MBA question papers

Why this kolaveri di song getting popularity among the youth. Downlaod Why this kolaveri di song.

2011-11-25T22:00:00.002-08:00

Dhanush's 'Kolaveri di' song is the new youth anthem.

BANGALORE: In the minimalist video of the viral hit 'Why this Kolaveri di', actor and occasional singer Dhanush can't help grinning as he repeats the now-famous catchphrase of the song over and over again. He's clearly having a lot of fun, getting a kick out of mouthing lyrics that are so absurd they make one burst into spontaneous giggles.

Perhaps it is this sense of absurd fun - its whacked out irreverence, its 'f#@# it, just chill' attitude - that's made the song a humongous hit across the nation, with close to 3.79 million views on its official YouTube video in less than a week and a top trending topic on Twitter the past three days.
(Source times of india)

Why This Kolaveri Di Mp3 Download
Download why this kolaveri di song.

Why this kolaveri di song getting popularity among the youth. Downlaod Why this kolaveri di song.

2011-11-25T22:00:00.000-08:00

Why This Kolaveri Di Mp3 Download
Download why this kolaveri di song.

Job opportunities of MBA (marketing)

2011-02-05T22:39:00.000-08:00

MBA with marketing is a very good trade and you can get a very good job after doing this course. As you did B.tech then I think there is no any sense to do MBA in Marketing. You can do MBA in Technology, HR or IT because your B.tech will be count if you do MBA in Technology, HR and IT.

But if you already decided to do MBA in Marketing then You can do as Marketing is also a very broad stream to get success in the job.
You can get any one of the following jobs after completion of your MBA in Marketing.

These job profiles are-

1. Marketing Manager

2. Customer Relationship Manager

3. Sales Manager

4. Business Development Manager

5. Product development Manager

6. Branding and Brand Development Manager

To find a job of you have to know the role of Marketing manager with great knowledge and experience.

The role of marketing Manager are-

- Development of marketing strategy and plan
- Management of the marketing mix
- Customer relationship management (CRM)
- Managing agencies
- Measuring success
- Understanding the pulse of the Market
- Exploring the need of the customers
- Understanding the market dynamism
- Changing Taste and preferences of Customers
- Sales estimation
- Market Penetration
- Channel Development
- Ordering and Payment settlement through internet
- Promotion of a Product
- Researching and reporting on external opportunities
- Instilling a marketing led ethos throughout the business

There are many more roles of a marketing managers. Thus you see that a Marketing manager's job is one of the most important job in any organization. Its very good for your career to do MBA in Marketing if you want to do this for making your career much better.

For more information see the referral link given below.
Reference: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marketing_management

ICFAI Question papers

2010-05-17T07:44:00.000-07:00

Here you can download ICFAI previous year question papers. All Groups ICFAI MBA papers (A to J Group) till April 2010 as per Restructuring of the MBA program of ICFAI.October 2008 paper are available in folder (New papers from 0810) for All the Groups. Below is the link. click on that link and download question paper.

Download here

Mat Question papers

2010-05-10T08:15:00.000-07:00

The Government of India has approved Mat as a National entrance test for admission to MBA.
MAT is usually conducted 4 times in a year in February, May, September and December. MAT is graduation in any discipline from any recognised University or equivalent recognised degree. A final year student in any undergraduate (i.e. B.A, B.Sc., B.Com., B.Tech.,etc) can also appear provisionally. Usually, there is a minimum percentage requirement in graduation.

This mat test paper section cover the most recent types of question in mat format that have never been addressed by others. You can easily download them.

Tip:- Right click on paper and save target as to download paper.

Mat Mock paper

CAT PREVIOUS YEARS QUESTION PAPERS

2010-05-10T05:22:00.000-07:00

Download Cat question papers here.

CAT 2006 QUESTION PAPERS WITH SOLUTIONS: CAT 2006 CAT 2006 Test Book & solution , Score Calculator

CAT 2005 QUESTION PAPERS WITH SOLUTIONS:
CAT 2005 CAT 2005 Test Book , solution , CAT05-Maths, CAT05-DI, CAT05-EU

CAT 2004 QUESTION PAPERS WITH SOLUTIONS:
CAT 2004 CAT04-Maths, CAT04-DI, CAT04-EU

CAT 2003 QUESTION PAPERS WITH SOLUTIONS:
CAT 2003 CAT03-Maths,CAT03-DI,CAT03-EU

CAT 2002 QUESTION PAPERS WITH SOLUTIONS:
CAT 2002 CAT02-Maths,CAT02-DI,CAT02-EU

CAT 2001 QUESTION PAPERS WITH SOLUTIONS:
CAT 2001 CAT01-Maths,CAT01-DI,CAT01-EU

21 Tips For Cracking Cat

2010-04-24T07:46:00.000-07:00

These are some tip to get success in cat. I hope that it will be useful to you.

1. Continue reading till the last day. Do not stop.

2. Identify specific areas of discomfort and try to read as much in those diversified areas. This will help in Reading Comprehension; Theme based questions and Para formation questions.

3. Focus on Grammar. The weight-age for the same is increasing day by day.

4. English Usage questions typically the Fill in the blanks types can best be handled by knowing proper usage of words. So focus on vocabulary development.

5. Always carry a small dictionary with you.

6. Always carry a stopwatch with you and make it a habit.

7. Multiply numbers whenever you see them. Make it a habit to do various calculations with the numbers on number plates of vehicles.

8. In Quantitative Areas – focus on Geometry and Number systems. Number Systems have always been an important chapter from the point of view of CAT and Geometry has gained a lot over the last 2 years.

9. Barring a set or two based on Quantitative Reasoning, LR has been typically easy over the last 2-3 years. Practice as much as you can.

10. Work on your mental mathematics. Learn to do calculations mentally. Memorize standardized formulae and try to use shortcuts wherever possible.

11. Ensure that you touch your peak performance just before CAT; do not burn yourself before that.
12. The last 7 days must be utilized judiciously to gain maximum advantage from your hard work and efforts.
13. Try to gather as much information you can.
14. Stick to time. If you are taking a 2 hour test, take it for 2 hrs only. Be merciless, especially if you are taking them in your room/home. Don’t let anything disturb you in those 2 hrs.
15. Have a strategy in mind before you start the test. Take 2-3 minutes to analyze the paper.
16. Most importantly realize that, you have to get most out of the test. Don’t be egoistic and solve a problem for 2-3 minutes. If you get it in 1 min, its ok, beyond that, learn to leave problems.
17. Try to read as many as possible and decide what to solve quickly. This knack for identifying so called sitters comes from taking 30-40 mocks in a span of 3 months.
18. Always calculate accuracy/speed figures for individual sections and net. And try to maintain a stable figure of speed and accuracy. If there is an abrupt change in those figures, try to investigate and find out the reasons. Ideally 60% speed with 80% + accuracy will help you in getting good scores. But speed sometimes varies with easiness of the paper. Identifying the trends of speed/accuracy in aug/sept will help you to fine tune your strategy before the D-day.
19. Before starting the first mock, try to complete as many fundamentals as possible on QA topics. Use a note to jot down the unknown formulae/shortcuts.
20. While analyzing the QA Section, try to find out the sitters/easy ones you have missed out during taking the mock. And try to reason out.
21. Have some thumb rules based on your strategy.

GMAT PREPARATION TIPS

2010-03-31T08:58:00.000-07:00

Some colleges and universities require you to take the GMAT exam before applying to graduate school. Your GMAT score can be a factor that is considered for acceptance to certain colleges and universities. There are other colleges and universities that do not require you to take the GMAT. If you do have to take the GMAT here are some helpful tips on conquering the GMAT.

First of all, it is important for you to know what will be on the test, so that you know what to expect and can properly prepare for the exam. The first part of the GMAT consists of an Analytical Writing Assessment where you will be given two essay questions and topics that must be completed. You will be given a total of 60 minutes to complete both essays. The second section of the GMAT is the quantitative section of the exam. You will be given 37 multiple-choice questions that deal with problem solving questions. You will have 75 minutes to complete this section. The final section covered on the GMAT is the verbal section. You will be given 75 minutes to complete 41 multiple-choice questions dealing with reading comprehension, critical reasoning and sentence correction.

Now that you have an idea of what is included on the exam, you will need to take the necessary steps to prepare for the exam. Since everyone prepares for major tests and exams differently, you will need to follow a course of action that will allow you to best prepare for the exam.

GMAT PREPARATION TIPS

1.Practice

2.Spend adequate time on the first 5 questions

3.Prepare yourself to finish the test – at all costs

4.Don't waste time

5.Read the Questions Carefully

6.Avoid Random Guessing

7.Eliminate the Deliberately Deceptive Wrong Choices

8.Don't Wait Too Long to Take the GMAT

Relax, take a deep breath, and prepare for your GMAT exam. The GMAT covers material that you should already know or have some knowledge of. When you are studying, you are not really studying to learn new material. You are really refreshing yourself with material that you already know. By taking the necessary steps to prepare for the exam and preparing yourself for the test on the actual day of the exam, you will have everything you need to conquer the GMAT.

Keep visiting the blog for more information

Some Tips To Write Assignments For Mba

2010-03-28T04:12:00.000-07:00

MBA is the course of decision making for managerial position. An MBA student can propose quick decision in the favor of an organization. The course is not much hard if a student think over that practically. It is the course of practical knowledge in management field to handle a business or business firm very effectively.

In the recent days, there are many universities which offer distance or part time MBA degree for working students. For the course students are bound to write assignments for internal assessment and to get higher credits or marks.

There are some tips to write Assignments for distance MBA:

Practical Study:

To write effective assignments students need to study their course practically. Practical study comes with the debate and discussion within friend circles. If a student reads papers or magazines on regular basis then it can be developed practical knowledge.

Online Study:

In the age of internet there is much importance of online study. Most of the blogs or sites offer presentation on various masters’ degree or chapters.

Forums Discussion:

To write an effective assignment for the management course forums discussion can be better place to take about decent ideas to the related chapters. A student can get there some materials also to add that in their assignments.

Study in Class:

If a student can attend a regular class for his chapter or course then it can be much beneficial to think over for related assignments.

All these tips can be benefited for a student to write an effective assignment for distance MBA courses. These are the practical research during writing assignments for Sikkim Manipal University.

Most of the students write their assignment on computer and take print out but if a student submit hand written assignments then he can collects more credits or more marks by his university.

MBA TANCET MODEL PAPER PART -1 AND PART -2 Question paper 2009

2010-03-23T20:42:00.000-07:00

MBA TANCET Model Paper

PART 1

01. What is the marginal rate of tax for Indian corporates as proposed in the Union Budget 2002 (Inclusive of surcharge)?
(1) 34.5%
(2) 36.75%
(3) 42%
(4) 31.5%

02. Who is the Chairman and CEO of McCann-Erickson India?
(1) Sushil Khanna
(2) Prasoon Joshi
(3) Sanjay Mukherjee
(4) Ritesh Singhal

03. Who is the Chairman of Hindustan Lever Limited?
(1) MSV Banga
(2) Keki B Dadisheth
(3) Arun Adhikari
(4) Harish Manwani

04. Who is the chairman of HDFC?
(1) Deepak Parekh
(2) Y M Deosthalee
(3) Janki Ballabh
(4) Samir Arora

05. Who is the chairman of State Bank of India?
(1) Janki Ballabh
(2) Deepak Parekh
(3) Rajendra Pawar
(4) None of these

06. Who is the chairman of NIIT?
(1) Jerry Rao
(2) John Reed
(3) Rajendra Pawar
(4) Harish Menon

07. What was Reckitt & Coleman renamed as?
(1) Reckitt Benckiser (India) Ltd
(2) Reckitt Switzer (India) Ltd
(3) Reckitt Bayer (India) Ltd
(4) It was not renamed

08. Who is the chairman of ICICI Bank Ltd?
(1) N Vaghul
(2) K V Kamath
(3) Y C Deveshwar
(4) Lalit Gupte

09. Who is the chairman of ITC Ltd?
(1) Y C Deveshwar
(2) Deosthalee
(3) Madhu Singhania
(4) Pratap C Reddy

10. Who is the US ambassador to India?
(1) Jack Straw
(2) Robert Blackwill
(3) John Ashcroft
(4) Peter Warburg

11. Who is India’s ambassador to the US?
(1) Montek Singh Ahluwalia
(2) Lalit Mansingh
(3) Suraj Parekh
(4) Rajat Gupta

12. Novartis was born out of the merger of the following two companies
(1) Glaxo and Sandoz
(2) Ciba and Sandoz
(3) Ciba and Smithkline
(4) Smithkline and Glaxo

13. Who is the chairman of Procter and Gamble Hygiene and Healthcare India Ltd?
(1) Bob Williams
(2) B V Patel
(3) Rajesh Sinha
(4) Kevin Parker

14. Brent Index is associated with which commodity?
(1) Crude oil prices
(2) Copper futures price
(3) Gold futures price
(4) Shipping rate index

15. Justice and Development Party of Turkey won the recent elections held in November 2002. Who heads the party?
(1) Recep Tayyip Erdogan
(2) Bulent Ecevit
(3) Necdet Sezer
(4) Necdet Sezer

16. Approximately what was the quantum of the trade deficit of US for the financial year ending Dec 2001?
(1) USD 245 bn
(2) USD 720 bn
(3) USD 1.1 tn
(4) USD 412 bn

17. What is the currency of Argentina?
(1) Peso
(2) Dollar
(3) Dinar
(4) Koruny

18. Which country is the famous mobile phone manufacturer head quartered?
(1) Finland
(2) Switzerland
(3) Sweden
(4) Germany

19. Who won the Australian Open 2002 Women’s singles?
(1) Martina Hingis
(2) Jennifer Capriati
(3) Venus Williams
(4) Monica Seles

20. Which city is hosting the 14th Asian Games in 2004?
(1) Manila
(2) Busan
(3) Beijing
(4) Bangkok

Answer Key
(01) 2 (02) 2 (03) 1 (04) 1 (05) 1
(06) 3 (07) 1 (08) 2 (09) 1 (10) 2
(11) 2 (12) 2 (13) 2 (14) 1 (15) 1
(16) 4 (17) 1 (18) 1 (19) 2 (20) 2

PART 2

1. What commonly used product was invented by Whitcomb Judson in 1893 but had no demand till the late 1910s when orders came for troop uniforms?
(1) Cigarette lighters
(2) Zippers
(3) Walkie Talkies
(4) Canned Soya

2. Which famous inventor ranks second in the number of patents registered?
(1) Thomas Alva Edison
(2) James Watt
(3) Albert Einstein
(4) Edwin Land

3. In terms of overall advertising spends, which country is the second largest in the world, with only the US ahead of it?
(1) UK
(2) China
(3) Japan
(4) France

4. Which organisation is the world’s largest employer?
(1) General Motors
(2) General Electric
(3) China Electric Company
(4) Indian Railways

5. Which mobile phone service provider has taken over from JT Mobile and launched its services in Bangalore and Andhra Pradesh last year?
(1) BPL Mobile
(2) Orange
(3) AirTel
(4) Reliance Telecom

6. Which air route has the highest level of international passenger traffic in the world?
(1) London-New York
(2) London-Paris
(3) NewYork-Singapore
(4) Dubai-London

7. This famous business personality became the youngest Vice- President at Bankers Trust company in 1990. He later went on to start a company in the emerging Internet space and was Time magazine’s Man of the Year in 1999. Who is he?
(1) Jeff Bezos
(2) Jerry Yang
(3) Kim Bessott
(4) Jim Clark

8. Which leading Indian tyre company owns Vikrant Tyres after its takeover in the late 1990s?
(1) MRF
(2) Modi Stone
(3) Dunlop
(4) JK Tyres

9. Which industrial family owns the majority stake in the successful Hero group, a leader in the motorcycle segment in the country in collaboration with Honda, Japan?
(1) Hinduja
(2) Munjal
(3) Firodia
(4) Singhania

10. Which company launched the first mobile phone operation in India?
(1) Bharti Airtel
(2) Essar
(3) Max Touch
(4) Modi Telstra

11. Which company’s famously advertised vision statement is ‘The Network is the Computer’?
(1) Cisco Systems
(2) Lucent Technologies
(3) Sun Microsystems
(4) Nortel Networks

12. The software company I-flex Solutions was originally a division of which famous financial services company?
(1) Citicorp
(2) ICICI
(3) HSBC
(4) ABN Amro Bank

13. Which former advertising personality has recently been named the Undersecretary of State for ‘public diplomacy and public affairs’ of the US in an exercise to rebrand the US following the September 11 terrorist strikes?
(1) Charlotte Beers
(2) Jay Chiat
(3) Martin Sorrell
(4) George Lois

14. Which premium international range of luggage was recently launched in India by BlowPlast?
(1) Samsonite
(2) Strolley
(3) American Tourister
(4) Delsey

15. This year saw the launch of Yahoo!, Amazon.com and the famous launch of the Orange mobile phone service in the UK. Which year was this?
(1) 1992
(2) 1994
(3) 1995
(4) 1993

16. Henry Ford revolutionised the car market with the first mass- produced car, the Ford Model T. In which year was it launched?
(1) 1924
(2) 1912
(3) 1908
(4) 1897

17. Which company owns the beer brands Haywards 2000, Hi-Five and Lal Toofan?
(1) United Breweries
(2) Millennium Alcobev
(3) Shaw Wallace
(4) Mohan Meakins

18. Which company owns the footwear brand - Stryde?
(1) Woodland
(2) Bata
(3) Tata International
(4) Hindustan Lever

19. It was the brand that made David Ogilvy famous. Which shirt brand’s ads had the famous man with an eye patch in the 1950s, which catapulted David Ogilvy to fame?
(1) Van Heusen
(2) Arrow Shirts
(3) Hathaway
(4) Dockers

20. Which TV channel has been in the news for its coverage of the Bin Laden crisis, especially for having carried all broadcasts of Osama Bin Laden to audiences in West Asia?
(1) Star Asia
(2) BBC Asia
(3) Al Jazeera
(4) Khaleed Times

Answer Key
(01) 2 (02) 2 (03) 3 (04) 4 (05) 3
(06) 2 (07) 1 (08) 4 (09) 2 (10) 4
(11) 3 (12) 1 (13) 1 (14) 4 (15) 2
(16) 3 (17) 3 (18) 3 (19) 3 (20) 3

Tamilnadu common entrance Test (Tancet) MBA question paper

2010-03-23T09:03:00.000-07:00

Tamilnadu common entrance Test (Tancet)is conducted each year for the students who aspire to do M.tech, MBA, MCA. ME as their master degree course.
Here you can download previous years Tancet MBA quetion papers.

