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication (SWIFT) while making payments across borders. (5 Marks)

3. B) Discuss on the mechanism of information transmission through SWIFTS.

Marketing Research

Q1. What is Sampling?

Which kind of sample is being used in each of the following situations:

i. A reporter asks 100 people on the street what do they think of the current state of crime against women

ii. A survey is conducted to understand opinions of people in Gujarat towards the Modi govt. A sample of 100 men and 100 women across all age groups is chosen uniformly

iii. A survey is conducted among neuro surgeons. Starting with the first neuro surgeon, he is asked to refer to another neuro surgeon and so on.

Support with a rationale. (10 Marks)

 

Q2. What is a pilot test? What are the considerations that need to be kept in mind by a market researcher while designing a questionnaire? (10 Marks)

 

Q3. You are the Product Manager of a leading telecom company which is facing stiff competition due to the entry of Reliance Jio.

a. State the management problem(s) that your company might be facing and the corresponding research objectives that your research will aim to cover (5 Marks)

b. Briefly describe the research methods that you would use towards this research

Financial Institutions and Markets

1. Krishna has recently joined an investment management company and his profile consisted of money market instruments. His manager in order to estimate his understanding of the market, asked him to prepare a report on the instruments of the market. Suggest which instruments of the financial market should be included in his report. (10 Marks)

 

2. Nisha has completed her graduation and had started working in an MNC. She was able to save good amount every month so she thought of making investments. She had heard about capital market from her friend Alok. She decided to approach him to understand the process to start investments in capital market. If you are Alok, mention step by step process to Nisha, keeping in mind she doesn’t understand trading mechanism. (10 Marks)

 

3. Alok was working in the portfolio management department of Alpha Ltd and had new recruits to whom he was supposed to provide training on the risks associated with the financial market as apart from earning returns they should be well aware of the risks that can be managed and which ones cannot be managed in a

portfolio. He decided to broadly classify the risks in two categories and explain the different types of risks associated with each one. If you are Alok,

3a) Explain different types of risks associated with systematic risk. (5 Marks)

3b) Explain different types of risks associated with unsystematic risk.

 

Business :Ethics, Governance & Risk

1. Today’s global economy is a knowledge economy. There is a demand for a new type of multinational, multifaceted globally responsible and aware manager, who is operational across national borders. You are working with a global company in which you spend time in different countries as part of your business responsibilities. What competencies do you think you have and which ones do you need and why to fulfill your role successfully? (10 Marks)

 

2. Do you believe that the production of biofuels is a viable solution for addressing both the world’s energy needs and global warming? Why and why not, discuss the ethical pros and cons of your answer. (10 Marks)

 

3. Three years ago, Dinesh Thakur exposed how India’s then largest drugmaker and his former employer, Ranbaxy Laboratories, failed to conduct proper safety and quality tests on drugs and lied to regulators about its procedures. He made his name, and almost $48 million as a whistleblower award from the United States, when U.S. regulators fined Ranbaxy $500 million for violating federal drug safety laws and making false statements to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). a. Under what circumstances would you be compelled to blow the whistle as an employee in an organization? (5 Marks) b. If you are the employer, how can you prevent whistle blowing, explain.

B2B Marketing

1. There is an amusement theme park opened a few years back named as Imagica which is an excellent source of entertainment to its consumers. Prepare a suitable B2B Segmentation, Targeting & Positioning Strategy for Imagica. (10 Marks)

 

2. You are appointed as a Marketing Manager for a leading brand of Aroma Diffuser & Oil targeted to hospitality industry. The Aroma Oil is manufactured & is sold at various hotels, hospitals & corporates. Prepare a suitable Supply Chain Management to be followed for Aroma Oil. (10 Marks)

 

3. Tas Ltd is an emerging brand in the business of tiffin services & is serving its clients successfully. It plans to offer its services to corporates for their employees & other events. The idea that Tas Ltd has is of tiffin services to be extended to corporates depending on their preferences. As an expert advice this new start up.

a. Prepare a communication plan for Tas Ltd. focusing on the corporates

b. Recommend a suitable sales promotion tool to be adopted by Tas Ltd

 

Services Marketing

1. Prepare an advertising campaign for a newly started chain of restaurant having presence across the country. (10 Marks)

 

2. A new brand of airline named ALM has recently introduced its airline services in India. The brand has an objective of being the market leader as it has been in other country. India being a new market for them will require a proper blend of marketing mix elements. Suggest marketing mix for ALM in India (10 Marks)

 

3. A nationalized bank is facing difficult situation with respect to retaining their existing customers as these customers are shifting to private sector bank or foreign bank. Private & foreign banks

offer better services & work for longer duration during the day which the nationalized bank lacks. As a consultant

a. Suggest a suitable repositioning strategy for the nationalized bank

b. Explain the element of physical evidence & its importance in nationalized bank

Strategic Cost Management

1. X Ltd has to replace its machine and the production manager has to decide between Machine A and Machine B. Machine A is having installation cost of 160 and annual electric bill 200. Machine B has installation cost of 760 and annual electric bill of 80. If both have life of 8 years which machine will you recommend if interest rate is 9 % for five years. P/V factor @ 9 % for 8 years is 5.5348 (10 Marks)

 

2. A company manufacturing two products furnishes the following data for a year.

Product

Annual Output Units

Total machine hours

Total No. of purchase orders

Total No. of setups

A

5,000

20,000

160

20

B

60,000

1,20,000

384

44

The annual Overheads are as under:

Volume related activity cost ( Activity driver-Machine hours )

5,50,000

Setup related cost

8,20,000

Purchase related cost

6,18,000

You are required to calculate cost per unit of each product A & B based on

i. Traditional method of charging overhead and

ii. Activity based costing method (10 Marks)

 

3. Project X Involves an initial outlay of Rs 32,400.Its working life is 3 years. The cash streams are as follows Year Inflows P .V Factor @ 14% P .V Factor @ 16% 1 16,000 0.877 0.862 2 14,000 0.769 0.743 3 12,000 0.675 0.641

Calculate a. NPV at 14 % & 16%

b. IRR

Course: Marketing Research

 

1. Your company is a new start-up which is planning to give stiff competition to Google maps by coming up with a GPS-based mobile app which can provide best routes / maps cum shopping assistance. It aims to be a complete guide to road travelers on the best routes, markets and products available en-route, other shopping assistance

etc. However, this idea needs to be explored and tested for its feasibility. Discuss the new product development process that you would follow for evaluating the feasibility. Which of the various product testing methods will you use for testing your mobile app and why?

(10 Marks)

2. A leading NGO has been entrusted by the Dhirubhai Ambani Foundation for creating awareness regarding organs donation on the World Organ Donation Day. Towards this, the NGO is preparing an advertising campaign which shall be launched to reach out to the general public. The advertising campaign is being seen as a tool for bringing awareness and some positive change in the society. The NGO and its Ad Agency have created few innovative ad copies but the Foundation is insisting on rigorous Ad testing before launch. What is Copy Testing? Which methods of Copy testing should they use in both the stages: pre-release and post-release?

(10 Marks)

3. Domestic and International airlines have been pushing the Telecom Commission to allow making calls and browsing the internet while flying in Indian airspace, once the aircraft reaches an altitude of 3,000 metres. However, the Govt. and the Telecom Authorities are skeptical since this requires huge investment to be made by the airlines ultimately resulting in heavy pricing, much higher than the rates for mobile services. You have been asked to conduct a research to identify the target customer and understand the consumer needs towards inflight calls and internet services and their perspective and opinion towards the prices that they would be willing to pay.

a. Describe the profile of your target customer and discuss the major sources of secondary data that you would collect to identify him / her? (5 Marks)

b. For the primary data that needs to be collected towards this research, briefly describe the research methods that you would use (5 Marks)

 

Course: Integrated Marketing Communications

 

1. You are a young entrepreneur and have just opened your own PR agency. How would you go about acquiring new Clients? (10 Marks)

2. You are the brand manager of an automobile company and your company is launching a new car. Explain the Integrated Marketing approach you will use to launch the product?

(10 Marks)

3. Case Study

Singing Marathon by a Cough Syrup Brand

You are Brand Manager for a Cough Syrup brand. You have organised a Singing marathon at Delhi. The marathon will be a relay with people in groups of 20 singing non-stop for maximum time. The collection from the marathon will be donated to support singers from the lower strata of society. You want to invite people to participate. The Objective is to associate clear throat with singing.

a. How would you go about identifying target groups? (5 Marks)

b. What would be your PR approach? (5 Marks)

 

Course: Decision Analysis and Modeling

 

1. Comment on the applications of Decision Analysis and Modelling in Finance, Marketing, and Human Resource Management. (10 Marks)

2. In transportation and transshipment problems, differentiate between the Least Cost and VAM methods. (10 Marks)

3. A company management and the labour union are negotiating a 5 years agreement. Each of them has 4 strategies available.

