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Xaviers Institute
of Business Management Studies
Subject Title: BUSINESS COMMUNICATION
Maximum Marks: 100
Answer
ALL questions (5 x 20 = 100 Marks)
1. Explain verbal symbols and their advantages in Communication.
(OR)
2. Differentiate between ‘posture’ and ‘gesture’ using specific examples.
3. Explain the following roadblocks which make communication slow and inefficient:
a. Strong emotion
b. Self centeredness
(OR)
4. How does ‘Lack of common language’ remain a roadblock to effective communication? Explain.
5. Imagine that you are going to give a lecture to a group of business executives. How will you structure your presentation?
(OR)
6. a. What is an agenda (of a meeting)? Explain the purpose of preparing an agenda. (10)
b. Imagine that you are the GM of STAR TV Ltd., Chennai-63. Your company had achieved a sales target of 1,50,000 TV sets during the year 2009. But in 2011 till Nov. 2010, your company could sell only 1,00,000 TV sets. You have convened a meeting of the sales Managers and marketing executives of your company to discuss the ways and means of achieving the target sales.
i. Prepare an inter-office memo informing those concerned to attend. (5)
ii. Prepare an agenda of the meeting. (5)
7. a. Read the following letter sent to a dealer and analyse the tone of the letter. (10)
ABC Electrical Ltd.,
52, Gandhi Road, Coimbatore – 641 047
G. Madhavan,
Sales Manager. Dt : 10.12.2010
To
The Manager,
Sathiya Agencies,
21, Swamy Sivanandha Salai,
Salem-11.
Sir,
Ref : Our bill No. 4225 dt: 21.06.2010.
We have sent 15 five HP Electrical motors as per your request six months ago. You have paid 50% of the total cost of the motors at the time of placing orders for the supply. You
have not bothered to settle the remaining money. Inspite of repeated reminders you are silent. Do you think you can cheat us? You must be a fool to think so. If you do not settle the bill next week, we will file a case in the court to recover the money.
Sincerely yours,
Sales Manager.
b. Rewrite the above letter with a suitable tone. (10)
(OR)
8. What are the important factors of persuasion? Explain any Four.
9. Case study : (Compulsory)
Hunter Hunts for College Grads
Woody Hunter had been an HRM analyst with Control Data Corporation (CDC) for three years but was recently reassigned to the college recruitment staff. The basic duties in his new job were to visit college and university campuses and interview seniors in order to identify individuals who could fill entry-level positions at CDC in accounting, engineering and marketing.
After three months’ travelling on the road, Woody received a report summarizing his performance to dat. The figures showed he had conducted 540 preliminary interviews on 18 different campuses. Woody had follow-up interviews with 136 of these students, or approximately 25 percent. Based on these second interviews, Woody recommended to his supervisor that 71 candidates be invited for company-paid visits to appropriate CDC manufacturing and administrative facilities where new college graduates were needed. All of Woody’s selectees were offered visits.
What concerned Woody and his supervisor was this statistic: Only four of the seventy-one candidates accepted the CDC invitation. Based on over seven years of recruiting experience with CDC, Woody’s supervisor said that the company traditionally had better than a 60 percent acceptance rate. Woody’s boss knew there was something seriously wrong. He asked Woody to summarize how he described opportunities at CDC to the recruits.
“I ask the students if they have read the CDC literature in the placement office,” replied Woody. “Most usually have, but if they haven’t I highlight what we do at CDC, the kind of entry-level positions we have to fill, and the kind of people we’re looking for. But I know that these students have heard similar propaganda from a dozen other big company recruiters. So I emphasize the things CDC has that others don’t. One thing I never fail to mention is our benefit package. It is superior to anybody else’s. I tell students about our tuition-reimbursement plan, our comprehensive health insurance program, and our pension system. I tell them that our pension plan vests after only five years. I point out that the employee pays nothing into it-that all the costs are paid by CDC. Most important, I emphasize that they can retire at age fifty five and receive 80 percent of the salary they were making in their last year. There’s not a pension plan anywhere that attractive. I even take the time to show the students how, with inflation figured in; they can probably expect a pension of $200,000 or $300,000 a year if they come to work for CDC.”
Questions:
a. What role do you think benefits play in the employment decision of a new college graduate?
b. What role do you think the beginning salary plays in the employment decision of a new
college graduate?
c. What suggestions would you make that
might improve Woody’s acceptance ratio?
Xaviers Institute
of Business Management Studies
HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT
Total Marks - 80
INSTRUCTIONS
1.