Tip:- Press shift to open in a new window.

Tancet MBA previous years question papers. Click here to download

Tancet MBA question paper 2009

☼ Part1 and part 2
☼ Part 3

Tancet mba question paper Download here

MS94 Technology Management December 2005

2010-03-08T22:41:00.000-08:00

MANAGEMENT PROGRAMME
Term-End Examination

December, 2005

MS94 : TECHNOLOGY MANAGEMENT

Time: 3 hours
Maximum Marks: 100
(Weightage 70%)

Note : Attempt all questions which carry equal marks.

1. "Most of the poor countries, though rich in natural resources, are faced with some basic problems." What are these basic problems and how can technology be helpful in the area of
(i) Food;
(ii) Shelter;
(iii) Health;
(M Communication;
(v) Transportation;and
(vi) Education.

(a) ''There is another way of looking at technology life from the perspective of growth and diffusion." Explain the stages of growth of technology according to this perspective.
(b) Describe the five stages of technology transformation.

2. (a) What are the key factors in technology transfer ? Discuss various modes of technology transfer.
(b) Discuss different international agencies that are engaged in the promotion of Science and Technology (S&T) cooperation among developing countires.

Explain the Growth curves with the help of Pearl curve and Gompertz curve.

3. Discuss the process of technology assessment (TA) and technology evaluation (TE). How does TA differ from TE ?

Define technology diffusion. Discuss the multi-faceted actvities of diffusion.

4. Discuss the role of venture capital in developing technology support systems.

Explain the contents and sources of technology information.

5. Explain any four of the following :
(a) TIFAC
(b) Analysis of technology gaps
(c) Technology Missions
(d) Technology support for modernization of small scale sector
(e) R&D expenditure in india
(f) Factors on which royalty rate for technology transfer depends

MS94 Technology Management June 2005

2010-03-08T22:40:00.000-08:00

MANAGEMENT PROGRAMME
Term-End Examination

June, 2005

MS94 : TECHNOLOGY MANAGEMENT

Time: 3 hours
Maximum Marks: 100
(Weightage 70%)

Note : Attempt all questions which carry equal marks.

1. (a) Discuss the stages of the Technology Life Cycle. (10)
(b) It has been said that every technology eventually reaches a decline due to development of better technologies. Illustrate your answer suitably. (10)

(a) "lnformation Technology brings about changes in products and these have some major consequences." What are these consequences ? Explain with examples. (12)
(b) What broad principles should be kept in view with regard to planning for development of indigenous technological capabilities? Discuss. (8)

2. Discuss any two basic approaches to technology forecasting. Discuss two methods for each of the suggested approaches. (20)

(a) What factors should the licensor of technology look for while transferring his technology to the potential licensee ? (10)
(b) What are the various factors that are involved in the generation of technology ? Explain. How can the progress of R&D projects be monitored ? (10)

3. Explain the following perspectives with reference to Technology Diffusion : (20)
(a) Adoptive Perspective;
(b) Infrastructure Perspective; and
(c) Regulatory/Societal Perspective

(a) Briefly summarize the Indian experience with regard to technology absorption. Has it undergone any change over the past years ? (12)
(b) "The key words in Technology Assessment are neutrality, unbiasedness and objective analysis on the part of the study group." Comment and elaborate. (8)

4. (a) Why are national and international linkages in the field of technological cooperation important ? (12)
(b) Discuss some useful activities of the industry associations or their agencies for the promotion of technology in India. (8)

(a) Write a note on the Government's support for technological upgradation and modernization in the small-scale sector. (10)
(b) Describe the sailent features of S&T policies in Japan. (10)

5. Write notes on any three of the following : (20)
(a) Technology Business Incubators (TBIs)
(b) Venture Capital and its role in technology financing
(c) National Informatics Centre (NIC)
(d) Role of R&D organization in an enterprise

MS97 International Business June 2005

2010-03-08T22:38:00.000-08:00

MANAGEMENT PROGRAMME

Term-End Examination

June, 2005

MS-97 : INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS

Time : 3 hours
Maximum Marks : 100
(Weightage 70%)

Note : (i) There are two sections : Section A and Section B.
(ii) Attempt any three questions from Section A, carrying 20 marks each.
(iii) Section B is compulsory and carries 40 marks.

SECTION A

1. (a) What is Mercantilism? Why is it not a useful theory is today's context ?

(b) What are the determinants of international investment decisions ? What different strategies could a firm follow ?

2. (a) "MNEs try to build understanding, identification and commitment of individual managers to the overall corporate agenda." What tasks are involved in bringing about such changes so as to develop a global perspective among its employees ?

(b) Differentiate between (i) Ethnocentric; (ii) Polycentric; and (iii) Geocentric approaches to structuring international business operations.

3. (a) Critically examine the various approaches to controlling international business.

(b) What is meant by intra-firm trade ? In what ways does this affect the host country ?

4. (a) Why do several multinationals not like to have a common compensation (pay and benefits) policy for their employees worldwide?

(b) How can an Indian company, which has recently gone international, manage its negotiations in the international field effectively?

5. Write notes on any three of the following :

(a) International Code on Transfer of Technology
(b) Motivations for MNE operations in LDCs
(c) ASEAN
(d) UNCTAD and its role
(e) The evolution of WTO from GATT

SECTION B

6. (a) What effects do MNC operations usually have on the management of domestic firms ? Discuss your answer in the light of the Indian experience, citing relevant examples.

(b) Analyse the policies that have been implemented in developing countries to attract higher volumes of FDI with special reference to India. Do you think that the policy shift in India has been successful ? Give reasons.

MS611 Rural Marketing June 2005

2010-03-08T22:32:00.000-08:00

MANAGEMENT PROGRAMME
Term-End Examination

June, 2005

MS-611 : RURAL MARKETING

Time: 3 hours
Maximum Marks: 100
(Weightage 70%)

Note : This paper consist's of two Sections A and B. Attempt any three questions from Section A. Section B is compulsory. All questions carry equal marks.

SECTION A

1. Looking at the profile of the rural consumers in India today, what are the key challenges posed for Indian marketers in the rural market segments ? Discuss with reference to an FMCG product and a consumer durable product of your choice.

2. How do factors like social class, reference groups and lifestyle vary between urban and rural markets ? What implications do these differences have for a marketer of insurance services ? Explain.

3. What are the marketing implications of the changing hierarchy of consumer durables acquisition in the rural markets ? Explain with examples.

4. (a) What, in your view, are the sales promotion tools most likely to succeed in rural markets ? Justify your answer.

(b) What specific recommendations would you have for a marketer of cellular/home services, seeking to promote his services in the rural market ?

5. What are the key behavioural dimensions that must be considered while planning rural distribution strategy ? Explain with respect to :

(a) Economy range of detergents
(b) Cold drinks

SECTION B

6. Read the following case and answer the questions given at the end.

ITC E-CHOUPALS

Tobacco-to-hotels giant ITC Ltd. has been trying to find a solution to an old problem for years. The company used to buy soya bean for export. Like everyone else, the corporation had no option but to source its supplies from the local mandis. This created two problems. One, quality was not guaranteed, and two, since supplies were sourced through middlemen, the company had no contact with the growers which is a crucial precondition for orders to many European countries. Direct contact with farmers was all but impossible given the fact that they lived in far-flung villages in Madhya Pradesh. ITC's problem was that it did not have a mechanism to approach them directly - and, as importantly, cost effectively.

The company looked for the solution in information technology, through a project called e-choupal, launched one-and-a half years ago. A classic click-and-mortar business, the idea behind e-choupal was to offer an alternative distribution and supply chain system to the rural market. How does it work ? Soya bean farmers in Madhya Pradesh can now come to the e-choupal, which is nothing but an Internet kiosk set up usually in the house of an influential man (usually the headman) in the village. The village official is appointed by the company and is known as the sanchalak. The site provides farmers with real-time information on the latest weather report, prices in various mandis, world prices and even best farming practices.

More importantly, it offers a price at which ITC is willing to buy the soya from them directly through the sanchalak. Says S Sivakumar chief executive of ITC'S international business division : "The biggest problem for farmers is that middlemen have blocked information flow. Now the price discovery is met through the kiosk and it is transparent." The farmers have the choice of selling their product in the mandi or to ITC. If a farmer accepts the company price, the order is confirmed promptly by the sanchalak on the net. But the e-choupal is not merely an instrument for effective supply chain management for ITC. By using the power of information technology, the company has converted the computer into the popular US concept of a "meta market", or a one-stop shop right in the village, where farmers can sell their produce, buy products (from farming inputs to daily items for household use), receive all the information needed to improve their yields and even get a better price for their produce.

For ITC, it opens up new windows of opportunities. It allows it to source more products directly from farmers through a more efficient price discovery mechanism. It also provides a platform for it to sell its products directly to the customer. This, in turn, provides the company with some direct information on consumer needs in the booming rural markets and reduces dependence on wholesalers. Explaining the logic behind the move, Sivakumar says : "What started as a cost-effective alternative supply chain system to deal directly with the farmer to buy products for exports is slowly going to expand into an alternative distribution mechanism for rural India."

The tobacco giant has already set up over 700 choupals covering 3,800 villages in four states - Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh - dealing with soya bean, coffee, acquaculture products and wheat. Last year it transacted business of over Rs. 80 crore through the e-choupals all across the country. The bigger plan is to spend some Rs. 150 crore to expand the number of kiosks so that the company is able to reach over 1,00,000 villages and cover 10 million farmers in 14 states in five years.

Is the business big enough to justify this level of spending and planning ? To understand that, consider why a farmer would opt for the e-choupal over the regular mandi. Farmers who strike deals on the internet kiosk with ITC have a choice. They can either bring their produce to the ITC warehouse or factory and get reimbursed for the transportation cost or they could give their supplies to one of the collection centres that have been set up by the company for a cluster of villages or even deliver it to the sanchalak. Both ITC and the farmers make a neat saving by bypassing the middleman in the mandi. For instance, the farmer saves as much as Rs. 250 per tonne on soya bean because he does not incur costs such as bagging, transportation, loading and unloading, to haul his goods to the mandi.

The company, on ihe other hand, saves over Rs. 200 a tonne by avoiding transporting the produce from the mandi to the company outlet even after reimbursing the farmer for transport. And the sanchalak, the local-level entrepreneur, also makes money by getting a 0.5 per cent commission on the total transaction made through his kiosk. But the kiosk can be used for reverse trading also - for companies to sell products and services needed by farmers directly. And ITC is already putting together a strategy to leverage the infrastructure to market and distribute goods and services that farmers require. The facility will be available for selling both ITC products as well as those of other companies - of course, at a price. The company has taken some initial steps to get agricultural input companies to sell their products directly to farmers through e-choupals.

It has already roped in US seeds giant Monsanto, fertiliser companies like BASF and Nagarjuna Fertilisers and state-owned MP State Seeds Corporation to take orders and market their products through the site. These companies can display their products on the net, trajn farmers on how to use them, offer special prices, book orders from farmers and - through the sanchalak - deliver it at the village. Of course, ITC does not provide the service free. Companies have to pay a 10 per cent fee on the face value of the transaction and the tobacco company pays the sanchalak 5 per cent of the sales as commission for any product sold on his kiosk.

But companies point out that the experienca has paid rich dividends. Says a spokesperson for Monsanto : ''The model offers us an opportunity to work closely with farmers and promote our offerings. Additionally, our cost of reach is also reduced." Monsanto also makes the point that the company's corporate reputation and brand image has been greatly enhanced as a result of its association with the model. "Close association with the farmers, through this model, encourages them to see us as a first preference." he says. ITC is also experimenting with using the kiosk to sell fast moving consumer goods (FMCG). As the first step, it is selling gas lanterns and packaged vegetable oil. At the moment these are being manufactured by third parties on behalf of ITC.

Orders by farmers are being booked by the sanchalak who also arranges to have them delivered to the farmer's doorstep. If the idea clicks, the platform would be available for other companies too, which could help ITC generate healthy revenues. More importantly, the new distribution system could be an effective tool for the company which is planning a major foray in the foods business. Says Arun Sharma, a rural marketing expert in the advertising agency Bates India : "For its foods foray, ITC canrrot depend on cigarette distributors who are already overloaded to penetrate rural markets. The e-choupal could provide an effective alternative."

The third initiative is to leverage the e-choupal to sell services. Talks are already on with various insurance companies for using the e-choupal as a medium for both educating and selling insurance products to the famer - in which the sanchalak becomes the insurance agent. If this experiment is successful, ITC officials say there is no reason why the array of services being offered to farmers cannot be extended. Says a senior ITC executive, "There is no reason why banks providing micro-credit to farmers, health services companies and educational services companies cannot leverage the power of the meta market" If all this sounds like a rural marketer's dream, consider the possible drawbacks. Says Pradeep Kashyap, president of Marketing and Research Team, a rural marketing consultancy outfit in Delhi : "As a collection centre for agricultural goods, it is a cost-effective way. But I don't think the availability of FMCG products at his doorstep for the farmer is an issue or a particularly high priority since he visits the local town often and picks up what he wants."

There is also the additional problem of the role of the sanchalak who could well replace the despised middleman in the chain of things. Says Arun Sharma of Bates, "There is too much dependence on the sanchalak who virtually becomes the new, powerful middleman replacing the old one. Also, to develop such a distribution system is very expensive and might not be cost effective after all, even though one can reach new markets." Preet Bedi, a director in the advertising agency Lowe-Lintas, expects that it will take at least five to seven years for a distribution platform of this nature to develop, "But it is a good way to understand the need of the rural consumer". ITC is conscious of the infrastructure constraints in expanding the e-choupal. For one, many villages aren't electrified, so how do you run a computer ? For another, connectivity to the web is unreliable and could be pretty expensive, a situation that has been made more complicated by the sheer dispersion of villages ln the country. Kumar says that the other challenge is to build personalized content catering to individuals across a wide range of income levels. No doubt the path towards a much-vaunted rural distribution El Dorado will be paved with problems. But with the corporation trying to reduce its dependence on tobacco and find more stable income streams, e-choupal might be its best bet yet.

Questions :

(a) Will e-choupals work as a new distribution strategy for ITC which believes in a two way flow (urban to rural; rural to urban). If yes, why; and if no, why not ?