I – Hard Bargaining

II – Logical Bargaining

III – Legalistic Bargaining

IV – Conciliatory Bargaining

The costs to the company are given below:

Union Strategies

Company Strategies

I

II

III

IV

I

20

15

12

35

II

25

14

8

10

III

40

2

10

5

IV

-5

4

11

0

a) What is the optimal strategy adopted by the two sides? (5 Marks)

b) Calculate the value of the game (5 Marks)

Course: Business Law

 

Q.1) Explain Bailment and Pledge along with its features and difference. Also give practical examples of Bailment and Pledge. (10 Marks)

 

Q.2) AVEC a global fast food burger chain had been recently granted permission to operate in India. But understanding the fast food chain business in India is extremely competitive, it started offering burger at Rs. 5/- each. The other fast food chain businesses started agitating the move of AVEC, but AVEC paid no heed to it. Hence, other fast food chain business are contemplating filing action against AVEC under the Competition Act, 2002. Kindly assist them on what is the process followed by Competition Commission of India in dealing with such complaint (10 Marks)

 

Q.3) Nisha, just fresh out of college, entered into an employment contract with Sriram Enterprises having its base in Mumbai. Please give your answer in 2 circumstances arising below:

a. Nisha at the time of entering into employment contract was 17 years 11 months but she joined the company after completing 18 years and started working only after competing 18 years. After being employed for more than a month, Ram another employee on realizing this complained to HR. Upon realizing this, HR cancelled her employment without any notice and kept her salary on hold, thus refused to pay any salary due and payable. Can Nisha sue the company for wrongful termination? (5 Marks)

b. Nisha was appointed for the post of junior sales executive and assuming if the appointment and contract were valid, the company had inserted a non-compete clause where Nisha could not forever join any competitor of the company? Is such a clause legally valid under the Contract Act, 1872 (5 Marks)

Course: Organisation Culture

 

1. VIKAS Entertainment Ltd, a leading event management company in Bangalore intends to be the company with a strong culture. You are hired as an expert to help them identify the features of an organization with strong culture. Please suggest the same. (10 Marks)

 

2. CONCRETE Pvt Ltd, a leading construction company in India is in need of a cultural change. The promoters of the company have decided to start the process of cultural change to respond to the changing business environment effectively. First thing to do in this case is cultural assessment. You are hired by the company as a consultant to suggest how to do the same. Please suggest how the company shall go about cultural assessment. (10 Marks)

 

3. A) Company A, a global online retail giant has acquired Company B, a leading online retail company in India. The scene is such where the employees of Company B are ready to embrace the cultural values of Company A. Which strategy will you use to align the culture? (5 Marks)

3. B) Mr Satish Jain , an owner of a medium sized IT firm has hired you as a consultant to suggest him the ways in which organizational culture can be strengthened. Suggest him those ways. (5 Marks)

 

Course: Manpower Planning, Recruitment and Selection

 

1. An apparel brand solely into the business of denims needs to train its Area Sales managers in goal setting and strategizing.

Assume suitable data and design a training program for them – Specify number of participants, duration, topics to be covered, A.V aids/ props you would use. (10 Marks)

 

2. XYZ is a consulting firm in the manufacturing industry. They are now in the process of creating a B2B platform to bring together service seekers and service providers like market research firms, trainers, consultants, etc. and manufacturing companies on a single digital platform. What techniques of demand and supply forecasting should they use to forecast staffing needs for their upcoming business? (10 Marks)

 

3. Shireen has been a part of IDS global for the past 6 years. She has grown from a Management trainee- Sales to an Account Manager. IDS deals with creating customized IT solutions across industries. The company has been following grading method of performance appraisal for years and employees seem to be happy. The management has decided to start with 360-degree appraisal method in the new year. The communication has brought about a mixed response from the employees of the organization. Shireen feels that no one else other than her boss has the right to pass a judgment over her.

a. How do you think can Shireen be convinced about the new appraisal method?

(5 Marks)

b. What advantages do you think does 360-degree appraisal method have over the existing grading method (5 Marks)

 

Course: Organisational Theory, Structure and Design

 

1. Ahmedabad based Parul Industries’ organisational structure was rigid, consisting of formal hierarchies. The branches spread all over India were monitored by central authority and all the decisions were made in Ahmedabad office. Because of its centralized structure, the company was not able to respond to external threat

(such as entry of new competitors, changes in the market environment and so on) immediately. Moreover, employees were hesitant to take small decisions at required times due to a lack of support from superiors. Further, due to the absence of clear delegation of authority, the management was unable to respond to the changes occurring in the external environment. Explain the various types of organizational structure and identify the most suitable structure for fast decisions and to manage the threats of external environment. (10 Marks)

 

2. Vistar Chemical Industry situated on the bank of river Ganga discharged all their industrial waste into the river. The government’s laws on preventing pollution and save environment will affect the strategy of the Industry. Social activist organizations are also against the industry. Explain the importance of the analysis of external environment. Identify any industry and mention the external environmental threats to the identified industry (10 Marks)

 

3. Mr. Nixsan is a Sr. Manager of an insurance company at Hyderabad. He likes to yell at people and he was very sure that it is the only way to get sales results. He also emphasized that the employees who don’t like his style can leave the organization. In a year he faced a massive politics at his workplace against him as a consequence of which he was asked to resign. Answer the following:

a. Discuss the various types of power and identify the reasons of political behaviour in the organization. (5 Marks)

b. Do you think Mr Nixan was wrong? Justify your answer. (5 Marks)

 

Course: Essentials of HRM

 

1. Define Performance Appraisal. Why do you think is 360/ 720 degree appraisal method gaining a wide acceptance? Cite relevant examples from the industry.

(10 Marks)

 

2. Differentiate between career planning and succession planning. Discuss one example from the Indian industry throwing light on the importance of succession planning. (10 Marks)

 

3. ‘WeCare’ is a pharmaceutical company which started some 10 years ago and has manufacturing plants at two places and regional offices across 20 metros in India. In the recent years, not only the complexity of operations increased but also managing the human resources. The company has approximately 800 employees working nationwide and they still seem to employ age old manual methods of HR reporting.

For the ease of operations the Human Capital Manager now wants to propose implementing a HRIS at ‘WeCare’.

Questions

a. What possible benefits of HRIS do you think the Human Capital Manager should communicate to the CEO for his approval? (5 Marks)

b. Once approved what process of implementation do you think should be followed? (5 Marks)

 

Course: Financial Accounting and Analysis

 

1. Aloka Innovative Business Solutions Pvt. Ltd, an HR outsourcing company based in Hyderabad provides temporary staff to ABC Management College, Hyderabad. The company entered into following transactions with VJIM and the hired employee. The company would provide an employee for the program office at Rs.30000 per month. ABC Management College prepaid the amount for the period January to June 2015 in December 2014. The financial year ends in December. Aloka pays salary of Rs. 20000 to the employee one month late as per contract with the employee.

How do you record the above transactions in the books of Aloka in the months of December 2014 and January 2015?

(10 Marks)

 

2. Rocket Singh Software Ltd. and Aerodynamics Software Ltd. are two leading software companies based in Hyderabad. Rohit a fundamental analyst working with Ace Financials wants to choose one company where he can invest based on the data given about the company. Rohit believes that liquidity will dry in the short run and hence there is going to be lack of funds in the future. Suggest Rohit where he should invest?

