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Strategic Management
Section A: Objective Type & Short Questions (30 marks)
This section consists of multiple choice & Short Notes type questions.
Answer all the questions.
Part one questions carry 1 mark each & Part two questions carry 5 marks each.
Part One:
Multiple choices:
1. A plan of action designed to achieve a particular goal is:
a. Tactic
b. Strategy
c. Financial benefits
d. None of the above
2. It is important to develop mission statement for:
a. Allocating organizational resources
b. Provide useful criteria
c. Company creed
d. Customer orientation
3. The five forces model was developed by :
a. Airbus
b. Karin Larsson
c. Michael E.Porter
d. Boeing
4. How many elements are involve in developing in an organizational strategy:
a. Six
b. Two
c. Four
d. Nine
5. The three important steps in SWOT analysis are:
a. Identification, Conclusion, Translation
b. Opportunities, Threats, Strengths
c. People, Corporate cultures, Labour
d. Power, Role, Task
6. GE matrix consists of how many cells?
a. Nine cells
b. Six cells
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c. Eight cells
d. Three cells
7. Which of these is the type of Games:
a. Simultaneous Games
b. Sequential Games
c. Repeated Games
d. All of the above
8. SBU stands fora.
Simple Basic Unit
b. Strategic Basic Unit
c. Strategic Business Unit
d. Speed Business Unit
9. The BCG matrix is known as:
a. Growth share matrix
b. Directional policy matrix
c. GE nine-cell matrix
d. Space matrix
10. ______________ specifies sales revenues and selling distribution and marketing costs.
a. Financial budget
b. Sales budget
c. Operating budget
d. Expenses budget
Part Two:
Q. 1 What are the dimensions of Strategic management?
Q. 2 Critically analyze the concept of BCG Matrix.
Q. 3 What is SWOT analysis?
Q. 4 What are the characteristics of Short-term Objectives?
END OF SECTION A
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Section B: Caselets (40 marks)
This section consists of Caselets.
Answer all the questions.
Each Caselet carries 20 marks.
Detailed information should form the part of your answer (Word limit 150 to 200 words).
Caselet 1
National Competitive Advantage of IKEA Group, a Swedish company founded in 1943 with its
headquarters in Denmark, is a multinational operator of a chain of stores for home furnishing and
furniture. It is the world‟s largest retailer, which specializes, in stylish but inexpensive Scandinavian
designed furniture. At the end of 2005 the IKEA Group of Companies had a total of 175 stores in 31
countries. In addition there are 19 IKEA stores owned and run by franchisees, outside the IKEA store
around the world.
In Sweden, nature and a home both play a big part in people‟s life. In fact one of the best ways to describe
the Swedish home furnishing style is to describe nature-full of light and fresh air, yet restrained and
unpretentious.
To match up the artist Carl and Karin Larsson combined classical influences with warmer Swedish folk
styles .They created a model of Swedish home furnishing design that today enjoys world-wide renown. In
the 1950s the styles of modernism and functionalism developed at the same time as Sweden established a
society founded on social equality .The IKEA product range –The IKEA product range- modern but not
trendy, functional yet attractive, human-centered and child friendly – carries on these various Swedish
home furnishing traditions.
The IKEA Concept, like lots founder, was born in Samaland. This is a part of Southern Sweden where the
soil is thin and poor. The people are famous for working hard, living on small means and using their
heads to make the best possible use of the limited resources they have. This way of doing things is at the
heart of the IKEA approach to keeping prices low.
IKEA was founded when Sweden was fast becoming an example of the caring society, where rich and
poor alike were well looked after. This is also a theme that fits well with the IKEA vision. In order to give
the many people a better everyday life, IKEA asks the customer to work as a partner. The product range is
child-friendly and covers the need of the whole family, young and old. So together we can a better
everyday life for everyone.
In addition to working about around 1,800 different suppliers across the world, IKEA produces many of
its own products through sawmills and factories in the IKEA industrial group, Swedwood.
Swedwood also has a duty to transfer knowledge to other suppliers, for example by educating them in
issues such as efficiency, quality and environmental work.
Swedwood has 35 industrial units in 11 countries.
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Purchasing: IKEA has 42 Trading Service Offices (TSO‟s) in 33 countries. Proximity to their suppliers
is the key to rational, long term cooperation. That‟s why TSO co-workers visit suppliers regularly to
monitor production, test new ideas, negotiate prices and carry out quality audits and inspection.
Distribution: The route from supplier to customer must be as direct, cost- effective and environmentally
friendly as possible. Flat packs are important aspects of this work: eliminating wasted space means we
can transport and store goods more efficiently. Since efficient distribution plays a key role in the work of
creating the low price, goods routing and logistics are a focus for constant development.
The business Idea: The IKEA business idea is to offer a wide range of home furnishings with good design
and function at prices so low that as many people as possible will be able to afford them. And still have
many left! The company targets the customer who is looking for value and is willing to do a little bit of
work serving themselves, transporting the items home and assembling the furniture for a better price. The
typical IKEA customer is young low to middle income family.
The Competition Advantage: The competition advantage strategy of IKEA‟s product is reflected through
IKEA‟s success in the real industry. It can be attributed to its vast experience in the retail market, product
differentiation, and cost leadership.
IKEA Product Differentiation: A wide product range The IKEA product range is wide and versatile in
several ways. First, it‟s versatile in function. Because IKEA think customer, shouldn‟t have to run from
one small specialty shop to another to furnish their home, IKEA gather plants, living room furnishings,
toys , frying pans, whole kitchens i.e.; everything which in a functional way helps to build a home – in
one place , at IKEA stores.
Second, it‟s wide in style. The romantic at heart will find choices just as many as the minimalist at IKEA.
But There is only one thing IKEA don‟t have, and that is, the far- out or the over-decorated. They only
have what helps build a home that has room for good living.
Third, by being coordinated, the range is wide in function and style at the same time. No matter which
style you prefer, there‟s an armchair that goes with the bookcase that goes with the new extending table
that goes with the armchair. So their range is wide in a variety of ways.
Cost Leadership: A wide range with good form and function is only half the story. Affordability has a part
to play – the largest part. A wide range with good form and function is only half the story. Affordability
has a part to play- the largest part. And the joy of being able to own it without having to forsake
everything else. And the customers help, too, by choosing the furniture, getting it at the warehouse,
transporting it home and assembling it themselves , to keep the price low.
Questions
1. Do you think that IKEA has been successful to utilize Porter‟s Five force analysis? Give
reasons.
2. Where do you think can IKEA improve?
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Caselet 2
For ITC Ltd., 2007-2008 continued to be year of quiet growth. Just more launches in its relatively new
segment of non-cigarettes fast moving consumer goods, and solid growth. As in the past few years, ITC‟s
non-cigarettes businesses continued to grow at a scorching pace, accounting for a bigger share of overall
revenues. “The non-cigarette portfolio grew by 37.6% during 2006-2007 and accounted during that year
for 52.3% of the company‟s net turnover.” An ITC spokesman said. In fact, over the first three quarters of
2007-08, ITC‟s non-cigarette FMCG businesses have grown by 48% on the same period last year,
“Indicating that its plans for increasing market share and standing are succeeding.”