(b) Is it a right move for ITC, which already has a presence in Indian villages with special tie ups with farmers for tobacco cultivation, to enter into e-ventures ? Will this model run successfully in the long run ? What can ITC derive out of e-choupals ?

(c) Will a company, which thinks of social marketing as its objectives for rural development, really succeed in winning the hearts of rural Indians ? Is ITC going the right way in this initiative, according to you ?

MS612 Retail Management December 2005

2010-03-08T22:30:00.000-08:00

MANAGEMENT PROGRAMME
Term-End Examination

June, 2005

MS-612 : RETAIL MANAGEMENT

Time: 3 hours
Maximum Marks: 100
(Weightage 70%)
Note : (i) Attempt any three questions from Section A.
(ii) Section B is compulsory.
(iii) All questions carry equal marks.

SECTION A

1. Define retailing. Discuss the scope and prospects of retail sector in the Indian context, describing the drivers of growth of retailing in the country.

2. (a) What are the stages of consumer decision making and their impact on retail strategies ? Explain with suitable examples.

(b) What makes locational decisions in retailing strategic in nature ? Discuss with suitable examples the factors necessary to consider before selecting a final site for any store.

3. (a) How important is the role of pricing in retail marketing mix ? Briefly discuss the various retail pricing approaches available to the retailer.

(b) What are loyalty programmes ? What purpose do they serve in the overall retail business? Explain.

4. Briefly discuss the various types of non-store retailing currently in vogue. What are their limitations ?

5. Write notes on any three of the following :

(a) Functions of Retailers
(b) Wheel of Retailing
(c) Responsibilities of Merchandising Manager
(d) CRM
(e) Ethical Responsibilities of Retailer

SECTION B

6. Read the case given below and answer the questions given at the end of the case.

Margin Free Market Private Ltd.

Subhiksha in Chennai, Margin free in Kerala, Bombay Bazaar in Mumbai, RPG'S Giant in Hyderabad, and Big Bazaar in Kolkata, Hyderabad, and Bangalore have one thing in common - they all price their products below MRP. Discount stores are slowly arriving in India and industry insiders feel they will spearhead a revolution in organized retailing. On the list of top retailers in the world, quite a few are discounters. Around 60% of the business abroad comes from this format. Incidentally, the largest retailer in the world, Wal-Mart, is a discount store.

Margin Free was registered as a co-operative society in 1993 in Kerala and entered the supermarket business in 1994. It is run by the Consumer Protection and Guidance Society, a charitable organization based in Thiruvananthapuram. Today, it has emerged as India's number one supermarket chain with 150 stores and a turnover of Rs. 450 crores. Margin Free purchases directly from manufacturers at ex-factory price and sells at lower prices than the MRP, as it eliminates the margin accrued in the traditional manufacturer-stockist-wholesaler-retailer network.

Margin Free takes extreme care while pricing the products through its entire stores. It has employed software which evaluates the price by minimizing profits. Every store is computerized and utilises the software to determine the pricing. This helps in ensuring that the products are rationally priced.

Margin Free has found exceptional success in its scalable franchised model. It is now looking to upgrade to a central warehouse concept. which will help it manage growth further. The success of Subhiksha and Margin Free indicate that the discount war will hot up in the coming months but it will be the customer who will emerge as the final winner.

Margin Free also gets an average credit of 20-22 days from suppliers, which it sells, on an average in 10 days, thereby even earning a notional interest on its sales also. Its strategy has made it flush with funds, which can finance further expansion. Margin Free uses its customer base as a bargaining power to strike discount deals. Any dealer who wants to set up a Margin Free store has to buy at least rupees one lakh worth of share of the main Margin Free holding company. Margin Free has a consumer base of 6 lakhs and it sells them consumer cards at Rs. 40 per year Customers who buy using this card get discounts on bulk purchases and also on government subsidized producis like Rs. 2 per kg rice.

The stores are now opting for a major expansion drive. A key part of this is the introduction of private labelling, which is the season's flavour in the retailing industry. For the purpose they have shortlisted 15 items - all generic labels like rice, sugar, etc. - and will add to the list in future.

Hence, they will be in a better position to provide quality stuff at considerably low prices within easy reach of an average middle-class family. For example, a packet of tea which sells for an MRP of Rs. 120 at one of the corporate retailers, will be available for Rs. 90 at the Margin Free stores.

The chain is now planning to open huge Margin Free hyper markets, The first such hyper market, featuring an array of wares and spread over 50,000 square feet of well-laid out space, is planned to open at Ernakulam. The two other hyper markets would be opened in Thiruvananthapuram and Kozhikode.

If the success of retail activity is measured in the number of outlets, the existing 240-odd chain of franchisees must have already made Margin Free the largest 'pure retail chain' (as distinct from retailers who are manufacturers) in the private sector Even going by the number of footfalls, the Kerala-based retailer must have already beaten competition by a handsome margin.

The hyper markets will feature almost all conceivable retailing products under one roof - textiles, leather, cosmetics, provisions, electronic goods, consumer durables, grains; and grocery. As for ambience and class, they are most likely to resemble the Giant retailing chain operating out of Hyderabed and other cities.

The hyper market would not dabble in imported items - Chinese or otherwise - that are flooding the retail market right now. The cooperative society is in the process of mobilizing resources for the hyper market initiative. It plans to rope in outside investments over and above what the Consumer Protection and Guidance Society hopes to raise on its own.

The Society chose Ernakulam first because it happens to be the most commercialized city in the state Also, the comparable purchasing capacities are higher there. The nomenclature for the hyper market has a Margin Free prefix to it, seeking to build on the enormous trust that the discount chain has been able to build over a span of eight yaars of existence.

The management feels that the Margin Free retail chain has been able to earn the wholesale trust of consumers in a very short span. However, in its journey to success, the Margin Free stores have made life slightly uncomfortable for entrenched interests who have, on one hand, been fleecing consumers and on the other, resorting to indiscriminate under invoicing to avoid tax. The latter leads to loss of crores of rupees in realisable revenue for the state government.

Every month, Margin Free is opening upto 12 stores and the number has grown to 241 at last count. The chain has spread to literally all parts of Kerala. It has seven franchisees in neighbouring Tamil Nadu already and two in Karnataka. The overall turnover has grown to Rs. 600 crore.

Questions :

(a) What has been the role of pricing strategy in the success of Margin Free Markets?

(b) What are the salient features of Margin Free Market pricing strategy ?

(c) Analyse the external and internal factors that have made it possible to sustain the present pricing strategy of Margin Free Market.

(d) Discuss the limitations of the existing pricing strategy of Margin Free Market. Suggest appropriate changes.

MS51 Operations Research December 2006

2010-03-08T22:29:00.000-08:00

MANAGEMENT PROGRAMME
Term-End Examination

June, 2005

MS51 : OPERATIONS RESEARCH

Time: 3 hours
Maximum Marks: 100
(Weightage 70%)

Note : Answer any four questions

1 . (a) Express the linear Programming Problem in its general form with Matrix Notation. 10+15=25

(b) Solve the following LP - problem by SIMPLEX Method.

Minimize z = x₁ - 3x₂ + 2x₃

subject to

3x₁ - x₂ + 3x₃ ≤ 7

- 2x₁ + 4x₂ ≤ 12

- 4x₁ + 3x₂ + 5x₃≤ 10

x₁ ; x₂ ; and x₃ ≥ 0

2. Find the optimum solution for the following transportation problem. 25

From \ To	A	B	C	Total
I	1*	2	3	50
II	3	2	1	80
III	4	5	6	75
IV	3	1	2	95
Total	120	80	100

*This is unit transportation cost.

3. (a) Explain the difference between pure strategy and rnixed strategy.

(b) In a game of matching coins with two players, suppose A wins one unit of value when there are two heads, wins nothing when there are two tails and loses 1/2 unit of value when there is one head and one tail. Determine PAY - OFF matrix, the best strategy for each player and the value of the game to A. 10+15=25

4. (a) Discuss the costs associated with queuing system. Also explain the concept of optimum servicing rate and optimum cost.

(b) In a railway marshalling yard, goods trains arrive at a rate of 30 trains / day. Assuming that inter - arrival time follows exponential distribution and the service time distribution is also exponential with average 36 minutes, calculate the following :

(i) Average number of trains in the yard.

(ii) Probability of queue exceeding 10.

(iii) Utilization rate of the yard. 10+15=25

5. (a) Write down the general form of Integer Programming Problem as LP.

(b) Explain the branch and bound method of solving Integer Programming Problem.

(c) Discuss the effect of "ROUNDING - OFF" a continuous optimal solution of an LP - problem to obtain an integer solution. 9+9+7=25

6. (a) Discuss the various Inventory Control systems.

(b) A manufacturer requires 15000 units of a part annually for assembly. Manufacturer can produce this at the rate of 100 per day. Set - up cost for each production run is Rs. 24 /-.To hold one unit of this part, inventory cost of manufacturer is Rs. 5 /- for a year: Assume 250 working days per year. Find out the economic batch quantity and economic run length. 10+15=25

7 . Write short notes on any two of the following : 25

(i) Goal Programming

(ii) Non - Linear Programming

(iii) Selective Inventory Control

(iv) Simulation

MS51 Operations Research June 2005

2010-03-08T22:24:00.000-08:00

MANAGEMENT PROGRAMME
Term-End Examination

June, 2005

MS51 : OPERATIONS RESEARCH

Time: 3 hours
Maximum Marks: 100
(Weightage 70%)
Note : (i) Section A has five questions carrying 20 marks each. Attempt any three.
(ii) Section B is compulsory and carries 40 marks.
(iii) Graph paper will be supplied on demand.

SECTION A

1. Describe the origin and development of Operations Research (OR). Discuss the early Indian scene. Also highlight, how you use OR in day-to-day decision making process. (20)

2. Maximise z = 30x1 + 40x2
Subject to
60x1 + 120x2 ≤ 12,000
8x1+5x2 ≤ 600
3x1+4x2 ≤ 500
x1, x2 ≥ 0 (20)

3. Consider the game of matching coins. Two players A and B each put down a coin. If the coins match i.e. both are heads or both are tails, A gets rewarded otherwise B gets rewarded. However, matching on heads gives double premium. Obtain the best strategies for both players and the value of the game. (20)

4. A company buys in lots of 500 boxes which is a 3-month supply. The cost per box is Rs. 125 and the ordering cost is Rs. 150. The inventory cost is estimated at 20% of unit value.

(a) What is the total annual cost of the existing inventory policy ?
(b) How much money could be saved by employing the economic order quantity? (20)

5. Write short notes on any four of the following : (20)

(a) Random Variable
(b) Sensitivity Analysis
(c) Kuhn Tucker's conditions
(d) ABC Classification
(e) Steps in the simulation process

SECTION B

6. Solve the following transportation problem by Least Cost method and check the feasibility of the solution. The unit costs of shipment are given in the cells below : (20)
To D E F Supply
From
A 6 4 1 50
B 3 8 7 40
C 4 4 2 60
Demand 20 95 35 150

7. Belt snapping for conveyors in an open cast mine occurs at the rate of 2 per shift. There is only one hot plate available for vulcanising, and it can vulcanise on an average 5 belt-snaps per shift.

(a) What is the probability that when a belt snaps, the hot plate is readily available?
(b) What is the average number of belts in the system ?
(c) What is the average waiting time of an arrival ?
(d) What is the average waiting time plus vulcanising time ? (20)

MS46 Management of Financial Services June 2005

2010-03-08T22:23:00.001-08:00

MANAGEMENT PROGRAMME

Term-End Examination

June, 2005

MS-46 : MANAGEMENT OF FINANCIAL SERVICES

Time : 3 hours
Maximum Marks : 100
(Weightage 70%)

Note : Attempt any five questions. All questions carry equal marks.

1. Discuss the Economic and Financial functions of the Financial Market ? Explain the role played by the Reserve Bank of India in regulating the money market in India.

2. Explain the financial activities which come in the ambit of Merchant Banking ? What is the code of conduct laid down by SEBI, which the merchant bankers have to abide by ?

3. "Corporate Restructuring is the prccess by which a company can consolidate its business operations and strengthen its position for achieving its desired objectives." Explain this statement and point out the dlfferent ways in which restructuring could be done. What do you understand by securitisation ?

4. Describe the different types of instruments by which a securitisation can be implemented ? Briefly explain the pricing of these instruments and also highlight the benefits of secutitisation to the institution and the investors.

5. What do you understand by factoring ? Mention the types of factoring and the terms and conditions of a factoring contract.

6. Distinguish between :

(a) Leasing and Hire Purchase
(b) Debit card and Credit card
(c) Market Risk and Currency Risk
(d) Open Ended and Close Ended Schemes of Mutual Funds

7. Write short notes on any four:

(a) Zero coupon bonds
(b) Typology of Credit Rating
(c) Role ol National Housing Bank in housing finance
(d) Floating Rate Bonds
(e) Global Depository Receipts

MS43 Management Control Systems June 2007

2010-03-08T22:21:00.000-08:00

MANAGEMENT PROGRAMME

Term-End Examination

MS-43 : MANAGEMENT CONTROL SYSTEMS

Time : 3 hours
Maximum Marks : 100
(Weightage 70%)

Note : Attempt any five questions. All questions carry equal marks.

June 2007

1. Explain in detail how the new management techniques for management control are being used to assure that resources are obtained and used effectively and efficiently in the accomplishment of organisational goals.

2. What do you undersand by Management Information System ? Explain its significance in designing Management Control Systern in an organisation.

3. What is meant by Transfer Pricing ? Explain the various methods used to determine the transfer pricing.

4. Critically examine the basic features of a typical Performance Measurement System.

5. Explain the Agency Theory Framework and discuss how the Management Control System can reduce the agency cost.

6. Explain the unique features of Management Control Systems in Insurance Companies.

7 . How does the Control Environment of projects differ from that of the manufacturing organisations ? Explain.

8. What are knowledge organisations ? Analyse the role of Management Control System in knowledge organisations

MS43 Management Control Systems December 2007

2010-03-08T22:20:00.000-08:00

MANAGEMENT PROGRAMME

Term-End Examination

MS-43 : MANAGEMENT CONTROL SYSTEMS

Time : 3 hours
Maximum Marks : 100
(Weightage 70%)

Note : Attempt any five questions. All questions carry equal marks.

December 2007

1. Explain the various components of control systems.

2. Explain the following models and highlight their usefulness in formulating business unit strategies :
(a) The BCG Model
(b) General Electric (GE) Planning Model

3. Explain the boundary conditions in the context of profit cenlres. Also explain the process of performance measurement of profit centres.

4. What do yo understand by Investment Centres? Expiain the methcds used for mneasuring investment centre performance.

5. What do you mean by budgetary control system? Explain the process of budgetary control In an organisation.

6. Describe the criteria on which the incentives of business unit managers are decided.

7. What are the various special control issues faced by Multi National Corporations?

8. What are the characteristics of a project organization? Explain how do these characteristics affect the control system design of a project.

MS42 Capital Investment and Financing Decisions December 2007

2010-03-08T00:11:00.000-08:00

MANAGEMENT PROGRAMME

Term-End Examination

June, 2005

MS-42 : CAPITAL INVESTMENT AND FINANCING DECISIONS

Time : 3 hours
Maximum Marks : 100
(Weightage 70%)

Note :
(i) There are three Sections A, B and C in this paper
(ii) Students who have registered for MS-42 prior to July 2004 semester should attempt any five questions from Section A and C.
(iii) Students who have registered for MS-42 for July 2004 Semester and afterwords should attempt any five questions from Section B and C.
(iv) All questions carry equal marks.
(v) Present value tables will be provided, if asked for.

1. What do you understand by Divestiture ? Explain its salient features and distingish it from Spin-offs and Carve-outs. How would you assess the divestiture programme of a company ? Discuss.

2. Distinguish between a convertible debenture and a call option. Discuss their implications to the investors and the company issuing them.

(b) What do you mean by target pay-out ratio? Why should the risky companies have lower target pay-our ratio and more gradual adjustment rates ? Discuss the implications of tax-free dividends in the hands cf the shareholders.

3. (a) What do you mean by Venture Capital ? Expiain its main feaiures. What are the different stages at which financing may be required by a Venture Capital undertaking?

(b) Give a brief account of the financial instruments through which Venture Capital investment is made.