Particular

FY 2017

FY 2018

Net Profit Margin

13%

13%

Asset Turnover

1.5

2.0

Financial Leverage

2

1.5

 

3. Chandana Brothers, is a chain of retail store located in Hyderabad. bought dress material worth Rs.10,00,000 from Pantaloon in March 2013 on credit basis and made the payment in April 2013. Its financial year starts from 1st April and ends with 31st March every year.

a. How would the transaction affect the Income Statement and Balance Sheet of Chandana Brothers as on 31st March 2013? (5 Marks)

b. How would the above transaction impact the income statement and balance sheet of Pantaloon as on 31st March 2014? (5 Marks)

 

Course: Strategic Management

1. You are the Strategy Head of an automotive company in India. You propose to modernize your factory by bringing in Automation & Robots into your manufacturing plant. Devise a ‘force field’ analysis by identifying atleast 4 drivers & 4 restrainers each & suggest ways & means to reduce the restrainers. (10 Marks)

2. You have been appointed as a Strategy Consultant to a Swiss luxury watch brand wanting to enter India. Which one of Porter’s Generic Strategies would you choose to be operational in India & explain the reasons in detail behind your choice of strategy? Once the strategy has been chosen, explain the categories of customers you would target? (10 Marks)

3. You are the Chief Strategy Officer of Karbonn Mobiles, an Indian mobile device manufacturing company. You have been fast losing market share to Chinese brands which now account for 50% of the market share.

a. What turnaround strategies can you suggest to arrest the decline of revenues & profitability of your company? (5 Marks)

b. In your opinion, would it be considered appropriate to pursue a Combination Strategy? State your response with appropriate justifications & reasons. (5 Marks)

 

Project Management

1. You are in charge of selecting a location for passenger car manufacturing plant. Which location would you recommend? Justify your choice against a set of selection criteria. (10 Marks)

 

2. You are in charge of estimating cost for setting up a sulfuric acid plant in a town in Sindhudurg district of Maharashtra. Which elements will you consider for estimating cost of the project? Explain each element as it relates to given requirement. Why this cost estimation is needed? (10 Marks)

 

3. “How could that be possible? It’s simply not possible!” Mr. Pitambar Gadge was really in a state of shock when he was informed that construction of new manufacturing plant would get delayed by six months. “This was two year long project. How could you have schedule variance of almost 25%? And how could you tell me now, when we are just few months away from our project completion deadline? This is simply ridiculous!” Mr. Gadge went on saying.“Sir, we had challenge in hiring skilled labor for this project. It seems Mr. Puri went on hiring skilled labor without proper skill assessments. When Mr. Iyer inspected quality of work, he was not satisfied and strongly recommended us to redo the work to ensure expected quality. This additional work will result into delay of up to six months”, came the response from Mr. Dwivedi, the manager of the project.

a. Which type of risk was overlooked in this case? How would you have assessed its probability and impact as a project manager? Justify your assessment. (5 Marks)

b. Do you agree that this case illustrates triple constraints of the project? Explain. How you would have responded if you have been in place of Mr. Iyer? Explicitly state your assumptions if you are making ones.

 

Cost & Management Accounting

1. The CEO of a leading fan manufacturer is concerned about certain teething issues involving sales of ceiling fans. Ceiling fans come in several models, and each model has numerous Stock Keeping Units (SKUs) involving different colours, blade size etc. Tastes and preferences of consumers vary widely across the vast geography of the country. Recently there have been numerous complaints from the divisional sales offices across the country that they have received supplies of fans in colours and blade sizes, which are not popular in their territory. This has led to loss of sales as distributors in their regions would not accept those fans. Sales

people have not been able to achieve their quarterly sales targets, leading to de-motivation and attrition. The CEO has approached you to review the Management Accounting process in the company in the light of the above events. Critically analyze the issues at hand, and suggest a suitable roadmap for the company to revamp its Management Accounting process. (10 Marks)

 

2. Due to economic depression, a company is running its plant currently at 50% of its capacity. The following details are available:

Cost of Production per unit:

o Direct Materials – Rs.6

o Direct Labour – Rs. 2

o Variable Overhead – Rs. 4

o Fixed Overhead – Rs. 4

Production per year – 20000 units

Total Cost of Production – Rs. 320000

Total Yearly Sales – Rs. 300000

Loss – Rs. 20000

An exporter offers to buy 5000 units per year at the rate of Rs. 13 per unit. The company is hesitating to accept the offer for the fear of increasing its already incurring operating losses. Advise whether the company should accept or decline the offer. (10 Marks)

 

No of weeks worked per year - 50 The company uses Machine Hours as a base for apportioning overhead costs. Estimate the overhead absorption rate per machine hour. (5 Marks) Estimated direct wages rate - Rs.2.00 per hour Estimated annual overhead - Rs.153750 On maintenance etc., normal weekly loss of hours - 4 hours per m/c Number of machines – 30 Normal working week - 45 hours 3. A) The budgeted working conditions for a factory are as follows:

 

3. B) For the above company, during a four week period, the actual results are as follows:

Overhead incurred - Rs.11000

Wages incurred - Rs. 11200

Machine hours produced - 4500

Calculate the amount of under or over-absorption of both wages and overheads.

Integrated Marketing Communications

1. You are the owner of a fashion store. You have planned an end of season sale. How would you use sales promotion tool to make the sale a success? (10 Marks)

 

2. You are the brand manager of a teen brand. Your company has tied up with an NGO to teach life skills to college students from lower strata to help them succeed in their future careers. How will you leverage this association to build positive equity for your brand?

 

3. Case Study

Himalaya aims to double Market share in Men’s Face Wash

Source : PTI feed India Today

The overall facewash category is Rs. 1800 Cr. Of which Men’s face wash accounts for 15-20%. Himalaya is the market leader of the overall facewash category with 24% market share. In Men’s category they have a 10% Market share. They are looking at expanding their portfolio by evaluating Hair Gels and Creams for men. The Men’s grooming segment is estimated to be around 5800 Cr. And they are looking at sports as a platform to drive it’s mens segment. The Personal care industry is 69856 Cr. With herbal and ayurvedic being 31% of it. The company has 250 stock keeping units and 200 standalone retail stores and plans to expand it to 300-400 outlets in the next 3 years. The next growth will come from Tier II cities where they are looking at expanding their stores. 50% of current stores are also in tier II cities. Himalaya is looking at

doubling their share in 3 years. Men’s grooming segment is growing at 10% due to higher exposure to brands on account of more men travelling abroad and exposure through online presence of leading brands like Gillette, Axe, Nivea, Emami Fair & Handsome.

a. In a competitive market with many serious players, how would you approach IMC to double the market share? (5 Marks)

b. What tactics would you use for the Media mix ttowards doubling market share? What areas would you leverage in the promotional activity?

Marketing of Financial Services

1. Design a Financial Literacy program for a Mutual Fund (Asset Management Company) of your choice.

2. One week ago you bought an endowment policy from a private Life Insurance company. On receiving the policy copy, you realize that the Life Insurance policy was mis-sold. Would it be possible for you to return the policy? What strategy would you follow to settle the matter with the insurance company? (10 Marks)

 

3. Ashwin Kothari, aged 35 years, is employed with a MNC. His wife Rimmi, aged 33 years, is also working part - time. The couple has two children - daughter Rima aged 6 years and son Vansh aged 4 years. Ashwin and Rimmi require your help to make a few financial decisions. (Give justification and reasoning for the option you would suggest to your client. You can make any assumptions to further build up your case.) (10 Marks)

a. Children’s higher education : Child plan of a life insurance company or a Mutual Fund SIP along with a Life Insurance term plan (5 Marks)

b. Retirement Planning : Fixed deposits or Mutual Fund SIPs in a diversified equity fund

 

Capital Market and Portfolio Management

1. The following data shows the return of ABC Ltd and the market:

Year

Return on ABC(%)

Return on Market (%)

1

40

35

2

35

28

3

32

34

4

28

30

5

25

24

Calculate the beta of ABC Ltd and interpret. (10 Marks)

 

2. The details of portfolio of Mr.Singh are:

Stock

Expected Return

Standard Deviation

Weight

Wipro

15%

12%

0.4

Infosys

18%

20%

0.6

Covariance of stock Wipro and Infosys is 0.0064.

Calculate return and total risk of the portfolio. (10 Marks)

3. Nisha has just completed her MBA and has joined an investment management firm as an analyst. On the first day of her job, her manager gave her data of two portfolios and asked her to suggest which one is a better portfolio.

Observed Return

Beta

Portfolio Alpha

18%

1.5

Portfolio Beta

15%

0.8

Risk-free rate is 8.5%, Return on the market portfolio is 15%, Standard Deviation

of the market is 8%.

a. Suggest which portfolio has outperformed the market on the basis of Jensen index. (5 Marks)

b. Suggest which portfolio is better on the basis of systematic risk using Treynor ratio.

 

Taxation – Direct and Indirect

1. Mr. Fernandez has a portfolio of equity shares worth Rs. 2 crores by current market valuation. He had inherited the shares from his father 10 years ago. He has become extremely concerned about the introduction of 10% LTCG tax on equity shares in this year’s Union Budget. Not sure about the impact of this newly introduced tax, he is contemplating selling of all the shares before 31st March 2018, and escaping the taxation. He has sought your opinion on this. Prepare a detailed report citing the implications of the LTCG tax, and guide Mr. Fernandez in his decision making. (10 Marks)

 

2. ABC Ltd.’s profit before tax as per P&L account was Rs. 240 crores. The following information was available regarding ABC Ltd on scrutiny:

During the year, it had paid royalty of Rs. 40 crores to a German company, but TDS was not deposited with the IT department till the time of filing income tax returns.

For a bill of Rs. 30000, ABC Ltd made cash payment of Rs. 30000 to the vendor on 29th January 2018.