Case study is compulsory.
2.
Present your Answer with tidiness and to the point.
3.
Question No 1 to 10 carry 12 marks. Please answer any 5.
1. Write
briefly on any FOUR of the following:
(a) Human Resource Planning.
(b) Supply Forecasting.
(c) Human Resource Development.
(d) Task analysis.
(e) Motivational aspects of HRD.
(f) HRD climate.
(g) Human Resource Inventory.
(h) Monitoring.
2. What is the macro level scenario of human resource
planning? What are the methods and techniques of human resource planning?
3. What is human resource development? Explain the human
resource development strategies. What are the human resource development
experiences of organized sector?
4. Explain the following
(a) HRD for Family welfare and health.
(b) HRD systems in voluntary organizations.
(c) HRD in
(d) Emerging trends and perspectives of HRD in
the context of globalization.
5. Explain the different approaches of organization
development towards industrial relations.
6. What is
Job Analysis? How is it carried out?
7. What do
you understand by employee benefits? Explain the various benefits extended to
industrial workers.
8. Why do
industrial conflicts arise? How do you resolve them?
9. What is
collective bargaining? How can you make it successful in
10. What
factors are considered while forecasting the manpower needs of an organization?
CASE
PLAN FOR ORIGINAL OR BACK-UP
6. Bhadrachalam Paper Mills Ltd. was started in 1971
with high level technology and with its initial capital of Rs.500 crores. It
required candidates with minimum of 10 years experience in the same line to
handle the new technology as it found that the candidates with less than 10
years experience normally do not possess the required skills. It found that
A.P. Paper Mills Ltd. Rajahmundry and Sirupur Paper Mills as most suitable
sources of recruitment. It used all the recruitment techniques and offered
higher salaries and benefits generously. Consequently, it got suitable
employees with 15 years and more experiences. The cost of employees was as high
as 65 per cent of the total cost of production. But the company did not take it
seriously as the rate of return from the employees was 300 per cent more than
their cost. The Chief Personnel Manager was rewarded suitably by the then
Managing Director in 1975 for enlisting the services of experienced personnel
in the service of Bhadrachalam Paper Mills.
In 1988, when a new Managing Director took over the
reins of the company, the Chief Personnel Manager was called into explain his
actions in appointing persons with 15 or more years of experience in the
service of company. Since majority of these employees are going to retire by
1990 the company is again threatened by dearth of experienced personnel.
Questions:
(a) Was the Managing Director
right when he rewarded the Chief Personnel Manager for enlisting the services
of experienced persons in the service of Bhadrachalam Paper Mills?
(b) Would it have been better to hire raw hands, provide necessary training and
allow them to develop their potential in the service of the company than merely
to look around for experienced personnel and booking them through attractive
means?
(c) How would you ensure continued success of a company in the face of such
crisis?
Xaviers Institute
of Business Management Studies
MARKS: 80 ( Each case study for 20 Marks)
Subject – Principles and
Practice of Management
Communicating in
a Crisis
The crisis the school had just reopened after this two week break. The same morning, a fire suddenly broke out on the third floor and spread to other floors, blocking the stairways. There was widespread panic, as the children started jumping off the balconies, injuring themselves in the process. The Principal and staff had a tough time trying to calm down the children and take control of the situation. Fire engines were called and several of them arrived and began their fire fighting operations. In the meanwhile, many parents also arrived and tried to enter the building to speak to the Principal. The phones were ringing continuously. There was total chaos.
Question 1 :- How communication crises arise?
Question 2 :- What Principal should do to calm down the angry parents?
Question 3 :- How school will regain its reputation? What services school should provide in order to maintain its reputation?