4. (a) What is Social Cost-Benefit Analysis ? Why is considered necessary for the economic appraisal of a project? Explain giving suitable examples.

(b) Why is Project Control necessary? Distinguish between Physical Asset Control and Financial Resource Control.

5. A Limited Company has the fallowing capital structure:

	Rs.
Equity Share Capital (2,00,000 shares)	40,00,000
6% Preference Shares	10,00,000
8% debentures	30,00,000
	80,00,000

The market price of the company's equity share is Rs. 20. It is expected that the company will pay a dividend of Rs. 2 per share at the end of the current year which will grow at 7 per cent for ever. The tax rate may be presumed at 50%.

You are required to compute the following :

(a) A weighted average cost of capital on the existing capital structure.

(b) The new weighted average cost of capital if the company raises an additional Rs. 20,00,000 debt by issuing 10 per cent debentures. This would result in increasing lhe expected dlvidend to Rs. 3 and leave the growth rale unchanged but the price of the share will fall to Rs. 15 per share.

6 . A company has a machine which has been in operation for 2 years. Its remaining estimated useful life is 10 years, with no salvage value at the end. Its current market value is Rs. 1,00,000. The Management is considering a proposal to purchase an improved model of a machine, which gives increased production. The relevant particulars are as follows :

	Existing Machine	New Machine
Purchase price	Rs. 2,40,000
Rs. 4,00,000
Estimated life	12 Years	10 Years
Salvage value	-	-
Annual operating hours	2000	2000
Selling price per unit	Rs. 10	Rs. 10
Output per hour	15 units	30 units
Material cost per unit	Rs. 2	Rs. 2
Labour cost per unit	Rs. 20	Rs. 40
Consumable stores per year	Rs.2,000	Rs. 5.000
Repairs and maintenance p.a.	Rs. 9,000	Rs. 6,000
Working capital	Rs. 25.000	Rs. 40,000

The company follows the straight line method of depreciation and is subject to 50% tax. Should the existing machinery be replaced by the new one ? Assume that the company's required rate of return is 15% and the loss on sale af maehinerv is tax deductible.

7. Distinguish between :

(a) Leasing and Hire Purchase

(b) Horizontal Merger and Vertical Merger

(d) Fixed Rate of Interest and Floating Rate of Interest

8. Write explanatory notes on any four of the following :

(a) Globalisation

(b) EBIT - EPS Analysls

(d) Special Drawing Rights

(e) Decision Tree Analysis

MS42 Capital Investment and Financing Decisions June 2007

2010-03-08T00:09:00.000-08:00

MANAGEMENT PROGRAMME

Term-End Examination

June, 2005

MS-42 : CAPITAL INVESTMENT AND FINANCING DECISIONS

Time : 3 hours
Maximum Marks : 100
(Weightage 70%)

SECTION A

1. Distinguish between Mergers and Take-overs. What are the motivating forces for mergers and take-overs? Discuss the salient features of the guidelines prescribed for take-overs in India.

2. (a) Why do the companies prefer stable dividend policy ? Explain the three forms in which stability may be maintained while distributing dividends.

(b) What are Non-Voting shares and Differential Voting Rights shares? Why are they issued by companies?

3. What do you understand by Securitisation of Assets ? How does it bring liquidity to illiquid assets ? What types of assets are suitable for securitisation ? Explain the process of securitisation and its advantages to the various parties.

4. ABC Ltd. is considering to acquire an additional computer to supplement its time sharing services. It has two options :

(i) To purchase the computer for Rs. 22 lakh, and (ii) To lease the computer on an annual rental (payable at the end of the year) of Rs. 5 lakh plus 10% of gross revenue from sharing services. An amount of Rs. 6 lakh is also payable at the end of year 3.

The revenues from time sharing services are estimated at Rs. 22,50,000, Rs. 25,00,000 and Rs. 27,50,000 for first, second and third year respectively. The computer has a salvage value of Rs. 10,00,000 at the end of 3rd year.

Annual operating cost (excluding depreciation and lease rent) is estimated at Rs. 2,00,000 per annum and an additional revenue expense of Rs. 2,00,000 is payable for training in the beginning of the first year. Both these expenses are to be borne by the lessor in case of lease.

Funds for purchase are to be acquired at the rate of 16% and are repayable Rs. 5,00,000, Rs. 8,50,000 and Rs. 8,50,000 at the end of 1st year, 2nd year and 3rd year respectively. The firm pays tax at the rate of 50% and provides depreciation at straight line method.

Which of the two options shoulcl the company choose ? Show detailed calculations.

5. Hindustan Chemicals Ltd. has paid, up equity capital of Rs. 60,00,000 divided into 6,00,000 equity shares of Rs. 10 each. The current market price of the share is Rs 24. During the current year, the company has paid a dividend of Rs. 6 per share. The company has also previously issued 14% preference shares of Rs. 10 each aggregating Rs. 30 lakhs and 13% 50,000 Debentures of Rs. 100 each. The company's corporate tax rate is 40%, growth in dividends equity shares is expected at 5%.ln case of preferences hares the company has received only 95% of the face value of shares after deducting issue expenses.

Calculate the Weighted Average Cost of Capital on the basis of book value weights and market value weights.

6. (a) Any successful project plan must contain nine key elements. List these items and briefly describe the composition of each element.

(b) Explain the concept of Project Life Cycle.

7. Explain and distinguish between Internal Rate of Return Method and Net Present Value Method of evaluating investment proposals. Which one would you prefer and why? Why is Profitability Index prepared for evaluating projects? Discuss.

8. Write short notes on the following :

(a) Social Cost Benefit Analvsis

(b) Leveraged Buyout

(d) Fixed and Floating Rates of Interest

MS42 Capital Investment and Financing Decisions June 2005

2010-03-08T00:07:00.000-08:00

MANAGEMENT PROGRAMME

Term-End Examination

June, 2005

MS-42 : CAPITAL INVESTMENT AND FINANCING DECISIONS

Time : 3 hours
Maximum Marks : 100
(Weightage 70%)

SECTION A

1. Explain the advantages of raising capital through equity shares and discuss the various methods of estimating cost of equity shares.

2. Explain social cost-benefit analysis. How is it applied to assess social desirability of a project ?

3. What is venture capital ? How is it different from seed capital ? Discuss the role of venture capital funds in the industrial development of India.

SECTION B

1. What are the main types of control systems for a project ? Identify some characteristics of a good control system.

2. Discuss various forms of mergers. What are the driving forces for mergers and acquisitions ?

3. What are the 'investment decisions' ? How are they different from financial decisions ? List the factors which influence long-term financial decisions of a firm.

SECTION C

4. Existing capital structure of Z Co. Ltd. is as follows :

        (Rs. in crores)

Paid up Share Capital of Rs. 10 each   10

Reserves and Surplus         15

Debentures bearing 14% interest p.a.        15
        --------        
            40
        --------

An expansion programme for the company is under consideration. It requires Rs. 20 crore and promises an increase of Rs. 6 crore in the EBIT from its existing level of Rs. 8 crore.

Three financing alternatives for obtaining the requisite amount of Rs. 20 crore are under consideration.

The first alternative is to issue equity shares of Rs. 10 per share at a premium of Rs. 40 each. Share issue expenses as also underpricing of the issue in comparison to the ruling market price result in net proceeds of Rs. 40 for every new share issued.

The second alternative is to borrow the requisite amount at 15% rate of interest per year

The third alternative is a combination of the first and the second, under which Rs. 10 crore will be borrowed at 15% rate of interest per year and the balance amount obtained by the issue of shares as per the terms indicated in the first alternative.

Applicable Corporate Income Tax it 40%.

You are required to answer the following :

(a) If the expansion programme is to be considered only and in case the EPS increases from its existing level, indicate whether the programme qualifies for consideration.

(b) At what level of EBIT will EPS be equal to zero under each of the financing alternatives?

5. (a) What do you understand by Weighted Average Cost of Capital ? How are the weights assigned? Explain the significance of Weighted Average Cost of Capital.

(b) ABC Ltd. has issued 15% debentures of the face value of Rs. 100 each, redeemable at the end of 7 years. The debentures are issued at a discount of 5% and the floatation cosit amounted to 1%. Find out the cost of debentures given that the firm has 50% tax rate.

6. ''Stability in the payment of dividends has a marked bearing on the market price of the shares of a corporate firm." Explain this statement. What other factors are taken into consideration while deciding the dividend payment ? Explain.

7. ABC Pvt. Ltd. is considering the possibility of purchasing a multipurpose machine which costs Rs. 10 lakh. The machine has an expected life of 5 years. The machine generates Rs. 6 lakh per year before depriciation and tax. The management wished to dispose off the machine at the end of 5 years which will fetch Rs. 1 lakh. The depreciation allowable for the machine is 25% on written down value and the company's tax rate is 50%.

The company approaches a Non-Banking Finance Company for a 5 year lease for financing the asset which quoies a rate of Rs. 28 per thousand per month.

The company wants you to evaluate the proposal with the purchase option.

The cost of capital of the company is 12%. For lease option it wants to consider a discount rate of 16%. Give your advice to the company based on calculations.

8. (a) Distinguish between risk and uncertainty in capital investment decisions. Give suitable examples.

(b) Critically evaluates ensitivity analysis as a tool of risk analysis in capital investment decisions.

MS41 Working Capital Management June 2005

2010-03-08T00:05:00.000-08:00

MANAGEMENT PROGRAMME

Term-End Examination

June, 2005

MS-41 : WORKING CAPITAL MANAGEMENT

Time : 3 hours
Maximum Marks : 100
(Weightage 70%)
Note : There are three Sections A, B and C.
Section A is meant only for the students, who have registered for MS-41 prior to July, 2004, i.e. upto January, 2004 semester.
Section B is meant only for the students registered for MS-41 from July, 2004 semester onwards.
Section C is compulsory for all the students.

SECTION A
Note : Attempt only two questions. All questions carry 20 marks each.

1. Explain what is a Letter of Credit (LC). How is it different from bank guatantee ? Also, discuss the role of LC in promoting trade and provide non-fund based source of finance for working capital.

2. (a) 'Working Capital decisions deal with decisions ensuring an optimum mix and level of current assets and current liabilities.' Elucidate the statement.

(b) What is a credit policy ? Why does a firm need it ? How is it evaluated ?

3. Distinguish between the following :

(i) Liquidity and Profitability in Working Capital Decisions
(ii) Operating Cycle and Cash Conversion Cycle
(iii) ABC Analysis and VED Analysis as methods of inventory classification
(iv) Public Deposits and Certificate of Deposits

SECTION B

Note : Attempt any two questions. All questions carry 20 marks each.

1. 'Ratio Analysis is an effective tool used by the management of a firm for better planning and control of working operations.' Discuss in the light of the above statement the importance of Ratio Analysis in Working Capital Management. AIso explain the difference between Current Ratio and Acid-test Ratio.

2. (a) Discuss about Commercial Paper as a source of financing working capital requirement of a firm.

(b) Explain the role of Cash Forecasting in Cash Management. Describe briefly any two methods of cash forecasting.

3. Ting Tot Limited furnished the following Balance Sheets as on 31st December for the years 2003 and 2004.

Balance Sheet as on December 31

(Rs. in lakh)

Liabllities 2003 2004
Equity Share Capital 10,000 10,000
General Reserve 1,400 1,800
Profit and Loss A/c 1,600 1,300
Sundry Creditors 800 540
Outstanding Expenses 120 80
Provision for Taxation 1,600 1,800
Provision for Bad Debts 40 60
15,560 15,580

(Rs. in lakh)

Assets 2003 2004
Patent Rights 1,200 1,100
Land 4,000 3,700
Building 3,700 3,600
Investments 1,000 1,100
Inventories 3,000 2,340
Receivable 2,000 2,220
Bank Balance 660 1,520
15,560 15,580

Following additianal information has also been supplied : (i) A piece of land sold for Rs 400 lakhs during 2004.
(ii) Depreciation amounting to Rs 700 lakhs charged on building during 2004.
(iii) An interim divided proposed and distributed during the year 2004 was Rs. 200 lakhs.

You are required to prepare a Cash Flow Statement.

SECTION C
Note : Attempt any three questions. All questions carry 20 marks each.

4. (a) Explain the objectives of Receivables Management.

(b) Briefly explain the purposes of the following models :

(i) Baurnol Model
(ii) Miller and Orr Model

5. Mr. A.K. Seth is supposed to develop a plan for the effective cash management of M/s South-North Textile Limited. The company adopts a six-month time span, subdivided into monthly intervals for its cash budget. Mr. Seth has collected the following relevant information in this regard :

(A) The following information is available in respect of the operations of the company :
Months (Rs.in lakhhs)
1 2 3 4 5 6
1. Sales 40 50 60 60 60 60
2. Purchases 1 15 2 2 2 1
3. Direct Labour 6 7 8 8 8 6
4. Mainufacturing Overheads 13 13.5 14 14 14 13
5. Administrative Expenses 2 2 2 2 2 2
6. Distribution Expenses 2 3 4 4 4 2
7. Raw Materials (30 days credit) 14 15 16 16 16 15

(B) The following financial flows are expected during the period of six-months :

(Inflows) :

(i) Interest received in month 1 and month 6, Rs. 1 lakh each.
(ii) Dividend received during months 3 and 6, Rs. 2 lakhs each.
(iii) Sale of shares in month 6, Rs. 160 lakhs.

(Outflows) :

(i) Interest paid in monrh 1, Rs. 0.4 lakh.
(ii) Dividend paid during months 1 and 4, Rs. 2 lakhs each.
(iii) Instalment payment on machine in month 6, Rs. 20 lakhs.
(iv) Repayment of loan in month 6, Rs. 80 lakhs.

(C) Assume that 10% of each month's sales are for cash; the balance 90% are on credit. The terms and credit experience of the company are

(i) No cash discount.
(ii) 1% of credit sales is returned by the customers.
(iii) 1% of total accounts receivables is bad debts.
(iv) 50% of all accounts that are going to pay, do so within 30 days.
(v) 100% of all accounts that are going to pay, do so within 60 days.

Assume that you are Mr. Seth. You are required to prepare a cash budget for the next 6 months.

6. (a) A firm has lead time demand distribution which is given below. It has astimated carrying cost 20% p.a. of price, which is Rs. 100. Shortage cost is also estimated at Rs. 25 per unit per period of time.
Lead time
demand 20 30 40 50 60
Probabiliiy 0.20 0.25 0.15 0.30 0.10

Determine the optimum reorder level.

(b) A processing plant has a requirement of a particular chemical which is 40 kg per week. The cost of ordering is Rs. 150 per order, holding cost is Re. 100 per kg per week, and no shortages are permitted. Vendor A will supply the chemical at Rs. 1100 per kg. Vendor B quotes the following price schedule (where X is the order quantity) :
kgs Price per kg
0 ≤ X < 100 Rs. 11.50
100 ≤ X < 200 Rs. 11.20
200 ≤ X < 400 Rs. 10.80
400 ≤ X Rs. 10.50

Which source would you prefer and what will be the minimum cost order size ?

7. The details of XYZ Company's product, costs, stock and plans, liabilities are as follows :

Activity Level

Produce 10,000 units of Product 'X' in a period of four weeks. There is no opening stock for the product.

Cost Structure of Product

Raw material = Rs. 75 per unit
Labour costs = Rs. 60 per unit
Variable Overheads= Rs. 25 per unit
Fixed Overheads= Rs. 16,00,000 per 4 weeldy period
Selling price = Rs. 500 per unit

Levels of Stock Planned

(i) Raw materials : 2 weeks consumption
(ii) Work-in-Process : 4 weeks
(iii) Finished Goods : 2 weeks supply
(iv) Debtors settle the bills six weeks after supply

Current Liabilities Structure

(i) Raw materials paid for at the end of the month in which delivery is made.
(ii) Expense creditors allow an average of six weeks credit.

You are required to estimrate the level of working capital needed for the year. You may assume 48 weeks in a year and 4 weeks in a month for computation purposes.

8. Write short notes on any four of the following :

(i) Current Assets and Fixed Assets
(ii) Terms of credit
(iii) Euromarkets as a source of financing
(iv) Maximum Permissible Bank Finance
(v) Motives of holding Cash in a firm

MS28 Labour Laws June 2005

2010-03-08T00:00:00.000-08:00

MANAGEMENT PROGRAMME

Term-End Examination

June, 2005

MS-28 : LABOUR LAWS

Time : 3 hours
Maximum Marks : 100
(Weightage 70%)
Note : (i) There are two Sections A and B.
(ii) Attempt any four questions from Section A. Each question carries 15 marks
(iii) Section B is compulsory and carries 25 marks.