Critically analyze whether the above expenditures will be allowed or disallowed as deductions, with reasons, discussing the applicable sections. What will be the impact of such allowance / disallowance on the computation of Profits and Gains from Business or Profession of ABC Ltd for the AY 2018 – 19? (10 Marks)

3. A) Harish, an Indian citizen, leaves India for the first time on May 22, 2015 for London and returns on April 9, 2017, and stays in the country thereafter.

Determine the residential status of Harish for the assessment year 2018-19? (5 Marks)

 

3. B) During the assessment year 2018 – 19, Harish (the above mentioned person) had

the following details of income: (5 Marks)

Particulars

Amount (Rs.)

Interest on UK Development Bonds (50% of the interest amount is received in India)

100000

Income from a business in Chennai

2000000

LTCG on sale of shares of an Indian company

200000

Dividend from an Indian Company

500000

Compute the taxable income in the hands of Harish for the AY 2018 – 19.

Internal Assignment Applicable for APRIL 2018   Examination

ORGANIZATION CULTURE

1. CRUX Pvt LTD is a medium sized textile manufacturing unit based in Bhivandi, Thane. You are a newly appointed HR Manager of this organization. In the first week of your assignment, you observe following problems:

- Production delays

- Fights among workers

- Union politics

- Unethical behavior of supervisors

- Communication failure

What kind of a culture would you establish in this organization and what steps would you take to do the same?

 

2. ABC Ltd is a tech start up in e-commerce segment. Organisational culture of ABC Ltd has following characteristics:

- Predictability

- Focus on inside knowledge

- Easy to live with

- Avoid change

- Looking for data to confirm existing management model

You are hired as a consultant to suggest the ways in which new culture can be created and sustained. Suggest these ways.

 

3. LMT Ltd, a medium sized IT firm, is struggling to implement the strategies. You, as a consultant, have identified that the organizational culture is not alignrd with the strategies chosen. In this background, answer the following questions.

a. Suggest the ways in which strategies and organizational culture can be aligned.

b. Which types of strategies can be considered by LMT Ltd.

Financial Analysis and Management

1. ABC Ltd is currently selling a product @ ₹ 12 per unit. The credit sales were 50,000 units. The total fixed cost is ₹ 40,000 and variable cost per unit is ₹ 5. The average collection period may be assumed to be 30 days. The firm is contemplating a relaxation of credit standards that is expected to result in a 10 percent increase in unit sales; the average collection period would increase to 45 days with no change in bag debts expenses. Calculate the additional profit/loss the firm will generate due to change in sales.

2. A proforma cost sheet of a company provides the following data:

Particulars Cost per unit(₹)

Raw Materials 5

Direct labour 3

Overheads 2

Total cost per unit 10

Profit 5

Selling Price 15

The following is the additional information available:

a) Average raw material in store: 2 weeks

b) Average materials in process: 2 weeks

c) Finished goods in store: 2 weeks

d) Credit allowed by suppliers: 2 weeks

e) Credit allowed to debtors: 4 weeks

f) Time lag in payment of wages: 2 weeks

g) Time lag in payment of overheads: 2 weeks

You are required to prepare a statement showing the working capital needed to finance a level of activity of 1,30,000 units of output(52 weeks). You may assume that  production is carried on evenly basis throughout the year and wages and overheads occur similarly. Assume all sales as credit sales.

3. Alok has recently joined the inventory management team of Granite division where he needs to estimate the right amount of inventory of raw materials that needs to be maintained in the company for optimum utilization of resources.

Following information relating to a type of material is available:

Calculate:

Annual usage of inventory 5000 units

Ordering cost per order ₹ 6

Carrying cost per unit ₹1

a) EOQ

b) If this model is used by the company, analyse its limitations. 

Treasury Management in Banking  

1. Receivable Management is one of the vital function of treasury Management. Delays in receivables collection directly affect the working capital requirements of the organization. As a manager discuss some of the best practices in receivables management with your team and make them aware about the importance of Receivable Management.                                                              

 

2. Banks are exposed to different types of risks that may have a negative effect on their business. As a manager identify & discuss the various types of risk .Also describe the three important functions of risk Management  

 

3. In spite of the elation of financial inclusions and the growing banking sector in India, increasing number of defaults by big businesses have brought the focus back on the alarming situation of the Indian banks’ balance sheets. 

a. Discuss the two ratios that are essential for measuring liquidity management.

b. Discuss some warning signs of impending liquidity risks in Indian banks?   

Course: Capital Market and Portfolio Management

 

1. The following data shows the return of Alpha Ltd and the market:

Year

Return on Alpha(%)

Return on Market (%)

1

50

45

2

35

30

3

30

28

4

28

30

5

25

25

Calculate the beta of Alpha Ltd and interpret. (10 Marks)

 

2. SBI and HDFC are two mutual funds. SBI has observed return of 15% and fund HDFC has observed return of 20%. HDFC has a beta of 1.5 and SBI has a beta of 1. The respective standard deviations are 18% of SBI and 22% of HDFC. The mean return for market index is 0.12, while the risk-free return is 9%. Suggest which fund’s performance is better based on Sharpe and Treynor ratio. (10 Marks)

 

3. Anita has two securities in her portfolio. The proportions, expected return and standard deviations of her securities are as given in the table. She approached her friend who was a portfolio manager to understand the total risk which was associated with her investment in the portfolio and also the return that she was expecting from the portfolio. The details of portfolio of Anita is:

Security 1

Security 2

Security Expected Return

10%

12%

Standard Deviation

13%

15%

Weight

30%

70%

Covariance of security 1 and 2 is 0.0049.

Calculate:

a) Variance of the portfolio so that Anita can estimate total risk of her portfolio.

(5 Marks)

b) Return per unit of risk of the portfolio (5 Marks)

 

Course: Corporate Finance

 

1. A company has sales of 4,00,000 units at ₹ 5 per unit, variable cost ₹ 0.60 per unit, fixed cost ₹ 2,00,000 and interest charges of ₹ 3,500. Compute degree of operating leverage and financial leverage and comment on the values of each leverage.

(10 Marks)

 

2. A choice is to be made between the two competing proposals which require an equal investment of ₹ 50000 and are expected to generate net cash flows as under:

Years

Project A(₹)

Project B (₹)

1

25000

10000

2

15000

12000

3

10000

18000

4

Nil

25000

5

12000

8000

6

6000

4000

Cost of capital of the company is 10%. Which proposal should be selected using NPV method? (10 Marks)

 

3. Gamma Corporation was a 20 years old company and its capital structure consisted of 1000 equity shares of ₹100 each, 500 preference shares(10%) of ₹50 each and 500 debentures(8%) of ₹30 each. The management of the company wanted to estimate what would be the value of EPS if the values of EBIT were changed and tax rate is 35%.

a) Calculate EPS if the level of EBIT is ₹1,00,000 (5 Marks)

b) Calculate EPS if the level of EBIT is ₹1,50,000 (5 Marks)

 

Course: Cost & Management Accounting

 

1. The Managing director of a fairly new consumer durables company has a new problem at hand. The company is finding it difficult to cope with the recently introduced GST, and has been the subject of numerous missed deadlines, demand notices and penal interest from the tax authorities. The frequency and severity of the issues have led them to be a key focus area for the management. The Managing Director has approached you to review the Management Accounting process in the company in the light of the above events. Critically analyze the issues at hand, and suggest a suitable roadmap for the company to revamp its Management Accounting process. (10 Marks)

 

2. A work order for 100 units of a commodity has to pass through three different machines of which the machine hour rates are given:

Machine No. 1 — Rs. 1.25,

Machine No. 2 — Rs. 2.50, and

Machine No. 3 — Rs. 3.00

The following expenses have been incurred on the work order: materials Rs. 8000 and wages Rs. 500.

Machine No. 1 has been engaged for 200 Hrs, Machine No.2 for 160 Hrs and Machine No. 3 for 240 Hrs. After the work order has been completed, materials worth Rs. 400 are found to be surplus and are returned to stores. Office overheads used to be 40% of works costs, but on account of all round rises in the cost of administration, distribution and sales, there has been a 50% rise in the office overhead expenditure.

Moreover, it is known that 10% of the production will have to be scrapped as not being up to the specialization and the sale proceeds of the scrapped output will be only 5% of the cost of sales.

The manufacturer wants to make a profit of 20% on the total cost of the work order. You are required to help in determining the selling price of a unit of commodity ready for sale. (10 Marks)

 

3. A small company produces two products, A and B. Both products need the same raw material X, and the labour force is skilled enough to work on both production lines. The following particulars are obtained from the costing records of the factory.

Particulars

A - Per unit (Rs.)

B - Per unit (Rs.)