Case Study 2
Case Study on
The power of Non-Verbal Communication
The Power of Nonverbal Communication Soon after I graduated from engineering college, I accepted a position with the Sundaram Foundry, a medium-sized firm located in a small town in Tamil Nadu. It was a good position, since I was the assistant to Mr. Vishwanath, the General Manager and president of this family owned company, although there were many technical problems, the work was extremely interesting and I soon learnt all about the foundry business. The foundry workers were mostly older men and were a closely knit team. Many of them were related and had been in the foundry for several years. Therefore, they felt that they knew the business in and out and that a technical education had no value. In fact, Mr. Vishwanath had mentioned to me even at the time of my joining, that I was the only engineer ever to be employed in the foundry. He also let me know that the foundry workers, although a good group, were very clannish, since they had been working together for several years. Therefore, it would probably take them some time to accept me. I introduced myself to the group of foundry workers, a few days after my joining. As I went around in turn, I felt them eyeing me coldly. As I went down the main aisle of the foundry, I heard them talking to each other in low voices and laughing. I found their behavior to be very childish and felt that it was best to ignore these signs of hostility. I thought that if I ignored them, they would automatically stop these antics. A few weeks after this incident, I happened to visit the enamel shop. As I entered, I noticed a worker cleaning the floor with a hose, from which water flowed at high pressure. I was aware that it was the practice to clean the shop at least once a week. I turned my back on the worker and was busy near a dipping tank, when I suddenly felt the force of a stream of water hitting me. I was almost knocked down by the pressure and slipped on the wet floor. When I turned around, the worker looked away in the other direction, as if he had not noticed this happening. However, I was pretty sure that he had intentionally turned the hose on me.
Question 1 - What message did the foundry workers and the new engineer convey to each other through their non-verbal behavior?
Question 2 - Mr. Vishwanath, the General Manager and President, was not often present at the foundry. What could this non-verbal behavior mean to the workers and the new engineer?
Question 3. How could the engineer, the foundry workers and Mr. Vishwanath be more effective, both verbally and nonverbally?
Question 4. What do you suggest that the engineer should do, after the hosing incident?
Case Study 3
BS GETS A D-PLUS ON DIVERSITY FROM MULTIETHNIC
COALITOIN
On February 3, 2000, President and CEO of CBS Leslie Moonves signed a pact with Kweisi Mfume, president and CEO of the national association for advancement of colored people (NAACP), who had joined forces with the Hispanic media coalition, and the American Indians in film and television to request the CBS help to increase Indians in film and television to request that CBS help to increase ethnic presence in the television industry. The agreement stipulated the CBS would increase minority participation both on and off screen by June 30.
In April 2000, CBS announced the appointment of Josie Thomas to the newly created position of senior vice president of Diversity at CBS Television. Her job was to improve outreach and recruitment, hiring, promotion, and monitoring practices in all divisions of CBS. That fall Moonves announced that 16 of the 21 CBS shows, including news magazines, would prominently feature minorities. “We think we are a leader in this area,” Moonves said “We think we are ahead of the curves”
Despite Mooves’s Statement that as “broadcasters, we believe strongly that it is our duty to reflect the public that makes up our viewing audience,” there were many who did not feel the company was sincere in its efforts to improve hiring practices. The national Hispanic Foundation for the Arts criticized CBS for not scheduling “American Family,” A pilot drama about middle – class Hispanic family. Moonves said “American Family” simply did not fit in CBS’s schedule, since there were already too many strong dramas planned. He said he took the unusual step of allowing the show’s producer to pitch the CBS-developed networks but no one picked it up. Meanwhile, the June 30 deadline had come and gone without much outward sign of change at CBS television.
Josie Thomas is
committed to CBS’s new mandate for multicultural diversity. Twelve of CBS’ prime
time series will have minorities in permanent roles and other series will have
minority in recurring role. Fore of the network’s shows- C.S.I., the district,
the fugitive and welcome to
Since signing the agreement, CBS has established a strong working relationship with national minority supplier council in order to help minority supplier council and women’s businesses. The company has bolstered its internship program to include paid internships on the west coast, pairing up interns with their areas of interest, Such as finance or entertainment. There are 10 minority interns in the program. Moreover, CBS has now made diversity a factor in employee job performance evaluation. “Each area of the network has developed a detailed plan for diversity,” said Thomas. “Manager will be reviewed with respect to their diversity efforts and that will be a factor in compensation decisions.” Ms. Thomas noted that Ghen Maynard, an Asian American Pacific Islander, had just been promoted form director to vice president of alternative programming for the entertainment division.
“Will all believe there is a long way to go,” Thomas said. “What I have found is there are some things that already exist that are positive, such as news magazines having minority anchors. We think ‘city of angels’ renewal was an important step. The ratings were mediocre to low, and we did feel the program was a risk. It says a lot about our commitment”
In June 2001, the coalition gave the Big 4 Broadcast Networks (all of whom had signed an agreement) a report card for their efforts to diversity shows on – air and behind the scenes. CBS got a D-plus.