SECTION A

1. What are the constitutional directives in the field of labour laws ? The labour laws have reached new dimensions with the advent of the doctrine of welfare state. Discuss.

2. Attempt any two of the following :

(a) What are the safety measures under the Factories Act, 1948 ?

(b) What are the obligations of the principal employer and contractor under the Contract labour (Regulation and Abolition) Act, 1970 ?

(c) What are the occupations and processes where child labour is prohibited under Child Labour Act, 1986 ?

3. What is a "trade union" under the Trade Unions Act, 1926 ? What is the procedure for registration of a trade union under the Act ?

4. Discuss the various provisions laid down under the Industrial Disputes Act, 1947 for settlement of Indusirial disputes.

5. Examine the main features of the Payment ol Wages Act, 1936. What are the provisions for deduction from wages ? Are they sufficient ?

6. (a) What are the benefits payable under the ESI Act, 1948 ? Give details.

(b) What are the prdvisions regarding payment of gratuity to employees under the Payment of Gratuity Act, 1972 ? Explain.

7. Write short notes on any three of the following :

(a) Main features of the Materniy Benefit Act, 1961
(b) Salient features of the Provident Fund Scheme, 1952
(c) Notice of change (Section 9-A)
(d) Special features of labour laws
(e) Principles of natural justice

SECTION B

8. Read the case given below and answer the questions given at the end.

CASE

On March 25, 1996 at abour 6.45 PM, the Duty Officer (Security), Kumar, at the Work gate informed Rathod, Electrical Engineer on telephone that one Namyan, supervisor of his department has been caught red-handed at the Works gate while attempting to steal one small electric motor and certain other spare parts used in the Electrical Dept. Rathod was requested to come to the Security Control Room, where a preliminary enquiry was to be held.

During the preliminary enquiry, it came to light that Narayan, Personnel No. 5824, Foreman, came to the Works gate at 6.15 PM on his Suvega autocycle bearing registration no. BRX 1421 (the number was not clearly visible). The works guard on duty, Krishna Bahadur asked Narayan to stop and open the tool-box that was hanging on the right side of the rear wheel. When it was opened, only one empty tiffin-box was found. Since the driver's seat appeared to be thicker and of unusual size, the works guard enquired about the same from Narayan, and not being satisfied with the reply, gave it a jerk. It was found that Narayan had constructed one box under the seat where a 0.50 hp motor and eight 5 amps switches belonging to the company were concealed.

On being asked, Narayan replied that he had attended a break-down after 5 PM in the Mill and replaced one 0.50 hp motor. The motor that was recovered was the defective one but he could not return it as the store-issuer had already left for home after his duty which ended at 5 PM. He thought he would return the motor next day, as he had done many times in the past. He, however, could not explain why he was carrying the 5 amps switches. Nor did he give any satisfactory reason for not keeping the materials in the tool-box that was visible from outside, rather than where these were kept. On checking up at the Security Control Room, it was found in the presence of Narayan, that the electic motor recovered was in working condition.

As per the Company's Certified Standing Order No. 23 (iii), 'theft, fraud, or dishonesty in connection with company's business or property' is a misconduct.

Questions :

(a) Does this case deserve suspension, pending enquiry?

(b) Advise the Works Manager on the steps for handling the above case.

MS27 Wage and Salary Administration June 2006

2010-03-07T02:47:00.000-08:00

MANAGEMENT PROGRAMME

Term-End Examination

MS-27 : WAGE AND SALARY ADMINISTRATION

Time : 3 hours
Maximum Marks : 100
(Weightage 70%)

Note : (i) There are two Sections A and B.
(ii) Attempt any four questions from Section A. Each question carries 15 marks
(iii) Section B is compulsory and carries 40 marks.

June 2006

SECTION A

1. Discuss the key economic and behavioural issues in compensation. Do wage theories prove relevant and useful for policy formulation at macro and micro levels?

2. Give an account of various types of compensation differentials. Compensation differentials have considerable economic and social significance for an organisation. Discuss.

3. Explain the various components of a compensation structure. Flexible compensation system is the future trend in compensation management. Discuss.

4. Write briefly on any two ol the following : (a) The procedure for fixing and revising minimum wages under the Minimum Wages Act, 1948. (b) The role of individual and group reward systems in an organisation. (c) The main types of pay surveys.

5. (a) What are the salient features of the Payment of Gratuity Act, 1977?

(b) What are the salient features of the Payment of Bonus Act, 1965 ?

6. Discuss the types of performance-linkerde ward schemes. Critically analyse the steps in designing a performance linked reward scheme.

7. Write short notes on any three of the following:
(a) Voluntary Retirement Schemes (VRS)
(b) Tax planning
(c) Collective bargaining as a method of wage fixation
(d) Equal pay for equal work
(e) Compensationpolicy

SECTION B

Read the following case and answer the questions given at the end.

The Indian Electric Company is a city based manufacturer of welding machines and motors. When Mr. Nirad Shah established the company in 1970, he was keenly aware of the importance of a highly motivated workforce, and how the company's success, in fact, depended on it. Therefore, Mr. Shah had to ensure that each employee would work as deligently as possible for the good of the organisation.

Mr. Shah relaised that the best way to motivate employees would be to link the company's reward and recognition system to its goals. To establish this connection, Shah developed and implemented an incentive system. Its aim was to improve the company's overall performance by allowing contributing workers to share in the proceeds. The plan rewards employees for turning out quality products efficiently while controllong costs. The system includes the following components:

Paying by the piece rate: Production workers are paid according to the number of "pieces" or product units they produce that are not defective. If a customer sends a defective part back to the company, the employee who produced it must repair it on his or her own time.

Providing year-end Bonus: To reward workers further for their efforts, Shah introduced a year-end bonus system that gives all workers opportunity to nearly double their base wages. Workers get the bonus if the company's annual profit increases. Providing Stock Options : Shah also provided his employees with the option of buying company's stock at a low cost. Employees are also given shares of the company's stock based on annual profits.

All the above financial incentive payments enabled the employees to earn more and helped to improve their morale and motivation.

Questions:

(a) Identify the salient issues of this case in general.

(b) What are the additional financial incentive schemes you suggest for sustaining the morale and motivation of the employees.

(c) Also suggest suitable non-financial incentives for further improving the morale and motivation of the employees of lndian Electric Company.

MS27 Wage and Salary Administration December 2006

2010-03-07T02:45:00.000-08:00

MANAGEMENT PROGRAMME

Term-End Examination

MS-27 : WAGE AND SALARY ADMINISTRATION

Time : 3 hours
Maximum Marks : 100
(Weightage 70%)

Note : (i) There are two Sections A and B.
(ii) Attempt any four questions from Section A. Each question carries 15 marks
(iii) Section B is compulsory and carries 40 marks.

December 2006

SECTION A

1. What are the considerations for compensation policy at macro and micro level ? Explain the practical difficulties in translating these policies into action.

2. Give an account of various individual and group reward systems in an organisation. Critically examine the emerging trend in reward system.

3. Explain the institutional mechanism of wage and salary fixation in industrial sector in India. Any system of wage fixation must be judged by how it works in practice. Discuss.

4. Attempt any two of the following
(a) Job evaluation system
(b) Profit sharing and stock options
(c) Corporate compensation policy

5. Write briefly on any two of the following
(a) Salient features of the Payment of Wages Act, 1936.
(b) Salient features of the Payment of Bonus Act, 1965.
(c) Salient features of the Provident Fund Scheme, 1952.

6. Write short notes on any three of the following:
(a) Principles of wage and sabry administration
(b) Competency based compensation
(c) Classification of incentives
(d) Compensation issues
(e) Downsizing and VRS

SECTION B

7. Read the case given below and answer the questions given at the end.

CASE

A financial institution has just decided to open a branch at Bhimunipatnam, an exdusive resort located about 20 miles from Visakhapatnam, a large city. There is no bank at present in Bhimunipatnam.

The financial institution is anxious to determine the appropriate salary for the clerical staff it expects to hire. Clerks in the city office at Visakhapatnam receive a starting salary of Rs. 3,000 per month. As a matter of company policy these salary rates have been set at mid-point of the range for financial institutions in Visakhapatnam.

A survey of local establishments at Bhimunipatnam indicates that the 'going rate' for qualified clerical personnel varies between Rs. 3,500 to Rs. 3,800 a month. This higher rate in Bhimunipatnam may be attributed, in part, to the substantially higher cost of living in this resort town, the limited number of young people seeking employment, and the fact that there are no other financial institutions in Bhimunipatnam. Banks in Visakhapatnam have traditionally paid lower salaries than other establishments, on the ground that banks offer better working conditions and higher prestige.

Questions

(a) Identify the main features of the case in general.

(b) What amount should the financial institution fix as its hiring rate for clerical personnel ?

MS27 Wage and Salary Administration June 2007

2010-03-07T02:43:00.000-08:00

MANAGEMENT PROGRAMME

Term-End Examination

MS-27 : WAGE AND SALARY ADMINISTRATION

Time : 3 hours
Maximum Marks : 100
(Weightage 70%)

Note : (i) There are two Sections A and B.
(ii) Attempt any four questions from Section A. Each question carries 15 marks
(iii) Section B is compulsory and carries 40 marks.

June 2007

SECTION A

1. Discuss the main features of reward system. How do the behavioural science theories influence reward management?

2. What is the rationale for job evaluation ? Discuss the various methods of job evaluation.

3. What are the requirements of the Payment of Wages Act, 1936 in respect of payment of wages ? Give an account of various deductions under the Act .

4. Discuss the various components of a compensation structure. What are the factors that are usually taken into consideration in determining compensation structure ?

5. Attempt any two of the following:
(a) Corporate compensation policy
(b) Compensation survey
(c) Minimum wage, fair wage and living wage

6. Discuss various allowances and fringe benefits paid to industrial employees as an integral part of their compensation package. Give examples.

7. Write short notes on any three of the following:
(a) Tax implications of compensation to employees
(b) Equal Remuneration Act , 1976
(c) Downsizing and VRS
(d) Collective bargaining as a method of wage fixation
(e) Emerging issues and trends in compensation

SECTION B

8. Read the following case and answer the questions given at the end.

The National Manufacturing Company reached an agreement with the Union on a production incentive scheme to increase production. The company had an unprecedented demand for its goods and the Union agreed for the incentive scheme. The management was pleased. with the assurance of the Union leader to personally undertake the task of implementing the scheme. The management promised to give him a free hand if he could assist in increasing production.

The Union did increase production to alrnost double the original level. As a result, the Union gained importance. Any problem could be sorted out by the Union by its direct access to the Chief Executive. The incentive scheme benefitted primarily the Union members. The scheme was inequitable some workers got disproportionately large incentives, some low and some no incentive at all. The second feature was that as the incentive was linked to the Consumer Price Index (CPI), the distortion got further accentuated. However, when the Union tried to misuse its new found powers, the management struck back one day by taking disciplinary actions against all the leaders and the Union found all of a sudden that it was without a leader.

Another Union arrived on the scene and the leader had established a rapport with the Chief Executive, and this new Union faithfully followed the tenets of the management but as a price extracted some benefits for its members exclusively. The Union saw to it that production became its exclusive responsibility and it had a hot-line with the Chief Executive for any problem resolution.

As the years passed, the Union started agitating for improvement in the wage scales. Because of the incentive scheme, the company found that any improvement in the basic wage would pose greater problems and the primary question before the management was to delink the CPI from the incentive scheme. The Union refused to delink the CPI from the incentive scheme as some of its members were earning an amount equal to, if not more than the salary, as an incentive itself. At the same time workmen with no incentive and being grade barred began to lose. And this resulted in discontentment amongst the workmen. But the dilemma could not be resolved and this led to an explosive situation.

A third union emerged on the scene and this led to intense inter-union rivalry resulting in indiscipline, loss of production, and violence within the factory premises, as a result of which the company declared a lockout.

When the plant reopened after four months, the Union in power lost its creditility and th; new Union had the complete support of the workmen. The new Union leader could develop a rapport not only with the workmen bui also with the managementa nd expected the management to solve the problem of not having revised the wage scales for a long period. But this was not an easy task as there were a lot of inequalities that the management wanted to set right.

The union, though agreeing with the management, would not agree for a cut in the wage in any manner to set right the inequalities. The Union not only wanted to cling to the beneficial aspects of the incentive scheme but also insisted that the management somehow give an increase in the basic wages. The management was being drawn into a vicious circle of the incentive scheme being inequitable but when the Union's attention was being brought to the high incentivec ategories, it reverted to the low basic wage theme. The management remained in a quandry as regards how to convince the workmen, to win over the constituency of workmen and make managers effectlve and regain supremacy in production.

Questions :

(a) Identify the problems and their causes in this case.
(b) Under the given situation, how are the problems to be remedied ?
(c) Suggest various principles and strategies the management has to keep in mind while formulating a wage incentive scheme for the employees

MS26 Organisational Dynamics December 2007

2010-03-07T02:34:00.000-08:00

MANAGEMENT PROGRAMME

Term-End Examination

MS-26 : ORGANISATIONAL DYNAMICS

Time : 3 hours
Maximum Marks : 100
(Weightage 70%)

Note : (i) There are two Sections A and B.
(ii) Attempt any four questions from Section A. Each question carries 15 marks
(iii) Section B is compulsory and carries 40 marks.

December 2007

SECTION A

1. Why do individuals Join a group? Describe the stages of group development and the effect of group processes on performance.

2. Differentiate between Stress and Burnout. Describe the sources and stages of Burnout Discuss the remedial measures.

3. Define and differentiate between decentralisation arid delegation. Citing few examples, discuss how decentralisation and delegation help in improving organisational effectiveness.

4. Discuss the importance of Diversity Management in organisations Describe different approaches in dealing with diversity

5. Write abort notes on any three of the following
(a) Organisational Ethics and Values
(b) Transformational leadership
(c) Role analysis techniques
(d) Social responsibilities of organisations
(e) Strategic alliances

SECTION B

6. Read the following case carefully and answer the questions given at the end.

CASE

X Watches is a joint sector company promoted by a leading business house and a state government. The plant was set up 45 km away from Bangalore. The company is known for Its professional work culture and very attractive remuneration packages. When the plant was set up five years ago, the management was able to attract many senior and middle level managers and operators from a reputed public sector company, also manufacturing watches. For its tool room, X Watches poached on a well known tool room and training centre and weaned away couple of managers and tool makers. Key posts of the plant, however, were held by personnel drawn from other own group companies. The group had its plants in all parts of India, except in South. X Watches is the first to be established in South of Vindhyans. X Watches, therefore, had a mixed group of personnel - hailing from public sector, tool room. (operating in South India) and the groups top ranking executives (came to South India for the first time). Added to this were the workers who were from all localities. After six months, all-around disillusionment had set in and everyone was cursing himself or herself for quitting his or her previous job and joining X Watches.

Questions :

(a) List out the cross-cultural undercurrents in the above case-incident.

(b) How do you bring about pervasiveness or homogeneity in the above situation?

(c) Discuss the case incident under the following culture maintenance factors
(i) selection,
(ii) top management practices, and
(iii) socialisation process.

MS26 Organisational Dynamics June 2005

2010-03-07T02:31:00.000-08:00

MANAGEMENT PROGRAMME

Term-End Examination

MS-26 : ORGANISATIONAL DYNAMICS

Time : 3 hours
Maximum Marks : 100
(Weightage 70%)

Note : (i) There are two Sections A and B.
(ii) Attempt any four questions from Section A. Each question carries 15 marks
(iii) Section B is compulsory and carries 40 marks.

June 2005

SECTION A

1. Why do people feel alienated from one's own self or others ? If a member of a group tries to destroy the cohesiveness of the group what measures may be taken to deal with him/her ? Explain with suitable exampes.

2. Explain the concept of 'Coping'. Differentiate between functional and dysfunctional coping strategies for role stresses, with suitable examples.

3. Why is 'Business Ethics' assuming greater importance in today's business world ? Identify and briefly discuss in various functions of management.

4. What do you understand by the term 'Empowerment' ? What is Empowerment Audit ? Should it be undertaken at all ? Justify your answer.