Direct Material @ Rs.20/kg

80

320

Direct Labour @ Rs.10/hr

100

200

Variable overhead

40

80

Selling Price

400

1000

Total fixed overheads

Rs. 30000

In the recent past, the company has faced problems with inadequate supplies of raw material X, and severe labour absenteeism, which have severely hampered their production schedule. The Management has decided that henceforth in such crises, the company will focus exclusively on any one product, with the objective of maximizing profits by properly utilizing the scarce input.

a. Which product should the company focus on if they experience shortage of supply of raw material X? (5 Marks)

b. Which product should the company focus on if they experience shortage of supply of labour? (5 Marks)

Course: Operations Management

 

1. Pick up a service organization of your choice and state the roles and responsibilities of the service operations manager. (10 Marks)

 

2. Briefly explain with a suitable example the factors which affect the decision to locate a plant. (10 Marks)

 

3. Calculate the productivity for the following operations:

a) Three employees process 600 insurance policies in a week. They work 8 hours per day, 5 days per week. (5 Marks)

b) A team of workers makes 400 units or a product, which is sold in the market for $10 each. The accounting department reports that for this job the actual costs are $400 for labour, $1000, for materials, and $300 for overhead. (5 Marks)

 

Course: International Marketing

 

1. You are the owner of an Indian Fast Food Chain company by the name of “McWorld” which has become immensely successful all over India. You now wish to enter into Europe, US & Australian markets by setting up your McWorld fast food outlets in those geographies. Which type of Advertising Strategy would you choose amongst the following options namely Unified, Diversified or Pattern Standardisation? Explain the reasons behind your choice of Advertising Strategy? (10 Marks)

 

2. You have enough capital with you & are intent on starting a new business in India. There is a 5 star hotel brand in Sweden named “Nordic” & you wish to bring that brand into India. Amongst the following 2 options namely Franchising & Licensing, which one of the options would you choose & why? Explain in depth. (10 Marks)

 

3. You are the proprietor of a shoe exporting company “Raj Exports” based out of Mumbai. You have received a fresh order from a buyer in Mexico.

a. What elements of export documentation & which type of declaration form would you organize for in order to help facilitate the export order? Explain the reasons behind usage of the chosen type of declaration form by you. Suggest the process steps & the way forward. (5 Marks)

b. Which major & other documents would be required by your firm “Raj Exports” in order to transport your goods to Mexico? Which mode of transport would you choose & why? (5 Marks)

 

Course: International Logistics & Supply Chain Management

 

1. Akshay Glass Private Limited is an auto glass manufacturing company. They manufacture the front Windshield, front and rear door auto glass, vent glass, quarter glass, and back glass. These glasses have to be distributed to various dealers and stockiest. Glass transportation need specialized vehicles and they have to be modified to hold these types of glasses which are different in sizes. The company can buy and modify the trucks to have their own transport arrangement or outsource them to a company. The outsourcing transporter is asking for 2 years contract with Rs. 1. 2 lac per month irrespective of whether the vehicles are used or not. If company purchases the vehicle and modify them the cost works out to be Rs. 80,000 per month but the liability of maintenance, drivers, cleaners, etc. will add up to the cost.

Please suggest a right option for the above to the company. (10 Marks)

 

2. Prayaga Industries, Mumbai, a plastic manufacturer has got an order to supply 50,000 disposal plastic glasses to Singapore. Goods should be supplied in 45 days.

Kindly advise the right transport selection to export these goods to Singapore and explain the reasons for your selection. (10 Marks)

 

3. Wadia India Limited is a distributor of consumables to all metro stations in Delhi. In all they have to supply for 48 stations in two days i.e. 24 stations per day. Delhi has entry restrictions for all sizes of vehicles between 7 a.m to 11.00 a.m. and 5.00 p.m. to 9.00 p.m. Wadia wants to appoint a 3 P L (Third Party Logistics) service provider for receiving, storing and dispatching the goods to all stations. The logistics cost is cheap if located outside Delhi i.e. Gurgaon, Noida, etc., but will affect the deliveries. Logistics cost within Delhi is costly but on time delivery is possible.

Warehouse cost outside Delhi is Rs. 17 per sq. feet while within Delhi it is Rs. 28 per sq.ft

Transporter can make only one trip from outside Delhi location while they can make 2 trips if located within Delhi.

Transporter has to make two shifts irrespective of locations.

With your experience kindly advise Wadia India on the following:

a) Which is the right and best location for 3 PL (i.e. within Delhi or outside Delhi) and explain with reasons? (5 Marks)

b) What is the best transport method that can be adopted for this type of distribution? (5 Marks)

Course: Marketing of Financial Services

 

1. Develop a Public Relations campaign for a Bank of your choice to highlight the “Digital Banking” advantage that your Bank offers. (10 Marks)

 

2. Your client avoids investing in equities for his long term goals. He found equity investments are too risky and is confused about the appropriate time to take an entry or exit route from the financial market. Explain some investment techniques that can help him in negating the biases involved in investing. (10 Marks)

 

3. You are a Financial Planner. Your client Amit Advani aged 37 years, works with an IT company earning Rs 15 lakhs per year. His wife Deepti, aged 34 years, is a homemaker. They have one daughter Rimmi aged 5 years. The couple requires your help to make some financial decisions. (You can make any assumptions to further build up your case.)

a) Amit wants to buy a Pure Risk Life Insurance cover of Rs 1.5 crore. He is confused whether he should buy a ULIP, Endowment or a Term Plan. Recommend the product best suited for his requirement. (5 Marks)

b) Amit and Deepti want your help to invest for Rimmi’s higher education which they estimate would be required after 16 years. (5 Marks)

 

Course: Retail Banking

 

Q1. A leading private bank, having presence mostly in metros and other Tier I cities has decided to open branch operations in a Tier II city (assume a city of your choice)? Discuss the various retail banking products the banks can offer in this city. (10 Marks)

 

Q2. Banking today has become a fiercely competitive industry due to the entry of so many foreign and private banks. Discuss how a recently established bank can reach out to customers to understand their needs and hence cater specifically to their needs so as to provide satisfactory service. (10 marks)

 

Q3. The banking sector (including both retail and corporate banking) has reached out to global customers crossing boundaries in recent times. With reference to retail banking briefly discuss the following aspects of globalization in retail banking

a. What are the various marketing strategies adopted by banks to attract customers across various geographical boundaries? (5 Marks)

b. Discuss how can banks offer various distribution channels for customer so as to serve them in an efficient manner, without the customer using physical branch operations and still be able to make all required financial transactions. (5 Marks)

 

Course: Strategic Cost Management

 

1. Neha was working with the strategic team of the company. The company was planning to analyse the business proposals to understand if it was beneficial for the company to go ahead or not. The company wanted to understand the steps that should be followed in order to perform the cost benefit analysis. Help Neha to

prepare the report that can be presented to the management for successful strategic cost benefit analysis. (10 Marks)

2. Alpha Ltd was making losses since last two years and was thinking of changing their work style, try to improve customer service, cut operational costs, and become world-class competitors. Before they could initiate the change they wanted to understand the factors that would contribute to the success and failure of re-engineering of Business process. Discuss. (10 Marks)

3. Mr. Gupta was the head of finance and wanted to understand the relationship between contribution and sales in order to estimate the profitability of the firm. He wanted to analyse the ratio as well as estimate the changes in the ratio due to changes in variable cost or selling price. The data was provided to him by his team. Calculate:

3a) P/V ratio if Selling price ₹ 30 per unit and Variable cost ₹ 20 per unit

(5 Marks)

3b) Revised P/V ratio if 10% increase in variable cost is assumed.

Sales Management

1. Explain briefly the frequently used recruitment sources available for hiring salesmen. Besides these sources word of mouth has been very much in vogue and successful in hiring salesmen particularly in pharma selling. What makes this source more effective and efficient?

 

2. Explain sales force management and discuss the role of sales manager in managing the sales force of the firm you are working with or any other company you are familiar with.