The branded packaged foods business continued to expand rapidly, with the focus on snacks range Bingo.
The biscuit category continued its growth momentum with the „Sun feast‟ range of biscuits launching
„Coconut‟ and „Nice‟ variants and the addition of „ Sunfeast BenneVita Flaxseed‟ biscuits. Aashirwad atta
and kitchen ingredients retained their top slots at the national level, with the spices category adding an
organic range. In the confectionery category which grew by 38% in the third quarter, ITC cited AC
Nielsen data it claims market leader status in throat lozenges. Instant mixes and pasta powdered the sales
of its ready to eat foods under the kitchens of India and Aashirwad brands.
In Lifestyle apparel, ITC launched Miss Players fashion wear for young women to compliment its range
for men.
Overall, the biscuit category grew by 58% during the last quarter, ready to eat foods under the kitchens of
India and Aashirwad brands by 63% and the lifestyle business by 26%.
For the Industry, the most significant initiative to watch the ITC foray into premium personal care
products with its Fiama Di Wills range of shampoos , conditioners, shower gels, and soaps. In the popular
segment, ITC has launched a range of soaps and shampoos under the brand name Superia.
Ravi Naware, Chief executive of ITC‟s food business was quoted recently as saying that the business will
make a positive contribution to ITC‟s bottom line in the next two to three years.
In hotels, ITC‟s Fortune Park brand was making the news during the year, with a rapid rollout of first
class business hotels.
In the agri-business segment, the e-choupal network is trying out a pilot in retailing fresh fruits and
vegetables. The e-choupals have already specialized in feeding ITC high quality wheat and potato, among
other commodities grown by farmers with help from e-choupal.
Questions:
Q1. Do you think the progress of ITC Ltd. is realistic?
Q2. After analyzing the above case, do you think every company should aim at cost leadership with high
quality product?
END OF SECTION B
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Section C: Applied Theory (30 marks)
This section consists of Applied Theory Questions.
Answer all the questions.
Each question carries 15 marks.
Detailed information should form the part of your answer (Word limit 200 to 250 words).
Q.1. What are the basic principles of Organizational structure? What are the different types of
Organizational structures?
Q.2. What do you understand by SBU? Explain various models of business level strategies
Production and Operations Management MM.100
Subject Code-B107 Section A: Objective Type & Short Questions (30 marks)
This section consists of multiple choice & Short Notes type questions.
Answer all the questions.
Part one questions carry 1 mark each & Part two questions carry 5 marks each.
Part One:
Multiple choices:
1. Production and Operations Management concerns itself with the conversion of:
a. Outputs in to inputs
b. Inputs in to outputs
c. Outputs in to outputs
d. None of the above
2. Continuous Production is
a. The last operation to the finished product
b. The first operation to the finished product
c. The mid operation to the finished product
d. None of the above
3. Independent demand is
a. Demand that is controlled by the company
b. Demand that is controlled by the customer
c. Demand that is not controlled by the company
d. All of the above
4. Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) has been defined as a
a. Complete Enterprise wide business solution
b. Complete Enterprise narrow business solution
c. a & b
d. None of the above
5. CAD stands for
a. Computer Architecture Design
b. Computer Aided Design
c. Computer Aided Drafting
d. All of the above
6. Delphi method is the most widely used and accurate method of
a. Demand forecasts
b. Exponential forecasts
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c. Technological forecasts
d. All of the above
7. JIT/Kanban systems help eliminate __________
a. Increase the number of products
b. Increase the amount of raw materials
c. Increase the amount of energy
d. All of the above
8. PPSCS stands for
a. Project Planning Scheduling & Control System
b. Project Planning Sequencing & Control System
c. Production Planning Scheduling & Control System
d. None of the above
9. Process layout is also known as.
a. Group layout
b. Line layout
c. Product layout
d. Functional layout
10. Time study is a ______ technique for recording the times and rate of working
a. Standard times
b. Work measurement
c. Allowances
d. None of the above
Part Two:
1. Define Job Shop Production.
2. What do you understand by „Quality Control‟?
3. What do you mean by materiel handling?
4. Define ABC analysis.
END OF SECTION A
Section B: Caselets (40 marks)
This section consists of Caselets.
Answer all the questions.
Each Caselet carries 20 marks.
Detailed information should form the part of your answer (Word limit 150 to 200 words).
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Caselet 1
Company Background
The Bronson Insurance Group was originally founded in 1900 in Auxvasse, Missouri, by James Bronson.
The Bronson Group owns a variety of companies that underwrite personal and commercial insurance
policies. Annual sales of the Bronson Group are $100 million. In recent years, the company has suffered
operating losses. In 1990, the company was heavily invested in computer hardware and software. One of
the problems the Bronson Group faced (as well as many insurance companies) was a conflict between
established manual procedures and the relatively recent (within the past 20 years) introduction of
computer equipment. This conflict was illustrated by the fact that much information was captured on
computer but paper files were still kept for practical and legal reasons.
File Clerks
The file department employed 20 file clerks who pulled files from stacks, refilled used files, and delivered
files to various departments including commercial lines, personal lines, and claims. Once a file clerk
received the file. Clerks delivered files to underwriters on an hourly basis throughout the day. The average
file clerk was paid $8,300 per year. One special file clerk was used full time to search for requested files
that another file clerk had not been able to find in the expected place. It was estimated that 40 percent of
the requested files were these “no hit” files requiring a search. Often these “no hit” files were eventually
found stacked in the requester‟s office. The primary “customers” of the file clerks were underwriters and
claims attorneys.
Underwriting
Company management and operations analysts were consistently told that the greatest problem in the
company was the inability of file clerks to supply files in a speedy fashion. The entire company from top to
bottom viewed the productivity and effectiveness of the department as unacceptable. An underwriter used
20-50 files per day. Because of their distrust of the files department, underwriters tended to hoard often
used files. A count by operations analysts found that each underwriter kept from 100-200 files in his or her
office at any one time. An underwriter would request a file by computer and work on other business until
the file was received. Benson employed 25 underwriters.
Management Information System
Upper management was deeply concerned about this problem. The MIS department had suggested using
video disks as a possible solution. A video disk system was found that would be sufficient for the
companies needs at a cost of about $12 million. It was estimated that the system would take two years to
install and make compatible with existing information systems. Another, less attractive was using
microfilm. A microfilm system would require underwriters to go to a single keyboard to request paper
copies of files. The cost of a microfilm system was $5 million.
Questions:
1. What do you recommend? Should the company implement one of the new technologies, if yes,
why?
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2. An operations analyst suggested that company employees shared a “dump on the clerks”
mentality. Explain.