5. What are the dynamics behind group formation ? Identify the reasons which play an influential role in the formation of a group and why. Explain with suitable examples.

6. Write short notes on any three of the following :
(i) Job rotation
(ii) Structural Interventions for OD
(iii) BOSS and ROSS
(iv) Dimensions of Diversity
(v) Power dynamics in organizations

SECTION B

7. Please read the case given below and answer the questions given at the end :

On 15 March 1949, Merry Joseph came in to see Mr. John, the plant personnel director, to talk over a problem that was troubling her. Merry was a hand assembly production worker in a modern 600-employee branch plant located in a large eastern city. After Merry told Mr. John her story, he asked her to write out a description of the situation. Her statement is reproduced here.

Reconsider this case not unusual nor typical, but as having happened to me and to a few others. As I am not equipped to do the work, it offers little or no solution to the problem at hand. I would not be writing this report if I had not remembered the advice given by Mr. John of Personnel. He told a group that should we have a problem, to please consult him before walking out. However, I will mention here that I have seen a few very conscientious workers walk out without "fighting the case".

When I was first hired, Mr. Nair, the foreman, introduced me to the young lady who taught me the process of soldering lead wires. I asked her how much production I would be expected to turn in daily, and she secured this information for me from the other girls. This seemed at the moment like a fantastic sum, but she assured me that after a few days I would become quite efficient, which I soon did. I am not one to "bite the hand that feeds me", so I began working and finally developed the system into a sort of a game.

A few weeks later, one of the girls asked me how I was doing, and I told her that I was doing fine. She looked at my production sheet and swore. She was astonished to see how much I was producing each hour. She bitterly reminded me that girls that had been here for several months or even years were not producing what I had accomplished in a few weeks! I laughed that off as somewhat of a compliment. That was my big mistake as far as co-operating with the company or satisfying my gregarious tendencies was concerned. I was immediately and severely ostracized.

During the weeks that ensued, I noticed I was not completely alone; there were a few others who were also "friendless". However, it was soon apparent that ostracism was not satisfying the desires of their fiendish little plan. Threats were to follow and they did follow.

Having worked in the "violent ward" of a psychopathic hospital, I was not the least bit nervous because of these threats but others were, I noticed a few things about the character, temperament and education of those who were apparently "bossing". They were usually the old-timers and loafers - girls with great deal of confidence and little reason for it. Sometimes, their reasons for fighting the enormous business organisation which represents their security, were quite convincing : ''Your work is never appreciaied." "They'll always want more and more." "You haven't got a chance to get a merit wage increase unless you go out with the boss. ." After this general talking to, the poor girls began to wonder; some of them stayed a few days and then didn't turn up for work. The clique had scored again.

I sat and wondered as I worked. What to do ? I was assured I had the bosses on my side, but the... The long dead silence and the vulgar, stupid remarks of the other girls soon began to get under my skin. I worked quite a while at the psychopathic hospital, and "they" never bothered me, but these stupid little people and their moronic remarks soon began to annoy me terribly. Because my production was high, I was asked to work Saturdays. This brought a violent counter thrust from the rebels.

Soon their campaign began to affect me exactly as they had planned (Or am I giving them too much credit ?) My production was dropping. The assistant foreman. Bert, asked me if I was ill. When I told him my troubles, he advised me to see Mr. Nair, which I did. Mr. Nair listened attentively and asked the names of the rebels, which I readily gave, not feeling at all like an informer. He then assured me, though stammering, that justice would prevail. I noticed little change.

The little minds had other desires than to keep their jobs secure; they wanted to jeopardize the position of their immediate superiors. philip, who had advised me to talk to Mr. Nair, commonly held the reputation of being a communist, nailed on him by "my rebels". I have always maintained in my philosophy that if one cannot become great by one's own methods of accomplishment, then one will probably pull everyone else down below him, until by comparison he is above the mob, hence great. This is commonly known as "scapegoatism". These girls carried this farther than I ever dreamed would be done. Scapegoating is a common activity of the uneducated. Education of the population, while not the solution, will greatly aid in the eventual solution of this problem.

However, back to the practical aspects of the problem at hand. I had convinced myself that most of the girls were not the kind I would care to associate with, anyway, so my scope of activity was not ruptured too severely. As they ignored me, I ignored them. However, something happened that I had not counted on. I became physically ill from the entire situation. Having had a few lectures on psychosomatic diseases, I knew I had not incorrectly diagnosed the case.

My relief came in the form of a temporary transfer to another department. I knew it would take some time before the girls would become acquainted with my case, and the rest was welcome. I was shocked to find that no one was interested in my "reputation". I was further shocked when I began to notice that harmony, tranquillity, and cooperation prevailed in this department. It is my opinion that part of the cause for such cooperation in this department may be attributed to the fact of one boss - and a capable, understanding man, at that.

Then, I was told to return to my former department, where I was greeted by my boss with : "Enjoy your vacation". This does not strike me as being very complimentary to one who has been conscientious from the beginning.

I had been taught to report all inferior-grade materials, and this particular morning I found the wire defective. Afier reeling yards of red tape from a few of my bosses, I finally was sent to Mr. Nair. Again, Mr. Nair was glad to see me, "I want you to get back to your machine, sit down, and mind your own business. Your production is falling. Why ?" This I was told before I had a chance to speak. Here, I explained about the strain I was under and about the inferior materials. He then told me to work as best I could with the inferior materials, as he didn't want to send any of the girls home. I then told him I had thought of leaving. He sarcastically mentioned that perhaps it was for the best. This shock drove me to Mr. John of Personnel, and to standing here in my living room dictating this to my husband, the typist of the family.

Questions :

(a) What are the salient features of the case ? Explain.

(b) How do you see the work culture/climate in the organisation ? Critically evaluate.

(d) How do you see the act and record of Merry vis-a-vis her colleagues in this case?

MS25 Managing Change in Organisations December 2005

2010-03-07T02:17:00.000-08:00

MANAGEMENT PROGRAMME
Term-End Examination

December, 2005

MS25 : MANAGING CHANGE IN ORGANISATIONS

Time: 3 hours
Maximum Marks: 100
(Weightage 70%)

Note : (i) There are two Sections A and B
(ii) Section A consists of two sets. Set I is to be attempted by students who have registered for MS-25 before January, 2004. Set II is to be attempted by students who have registered for MS-25 from January, 2004 onwards.
(iii) Attempt any four questions from Section A, each carrying 15 marks.
(iv) Section B is compulsory for all and carries 40 marks.

SECTION A

(Set I)

(Pre-Revised)

1. Discuss the process of transformational change and the steps involved in it. Illustrate an instance where such a change was brought about.

2. What is an organizational intervention ? Briefly discuss the methods of task force and internal facilitator development with examples.

3. Describe the role of an internal change agent and its significance. Discuss the skills required for a successful change agent.

4. What are the reasons for the failure of implementation of change interventions ? What interface would you suggest between management and employees in such an instance?

5. Write short notes on any three of the following :
(i) Work redesign
(ii) Sources of resistance to change
(iii) Observation method
(iv) Role of chief implementor to change
(v) Role efficacy

SECTION A

SET (II) (Revised)

1. Why do people and organisations resist change? Describe few methods of managing resistance to change.

2. Justify the process of change evaluation and briefly discuss its process Highlight action research in evaluating change.

3. Discuss the role of business process re-engineering in organisational change and critically evaluate it's significance.

4. Discuss the factors of a successful company in continuously adapting to change. Illustrate.

5. Write short notes on any three of the following :
(i) Turn-around management
(ii) Mergers and Acquisitions
(iii) Role negotiation technique
(iv) Transactional analysis
(v) Role of a leader in change management

SECTION B

6. Read the following case carefully and answer the questions given at the end :

TransAct Insurance Corporation (TIC) provides automobile insurance throughout the south-eastern United States. Last year a new president was brought in by TIC'S Board of Directors to improve the company's competitiveness and customer service. After spending several months assessing the situation, the new president introduced a strategic plan to improve TIC'S competitive position. He also replaced three vice presidents. Ram Kumar was hired as vice president of claims, TIC's largest division with 1,500 employees, 50 claims center managers, and 5 regional directors.

Ram Kumar immediately met with all claims managers and directors, and visited employees at TIC's 50 claims centers. As an outsider, this was a formidable task, but his strong interpersonal skills and uncanny ability to remember names and ideas helped him through the process. Through these visits and discussions, Ram Kumar discovered that the claims division had been managed in a relatively authoritarian,top down manner. He could also see that morale was extremely low and employee-management relations were guarded. High workloads and isolation (claims adjusters work in tiny cubicles) were two other common complaints. Several managers acknowledged that the high turnover among claims adjusters was partly due to these conditions.

Following discussions with TIC's president, Ram Kumar decided to make morale and supervisory leadership his top priority. He initiated a divisional newsletter with a tear-off feedback form for employees to register their comments. He announced an open-door policy in which any claims division employee could speak to him directly and confidentially without going first to the immediate supervisor. Ram Kumar also fought organizational barriers to initiate a flextime program so that employees could design work schedules around their needs. This program later became a model for other areas of TIC.

One of Ram Kumar's most pronounced symbols of change was the "Claims Management Credo" outlining the philosophy that every claims manager would follow. At his first meeting with the complete claims management team, Ram Kumar presented a list of what he thought were important philosophies and actions of effective managers. The management group was asked to select and prioritize items from this list. They were told that the resulting list would be the division's management philosohy and all managers would be held accountable for abiding by its principles. Most claims managers were uneasy about this process, but they also understood that the organization was under competitive pressure and that Ram Kumar was using this exercise to demonstrate his leadership.

The claims managers developed a list of 10 items, such as encouraging teamwork, fostering a trusting work environment, setting clear and reasonable goals, and so on. The list was circulated to senior management in the organization for their comment and approval and sent back to all claims managers for their endorsement. Once this was done, a copy of the final document was sent to every claims division employee. Jim also announced plans to follow up with an annual survey to evaluate each claims manager's performance. This worried the managers but most of them believed that the credo exercise was a result of Ram Kumar's initial enthusiasm and that he would be too busy to introduce a survey after setting into the job.

One year after the credo had been distributed, Ram Kumar announced that the first annual survey would be conducted. All claims employees were to complete the survey and return it confidentially to the human resources department where the survey results would be compiled for each claims center manager. The survey asked the extent to which the manager had lived up to each of the 10 items in the credo. Each form also provided space for comments.

Claims center managers were surprised that the survey Ram Kumar had promised a year ago would be conducted, but they were even more worried about Ram's statement that the results would be shared with employees. What "results" would employees see ? Who would distribute these results ? What happens if a manager gets poor ratings from his or her subordinates? "We'll work out the details later," said Ram in response to these questions. "Even if the survey results aren't great, the information will give us a good baseline for next year's survey.

The claims division survey had a high response rate. In some centers, every employee completed and returned a form. Each report showed the claims center managers average score for each of the 10 items and how many employees rated the manager at each level of the five point scale. The reports also included every comment made by employees at that center.

No one was prepared for the results of the first survey, Most managers received moderate or poor ratings on the 10 items. Very few managers averaged above 3.0 (out of a five-point scale) on more than a couple of items. This suggested that, at best, employees were ambivalent about whether their claims center manager had abided by the 10 management philosophy items. The comments were even more devastating than the ratings. Comments ranged from mildly disappointed to extremely critical of their claims manager. Employees also described their long-standing frustration with TlC, high workloads, and isolated working conditions. Several people bluntly stated that they were skeptical about the changes that Ram had promised. "We've heard the promises before, but now we've lost faith." wroie one claims adjuster.

The survey results were sent to each claims manager, the regional director, and employees at the claims center. Ram Kumar instructed managers to discuss the survey data and comments with their regional manager and directly with employees. The claims center managers, who thought employees only received average scores, were shocked to learn that the reports included individual comments, Some managers went to their regional director, complaining that revealing the personal comments would ruin their careers. Many directors sympathized, but the results were already available to employees.

When Ram heard about these concerns, he agreed that the results were lower than expected and that the comments should not have been shown to employees. After discussing the situation with the regional directors, he decided that the discussion meetings between claims managers and their employees should proceed as planned. To delay or withdraw the reports would undermine the credibility and trust that Ram was trying to develop with employees. However, the regional director in that area attended the meeting in each claims center to minimize direct conflict between the claims center manager and employees.

Although many of these meetings went smoothly, a few created harsh feelings between managers and their employees. The source of some comments was easily identified by their content, and this created a few delicate moments in several sessions. A few months after these meetings, two claims center managers quit and three others asked for transfers back to non-management positions in TIC. Meanwhile, Ram wondered how to manage this process more effectively, particularly since employees expected another survey the following year.

Questions :

(a) Identify the forces pushing for change and the forces restraining the change effort in this case.

(b) Was Ram Kumar successful at bringing about change ? Why or why not ?

MS25 Managing Change in Organisations June 2005

2010-03-07T02:15:00.000-08:00

MANAGEMENT PROGRAMME
Term-End Examination

June, 2005

MS25 : MANAGING CHANGE IN ORGANISATIONS

Time: 3 hours
Maximum Marks: 100
(Weightage 70%)

SECTION A

SET I (Pre-Revised)

1. Define Organisational Diagnosis. Discuss the process of organisational diagnosis, with suitable examples.

2. Discuss any two models of change and their merits and demerits, citing a few instances.

3. Explain the importance of social and organisational culture in bringing about change. Discuss what creates a proactive approach in bringing about change in organisational culture.

4. Discuss the key roles for managing change in organisations, and their limitations.

5. Write short notes on any three of the following :
(i) Transformational change
(ii) Process consultation
(iii) Internal Resource Development
(iv) Role Analysis Technique
(v) Sensitivity training

SECTION A

SET II (Revised)

1. Identify the essential features of turnaround management and its application in changing an organisation.

2. Describe the 21st century organisational trends and discuss the adaptation process for organisations to adjust for their survival and growth.

3. Discuss how to leverage structure and systems for managing organisational change.

4. Describe an intervention. Discuss some of the structural interventions and their applicability in organisational context.

5. Write short notes on any three of the following :
(i) Approaches to evaluating change
(ii) Skills for managing change
(iii) Process based change
(iv) Transaction alanalysis
(v) Managing transitions

SECTION B

6. Read the following case carefully and answer the questions given at the end

Tushar had been hearing the rumour doing the rounds since the past ten days. However, as per his nature, he had ignored it and concentrated on doing his Job even better. But today, Tushar had seen his name along with other names recommended and officially told to start attending the three month's computer course to gain knowledge on the usage of computers to textile industry.

Tushar, after completing a polytechnic (diploma) in Textile engineering had joined the J.p. Mills as a junior assistant in the design development department, some twenty years ago. At the time of joining, the textile industry was booming. J.P. Mills was also doing well in terms of volume and profitability during the boom period. However, with the opening of the economy and the entry of many multinational readymade brands, a visible change was seen in the customers buying behaviour. The past seven to eight years has seen a shift in the customers' mindset towards purchase of ready-to-use wear. This was unlike the earlier trend, when people prefferred to purchase a well-known textile company's cloth material (in this market J.P. Mills was doing very well and had almost 27% market share), and get their clothes stitched by any wellknown tailor. So as to keep in pace with the new market requirement, the J.P. Mills Owner and Managing Director, Nithin Kapasi, decided to enter into a tie-up with an MNC, Sandy Wear Store, which wanted to enter into a joint venture with J.P. Mills to get a manufacturing base in India.

It was in this connection that the rumours started circulating about the new management planning to remove the existing employees of J.P. Mills by introducing programmes for them under the guise of upgrading their knowledge in computers. When the rumours started initially, many executives and employees had put in their papers. But many others, like Tushar, continued to put in their hours, but one could always sense their uneasiness. Hence, seeing his name on the notice board, made Tushar uneasy and he was expecting the worst, when he received a call from Nancy, the P.A. to the Personnel Manager, Viresh, asking him to meet the latter after the lunch break.

Tushar, when he met Viresh, was pleasantly surprised to hear that in the new organisational set-up, he would be required to do a lot of the work on the computer (packages). This would eventually result in a lot of cost saving for the company, because the available new computer packages in the market will help in reducing the time (spent) between receipt of order, selection of the various designs (optimised selection can be done with the help of the new software packages) and execution of the orders in time. Viresh ended the talk by saing that the new management expected all this responsibility to be entrusted to Tushar and hence his name had been put up on the list of those required to attend various computer courses.

Questions :

(a) What factors had caused resistance in change among J.P. Mills employees ?