 

3. International Med Tech Company looking forward to enter Indian market with their novel portable product used as diagnostic tool in faster identification of stroke in patient’s location, so that they can immediately start the treatment. As their Sales consultant, what are your recommendations to them in the following areas:

a. STP – Segmentation, Targeting and Positioning

b. Type and method of Sales force selection

Course: Enterprise Resource Planning

1. Kesari Tours also known as Kesari Tours Pvt. Ltd. (ISO 9001:2015 & BS OHSAS 18001:2007 certified) is a Mumbai, India based Travel Company, founded in 1984. It operates in India, America, Mauritius, Australia, China, New Zealand, Japan, Europe, and South Africa. In India, it has branch offices in Ahmadabad, Pune, Bangalore, Thane, Kolhapur, and Nagpur. Explain its business model using Four Box Model. Which element of four box model, in your opinion, provide competitive advantage to Kesari Tours? Why? (10 Marks)

 

2. Talwalkars Better Value Fitness Ltd, popularly known as Talwalkars, is India's largest chain of health clubs. It has 152 Health Clubs across 80 cities in India on a consolidated basis, with over 200,000 members. Explain which modules and submodules of ERP would be useful for this company with appropriate justification. (10 Marks)

 

3. “I don’t understand what you mean by top management support. Obviously, we support ERP implementation project as we have already approved budget or Rs. 1.8 Cr. What do you need more?” Mr. Mahadevan was somewhat irritated as he was talking with Ms Geeta, whom he had hired for managing ERP implementation project. Mr. Mahadeavn has been managing his family-owned business of pharmacy chain for last 30 years. He was not a technology enthusiast but had realized the need for ERP implementation for his business. That’s why he had hired Ms. Geeta, whom he knew from her childhood. Ms. Geeta with 10 years of ERP implementation experience, has just started her boutique consulting firm and Mr. Mahadevan’s company is her first client. “Sir, let me first thank you for approving the budget without any cuts. That itself showed your confidence in us. What we need more is continuation of this support as we begin with business process reengineering, aka BPR. BPR will result into changes in the organizations, some of them would not be comfortable to many people. Top management will need to support us as we make these changes in the organization for effective ERP implementation.” Ms Geeta said in an assertive tone. “Hmm, I see the point. But can’t we implement ERP without BPR? I mean why to rock the boat? I am

looking at ERP project as a technology project. Why should we disrupt our way of working so as to implement a software? Do you have clarity on what exactly you will be doing when you do something like BPR in our sales process?” Mr. Mahadevan kept on asking questions one after another as he seemed worried about the notion of BPR before ERP implementation.

a. How Ms Geeta should justify need for BPR? (5 Marks)

b. How Ms Geeta can convince that BPR can be executed in a step-by-step manner in the sales process of Mr. Mahadevan’s company? (5 Marks)

 

Course: Supply Chain Management

1. Integrating supply chain partners is very difficult without the use of information technology. Identify four information technology tools that successful organizations use to integrate its supply chain partners and discuss how each of these tools contributes to their success. (10 Marks)

 

2. You are the Supply Chain Manager in a Telecom firm. Your company has planned to invest into new Tower sites in order to prepare themselves for upcoming competition in 4G technology. You may need to redesign the network distribution of your company to make it usable to increase demand. What are the factors you will consider while designing the network, please elaborate them. Summarize your answer highlighting the most important factors. . (10 Marks)

 

3. Case Study

Road freight services of India was started by Mr Khanna in 1990 and has grown from a one road freight operation to a fleet serving 200 plus shippers in west zone of India. The Company serves the automotive industry by providing inbound transportation to their warehouses and plants. It has strategic alliance relationship with three large automakers and is the exclusive trucking company for a number of auto suppliers. Mr. Khanna as Promoter of the company is willing to adopt latest technologies, IT system and management

techniques. He was about to call strategic planning meeting with his senior executives, he was pondering over recent trends in the logistics field. He also knew that to retain current admirable position in market, his company must continue to be innovative and provide the services based on customers need.During recent past three years, the company has witnessed increased competition. The other logistics companies that provide rush deliveries have made significant inroads in the market where just-in-time management system mandate, VMI inventory system, minimal raw material inventories, guaranteed deliveries and vendor penalties for late deliveries. The perplex trend to Mr Khanna is the growing vertical integration of road freight companies into other logistics services. A number of other companies have started warehousing divisions to provide sorting, kitting (putting pieces together to make up a kit), and cross-docking (moving freight across a dock to a waiting truck). Other carriers are adding third party logistics divisions to manage a shipper/receiver’s transportation and storage activities. Finally a few trucking companies have started air and ocean freight divisions, freight-forwarding services and logistics information services. He also recognizes that this vertical integration of trucking companies is a result of customer growing demands. In addition, shippers are reducing number of vendors in transportation suppliers, being used and asking the minimal vendors to provide a wider range of products and value added services. After considerable thought, company decides that only viable long term strategy is to become a full service logistics provider. If current status of company is continued, it will greatly impair the growth and profit potentials of the company. As part of members in strategy planning group please provide your inputs appropriate from company considering long run.

Question:

a. Assess the conclusion reached by organization regarding the nature of today’s logistics industry and increasing consolidation demand of customers (5 Marks)

b. Describe the value added services you would recommend that the strategic planning team consider for the said organization. (5 Marks)

Course: Total Quality Management

1. Smart Products is a company that makes innovative products for a very competitive market and considers quality as its prime factor. In the past some of their products failed to meet the needs of

customers resulting in lengthy new product development. Suggest a quality management technique Smart Product can use to understand its customer’s needs, translate them into product features and design the products while keeping the competitors performance in view. (10 Marks)

 

2. You have joined Smart Product as VP operations. The organization has been confronting a number of issues like rise in costs, decline in sales volumes and customer dissatisfaction for the last two years. Smart Product works in a conventional method and all performance measures are in traditional financial terms only, like revenue increase, high profit or liquidation etc. You realize that these conventional performance

estimates does not help the organization in their quality initiatives. How will you go about changing this concept of performance measure at Smart Product in line with new TQM philosophy? (10 Marks)

 

3. Mr. Ram is a newly appointed Quality Manager in a garment manufacturing company. He observes that the garment factory does not measure the cost of poor quality. He has learned in his MBA course that you can measure how much money are wasted due to poorly managed quality in the factory. This was an opportunity for Ram to show improvement in quality and profit for the organization from his management knowledge.

a. What are the steps Ram should follow to calculate and report cost of poor quality? (5 Marks)

b. What will be your suggestion for Ram to reduce cost of poor quality? (5 Marks)

International Banking & Foreign Exchange Management

Q1. 3rd November 2017, Government announced recapitalization, According to many expert this step will help Public Sector Banks to expand their operation, how it will happen and when? How it will have impact on their FOREX transactions?

 

Q2. Goods and Service tax is considered as tax reform in India, But on the other hand its slow down the pace of economic growth of the country, do you think it had positive impact on FOREX transactions? Explain various provisions under this act for FOREX transactions?

 

Q3. Traditionally, NRIs have been more comfortable investing in real estate in India. Real estate investment gave returns in the country at an average of about 14-17% in this decade. Sensex returned 19% in the decade and top performing diversified equity mutual funds have given returns in the range of 25-30%. Though past performance cannot be a pure indicator of future performance, but the pattern will stay true if the Indian economy grows in the 8-9% range in the next decade. So it makes good sense to get a life beyond real estate!

In absolute amount it does make a huge difference!

Type Average return

Invested amount

Years Value

Real estate 15% INR 10 lacs 10 INR 40 lacs

Sensex 19% INR 10 lacs 10 INR 57 lacs

Diversified Equity Fund 26% INR 10 lacs 10 INR 1 cr

 

a. NRI from which country can’t invest in the Indian Mutual funds? Why NRI’s prefer Indian mutual funds as an investment option? (5 Marks)

b. NRI need to have NRO or NRE account to deal in INR, What is the role of these account in case of mutual fund investment? Explain the formalities to purchase Indian mutual funds for NRI’s.

Insurance & Risk Management

1. Anil has recently started working with a renowned MNC after passing out of a premier B-School. A senior colleague has suggested him to start investing early, if he wants to build a large retirement corpus. He also suggested Anil to take adequate life insurance cover. Anil is however, unable to properly understand the utility of a life insurance cover. You are required to provide Anil

with an understanding of the importance of Life Insurance cover, and the various types of Life Insurance Products that are available.

 

2. Anita is self employed. She is thirty one years old, and is a fitness freak. She looks upon health insurance policies as useless annual drain on people’s monetary resources. Confident that she will remain fit and healthy in the foreseeable future, she has decided not to spend yearly sums on buying a health insurance policy. Do you feel that she is doing the right thing? If not, suggest suitable types of health insurance policies that she can consider.

 

3. A) John is forty years old, and works in the Private Sector. He feels it is still too early to worry about old age, and does not have a systematic investment plan. His focus is very much on the quality of life at present. As his financial planner, discuss the types of risks he will face post retirement.

3. B) Suggest ways through which John can plan for good quality of life post retirement.

Essentials of HRM

1. Poshak Ltd. is an apparel company where after Sid joined as an AVP-HR and understood that workforce was not happy with their job profile as they were finding it too routine and monotonous. It has also been noted that the work productivity was decreasing and the employee attrition was increasing. It was implicit that the organisation needed to go for job designing. Suggest all the approaches to Sid for job designing which would prove beneficial for Poshak Ltd.