Caselet 2
Harrison T. Wenk III is 43, married, and has two children, ages 10 and 14. He has a master‟s degree
in education and teachers junior high school music in a small town in Ohio. Harrison‟s father passed
away two months ago, leaving his only child an unusual business opportunity. According to his
father‟s will, Harrison has 12 months to become active in the family food-catering business, Kare-
Full Katering, Inc., or it will be sold to two key employees for a reasonable and fair price. If Harrison
becomes involved, the two employees have the option to purchase a significant, but less than
majority, interest in the firm. Harrison‟s only involvement with this business, which his grandfather
established, was as an hourly employee during high school and college summers. He is confident that
he could learn and perhaps enjoy the marketing side of the business, and that he could retain the longtime
head of accounting/finance. But he would never really enjoy day-to-day operations. In fact, he
doesn‟t understand what operations management really involves. In 1991 Kare-Full Katering, Inc. had
$3.75 million in sales in central Ohio. Net profit after taxes was $ 105,000, the eleventh consecutive
year of profitable operations and the seventeenth in the last 20 years. There are 210 employees in this
labor-intense business. Institutional contracts account for over 70 percent of sales and include partial
food services for three colleges, six commercial establishments) primarily manufacturing plants and
banks), two long -term care facilities, and five grade schools. Some customer location employs a
permanent operations manager; others are served from the main kitchens of Kare-Full Katering.
Harrison believes that if he becomes active in the business, one of the two key employees, the vice
president of operations, will leave the firm. Harrison has decided to complete the final two months of
this school year and then spend the summer around Kare-Full Katering – as well as institutions with
their own food services – to assess whether he wants to become involved in the business. He is
particularly interested in finding out as much as possible about operations. Harrison believes he owes
it to his wife and children to fairly evaluate this opportunity.
Questions:
1. Prepare a worksheet of operations activities that Harrison should inquire about this summer.
2. If you were Harrison, what would you do? Why?
END OF SECTION B
Section C: Applied Theory (30 marks)
This Section Consists of Applied Theory Questions.
Answer all the questions.
Each question carries 15 marks.
Detailed information should form the part of your answer (Word limit 200 to 250 words).
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1. What do you mean by Tactical Planning? What are the mathematical approaches to aggregate
planning?
2. What is the concept of forecasting in operation? List the different types of forecasting methods.
END OF SECTION C
S-2-250613
Management Information Systems
Section A: Objective Type & Short Questions (30 marks)
This section consists of multiple choice questions and Short Note type questions.
Answer all the questions.
Part one questions carry 1 mark each & Part two questions carry 5 marks each.
Part one:
Multiple choices:
1. Management Information System is mainly dependent upon:
a. Accounting
b. Information
c. Both „a‟ and „b‟
d. None of the above
2. The most important attribute of information quality that a manager requires is:
a. Presentation
b. Relevance
c. Timeliness
d. None of the above
3. Human Resource Information Systems are designed to:
a. Produce pay checks and payrolls reports
b. Maintain personnel records
c. Analyze the use of personnel in business operations
d. Development of employees to their full potential
4. Operational Accounting System include:
a. Inventory control
b. Cost accounting reports
c. Development of financial budgets and projected financial statements
d. None of the above
5. EIS stands for:
a. Executive Information System
b. Excellent Info System
c. Excessive Information System
d. None of the above
6. Intranet provide a rich set of tools for those people:
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a. Who are members of the different company or organization
b. Who are members of the same company or organization
c. Both „a‟ and „b‟
d. None of the above
7. Which one is not the future of wireless technology?
a. E-mail
b. VOIP
c. RFID
d. Telegram
8. OLTP stands for:
a. Online Transactional Processing
b. Online Transmission Processing
c. Online Transactional Process
d. None of the above
9. Which one of the following is not considered as future of m-commerce:
a. Ubiquity
b. Localization
c. Simple authentication
d. Common operation
10. Which of the following is not the level of decision making:
a. Management control
b. Activity control
c. Operational control
d. Strategic decision making
Part Two:
1. What are the „Strategic Information Systems‟?
2. Write down the various business model of internet.
3. What is „Network Bandwidth‟?
4. Differentiate between OLTP and OLPP.
END OF SECTION A
Section B: Caselets (40 marks)
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This section consists of Caselets.
Answer all the questions.
Each Caselet carries 20 marks
Detailed information should form the part of your answer (Word limit 150 to 200 words).
Caselet 1
Overview of our Client’s Strategy
Our client had an online store. They were spending $15,000 each month on pay per click
advertising. This resulted in about $225,000 per month in sales. They didn‟t know which clicks
were leading to sales because they didn‟t track the clicks. There rankings in the natural listings was
minimal because they hadn‟t done keywords research on what visitors were using to try to find a
site like there‟s. They weren‟t able to quantity results because their we statistics program only
showed very general traffic information. They were also doing an irregular email newsletter even
though they had more than 32,000 e-mails in their database.
Analysis of the situation
In the natural listings we suspected they were being penalized by the search enines for duplicate
content. The search engines frown on this because they feel this is trying to fool them. Google will
often give a site like this something called “Supplement Results”, which means that the search
engines know the page exists but doesn‟t have any content in their database. We also suspected
their email newsletter was being blocked by many spam blockers because the names of the products
they sold were often on used in spam e-mails.
Implementation of a Solution
For the pay per click advertising we started tracking the clicks down to the individual terms and the
actual results that came from them. We were able to delete terms that were not getting enough sales
and increase the bids on ones that brought sales. For the natural listings we did keywords research
and focused on the main keywords on the content for the home page and in the META tags. We
also found that visitors search on product names rather than manufactures, so in the title tag for the
page we switched and put the product name before the manufacturer. With the newsletter, we used
a good mix of graphics and content to appease the spam blockers, as well as put the product names
in graphics so they wouldn‟t be blocked. In order to analyze of the site‟s traffic, we implemented a
powerful web statistics program.
Results of our work
Through our tactics, our clients were able to move up to #4 on Google for their main search term,
which got a lot of traffic. With pay per click, they went from $.43. They decrease their budget to
$10,000 per month, yet were able to increase their traffic by 33 percent. Through our optimization
of their pay per click, their cost per conversion to sale decreased by at least 45 percent. The
deliverability of their newsletter increased as well. Within a year, their sales increased to over
$600,000 per month.
Questions:
1. Discuss the client strategy for the success of store.
2. Suppose if you are the client maker what would you suggest for the client.
Caselet 2
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Data Warehouse is a massive independent business database system that is populated with data that
has been extracted from a range of sources. The data is held separately from its origin and is used to
help to improve the decision-making process.
Many traditional Databases are involved in recording day to day operational activities of the
business, called Online Transaction Processing (OLTP), COMMONLY IMPLEMENTED IN
Airline Bookings and Banking Systems, for faster‟s response and better control over data.
After establishment of OLTP Systems, reports and summaries can be drawn for giving inputs to
decision-making process and this process is called Online Analytical Processing (OLAP).