Mr. Nogales, of
the National Hispanic Media Coalition, said he was disappointed “We expect
progress; we signed for progress” “The numbers in comparison to last year
actually look better”
The pressure being put on the networks- including threats of “boycott” and legal action – is having results. At CBS the number of minority writers and producer has more than tripled, from four to fourteen, including six executive or co executive producer however, obstacles to a fully integrated future remain serious-particularly because of misconceptions about the nature of the television audience and about the way pop culture works. Network executive worry that “ghetto shows” might promote stereotypes. They wonder if shows like The cosby show are “black” enough. Then again, they think that casting too many minorities may drive white viewers away. Some network executives are afraid to cast minority actors in “negative” roles because they may be criticized for it minority writers, who have been getting more work lately, wonder if they are not just “tokens”; and despite some progress it is still almost impossible for Hispanic actor to get non- Hispanic roles.
Both the NAACP and the coalition have been battling discrimination for years. CBS is just finding out that a profound change toward pluralism can take place only with true insight on the part of management. CBS spokesperson Chris Ender says “We have made tremendous strides to increase diversity on screen, behind the camera and in the executive suites. However we certainly recognize that more can be done and more will be done.”
As far as
Questions
Question 1:- What advantages would accrue to CBS if it becomes a more diverse workplace?
Question 2:- Where would you have placed CBS on the organizational diversity continuum and where would you place CBS now? Why?
Question 3:- Which approach (es) to pluralism best sums up the diversity policy that is being developed at CBS? Explain
Question 4:- How do the attitudes of management at CBS as depicted in your case study affect the company’s progress toward forming a more diverse workforce? Explain.
Case Study 4
McDonald’s
Listening Campaign
At the end of
2002, the world's largest quick service retailer made its first ever quarterly
loss and faced a number of challenges. It responded by launching its Plan to
Win program, part of a global strategy to modernize the business, followed by
the Listening Campaign in the UK. Here, Ali Carruthers explains how the two
initiatives were linked in the
In 2003, things were looking bleak for McDonald's. Its share price was the lowest it had been in a decade and it faced a series of seemingly insurmountable problems: It was demonized by the UK media in the fierce debate raging over obesity; it faced huge competition on the high street; and it was suffering under a wave of Anti-Americanism in the wake of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Added to this was
the fact that the restaurants themselves were beginning to look dated and
Speaking earlier
this year to the BBC, the
The Plan to Win
The senior management put their heads together and devised the Plan to Win program, which went public in the last quarter of 2003. A key part of its focus was a shift to more choice and variety foods, with salads appearing permanently on the menu for the first time in the organization's history. Key restaurants began to receive make over and a supporting advertising campaign with international stars was planned, all of which were intended to turn the food chain's image around.
But just as things
were beginning to look up for the organization, trouble raised its head again
in the shape of the documentary film "Supersize me," which in turn
re-ignited the obesity debate in the media. It was then discovered that one of
the salads McDonald's was marketing contained more calories than one of its
hamburgers. The
The Listening
Campaign. The company responded promptly. Working with agency Blue Rubicon, the
in-house communication and media relations team devised the Listening Campaign.
It made the most of the arrival of new
The key ingredient was listening to customers and staff and then showing the results of this. "Part of the reason [for doing it] was that we had to introduce Peter very quickly to employees, customers and stakeholders," says head of internal communications AIi Carruthers. "It was also signaling that he'd continue to work to change our culture and lead the drive for a real transparency of approach. We've been building on that work ever since."
Focus groups for stakeholders
The communication team made the most of Beresford's time by booking ahead so that local franchisees could meet him when he travelled to regional centers for customer focus groups. Next, Listening Groups were created for the company's regional offices with corporate rather than restaurant-based employees taking part. Initial meetings were centered around three classic focus group questions:
* What works?
* What would you change?
* How would you change it?
In each session, six to 10 employees took part and the sessions lasted around two hours. After the first session, an action plan was drawn up and fed back to the employees in a second round of focus groups. Then the agreed proposed changes were put in place by the organization.
Proposed changes put in place
A range of short, medium and long term actions have been instigated as a result of the focus groups. These include a firm commitment to hold monthly town-hall sessions to regularly address key issues within the organization. "We've agreed to use these sessions to feature various departmental heads," says Carruthers.
"That's so people can put names to faces, understand the organizational structure better and get an understanding of what goes on outside their own departments." The company has also committed itself to involving a new group of employees every six months, and to being more transparent about its promotion process and how people are assessed for promotion. It now holds regular Plan to Win meetings, which are related to the global strategy. "We're using the town-hall sessions to communicate the global strategy to thebroader office group rather than just senior management so there's a wider understanding of what we're doing," says Carruthers.