 

2. MiniBurgs is a fast food outlet which is now expanding its operation throughout Mumbai. Since it was initially a small joint which kept on growing and now is becoming a chain therefore undergoing a lots of changes. MiniBurgs can only respond better to these changes when the employees are also willing to accept and adapt to the same. The HR team is emphasising that since the business is expanding the workforce must develop their KSA (Knowledge, skill and competencies) regularly for combating any kind of change in the external or internal environment. It was also

discussed that there is a need for HRD in Miniburgs. Discuss that why Miniburgs has a need for HRD.

 

3. Yes bank did something different for its Induction program rather than going by the old conventional methods. The new employees in Yes Bank were greeted with its drum beating session which acted as a stress buster and then it was followed by other various fun activities aimed at experiential learning, instead of the old way of inducting employees which merely focused on PPTs as well speech on organisational culture, etiquettes and opportunities. The employees really appreciated this novel way of induction. As per this case answer the following questions:

a. Yes Bank could have directly asked the employees to report at work, but why induction was needed? Discuss it from organization’s perspective.

b. The employees seemed to have really like the induction, so why it is important from their (employees) perspective? Discuss

Decision Analysis & Modeling

1. Discuss and Describe the role of linear programming in managerial decision-making bringing out limitations, if any. (10 Marks)

 

2. A retired person wants to invest upto an amount of Rs 60, 000 in fixed income securities. His broker recommends investing in two Bonds: Bond A yielding 7% and Bond B yielding 10%. After some consideration he decides to invest at most Rs 24, 000 in Bond B and at least Rs 12, 000 in Bond A. He also wants the amount invested in Bond A to be at least equal to the amount invested in Bond B. Formulate this problem as a linear programing problem with the objective of maximizing the return from investments. (10 Marks)

 

3. The manager of a bank observes that, on the average, 18 customers are served by a cashier in an hour. If the service time has an exponential distribution, answer the following questions

a) What is the probability that a customer shall be free within 3 minutes? ( 5 Marks)

b) What is the probability that a customer shall be serviced in more than 12 minutes?

World Class Operations

1. List the various Techniques and Tools adopted by companies to achieve World Class Operations. Discuss in brief any 3 Tools applicable with reference to a Restaurant. How successful are these Tools for the company in achieving World Class Operations

 

2. Define the concept of ‘Total Quality Management’. What are the fundamental factors (7Ms) affecting Quality. Discuss how these factors are adopted to achieve Total Quality with a reference to an Educational Institute (10 Marks)

 

3. 'SITI Bank', a leading private sector bank in the banking industry, has seen an ever growing demand from its customers for the best service. This has become more challenging for the bank on account of the competition; especially since newer MNC banks in the private sector have been added in the past few years and they are well equipped with all the latest techniques in their domains. The Bank's management on analysing the decreasing net profits came up with 2 major reasons for the same: the first being the dwindling number of customers satisfied with the bank processes and secondly the higher input costs of operations(infrastructure, power consumption, etc) Discuss the following aspects which the Bank's management might be considering in providing Quality service to its customers

a. The Bank's service processes have a lot of issues, their operations are disturbed and consequently the output levels are not satisfactory.. Discuss in brief how the Bank can adopt the concept of FMEAC to analyse and correct/eliminate these issues. (5 Marks)

b. Discuss how the Bank can adopt the concept of ‘Green Production’ in its working environment to possibly decrease operational cost.

B2B Marketing

Q.1 Crompton Greaves Ltd is the leader in Indian Domestic market for electric motors, which conform to Indian & International Standards. The company faces a severe competition from small scale motor manufacturer as well as large global players like Siemens & ABB. What suggestions you would like to give to the company to maintain its leadership position in this product category? (10 Marks)

 

Q.2 Sam Chem Corporation is into the business of House Keeping products & equipments. Develop an effective communication programme for the company. (10 Marks)

 

Q.3 Read the following Case & solve the questions given:

Mahindra Parikh, Senior Manager-Commercial, India Textiles Ltd., felt doubtful on bringing down the delivery time from 60 days to 45 days, demanded by some international buyers of garments. The company's manufacturing unit at Bangalore produced garments like shirts, trousers, for domestic as well as international customers, including Walmart, i.e. Penny, and Gap. The production process included various operations like dyeing of yarn, weaving, and processing.

The production was organised on three shift basis. The company had outsourced some of the operations like processing because it did not have facility to do the processing, although it had adequate space.

Mahindra asked the market research manager to get the information about the competitor’s delivery time for the garments. The market research manager informed him that only four out of about 100 garment (or apparel) manufacturing units were in a position to fulfill the important purchasing objectives of 45 days delivery time and consistent product quality.

Mahindra applied a lot of pressure on the existing processing firms to bring down the delivery time.

However, he did not receive any positive commitments from them. Mahindra felt that it was very important to satisfy the delivery and quality objectives of the garment buying firms, in order to achieve the company's sales and profitability goals.

Questions:

a. If you were Mahindra Parikh, what would you do? (5 Marks)

b. ‘The company had outsourced some of the operations like processing because it did not have facility to do the processing, although it had adequate space’. Do you agree with this decision? Justify

International Logistics & Supply Chain Management

Question 1

You are a purchase manager and have to develop two vendors for supplying tissue papers for your hotel. The packing quantity is one box of 100 tissues. Monthly consumption is 50,000 boxes. The consumption is very high and hence it is A value item. These papers will be used by all customers in the hotel. In all 3 vendors have responded to your query and the details are as under:

Vendor

Rate in INR Location Factory condition Leadtim

e Storage capacity

1 320 per box

10 Minutes from hotel Unhygienic, untidy 15 days Cannot hold stock for more

than a month

2 340 per box

2 hours from hotel

Very clean, tidy and best quality 20 days Can keep stock for 2

months in his warehouse

3 355 per box

3 hours from hotel Moderate conditions 30 days Can hold stock for three

month

Whom you will select and the reasons for such selection. The price is yet to be negotiated.

 

Question 2

Your company is dealing with imported electronic items to market in India. All items are brought by sea only as they are container loads and in huge volume. You have to select one 3 P L service provider in Chennai to receive, stock and distribute the items to PAN India. 3 service providers have offered their services as under:

Service provider

Rate per pallet position

Location Warehouse condition Strengths Weakness

1 450 per pallet of 1

45 km from sea

Very good, racking system with good material

Good staff, security,

Rate not negotiable, 30

cubic feet port and city

handling equipments, good software system

safety, clean and tidy

days credit and insists on time payment

2420 per pallet position

35 km from sea port and city

Unprofessional, racking available, good software system

Not very good staff. Safety is weak

Nothing specific

3430 per pallet position

75 km from sea port and city

good racking system, good software

Staff quality good, safety good

Nothing specific

Please suggest a good 3 PL service provider and the reason for selecting the same.

 

Question 3

Your factory is located at Nagpur in Maharashtra. Your company would like to export a consignment which has odd dimension. The product is projecting outside the container on the top by 6 inches.

a. What type of container would you suggest to the company to move this consignment safely to the destination? Explain the reasons for your selection.

b. What is your proposal to move this consignment to the seaport i.e. loading the container from the factory at Nagpur or bringing the consignment to the sea port and load the container? Explain your decision with all details.

Course: Decision Analysis & Modeling

 

1. There is a relationship between the Primal and the Dual problem in Linear Programing Problems. In this context explain the Primal and the Dual Problem and establish the relationship between the two. (10 Marks)

 

2. In Assignment Problems, often we face some additional constraints in the form of prohibited assignments. What do you understand by these prohibited assignments?

(10 Marks)

3. The owner of Fancy Goods Shop is interested to determine how many advertisements to release in the selected three magazines - A, B, and C. His main purpose is to advertise in such a way that total exposure to principal, buyers of his goods is maximised. Percentage of readers for each magazine is known. Exposure in any particular magazine is the number of advertisements released multiplied by the number of principal buyers. The following date is available:

Particulars

Magazines

A B C

Readers

1.0 lakh

0.6 lakh

0.4 lakh

Principal Buyers

20%

15%

8%

Cost per Advertisement

8,000

6,000

5,000

The budgeted amount is at the most Rs.1.0 lakh for the advertisements. The owner has already decided that magazine A should have no more than 15 advertisements and that B and C each at least 8 advertisements.

a. Identify the decision variables (5 Marks)

b. Formulate the problem as a Linear Programming Problem. (5 Marks)

 

Course: International Logistics & Supply Chain Management

 

1. ABC organization wants to expand their production capacity and needs space. Management asks you to explore whether the warehousing operations can be shifted to either third party logistics or locate the warehouse outside the premises of the company at a cheaper rate of rent and operational expenses. Explain your recommendation with the cost benefit of both options.