For better customer relationships management strategy, the call centre‟s and data Warehouse works
as a strategic tool for decision-support which requires lot of time for establishment, and needs to be
updated with operational information on daily weekly or monthly basis.
Data Warehouse is used for proactive strategies formulation strategies formulation in critical and
complex situations. A number of CRM vendors are advocating for single integrated customer
database which includes call centre, web sites, branches and direct mail, but it lacks in analytical
functioning of data warehouse. This Database can‟t be expanded also, and carry decision support
operations on call centre Database becomes slow & the query processing and inquiries andling
operations also become slow & inefficient for agents dealing with customers.
Data Warehouse is must for identifying most profitable & loyal customers and those customers can
be offered better customized services which increase the chances of additional profits.
Although call centre system & data warehouse are altogether different systems yet dependent on
each other to fully exploit their potential respectively.
Questions:
1. Explain the role of data warehousing in the functioning of a call centre.
2. How the response time in performing OLAP queries can be improved?
END OF SECTION B
Section C: Applied Theory (30 marks)
This section consists of Applied Theory Questions.
Answer all the questions.
Each question carries 15 marks.
Detailed information should form the part of your answer. (Word limit 200 to 250 words).
1. Explain the term e-commerce. Also explain the history and limitations of e-commerce.
2. What do you understand by the term “Database”? Explain the various database models in
detail.
END OF SECTION C
Business Communication
Section A: Objective Type & Short Questions (30 marks)
This section consists of multiple choices and Short Notes type questions.
Answer all the questions.
Part one questions carry 1 mark each & Part Two questions carry 4 marks each.
Part one:
Multiple choice:
1. __________is an essential function of Business Organizations:
a. Information
b. Communication
c. Power
d. None of the above
2. Physiological Barriers of listening are:
a. Hearing impairment
b. Physical conditions
c. Prejudices
d. All of the above
3. Which presentation tend to make you speak more quickly than usual:
a. Electronic
b. Oral
c. Both „a‟ and „b‟
d. None of the above
4. What is the main function of Business Communication:
a. Sincerity
b. Positive language
c. Persuasion
d. Ethical standard
5. The responsibilities of the office manager in a firm that produces electronics spares is:
a. Everything in the office runs efficiently
b. Furniture and other equipment in the office is adequate
c. Processing all the incoming official mail and responding to some
d. All of the above
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6. Labov‟s Storytelling Model based on:
a. Communication through speech
b. Language learning
c. Group Discussions
d. None of the above
7. Diagonal Communication is basically the:
a. Communication across boundaries
b. Communication between the CEO and the managers
c. Communication through body language
d. Communication within a department
8. How to make Oral Communication Effective?
a. By Clarity
b. By Brevity
c. By Right words
d. All of the above
9. Direct Eye contact of more than 10 seconds can create:
a. Discomfort & Anxiety
b. Emotional relationship between listeners and speakers
c. Excitement
d. None of the above
10. Encoding means:
a. Transmission
b. Perception
c. Ideation
d. None of the above
Part Two:
1. Define 7C‟s of effective communication.
2. Explain „Space Language‟.
3. Differentiate between good listeners and bad listeners.
4. List the different types of business report.
5. Define „Kinesics‟.
END OF SECTION A
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Section B: Caselets (40 marks)
This section consists of Caselets.
Answer all the questions.
Each Caselet carries 20 marks.
Detailed information should form the part of your answer (Word limit 150 to 200
words).
Caselet 1
Mr. and Mrs. Sharma went to Woodlands Apparel to buy a shirt. Mr. Sharma did not read the
price tag on the piece selected by him. At the counter, while making the payment he asked for
the price. Rs. 950 was the answer.
Meanwhile, Mrs. Sharma, who was still shopping came back and joined her husband. She was
glad that he had selected a nice black shirt for himself. She pointed out that there was a 25%
discount on that item. The counter person nodded in agreement.
Mr. Sharma was thrilled to hear that “It means the price of this shirt is just Rs. 712. That‟s
fantastic”, said Mr. Sharma.
He decided to buy one more shirt in blue color.
In no time, he returned with the second shirt and asked them to be packed. When he received the
cash memo for payment, he was astonished to find that he had to pay Rs. 1,900 and Rs. 1,424.
Mr. Sharma could hardly reconcile himself to the fact that the counter person had quoted the
discounted price which was Rs. 950. The original price printed on the price tag was Rs. 1,266.
Questions
1. What should Mr. Sharma have done to avoid the misunderstanding?
2. Discuss the main features involved in this case.
Caselet 2
I don‟t want to speak to you. Connect me to your boss in the US,” hissed the American on the
phone. The young girl at a Bangalore call centre tried to be as polite as she could. At another call
centre, another day, another young girl had a Londoner unleashing himself on her, “Young lady,
do you know that because of you Indians we are losing jobs?”
The outsourcing backlash is getting ugly. Handling irate callers is the new brief for the young
men and women taking calls at these outsourced job centres. Supervisors tell them to be „cool‟.
Avinash Vashistha, managing partner of NEOIT, a leading US-based consultancy firm says,
“Companies involved in outsourcing both in the US and India are already getting a lot of hate
mail against outsourcing and it is hardly surprising that some people should behave like this on
the telephone.” Vashistha says Indian call centre‟s should train their operators how to handle
such calls. Indeed, the furor raised by the Western media over job losses because of outsourcing
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has made ordinary citizens there sensitive to the fact that their calls are being taken not from
their midst, but in countries such as India and the Philippines.
The angry outbursts the operators face border on the racist and sexist, says the manager of a call
centre in Hyderabad. But operators and senior executives of call centres refuse to go on record
for fear of kicking up a controversy that might result in their companies‟ losing clients overseas.
“It‟s happening often enough and so let‟s face it,” says a senior executive of a Gurgaon call
centre, adding, “This doesn‟t have any impact on business.”
Questions
1. Suppose you are working as an operator in a call centre in India and receiving calls
from Americans and Londoners. How would you handle such calls?
2. Do you agree with the view such abusive happenings on the telephone do not have any
impact on business?
END OF SECTION B
Section C: Applied Theory (30 marks)
This section consists of Applied Theory Questions.
Answer all the questions.
Each question carries 15 marks.
Detailed information should form the part of your answer (Word limit 200 to 250
words).
`
1. What do you by Communication Barriers? How and why do they occur? What can be
done to overcome the Barriers to Communication?
2. Define and explain the term Negotiation and also briefly explain the phases of
Negotiation.
END OF SECTION C
S-2-250613
CONTACT:
DR. PRASANTH MBA PH.D. DME MOBILE / WHATSAPP: +91 9924764558 OR +91 9447965521 EMAIL: prasanththampi1975@gmail.com WEBSITE: www.casestudyandprojectreports.com
Strategic Management
Section A: Objective Type & Short Questions (30 marks)
This section consists of multiple choice & Short Notes type questions.