(b) Do you agree with the strategy adopted by Viresh in communicating about the changes to Tushar ?

MS24 Union-Management Relations (Pre-Revised) / Employment Relations (Revised) December 2005

2010-03-07T02:13:00.001-08:00

MANAGEMENT PROGRAMME
Term-End Examination

December, 2005

MS24 : PRE-REVISED : UNION-MANAGEMENT RELATIONS
REVISED: EMPLOYMENT RELATIONS

Time: 3 hours
Maximum Marks: 100
(Weightage 70%)

Note : (i) There are two Sections A and B
(ii) Section A has two sets. Set I is meant for the students who have registered for MS-24 prior to January, 2005 i.e. upto June, 2004. Set II is meant for the students who have registered from January, 2005 and onwards.
(iii) Attempt any three questions from Section A. All questions carry 20 marks each.
(iv) Section B is compulsory for all and carries 40 marks.

SECTION A

(Set I)

(Pre-Revised)

1. Discuss the organisational factors which affect the union-management relations citing suitable examples. (20)

2. Describe the origin and growth of employers associations in India. Discuss the present position and challenges faced by these organisations in the current scenario. (20)

3. Identify the skills of negotiation. Discuss the negotiation process and cite suitable organisational examples in support of your answer. (20)

4. Identify the strategies for making participation more effective. (20)

5. Write short notes on any three of the following : (20)
(a) Tripartite consultation
(b) Functions of trade union
(c) Managing collective bargaining
(d) Arbitration
(e) Approaches to industrial relations

SECTION A

(SET I)

(Revised)

1. Discuss the role of Indian Constitution in evolving labour policy. Identify the impact of ILO on industrial relations. (20)

2. Briefly explain how internal affairs of the union are managed. Describe the new roles of trade unions. (20)

3. Define collective bargaining. Describe the types of collective bargaining citing suitable organisation examples. (20)

4. Define adjudication. Analyse the principles of industrial adjudication. (20)

5. Write short notes on any three of the following : (20)
(a) Red Hot Stove Rule
(b) Objecives of Workers Participation in Management
(c) Activities of Managerial Unionism
(d) Conciliation
(e) Grievance procedure

SECTION B

6. Read the case carefully and answer the questions given at the end :

Norman (I) Limited

THE COMPANY

The first wall tile manufacturing plant in India was established by Kay Pee in 1963 at Thane in Mumbai under the name Norman Tiles. The company was using the brand name 'Norman', a leading international tile manufacturer, Norman International Limited and was paying royalty for the same. The Norman International Limited owned 49% equity in this venture since its inception. With growth in sight the company set up another manufacturing unit at Rampur in the state of Uttar Pradesh with an investment of Rs. 85 million in the year 1981. Initially, at Rampur unit the company was carrying out only partial operations with semi-finished products being supplied by Thane unit. It was only in 1984, that the company started carrying out full operations at the Rampur unit. Since the market for ceramic tiles started expanding, the company expanded its operations accordingly. The process of manufacturing wall tiles was such that it needed unskilled manpower barring few fitters and electricians. Accordingly, the company hired 400 workers mostly uneducated and unskilled from nearby villages. Few of them were taken for the fitter and mechanic positions. Apart from these, there were sixty staff members looking after the other support functions. The workers were paid low wages and were employed on temporary basis at the beginning and till 1986 most of them were not made permanent. The human resource department was headed by R.C. Jain, who was an experienced professional and was with the firm since its inception.

THE GENESIS

In 1986 the company ventured into floor tile manufacturing and set up another facility at Rampur unit. This plant was semi-automatic as compared to the wall tile plant which needed manual operations. The machinery of floor tiles unit was bought from italy and due to the nature of process some experienced workers were shifted from wall tile facilily. Slowly, two distinct groups of workers emerged based on the nature of their job and subsequent skills required. First group was that of unskilled workers mostly associated with manual operations and the second group was that of skilled workers looking after technical operations. The second group was paid higher wages than the first group. This disparity led to discontentment among workers but in the absence of union, it never came out as an organised reaction. The first such organised attempt was made by workers in 1988, but a prompt and harsh action from management aborted the workers bid to form union. However, this event drew management's attention towards workers grievances and management helped workers to form a union in 1989. The union was named "Bhartiya Crystallisation Mazdur Sangh". However, since most of the workers barring few technical ones were uneducated, they were unaware of roles and responsibllities of union

The management started negotiations with the newly formed union and the first wage settlement agreement was signed on January 19, 1990. In this agreement, though the management agreed to increase wages to the extent of Rs. 250 per month, it linked wages to production targets. After three months of this agreement, the union leader left the organisation to join government service. The union was left leaderless. After some time the workers started voicing their concern about the target-linked wages, but in the absence of a leader their concerns could not get a voice. It was at this point that some external labour leaders started inciting the workers. A gate meeting was organised to exploit the situation on September 21, 1990. After this incident the industrial relations situation further worsened and led to a go-slow movement by workers in January 1991. This affected the productivity of the plant severely. Due to the absence of union leadership, management too found it difficult to control the situation, since external leaders influence was very much visible and company's HR manager R.C. Jain refused to talk to the outsiders. He remained adamant and left the job in March 1991 and the go-slow by the workers continued. In another development the incumbent HR manager Arun Joshi, who took over after Jain left converted variable DA to a fixed DA rate. Since, at that time inflation was spiralling and the rate of DA, elsewhere, was high, the workers refused to accept this provision. Ultimately, under pressure from external leaders as well as workers of the firm, Joshi withdrew the fixed DA and accepted the variable DA provision.

In the meantime, K.N. Trivedi took over as the unit head on May 5, 1991. Before Joining this plant, he had served the Indian Air Force for seventeen years and was a strict disciplinarian. The organisational situation demanded quick action to stop go-slow because the company had market share of forty per cent in both the tile categories and the demand for tiles was still going up. The management did not want to lose a single day's production. In a calculated move the management suspended thity five workers who were on a go-slow. This was for the first time that any worker was suspended from the plant which instilled a sense of fear in the minds of the workers. As a result of this, workers started working and the productivity of the plant started showing Meanwhile, the management had terminated some of the suspended employees who later on moved to the labour court against management's action on the presumption that labour courts are generally sympathetic to the workers. At the same time, Trivedi started dialogue with the external leaders to end the stalemate. The external leaders put pressure on the management to reinstate the suspended workers. Management agreed to make permanent those employees who were working with the company since its inception and did it with immediate effect. Suspension of some of the workers was also cancelled. Though these efforts helped management in streamlining the production, the atiitude of the workers could not be changed totally. The ownership spirit amongst workers could not be developed.

The situation took another ugly turn in February, 1992 when the workers who were suspended earlier tried to create disturbances in the plant. The discontent was further fuelled by bad food provided to the workers in the units canteen in March, 1992. Ultimately, this led to fomation of a new union "Bhartiya Yuva Sanitary and Crystallisation Mazdur Sangh". This union was not affiliated to any national labour union. However, the leaders were under the influence of Bhartiya Mazdur Sangh (BMS). This union submitted a charter of demands to the management. The demands included grain loan which was a contentious issue because the company had never given any grain loan to the workers. The demands were not accepted by the management. The workers gheraoed Trivedi but the management did not accede to the demands and called the police to intervene.

On March 17, 1992 the workers went on strike on the call of the union without giving any prior notice. The management terminated seventeen workers during the strike. The strike continued till May 5, 1992. The workers were not paid any wages during the strike period. Since tbe workers were low wage earners, they were unable to continue the strike lor a longer period. The management used the situation to their advantage and accepted only minor demands of sanctioning an advance of Rs. 500 to the workers. The workers accepted the management decision and were willing to restart production. Management re-employed the suspended workforce gradually over a period of fifteen-twenty days. Since, the workers did not receive wage. For the strike period. they had realised the importance of their employment.

In October, 1993 the second agreement was signed between management and the union. Between October, 1993 and December, 1996 the productivity and industrial relations were improved. In 1996 the organisation started receiving export orders for its products. The quality requirements for the export orders were stringent. Therefore, the organisation decided to go in for ISO 9000 certification for their Rampur plant. The management realising the importance of workers involvement in ISO 9000 certification process started training workers on a continuous basis in June, 1996. The in-house training emphasised on house keeping, general hygiene of the workers, standard operation procedure and awareness about all kinds of losses. As a result of continued efforts, ISO 9002 certification was received by the plant in January, 1997. Meanwhile, the third wage agreement was signed between the management and the union for a period of three years in January, 1997. To reinforce the training process, HRD cell with well-equipped in-house training tools was developed in January, 1998. Training programmes focussed on shop-floor excellence and total Poductive maintenance (TPM). Quality manual for internal use was also developed. The goals for 2000-2001 for the plant were devised as under :

Laying of natural gas pipeline

ISO 14000 certification

Control of losses

Reduction in personnel expenditute

Team building training

The Rampur plant of Norman had come a long way since its inception. In the words of Trivedi "despite all the bottlenecks we have achieved a satisfactory level of productivity. We still intend to continue doing so by various means. However, I want to build this plant as a community where each member's commitment with the plant remains high. This can only be achieved by inculcating the ownership value. We sincerely believe that this can only be developed by creating a community of Norman in which every member is ensured of a minimum standard of living with all basic amenities and worry free life away from work. We intend to do so by providing medical, educational and vocational training facilities for their families, thereby developing trust between the management and the workers".

Questions :

(a) Does formation of trade unions help organisations improve industrial relations ?

(b) Was it a right strategy to nurture pro-management union leaders ?

(c) The strategy to instill fear in the minds of workers to improve their productivity was in the interest of the organisation, Discuss.

(d) In your view, what action should have been taken by the management at various stages to improve labour-management relations ?

MS24 Union-Management Relations June 2005

2010-03-07T02:09:00.000-08:00

MANAGEMENT PROGRAMME
Term-End Examination

June, 2005

MS24 : UNION-MANAGEMENT RELATIONS

Time: 3 hours
Maximum Marks: 100
(Weightage 70%)

Note : There are two Sections A and B, Section A has two sets. Set I is meant for the students who have registered for MS-24 prior to January, 2005 i.e. upto June, 2004. Set II is meant for the students who have registered from January, 2005 and onwards. Attempt any three questions from Section A. All questions carry 20 marks each. Section B is compulsory for all and carries 40 marks.

SECTION A

(Set I)

1. Describe the major national and international events and issues which have impact on national economies and enterprises which eventually affect employment relations. Mention few relevant indian examples. (20)

2. Discuss the growth of trade unions and their development in India. Write an overview of trade union functions and problems and give suggestions for improvement. (20)

3. Explain the conflict generation processes. Also mention the types of conflict. Critically examine various mechanisms for reasoning conflicts. (20)

4. Review the growth and development of Workers Participation in Management in lndia. Describe various models of Workers Participation in Management. (20)

5. Write short notes on any three of the following : (20)
(a) Composite Bargaining
(b) White-Collar Unions
(c) International Labour Organisation
(d) Conciliation
(e) Negotiation Process

SECTION A

(Set II)

1. Describe the concept and scope of industrial relations. Discuss various approaches to industrial relations. (20)

2. Distinguish between trade unions and managerial associations. Discuss the factors influencing the formation of managerial associations. (20)

3. Explain the concept of collective bargaining and discuss the emerging issues of collective bargaining in India. (20)

4. Discuss the nature and causes of indiscipline in industry. What are the dilferent processes of disciplinary action ? (20)

5. Write short notes on any three of the following : (20)
(a) Voluntary arbitration
(b) Grievance procedure
(c) Issues involved in participative forums in India
(d) Recognition of unions
(e) Employers' organisations in India

SECTION B

6. Read the case carefully and answer the questions given at the end. (40)

V.J. Textiles is a leading industry having a workforce of more than 1200 employees, engaged in the manufacture of cotton yarn of different counts. The company has a well-established distribution network in different parts of the country. It has modernised all its plants, with a view to improve the productivity and maintain quality. To maintain good human relations in the plants and the organisation as a whole, it has extended all possible facilities to the employees. Compared to other mills, the employees of V.J. Industries are enjoying higher wages and other benefits.

The company has a chief executive, followed by executives in-charge of different functional areas. The Industrial Relations Department is headed by the Industrial Relations Manager. The employees are represented by five trade unions - A, B, C, D and E (unions are alphabetically presented based on membership) - out of which the top three unions are recognised by the management for purposes of negotiations. All the unions have maintained good relations with the management individually and collectively.

For the past ten years, the company has been distributing bonus to the workers at rates more than the statutory minimum presribed under the Bonus Act. Last year, for declaration of rate of bonus, the management had a series of discussions with all recognised unions and finally announced a bonus. which was in turn agreed upon by all the recognised unions. The very next day when the management prepared the settlement and presented it before the union representatives, while Unions A and C signed the same, the leader of Union B refused to do so and walked out, stating that the rate of bonus declared was not sufficient. The next day Union B issued a strike notice to the management asking for higher bonus. The management tried its level best to avoid the unpleasant situation, but in vain. As a result, the members of Union B went on strike. They were joined by the members of Union D.

During the strike, the management could probe the reason for the deviant behaviour of Union B leader; it was found that leader of Union A, soon after the first meeting, had stated in the presence of a group of workers, "lt is because of me that the management has agreed to declare this much amount of bonus to the employees; Union B has miserably failed in its talks with the management for want of initiative and involvement". This observation somehow reached the leader of Union B as a result of which he felt insulted.

Soon after identifying the reason for Union B's strike call, the Industrial Relations Manager brought about a compromise between the leaders of Unions A and B. Immediately after this meeting the strikers (members of Unions B and D) resumed work and the settlement was signed for the same rate of bonus as was originally agreed upon.

Questions

(a) Was the leader of Union A justified in making remarks which made the leader of Union B feel offended ?

(b) What should be management's long term strategy for avoiding recurrence of inter-union differences on such issues ?

(c) If you were the Industrial Relations Manager what would you have done had the Union B resorted to strike for a reason other than that mentioned in the case

MS23 Human Resource Planning June 2005

2010-03-07T02:06:00.000-08:00

MANAGEMENT PROGRAMME
Term-End Examination

June, 2005

MS23 : HUMAN RESOURCE PLANNING

Time: 3 hours
Maximum Marks: 100
(Weightage 70%)

Note : (i) There are three Sections A and B.
(ii)Section A has two Sets I and II.
(iii)Set I is meant for the students who have registered for MS23 prior to July 2004 i.e. upto January, 2004.
(iv) Set II is meant for the students who have registered for MS-23 from July 2004 onwards.
(v) Attempt any three questions from Section A. All questions carry 20 marks each.
(vi) Section C is compulsory for all and carries 40 marks.

SECTION A

1. Define Human Resource Planning. How do quantitative and qualitative dimensions regulate the supply of human resources? Explain with suitable examples.

2. In the current business scenario, when boundaryless jobs are being conceptualised, how relevant is the concept of Job description and Job Analysis in HRM ? Critically analyse.

3. Why should personnel data be computerised? Does it help any way in decision-making process in an organisational setup ? Explain with suitable examples.

4. How can Performance Appraisal, and Training and Development be made integral parts of Human Resouce Planning. Explain with examples.

5. Write short notes on any three of the following :
(a) Human Resource Audit
(b) Labour Force Participation
(c) Job Evaluation
(d) Migration of Workforce
(e) Human Resource Costs

SECTION B

1. What are forecasting techniques? Discuss the role of HRP professionals in effectively implementlng various HR Programmes to address anticipated problems. Explain with examples.

2. Define Roles and discuss its types. Explain approaches and factors contributing to changing roles in organizations.

3. Discuss various objectives of Performance Appraisal. Explain methods of Performance Appraisal.

4. What are the main causes of job dislocation? Discuss the strategies to deal with dislocated employees. Explain with examples.

5. Write short notes on any three of the following:
(a) H.R. Inventory
(b) Transformation at the workplace
(c) Design of Job Description
(d) Orientation check list
(e) Human Resource Accounting

SECTION C

6. Read the case given below and answer the questions given at the end.

Mr. Kapil Kumar and Mr. Abbas Ali were working in a scooter manufacturing public sector industry as Senior Quality Control Engineers in 1988. One post of Deputy Chief Quality Controller has fallen vacant due to the retirement of the incumbent and the management decided to recruit a qualified, knowledgeable and experienced professional from outside so that the present quality standard may be improved thus ensuring better marketability of their scooters in the face of stiff competition. Mr. Kapil Kumar, who was a mechanical enginer with about 15 years experience in the Quality Control Department dealing with mopeds and scooters, could have been promoted to fill the post on the basis of seniority. However, the management was looking for a graduate in statistics with experience in latest Quality Control (QC) techniques like statistical quality control, quality assurance and other related areas rather than a mechanical or automobile engineer with the routine experience in quality control. As such instead of promoting Kapil Kumar, the management advertised for the post of Deputy Chtef Quality Controller - since as per company rules it was DR (Direct Recruitment) vacancy also.