 

2. You are a Procurement Manager and need to procure 30 lac plastic containers of 100 gm capacity for packing your products. You have two options i.e (1) Procure locally (2) import them. Exporter is willing to give 45 days credit but the minimum order quantity is 15 lac containers. Local manufacturer is willing to give on payment against delivery and the minimum order quantity is 10 lac containers. The landed cost is more or less same in both imported and local procurement. Explain your proposal to the management with the supporting details of your decision. (10 Marks)

3. You have to outsource transportation of car glasses for 2 years for your organization . There are 6 types of auto glass on a vehicle: the front Windshield, front and rear door auto glass, vent glass, quarter glass, and back glass. You need two 9 ton trucks which have to be modified to hold these different types of glasses. Transporter offers two quotes. i. He will provide two vehicles and modify the vehicles at his cost . The monthly transportation charges would be Rs. 1.2 lacs irrespective of whether you use them or not. ii. You can buy two vehicles of 9 ton capacity and modify the vehicles. The average monthly cost works out to be Rs. 70,000. Kindly give your decision on the following:

a. What are the benefits and drawbacks in option (1) and what are the benefits and drawbacks in option (2) (5 Marks)

b. Which option you will select and the reasons for the same. (5 Marks)

 

Course: Advanced Supply Chain Management

 

1. You are required to design a distribution network for a large e-Retailing company which deals with home appliances. Customers normally place a single order for different appliances of different brand. What distribution network do you think will be most suitable? What will be the benefit and drawback if any?

 

2. You have successfully implemented supply chain strategy and distribution network. Now how will you measure the performance of the supply chain strategy to know how well it has impacted the organizations? (10 Marks)

3. You are responsible for Inventory management in your organization. Investment in inventory is one of the largest assets of any business and is difficult to manage if it involves multiple items that are located at multiple points. (10 Marks)

a. What are the various inventory related costs and how will you calculate them? (5 Marks)

b. What steps will you take for efficient management of multiple-items, multiple-location inventory? (5 Marks)

 

Course: Customer Relationship Management

 

1. If you had to choose from the models of CRM, which one would you opt for? Justify how the chosen model will benefit the BFSI sector.

 

2. As a customer which kind of loyalty do you demonstrate towards your preferred brands? What primarily drives you to be loyal towards a provider? (10 Marks)

3. Tasty Treats is a café chain you have started from ground up with your hard work, focus and perseverance couple of years ago. After breaking even, recently your cafés are gaining popularity and you are expanding your business. The growth is rapid and your staff seems unprepared for the increase in volume of customers and managing the interactions smoothly.

a. Your staff doesn’t understand the consumer’s perception of the complaint process. Explain it to them in a simplified manner to better equip them to avert complaints. (5 Marks)

b. How will you guide your staff to handle complaints from irate customers, in case they occur? (5 Marks)

 

Course: Enterprise Resource Planning

 

1. Explain business model of Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) using Four Box Business Model. If you were CEO of TCS, which element of this business model you would like to change for increasing revenue of TCS?

 

2. Acme Mart is a five-year old retail chain company having 20+ retail stores across Mumbai and Pune. It is expected to grow its store network to more than 100 stores in next five years. Would you recommend data warehousing to this company? Justify your recommendation. (10 Marks)

3. “What brought us here will not take us there!” Mr. Kale started the annual review meeting with this statement. Being a Founding Director of Indictrans Pvt. Ltd., Mr. Kale was well aware of efforts put over years by all managers participating in this meeting. With these efforts, Indictrans Pvt. Ltd. has become one of the largest service providers for open source ERP software called ERPNext. Mr. Kale now wants its company to grow further at faster rate by entering new markets and channels.

a. What action items would you recommend to Mr. Kale for aggressive growth of Indictrans Pvt. Ltd.? (5 Marks)

b. Which ERP trends will you recommend to Indictrans Pvt. Ltd. to focus on for its future growth? (5 Marks)

 

Course: Logistics Management

 

1. Logistics companies in India are waking up to the global trend of offering green services to their customers and are showcasing what they do to reduce their carbon footprint. In your organization how will you have Green Manufacturing incorporated in Logistic Planning?

 

2. Physical distribution has two major objectives, namely decreasing the cost of delivery and increasing customer service levels. Discuss briefly with examples, various objectives in terms of total cost goals and customer service goals. (10 Marks)

3. You have joined PerfectParts Manufacturing Co as Operations Head. You observe the organization does not have a formal inventory management system and use Ad Hoc approach for inventory management. Also the number items in the inventory are very high. Your priority is to quickly reduce the quantities of items and the number of items.

a. State the techniques you can use to reduce quantities of items (5 Marks)

b. State the techniques you can use to reduce number of items (5 Marks)

 

Course: Supply Chain Management

 

1. You are a SCM consultant appointment by a Pharma company who wants to lease a warehouse in a Metro like Mumbai. Considering short term life cycle of following FIFO, maintaining safety stocks & quick retrieval is extremely critical. Considering high rentals in Metro, leasing space is equally critical. Movement of material fairly depends on -customer’s requirement as forecasted;

the process of which is fairly established. Please suggest steps that consultant should keep in mind to suggest solution to his Pharma clients for inventory management. Do you think VMI concept may help here for non-shelf life kind of items here? (10 Marks)

2. With the Independence Day around the corner, Small Basket a grocery retailer has announced “Drop till you shop” offer wherein it is offering online groceries at rock bottom prices. Tempted by the attractive prices, Mrs. Chandru decides to shop using the Small Basket app. When she browses the app, she discovers too many appealing deals, and as a result shops much more than what she normally would have. When Small Basket launched this scheme in 2015, they sold goods worth Rs. 26 million. Encouraged by the response, they ran the scheme for three days in 2017. During this three day period, approximately two million people shopped for a variety of produce. There were reports that the company experienced out of stock situation for stocks of several popular items (grocery and staples, fruits and vegetables) that had been exhausted. Predicting the demand for such schemes is always a tricky job. How do you think Small Basket can forecast better to avoid stock-outs in this case? Do firms that forecast correctly rely on cross-functional as well as cross-organizational trust? (With suppliers and distributors). Justify your answer. (10 Marks)

3. Starbucks is pretty much a household name in India now. But like many of the most successful worldwide brands, the coffee shop giant has been through its periods of supply chain pain. In fact, during 2007 and 2008, Starbucks leadership began to have serious doubts about the company’s ability to supply its 16,700 outlets globally. As in most commercial sectors at that time, sales were falling. At the same time though, supply chain costs rose by more than $75 million.

The supply chain had, (like those of many global organisions) evolved, rather than grown by design, and had hence become unnecessarily complex A number of poor outsourcing decisions had led to excessive 3PL expenses Fewer than 50% of outlet deliveries were arriving on time Supply Chain Cost Reduction Challenges When the supply chain executive team began investigating the rising costs and supply chain performance issues, they found that service was indeed falling short of expectations. Findings included the following problems

Lay the groundwork for future capability in the supply chain In order to meet these objectives, Starbucks divided all its supply chain functions into four key groups, known as “plan” “make” and

“deliver”. It also opened a new production facility, bringing the total number of U.S. plants to four. Next, the company set about terminating partnerships with all but its most effective 3PLs. The remaining partners were then managed via a weekly scorecard system, which was aligned with renewed service level agreements. Reduce cost to serve Reorganize the supply chain The Path to Cost Reduction Starbucks’ leadership had three main objectives in mind to achieve improved performance and supply chain cost reduction. These were to:

Supply Chain Cost Management Results By the time Starbucks’ supply chain transformation program was completed, the company had made savings of more than $500 million over the course of 2009 and 2010, of which a large proportion came out of the supply chain, according to Peter Gibbons, then Executive Vice President of Global Supply Chain Operations.

a. What is the significant and substantial change according to you is taken by Starbucks to improve on overall performance of their supply chain. (5 Marks)

b. How do you think objective laid down by Starbucks Leadership would have helped them to achieve this sustainable improvement in supply chain? (5 Marks)

 

Course: Total Quality Management

 

1. All Automobile manufacturers have a strategic alliance with their suppliers. What do you think are the many important factors their relationship depended on? Discuss with examples. (10 Marks)

2. Hero Honda Motors have a Quality Circle under the name “Sunrise Quality Circle”. Similarly many other Indian organizations have successfully implemented the concept of Quality Circle. What are the objectives of these organization for Quality Circle and what do you think are the factors for its success? (10 Marks)

3. You are Head of a manufacturing unit and want to implement control chart in one of your injection molding shop. Hourly random 500 units are inspected for defects and the average defectives are 3.5%.

a. What type of control chart will you use and what will be its control limits? (5 Marks)

b. What are the other types of control chart used in monitoring a process? (5 Marks)