Answer all the questions.
Part one questions carry 1 mark each & Part two questions carry 5 marks each.
Part One:
Multiple choices:
1. A plan of action designed to achieve a particular goal is:
a. Tactic
b. Strategy
c. Financial benefits
d. None of the above
2. It is important to develop mission statement for:
a. Allocating organizational resources
b. Provide useful criteria
c. Company creed
d. Customer orientation
3. The five forces model was developed by :
a. Airbus
b. Karin Larsson
c. Michael E.Porter
d. Boeing
4. How many elements are involve in developing in an organizational strategy:
a. Six
b. Two
c. Four
d. Nine
5. The three important steps in SWOT analysis are:
a. Identification, Conclusion, Translation
b. Opportunities, Threats, Strengths
c. People, Corporate cultures, Labour
d. Power, Role, Task
6. GE matrix consists of how many cells?
a. Nine cells
b. Six cells
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c. Eight cells
d. Three cells
7. Which of these is the type of Games:
a. Simultaneous Games
b. Sequential Games
c. Repeated Games
d. All of the above
8. SBU stands fora.
Simple Basic Unit
b. Strategic Basic Unit
c. Strategic Business Unit
d. Speed Business Unit
9. The BCG matrix is known as:
a. Growth share matrix
b. Directional policy matrix
c. GE nine-cell matrix
d. Space matrix
10. ______________ specifies sales revenues and selling distribution and marketing costs.
a. Financial budget
b. Sales budget
c. Operating budget
d. Expenses budget
Part Two:
Q. 1 What are the dimensions of Strategic management?
Q. 2 Critically analyze the concept of BCG Matrix.
Q. 3 What is SWOT analysis?
Q. 4 What are the characteristics of Short-term Objectives?
END OF SECTION A
Examination Paper of Strategic Management
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IIBM Institute of Business Management
Section B: Caselets (40 marks)
This section consists of Caselets.
Answer all the questions.
Each Caselet carries 20 marks.
Detailed information should form the part of your answer (Word limit 150 to 200 words).
Caselet 1
National Competitive Advantage of IKEA Group, a Swedish company founded in 1943 with its
headquarters in Denmark, is a multinational operator of a chain of stores for home furnishing and
furniture. It is the world‟s largest retailer, which specializes, in stylish but inexpensive Scandinavian
designed furniture. At the end of 2005 the IKEA Group of Companies had a total of 175 stores in 31
countries. In addition there are 19 IKEA stores owned and run by franchisees, outside the IKEA store
around the world.
In Sweden, nature and a home both play a big part in people‟s life. In fact one of the best ways to describe
the Swedish home furnishing style is to describe nature-full of light and fresh air, yet restrained and
unpretentious.
To match up the artist Carl and Karin Larsson combined classical influences with warmer Swedish folk
styles .They created a model of Swedish home furnishing design that today enjoys world-wide renown. In
the 1950s the styles of modernism and functionalism developed at the same time as Sweden established a
society founded on social equality .The IKEA product range –The IKEA product range- modern but not
trendy, functional yet attractive, human-centered and child friendly – carries on these various Swedish
home furnishing traditions.
The IKEA Concept, like lots founder, was born in Samaland. This is a part of Southern Sweden where the
soil is thin and poor. The people are famous for working hard, living on small means and using their
heads to make the best possible use of the limited resources they have. This way of doing things is at the
heart of the IKEA approach to keeping prices low.
IKEA was founded when Sweden was fast becoming an example of the caring society, where rich and
poor alike were well looked after. This is also a theme that fits well with the IKEA vision. In order to give
the many people a better everyday life, IKEA asks the customer to work as a partner. The product range is
child-friendly and covers the need of the whole family, young and old. So together we can a better
everyday life for everyone.
In addition to working about around 1,800 different suppliers across the world, IKEA produces many of
its own products through sawmills and factories in the IKEA industrial group, Swedwood.
Swedwood also has a duty to transfer knowledge to other suppliers, for example by educating them in
issues such as efficiency, quality and environmental work.
Swedwood has 35 industrial units in 11 countries.
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Purchasing: IKEA has 42 Trading Service Offices (TSO‟s) in 33 countries. Proximity to their suppliers
is the key to rational, long term cooperation. That‟s why TSO co-workers visit suppliers regularly to
monitor production, test new ideas, negotiate prices and carry out quality audits and inspection.
Distribution: The route from supplier to customer must be as direct, cost- effective and environmentally
friendly as possible. Flat packs are important aspects of this work: eliminating wasted space means we
can transport and store goods more efficiently. Since efficient distribution plays a key role in the work of
creating the low price, goods routing and logistics are a focus for constant development.
The business Idea: The IKEA business idea is to offer a wide range of home furnishings with good design
and function at prices so low that as many people as possible will be able to afford them. And still have
many left! The company targets the customer who is looking for value and is willing to do a little bit of
work serving themselves, transporting the items home and assembling the furniture for a better price. The
typical IKEA customer is young low to middle income family.
The Competition Advantage: The competition advantage strategy of IKEA‟s product is reflected through
IKEA‟s success in the real industry. It can be attributed to its vast experience in the retail market, product
differentiation, and cost leadership.
IKEA Product Differentiation: A wide product range The IKEA product range is wide and versatile in
several ways. First, it‟s versatile in function. Because IKEA think customer, shouldn‟t have to run from
one small specialty shop to another to furnish their home, IKEA gather plants, living room furnishings,
toys , frying pans, whole kitchens i.e.; everything which in a functional way helps to build a home – in
one place , at IKEA stores.
Second, it‟s wide in style. The romantic at heart will find choices just as many as the minimalist at IKEA.
But There is only one thing IKEA don‟t have, and that is, the far- out or the over-decorated. They only
have what helps build a home that has room for good living.
Third, by being coordinated, the range is wide in function and style at the same time. No matter which
style you prefer, there‟s an armchair that goes with the bookcase that goes with the new extending table
that goes with the armchair. So their range is wide in a variety of ways.
Cost Leadership: A wide range with good form and function is only half the story. Affordability has a part
to play – the largest part. A wide range with good form and function is only half the story. Affordability
has a part to play- the largest part. And the joy of being able to own it without having to forsake
everything else. And the customers help, too, by choosing the furniture, getting it at the warehouse,
transporting it home and assembling it themselves , to keep the price low.
Questions
1. Do you think that IKEA has been successful to utilize Porter‟s Five force analysis? Give
reasons.
2. Where do you think can IKEA improve?
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Caselet 2
For ITC Ltd., 2007-2008 continued to be year of quiet growth. Just more launches in its relatively new
segment of non-cigarettes fast moving consumer goods, and solid growth. As in the past few years, ITC‟s
non-cigarettes businesses continued to grow at a scorching pace, accounting for a bigger share of overall
revenues. “The non-cigarette portfolio grew by 37.6% during 2006-2007 and accounted during that year
for 52.3% of the company‟s net turnover.” An ITC spokesman said. In fact, over the first three quarters of
2007-08, ITC‟s non-cigarette FMCG businesses have grown by 48% on the same period last year,
“Indicating that its plans for increasing market share and standing are succeeding.”