The company has also committed to a peer-nominated quarterly recognition scheme for the regional and head offices. It's planned that the town halls will also be used in the recognition scheme. "People need to say well done to each other and be acknowledged by the senior team," says Carruthers.
A change in company culture
According to Carruthers, the strategy has been recognized globally - a drive for greater face-to-face communication, more transparency, a growth in leadership behavior and accountability. "Basically we've been trying to make people feel they're able to ask questions," she says. "There's nothing wrong with challenging the status quo as long as it's done in a constructive and respectful way. If we can use some of those ideas we can probably make it a more enjoyable place for everyone to work."
There's no doubt that the Listening Campaign has had an impact on the senior team and general employees alike. Carruthers has had feedback from both groups and believes the exercise has been an eye-opener for the senior team: "They frequently mention experiences they've had in those groups. There's nothing quite like hearing issues for yourself; the good ones and the more awkward ones."
The feedback from focus-group participants has been very good; employees say they feel listened to and think their feedback is being taken on board. "They feel confident to ask questions or send e-mails directly to people they thought wouldn't have listened to their suggestions previously. It's changing the culture. Anything that builds trust and transparency is good. Now it's about delivering on the changes that we said we'd make."
A hotline to the CEO
A hotline to the CEO has made the company's drive for transparency and commitment to employees even more credible. The "Ask Peter" e-mail address was established when Beresford took up his post and has seen a fair amount of traffic. "It's word of mouth - people see that it's well responded to," says Carruthers. She sees it as important to be straight with employees about how e-mails are dealt with and who sees them. "We're very up-front about the fact that I see all e-mails as well as Peter, but if we forward them to other departments, they'll be anonymous."
A combination of high and low technology adds to the feeling of personal contact: Beresford will often answer e-mails with a hand-written reply. In one famous instance he replied to nearly 100 in one week. "It doesn't always happen that way, but it's these things that make a difference. People see it's coming from him and it's quite a personal touch."
Committing to communication, A new round of Listening focus groups with fresh employees is due to kick off in October. The whole cycle of questions, action-planning and feedback will be replayed. "We're working with a new group of employees because we want to keep changing and avoid having a formalized council of volunteers," says Carruthers. "They'll look at what they think has happened so far, whether anything could have been done differently and then we'll hold a review of the proposals."
It's a genuine commitment to keep the focus groups running on an ongoing basis. Carruthers is also expecting that the flexibility and fresh new faces will ensure that new topics arise: "They're things that inevitably come up along the way and get added to the agenda for change. We just need to follow them through and then tell people the results."
The results
Since Beresford's Listening Tour there's been a turnaround in the media coverage of McDonald's, which has been much more positive. The Listening Campaign is changing the internal culture of the company and its focus group cycles are becoming permanent two-way communication channels.
Results back in August this year from the last employee survey showed that internal communication is now ranked by employees as number four out of 25 departments. "The communications strategy has helped people become aware of who we are and what we do," says Carruthers. The Listening Campaign has also helped McDonald's raise its profile externally, as it was nominated in this year's UK Chartered Institute of Public Relations Excellence Awards and short-listed for Best Use of Media Relations in the PR Week Awards.
Questions
Question1. Based on this case, develop guidelines for improving communication with each of different stakeholders, through better listening.
Question 2:- What are the essentials for the effective communication?
Question 3:-
Write about McDonald marketing plan
which they have implemented for the success?
Question 4:- Do the SWOT analysis of
following:-
- McDonald
- Food Industry
Xaviers Institute of
Business Management Studies
Quantitative
Techniques
Please attempt any eight questions. (10 Marks X 08 Questions)
Total Marks - 80
1. Define Linear Programming. What are the essential Characteristics
required for a linear programming model?
2. What is the major limitation of the graphical method?
3. Explain the procedure involved in the simplex method to determine the
optimum solution?
4. What are a basic variable and a non basic variable?
5. Discuss the role of sensitivity analysis in linear programming.
6. What is the difference between a balanced transportation problem and an
unbalanced transportation problem?
7. What is an assignment problem? Give its areas of application?
8. Explain the steps involved in solving an assignment problem.
9. What is the difference between CPM and PERT?
10.
What are the critical
path activities and why are they considered important?
11.
What is a sequencing
problem?
12.
What are the advantages
of sequencing?
13.
What is the replacement
of items? Why is it important?
14.
What is meant by a Fair
Game?
15.
What is simulation? Give
a few areas of its application.
