Corporate Czar Prelims 2014

1) After the devastation caused by atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the world

and particularly the super powers realized that production of weapons of mass destruction

should be stopped. Yet the proliferation of nuclear weapons continued. Explain this

rationale with a well known theoretical concept.

2) During an elimination round in the big boss house, big boss calls the evicted contestant

and gives him a lifeline. Big boss informs the contestant that there is a mole among the

four contestants remaining. If the contestant can choose which one of them is a mole he

can remain in the house? After making the choice, the contestant was informed who

among the four is not a mole. Now he can either stick to his choice or alter it. Will the new

choice alter his chances of staying the house? Explain

3) Henry Ford doubled the wages of his employees and turned around the fortunes of his

company. Will it work for Maruti/Tata. Please comment. (1000 characters max)

4) Which Indian company would have thrived with a CEO like Steve Jobs? What difference

would have he made? (1000 characters max)

5) In the movie Dark Night, Joker planted bomb on the two ferries where the trigger for the

bombs were given to the opposite parties. Joker expected them to kill each other but

passengers outwitted him. Now in business sense, what strategy or theory was

used?

6) Tata Nano was one of the most awaited products in the India automobile market. A 2008

study, by Indian rating agency CRISIL, thought the Nano would expand the nation's car

market by 65%. However consumer response had been tepid and underwhelming.

Describe in 500 characters or less, the reasons why it failed to connect with its target

consumers. Be very specific.

7) If you are to start an online e-commerce firm, what strategies would you adopt to compete

with FlipKart, Amazon, E-bay and the like? Explain the industry attractiveness in detail.

8) Suzlon Energy grew from a startup in 1995 to become the third largest player in the global

wind energy market by the end of 2009. However the company hit a major crisis in 2009.

Based on the information available in the public domain, analyze the reasons for the

failure from an operations and quality management perspective.

9) Raymonds, for decades, had targeted urban metrosexual men with their classic “The

complete man” ad. However one of their popular brands, Park Avenue had attempted to

create a new image for their “Beer shampoo” product with their “Cheer to Man Hair”

campaign. What are your views on this marketing strategy? Explain in detail.

10) Give your analysis on P&G’s best job ad campaign.

(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FLeFfJ1XuEk)