The branded packaged foods business continued to expand rapidly, with the focus on snacks range Bingo.
The biscuit category continued its growth momentum with the „Sun feast‟ range of biscuits launching
„Coconut‟ and „Nice‟ variants and the addition of „ Sunfeast BenneVita Flaxseed‟ biscuits. Aashirwad atta
and kitchen ingredients retained their top slots at the national level, with the spices category adding an
organic range. In the confectionery category which grew by 38% in the third quarter, ITC cited AC
Nielsen data it claims market leader status in throat lozenges. Instant mixes and pasta powdered the sales
of its ready to eat foods under the kitchens of India and Aashirwad brands.
In Lifestyle apparel, ITC launched Miss Players fashion wear for young women to compliment its range
for men.
Overall, the biscuit category grew by 58% during the last quarter, ready to eat foods under the kitchens of
India and Aashirwad brands by 63% and the lifestyle business by 26%.
For the Industry, the most significant initiative to watch the ITC foray into premium personal care
products with its Fiama Di Wills range of shampoos , conditioners, shower gels, and soaps. In the popular
segment, ITC has launched a range of soaps and shampoos under the brand name Superia.
Ravi Naware, Chief executive of ITC‟s food business was quoted recently as saying that the business will
make a positive contribution to ITC‟s bottom line in the next two to three years.
In hotels, ITC‟s Fortune Park brand was making the news during the year, with a rapid rollout of first
class business hotels.
In the agri-business segment, the e-choupal network is trying out a pilot in retailing fresh fruits and
vegetables. The e-choupals have already specialized in feeding ITC high quality wheat and potato, among
other commodities grown by farmers with help from e-choupal.
Questions:
Q1. Do you think the progress of ITC Ltd. is realistic?
Q2. After analyzing the above case, do you think every company should aim at cost leadership with high
quality product?
END OF SECTION B
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Section C: Applied Theory (30 marks)
This section consists of Applied Theory Questions.
Answer all the questions.
Each question carries 15 marks.
Detailed information should form the part of your answer (Word limit 200 to 250 words).
Q.1. What are the basic principles of Organizational structure? What are the different types of
Organizational structures?
Q.2. What do you understand by SBU? Explain various models of business level strategies
Production and Operations Management MM.100
Subject Code-B107 Section A: Objective Type & Short Questions (30 marks)
This section consists of multiple choice & Short Notes type questions.
Answer all the questions.
Part one questions carry 1 mark each & Part two questions carry 5 marks each.
Part One:
Multiple choices:
1. Production and Operations Management concerns itself with the conversion of:
a. Outputs in to inputs
b. Inputs in to outputs
c. Outputs in to outputs
d. None of the above
2. Continuous Production is
a. The last operation to the finished product
b. The first operation to the finished product
c. The mid operation to the finished product
d. None of the above
3. Independent demand is
a. Demand that is controlled by the company
b. Demand that is controlled by the customer
c. Demand that is not controlled by the company
d. All of the above
4. Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) has been defined as a
a. Complete Enterprise wide business solution
b. Complete Enterprise narrow business solution
c. a & b
d. None of the above
5. CAD stands for
a. Computer Architecture Design
b. Computer Aided Design
c. Computer Aided Drafting
d. All of the above
6. Delphi method is the most widely used and accurate method of
a. Demand forecasts
b. Exponential forecasts
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c. Technological forecasts
d. All of the above
7. JIT/Kanban systems help eliminate __________
a. Increase the number of products
b. Increase the amount of raw materials
c. Increase the amount of energy
d. All of the above
8. PPSCS stands for
a. Project Planning Scheduling & Control System
b. Project Planning Sequencing & Control System
c. Production Planning Scheduling & Control System
d. None of the above
9. Process layout is also known as.
a. Group layout
b. Line layout
c. Product layout
d. Functional layout
10. Time study is a ______ technique for recording the times and rate of working
a. Standard times
b. Work measurement
c. Allowances
d. None of the above
Part Two:
1. Define Job Shop Production.
2. What do you understand by „Quality Control‟?
3. What do you mean by materiel handling?
4. Define ABC analysis.
END OF SECTION A
Section B: Caselets (40 marks)
This section consists of Caselets.
Answer all the questions.
Each Caselet carries 20 marks.
Detailed information should form the part of your answer (Word limit 150 to 200 words).
Examination Paper of Production and Operations Management
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IIBM Institute of Business Management
Caselet 1
Company Background
The Bronson Insurance Group was originally founded in 1900 in Auxvasse, Missouri, by James Bronson.
The Bronson Group owns a variety of companies that underwrite personal and commercial insurance
policies. Annual sales of the Bronson Group are $100 million. In recent years, the company has suffered
operating losses. In 1990, the company was heavily invested in computer hardware and software. One of
the problems the Bronson Group faced (as well as many insurance companies) was a conflict between
established manual procedures and the relatively recent (within the past 20 years) introduction of
computer equipment. This conflict was illustrated by the fact that much information was captured on
computer but paper files were still kept for practical and legal reasons.
File Clerks
The file department employed 20 file clerks who pulled files from stacks, refilled used files, and delivered
files to various departments including commercial lines, personal lines, and claims. Once a file clerk
received the file. Clerks delivered files to underwriters on an hourly basis throughout the day. The average
file clerk was paid $8,300 per year. One special file clerk was used full time to search for requested files
that another file clerk had not been able to find in the expected place. It was estimated that 40 percent of
the requested files were these “no hit” files requiring a search. Often these “no hit” files were eventually
found stacked in the requester‟s office. The primary “customers” of the file clerks were underwriters and
claims attorneys.
Underwriting
Company management and operations analysts were consistently told that the greatest problem in the
company was the inability of file clerks to supply files in a speedy fashion. The entire company from top to
bottom viewed the productivity and effectiveness of the department as unacceptable. An underwriter used
20-50 files per day. Because of their distrust of the files department, underwriters tended to hoard often
used files. A count by operations analysts found that each underwriter kept from 100-200 files in his or her
office at any one time. An underwriter would request a file by computer and work on other business until
the file was received. Benson employed 25 underwriters.
Management Information System
Upper management was deeply concerned about this problem. The MIS department had suggested using
video disks as a possible solution. A video disk system was found that would be sufficient for the
companies needs at a cost of about $12 million. It was estimated that the system would take two years to
install and make compatible with existing information systems. Another, less attractive was using
microfilm. A microfilm system would require underwriters to go to a single keyboard to request paper
copies of files. The cost of a microfilm system was $5 million.
Questions:
1. What do you recommend? Should the company implement one of the new technologies, if yes,
why?
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2. An operations analyst suggested that company employees shared a “dump on the clerks”
mentality. Explain.
Caselet 2
Harrison T. Wenk III is 43, married, and has two children, ages 10 and 14. He has a master‟s degree
in education and teachers junior high school music in a small town in Ohio. Harrison‟s father passed
away two months ago, leaving his only child an unusual business opportunity. According to his
father‟s will, Harrison has 12 months to become active in the family food-catering business, Kare-
Full Katering, Inc., or it will be sold to two key employees for a reasonable and fair price. If Harrison
becomes involved, the two employees have the option to purchase a significant, but less than
majority, interest in the firm. Harrison‟s only involvement with this business, which his grandfather
established, was as an hourly employee during high school and college summers. He is confident that
he could learn and perhaps enjoy the marketing side of the business, and that he could retain the longtime
head of accounting/finance. But he would never really enjoy day-to-day operations. In fact, he
doesn‟t understand what operations management really involves. In 1991 Kare-Full Katering, Inc. had
$3.75 million in sales in central Ohio. Net profit after taxes was $ 105,000, the eleventh consecutive
year of profitable operations and the seventeenth in the last 20 years. There are 210 employees in this
labor-intense business. Institutional contracts account for over 70 percent of sales and include partial
food services for three colleges, six commercial establishments) primarily manufacturing plants and
banks), two long -term care facilities, and five grade schools. Some customer location employs a
permanent operations manager; others are served from the main kitchens of Kare-Full Katering.
Harrison believes that if he becomes active in the business, one of the two key employees, the vice
president of operations, will leave the firm. Harrison has decided to complete the final two months of
this school year and then spend the summer around Kare-Full Katering – as well as institutions with
their own food services – to assess whether he wants to become involved in the business. He is
particularly interested in finding out as much as possible about operations. Harrison believes he owes
it to his wife and children to fairly evaluate this opportunity.
Questions:
1. Prepare a worksheet of operations activities that Harrison should inquire about this summer.
2. If you were Harrison, what would you do? Why?
END OF SECTION B
Section C: Applied Theory (30 marks)
This Section Consists of Applied Theory Questions.
Answer all the questions.
Each question carries 15 marks.
Detailed information should form the part of your answer (Word limit 200 to 250 words).
Examination Paper of Production and Operations Management
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1. What do you mean by Tactical Planning? What are the mathematical approaches to aggregate
planning?
2. What is the concept of forecasting in operation? List the different types of forecasting methods.
END OF SECTION C
S-2-250613
Management Information Systems
Section A: Objective Type & Short Questions (30 marks)
This section consists of multiple choice questions and Short Note type questions.
Answer all the questions.
Part one questions carry 1 mark each & Part two questions carry 5 marks each.
Part one:
Multiple choices:
1. Management Information System is mainly dependent upon:
a. Accounting
b. Information
c. Both „a‟ and „b‟
d. None of the above
2. The most important attribute of information quality that a manager requires is:
a. Presentation
b. Relevance
c. Timeliness
d. None of the above
3. Human Resource Information Systems are designed to:
a. Produce pay checks and payrolls reports
b. Maintain personnel records
c. Analyze the use of personnel in business operations
d. Development of employees to their full potential
4. Operational Accounting System include:
a. Inventory control
b. Cost accounting reports
c. Development of financial budgets and projected financial statements
d. None of the above
5. EIS stands for:
a. Executive Information System
b. Excellent Info System
c. Excessive Information System
d. None of the above
6. Intranet provide a rich set of tools for those people:
Examination Paper of Management Information Systems
IIBM Institute of Business Management 2
a. Who are members of the different company or organization
b. Who are members of the same company or organization
c. Both „a‟ and „b‟
d. None of the above
7. Which one is not the future of wireless technology?
a. E-mail
b. VOIP
c. RFID
d. Telegram
8. OLTP stands for:
a. Online Transactional Processing
b. Online Transmission Processing
c. Online Transactional Process
d. None of the above
9. Which one of the following is not considered as future of m-commerce:
a. Ubiquity
b. Localization
c. Simple authentication
d. Common operation
10. Which of the following is not the level of decision making:
a. Management control
b. Activity control
c. Operational control
d. Strategic decision making
Part Two:
1. What are the „Strategic Information Systems‟?
2. Write down the various business model of internet.
3. What is „Network Bandwidth‟?
4. Differentiate between OLTP and OLPP.
END OF SECTION A
Section B: Caselets (40 marks)
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This section consists of Caselets.
Answer all the questions.
Each Caselet carries 20 marks
Detailed information should form the part of your answer (Word limit 150 to 200 words).
Caselet 1
Overview of our Client’s Strategy
Our client had an online store. They were spending $15,000 each month on pay per click
advertising. This resulted in about $225,000 per month in sales. They didn‟t know which clicks
were leading to sales because they didn‟t track the clicks. There rankings in the natural listings was
minimal because they hadn‟t done keywords research on what visitors were using to try to find a
site like there‟s. They weren‟t able to quantity results because their we statistics program only
showed very general traffic information. They were also doing an irregular email newsletter even
though they had more than 32,000 e-mails in their database.
Analysis of the situation
In the natural listings we suspected they were being penalized by the search enines for duplicate
content. The search engines frown on this because they feel this is trying to fool them. Google will
often give a site like this something called “Supplement Results”, which means that the search
engines know the page exists but doesn‟t have any content in their database. We also suspected
their email newsletter was being blocked by many spam blockers because the names of the products
they sold were often on used in spam e-mails.
Implementation of a Solution
For the pay per click advertising we started tracking the clicks down to the individual terms and the
actual results that came from them. We were able to delete terms that were not getting enough sales
and increase the bids on ones that brought sales. For the natural listings we did keywords research
and focused on the main keywords on the content for the home page and in the META tags. We
also found that visitors search on product names rather than manufactures, so in the title tag for the
page we switched and put the product name before the manufacturer. With the newsletter, we used
a good mix of graphics and content to appease the spam blockers, as well as put the product names
in graphics so they wouldn‟t be blocked. In order to analyze of the site‟s traffic, we implemented a
powerful web statistics program.
Results of our work
Through our tactics, our clients were able to move up to #4 on Google for their main search term,
which got a lot of traffic. With pay per click, they went from $.43. They decrease their budget to
$10,000 per month, yet were able to increase their traffic by 33 percent. Through our optimization
of their pay per click, their cost per conversion to sale decreased by at least 45 percent. The
deliverability of their newsletter increased as well. Within a year, their sales increased to over
$600,000 per month.
Questions:
1. Discuss the client strategy for the success of store.
2. Suppose if you are the client maker what would you suggest for the client.
Caselet 2
Examination Paper of Management Information Systems
IIBM Institute of Business Management 4
Data Warehouse is a massive independent business database system that is populated with data that
has been extracted from a range of sources. The data is held separately from its origin and is used to
help to improve the decision-making process.
Many traditional Databases are involved in recording day to day operational activities of the
business, called Online Transaction Processing (OLTP), COMMONLY IMPLEMENTED IN
Airline Bookings and Banking Systems, for faster‟s response and better control over data.
After establishment of OLTP Systems, reports and summaries can be drawn for giving inputs to
decision-making process and this process is called Online Analytical Processing (OLAP).
For better customer relationships management strategy, the call centre‟s and data Warehouse works
as a strategic tool for decision-support which requires lot of time for establishment, and needs to be
updated with operational information on daily weekly or monthly basis.
Data Warehouse is used for proactive strategies formulation strategies formulation in critical and
complex situations. A number of CRM vendors are advocating for single integrated customer
database which includes call centre, web sites, branches and direct mail, but it lacks in analytical
functioning of data warehouse. This Database can‟t be expanded also, and carry decision support
operations on call centre Database becomes slow & the query processing and inquiries andling
operations also become slow & inefficient for agents dealing with customers.
Data Warehouse is must for identifying most profitable & loyal customers and those customers can
be offered better customized services which increase the chances of additional profits.
Although call centre system & data warehouse are altogether different systems yet dependent on
each other to fully exploit their potential respectively.
Questions:
1. Explain the role of data warehousing in the functioning of a call centre.
2. How the response time in performing OLAP queries can be improved?
END OF SECTION B
Section C: Applied Theory (30 marks)
This section consists of Applied Theory Questions.
Answer all the questions.
Each question carries 15 marks.
Detailed information should form the part of your answer. (Word limit 200 to 250 words).
1. Explain the term e-commerce. Also explain the history and limitations of e-commerce.
2. What do you understand by the term “Database”? Explain the various database models in
detail.
END OF SECTION C
Business Communication
Section A: Objective Type & Short Questions (30 marks)
This section consists of multiple choices and Short Notes type questions.
Answer all the questions.
Part one questions carry 1 mark each & Part Two questions carry 4 marks each.
Part one:
Multiple choice:
1. __________is an essential function of Business Organizations:
a. Information
b. Communication
c. Power
d. None of the above
2. Physiological Barriers of listening are:
a. Hearing impairment
b. Physical conditions
c. Prejudices
d. All of the above
3. Which presentation tend to make you speak more quickly than usual:
a. Electronic
b. Oral
c. Both „a‟ and „b‟
d. None of the above
4. What is the main function of Business Communication:
a. Sincerity
b. Positive language
c. Persuasion
d. Ethical standard
5. The responsibilities of the office manager in a firm that produces electronics spares is:
a. Everything in the office runs efficiently
b. Furniture and other equipment in the office is adequate
c. Processing all the incoming official mail and responding to some
d. All of the above
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6. Labov‟s Storytelling Model based on:
a. Communication through speech
b. Language learning
c. Group Discussions
d. None of the above
7. Diagonal Communication is basically the:
a. Communication across boundaries
b. Communication between the CEO and the managers
c. Communication through body language
d. Communication within a department
8. How to make Oral Communication Effective?
a. By Clarity
b. By Brevity
c. By Right words
d. All of the above
9. Direct Eye contact of more than 10 seconds can create:
a. Discomfort & Anxiety
b. Emotional relationship between listeners and speakers
c. Excitement
d. None of the above
10. Encoding means:
a. Transmission
b. Perception
c. Ideation
d. None of the above
Part Two:
1. Define 7C‟s of effective communication.
2. Explain „Space Language‟.
3. Differentiate between good listeners and bad listeners.
4. List the different types of business report.
5. Define „Kinesics‟.
END OF SECTION A
Examination Paper of Business Communication
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Section B: Caselets (40 marks)
This section consists of Caselets.
Answer all the questions.
Each Caselet carries 20 marks.
Detailed information should form the part of your answer (Word limit 150 to 200
words).
Caselet 1
Mr. and Mrs. Sharma went to Woodlands Apparel to buy a shirt. Mr. Sharma did not read the
price tag on the piece selected by him. At the counter, while making the payment he asked for
the price. Rs. 950 was the answer.
Meanwhile, Mrs. Sharma, who was still shopping came back and joined her husband. She was
glad that he had selected a nice black shirt for himself. She pointed out that there was a 25%
discount on that item. The counter person nodded in agreement.
Mr. Sharma was thrilled to hear that “It means the price of this shirt is just Rs. 712. That‟s
fantastic”, said Mr. Sharma.
He decided to buy one more shirt in blue color.
In no time, he returned with the second shirt and asked them to be packed. When he received the
cash memo for payment, he was astonished to find that he had to pay Rs. 1,900 and Rs. 1,424.
Mr. Sharma could hardly reconcile himself to the fact that the counter person had quoted the
discounted price which was Rs. 950. The original price printed on the price tag was Rs. 1,266.
Questions
1. What should Mr. Sharma have done to avoid the misunderstanding?
2. Discuss the main features involved in this case.
Caselet 2
I don‟t want to speak to you. Connect me to your boss in the US,” hissed the American on the
phone. The young girl at a Bangalore call centre tried to be as polite as she could. At another call
centre, another day, another young girl had a Londoner unleashing himself on her, “Young lady,
do you know that because of you Indians we are losing jobs?”
The outsourcing backlash is getting ugly. Handling irate callers is the new brief for the young
men and women taking calls at these outsourced job centres. Supervisors tell them to be „cool‟.
Avinash Vashistha, managing partner of NEOIT, a leading US-based consultancy firm says,
“Companies involved in outsourcing both in the US and India are already getting a lot of hate
mail against outsourcing and it is hardly surprising that some people should behave like this on
the telephone.” Vashistha says Indian call centre‟s should train their operators how to handle
such calls. Indeed, the furor raised by the Western media over job losses because of outsourcing
Examination Paper of Business Communication
4
IIBM Institute of Business Management
has made ordinary citizens there sensitive to the fact that their calls are being taken not from
their midst, but in countries such as India and the Philippines.
The angry outbursts the operators face border on the racist and sexist, says the manager of a call
centre in Hyderabad. But operators and senior executives of call centres refuse to go on record
for fear of kicking up a controversy that might result in their companies‟ losing clients overseas.
“It‟s happening often enough and so let‟s face it,” says a senior executive of a Gurgaon call
centre, adding, “This doesn‟t have any impact on business.”
Questions
1. Suppose you are working as an operator in a call centre in India and receiving calls
from Americans and Londoners. How would you handle such calls?
2. Do you agree with the view such abusive happenings on the telephone do not have any
impact on business?
END OF SECTION B
Section C: Applied Theory (30 marks)
This section consists of Applied Theory Questions.
Answer all the questions.
Each question carries 15 marks.
Detailed information should form the part of your answer (Word limit 200 to 250
words).
`
1. What do you by Communication Barriers? How and why do they occur? What can be
done to overcome the Barriers to Communication?
2. Define and explain the term Negotiation and also briefly explain the phases of
Negotiation.
END OF SECTION C
S-2-250613
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