Selection of Outsider

Out of the applications received in response to the advertisement, six candidates were called for interview including the two internal candidates, Mr. Kapil Kumar and Mr. Abbas Ali. The person selected was an outsider, one Mr. Ratnam, who had over 12 years experience SQC, quality assurance etc., in the two-wheeler private manufacturing industry. Mr. Ratnam joined within 2 months time expeding that in his new position he would be the main controller for quality. However, after joining the organisation he came to know that he would be the second seniormost person in the hierarchy for controlling the quality and would be reporting to one, Kirpal Sing,. the Chief for Quality Controls. Mr. Kirpal Singh had come up to this post by seniority and was basically a diploma holder in automobile engineering. He had to his credit about 28 years of industrial experience, out of which 20 years were spent in Quality Control Department of two industries. He Joined the present organisation in its Quality Control Department and had 17 years experience in the organisation and was due for retirement within the next 2 or 3 years. On learning about the retirement time of Mr. Kirpal Singh, Mt. Ratnam had the consolation that he would be able to take up the position of 'Chief Controller of Quality' very soon.

Interference from Top

Ratnam could not put forth many good suggestions (for quality control) because of the interference and direct supervision of Kirpal Singh. He, however, could pick up a good deal of knowledge about the working of the company, the nature-and tendency of different production department heads particularly with regard to care for quality, organization for 'QC' in the company, the various components required for assembly of the company's two-wheeler scooter and the expected quality standards, drawback in the present system of quality controls. etc.

Right from the time the advertisement for the selection of Deputy Chief Quality Controller appeared, the O.A. (Officers Association) of the organization had been pressing the management to consider the case of Kapil Kumar for promotion to the above post based on his seniority in the organisation.

Meanwhile, the management obtained a licence in 1989 for producing Three-Wheeler Autos. As a result of this and the pressure from O.A., Ratnam was transferred to look after the Quality Control Department at the company's new Three-Wheeler plant, whereas Kapil Kumar was promoted as Deputy Chief Quality Controller in the present two-wheeler scooter plant in 1990 (after creating one additional post of Deputy Chief Quality Controller for the new Project).

In 1991, the State Govemment, which controlled the company in question, changed the Managing Director. During the regime of this new Managing Director, Kapil Kumar was promoted as Chief (Quality Controls) next year, when Kirpal Singh retired. This decision was based on the recommendations of Kirpal Singh and partly attributed to pressure from O.A., for further promotion of Kapil Kumar based on his vast experience in the Quality Control function of this industry. Abbas Ali rose to the position held earlier by Kapil Kumar.

Allotment of Company Quarters

The Company had its own township near the factory. Its quarter allotment scheme was based on the length of service, i.e., date of joining. Ratnam had asked for a suitable quarter at the time of interview and was thus allotted a tile quarter meant for the Senior Engineer's cadre. He learnt about this, after occupying the quarter. Ratnarn asked foy a change of Quarter - preferably a RCC-roof quarter, - but his request was turned down, since he had put in only few months of service whereas many others senior to him, on the beds of their longer length of service in the Company (having over 10 years service), were staying in tiled-roof quarters and were awaiting a chance for a RCC-roof quarter. Kapil Kumar and Abbas Ali were residing in RCC-roof quarters. Soon after Kapil Kumar's promotion to the post of Chief (Quality Controls), he was allotted a bungalow.

The management's decision in this case must be viewed in the contesxt of the downtrend in the demand for scooters and three-wheeler autos during 1993 following complaints from dealers about the deteriorating quality of components as also their short life. Notably the complaints had risen ten-fold in that year as compared to that in 1988.

Questions

(a) Identify the major issues of the case.

(b) Was the management justified in taking a decision to recruit a qualified and experienced person from outside as Deputy Chief Quality Controller ?

(c) Was it in the interest of the organisation to transfer Ratnam to the new auto wheeler plant and promote Kapil Kumar ? Justify your answer.

(d) How would you react to the management's scheme for quarter allotment ?

MS23 Human Resource Planning December 2005

2010-03-07T02:05:00.001-08:00

MANAGEMENT PROGRAMME
Term-End Examination

December, 2005

MS23 : HUMAN RESOURCE PLANNING

Time: 3 hours
Maximum Marks: 100
(Weightage 70%)

SECTION A

(Pre-Revised)

(Set I)

1. Define and differentiate between Job Analysis, Job Description and Job Evaluation. Select an appropriate job evaluation method and create a plan for evaluating jobs of scientists in different grades.

2. Discuss the role of indoctrination in organisations. How can Performance Appraisal, and Training and Development be made an integral part of Human Resource Planning ? Discuss.

3. Discuss the scope of Human Resource Audit. While auditing Reward systems for employees in a manufacturing organisation, which factors should be taken into account and why ? Explain with suitable examples.

4. Define and discuss the need for Human Resource Planning in an organisation. Briefly discuss various approaches to HRP

5. Write short notes on any three of the following :
(a) Training methods
(b) Value determinants of HRP
(c) Human Resource Accounting
(d) Labour Market Behaviour
(e) Promotion and Reward Policies

SECTION A

(Revised)

Set II

1. Define and discuss the objectives of Human Resource Planning at organisational level. How does it help in determining and evaluating future organisational capabilities, needs and anticipated problems ? Explain with suitable examples.

2. Define and describe Job Analysis. Briefly discuss several methods in which information about a job is collected and evaluated.

3. What is the purpose and process of recruitment function ? Discuss various methods of sourcing manpower.

4. How is monetary value assigned to different dimensions of Human Resources costs, investments, and worth of the employees ? Briefly explain Cost and Economic value approaches of measurement.

5. Write short notes on any three of the following :
(a) MBO
(b) Succession Planning
(c) Competency Mapping
(d) Job Evaluation
(e) H.R. Inventory

SECTION C

6. Read the case given below and answer the questions given at the end.

Selection of Outsider

Interference from Top

Allotment of Company Quarters

Questions

(a) Was the management justified in taking a decision to recruit a qualified and experienced person from outside as Deputy Chief Quality Controller ?

(b) Was it in the interest of the organisation to transfer Ratnam to the new auto-wheeler plant and promote Kapil Kumar ? What could have prompted the management to take this decision ?

(c) How do you view the role of O.A.s in supporting only the local and internal candidates and overlooking the interests of direct recruits even when they were family members of the Association, particularly at a time, when the industry needed professionally qualified persons to fill key technical posts ?

(d) How would you react to the management's scheme for quarter allotment and why ?

MS22 Human Resource Development June 2005

2010-03-07T02:03:00.001-08:00

MANAGEMENT PROGRAMME
Term-End Examination

June, 2005

MS22 (S) : HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT

Time: 3 hours
Maximum Marks: 100
(Weightage 70%)

Note : (i) There are three Sections A, B and C.
(ii) Section A is meant for students who have registered for MS-22 prior to January 2005, i.e. upto July 2004.
(iii) Section B is meant for students who have registered for MS-22 from January 2005 onwards.
(iv) Attempt any three questions from Section A or B contingent on the registration period. All questions carry 20 marks each.
(v) Section C is compulsory for all, and carries 40 marks.

SECTION A

1. "The selection of role and type of HRD intervention is largely affected by the nature and objectives of the organisation."
Comment on the statement and discuss the underlying concepts with suitable examples.

2. What do you understand by Supervisory Control ? Discuss the process involved in supervisory control.

3. Identify the major HRD mechanisms for blue-collar workers. How do these mechanisms contribute to competency development and motivation ? Explain with examples.

4. Why is HRD important for health and family welfare workers ? How can HRD interventions help them develop for effective implementation of the programme?

5. Write short notes on any three of the following :
(i) Task Analysis
(ii) Personal and Role Efficacy
(iii) Effective Team Building
(iv) Nurturing and Helping
(v) HRD-OD-IR Linkage

SECTION B

1. Define HRD and discuss various value anchored HRD processes. How do they affect development of an organisation? Explain with suitable examples.

2. What is Performance Management ? How are Performance Management systems different from Appraisal systems ?Briefly outline the problems which may affect Peformance Management effectiveness.

3. Define Organisation Development and discuss its operational goals. Explain various phases of OD, with suitable examples.

4. What is HRD Audit ? Why is it important for an organisation's development ? Discuss various methodologies used for HRD audit.

5. Write short notes on any three of the following :
(i) Basic processes of coaching and mentoring
(ii) Culture with reference to OD system
(iii) Cross-functional teams
(iv) Objectives of 360º feedback
(v) Competency mapping

SECTION C

6. Please read the case and answer the questions given at the end.

SEWA - The purposeful beginning

SEWA (Self Employed Women's Association) was started in 1972, by Ela Bhatt, in the form of a union of the unogranised sector, which was to be incorporated into the mainstream. It was observed that most of the production of goods and services in the country was, at that time, done through the informal sector, and hence the decision was taken io unionise this informal sector.

SEWA was not like a typical union i.e., unlike the usual union of workers, it (SEWA) spoke about the solidarity of the workers themselves. It's purpose was fight for the mega system which exploited the vast working force through its labour contract systems. The whole system typically involves the middlemen and money lenders and the mindsets of the urban middle class, the educated, the upper castes, their perceptions of development. Thus, through SEWA, efforts were made to question the whole system of policy making, the census (which had not recorded them as workers), the definition and purpose of a trade union and the definition of 'worker'.

After the registration of SEWA as a trade union, it was found that the union activity stopped at a certain level and the informal sector workers were hardly covered by any protective labour legislation. Added to this, profit making, handling of cash etc., even sometimes caused conflicts of interest in the union. Hence, over a period of time, a strategy of joint action by union and cooperative - a member based, democratic organisation, beneficial to the unprivileged of society with networks at the state level, national level and international level was chosen.

It was felt that through a cooperative presence, SEWA would be able to obiatn bargaining power for all those who are members as well as for those who were not a part of the co-operative. On the one hand, the producer's labour value goes up and she enjoys a better bargaining power. Alongside, the other workers in the villages also have wider choices in taking decisions related to who and how many have to go for work on the farms, whether the workers should migrate or concentrate on home-based crafts and so on. And, on the other hand, for all those who were not a part of SEWA, their wage structure (for both men and women) goes up. For instance, in case of the agricultural workers : the new jobs create a shortage of labour in the region, so they also get higher wages. Similarly, artisans also get higher wages. In this way SEWA is able to bring about economic changes in the villages through the joint action of the union and cooperative.

'SEWA Bank' - A subsidiary

Inspite of unionising the self employed workers, it was found they faced two common problems :

Shortage of capital, forcing the workers to pay a heavy interest (often paying 10% interest per day).
Absence of owning their own means of productions (like handlooms, push carts etc.). They had to pay rent on these from their own meagre income.

These two reasons prompted the decision at SEWA to have their own bank. In a period of six months, the necessary share capital was collected, and SEWA tried for registration. But many objections were raised - How can SEWA have cooperatives and a bank ? How to form a bank for workers who were women, undependable, unreliable and who cannot even sign ?

Inspite of these inhibitions, the strongest point in their favour was that the workers were all economically independent and generating cash every day. Thus, it was necessary for them to save money and also be able to avail of credit, whenever necessary, rather than depending upon private money lenders. This necessity finally led to the birth of the SEWA Bank.

The SEWA Bank is about one of the 10 co-operatives in SEWA with five kinds of primary co-operatives - dairy, artisans, traders, services and labour. The SEWA Bank has a working capital of about Rs. 26 crores, while, the other co-operatives registered under SEWA together have a working capital of Rs. 20 crores. When SEWA discovered that many of its workers were unable to absorb more loans because of the many risks and outside forces which did not allow them to expand their business, it decided to offer another form of financial services like insurance schemes - against maternity risk, group insurance scheme to link all member workers with their deposits and integrated social insurance bank service covering a wide range of services.

Other Activities and Vision for the Future

SEWA has attempted to create co-operatives of various services provided by the labour community especially in the areas of domestic labour, health care, child care and video production. So as to enable these persons' to market their services, efforts are being made to provide them training on a continuous basic.

Another effort on the pari of SEWA is to build a management system which wil help the labour force to stand firm in the market. Such a system should not only help these people to have access to credit but also help them to be literate enough to have a basic understanding of accounting, the interest rates and accessibility to market infrastructure.

Another attempt of SEWA has been at coming together of women on a common platform, on the basis of work in the form of co-operatives/union/federations or as workers or producers or economic agents, cutting across barriers of caste, region and language.

SEWA's Attempt at Empowering Employees

The vision of Ela Bhatt, who started SEWA has always been to ensure that the informal sector is in the mainstream of labour movement with a leading role to be played by the rural women. SEWA'S aim has been to empower such women who are poor and illiterate to become economically active through the process of empowerment. This view is slowly becoming a reality, when, after joining SEWA and attending formal training programmes, such women have become bold, realised their sense of self through participating, facing, managing situations and other people and thus learning to become 'leaders' in the true sense. Thus process of empowerment has enabled them to develop an inbuilt strength to do liaison with the police, take up the causes of fellow workers, actively participate in the decision making process especially while sitting on committees, travelling and meeting people for the growth of the organisation.

At SEWA, there is no formal organisation structure as such. In the words of Ela Bhatt, "SEWA is like a banyan tree, it grows and takes root, then these roots grow and take root...." i.e.. SEWA's growth is totally dependent on its mernbers who become owners, managers, beneficiaries and a truely empowered organisation in the long run.

Questions :

(a) What are the unique features of SEWA ?

(b) Discuss the worker oriented development approach of SEWA affecting the performance.

Can you suggest ways in which private corporate organisations can also be involved in developing management programmes along with SEWA for the upliftment of the rural people ?

MS22 Human Resource Development December 2005

2010-03-07T02:00:00.000-08:00

MANAGEMENT PROGRAMME
Term-End Examination

December, 2005

MS22 : HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT

Time: 3 hours
Maximum Marks: 100
(Weightage 70%)

SECTION A

(Pre-Revised)

1. "People need competencies to perform tasks. Without continuous development of competencies in people, an organisation is not likely to achieve its goals. Competent and motivated employees are essential for organisational survival, growth and excellence." Comment on this statement and discuss the underlying issues, with suitable examples.

2. Discuss developmental supervision as facilitating process to help employees improve their performance and empower them. Support your answer with suitable examples.

3. Explain the rationale for developmental approach to Indutrial Relations. Suggest a core programme for developing top management, middle management and unions for Industrial Relations Management. Also discuss the developmental mechanism for improving IR.

4. Define and describe the process of counselling and mentoring, with suitable examples.

5. Write short notes on any three of the following :
(a) Task delineation
(b) Analysis as a supervisory tool
(c) Conflict Management
(d) Performance Appraisal System
(e) Emerging trends in HRD

SECTION B

(Revised)

1. Explain the concept of career in the context of career development perspective. Discuss various individual and organisational strategies for career development.

2. Define and describe the objectives and psychological basis of reward system. Briefly discuss various aspects which reinforce desirable behaviour, high performance, and values.

3. Define HRD Audit. How can HRD Audit be used as an OD intervention in an organisation ? Briefly describe the significance of HRD score-card of a firm.

4. Explain the concept of Knowledge Management. Briefly discuss various approaches to knowledge management, with suitable examples.

5. Write short notes on any three of the following :
(a) Re-organisation of work
(b) Value-anchored HRD processes
(c) Need for competency mapping
(d) Systems Theory and Human performance
(e) Vertical re-skilling

SECTION C

6. Read the following case carefully and answer the questions given at the end.

Training for Whom ?

Microelectronics, a California-based electronics defense contractor, has enjoyed a smooth growth curve over the past five years, primarily because of favourable defense funding during the Reagan administration's build-up of U.S. military defenses. Microelectronics has had numerous contacts to design and develop guidance and radar systems for military weaponry.

Although the favourable funding cycle has enabled. Microelectronics to grow at a steady rate, the company is finding it increasingly difficult to keep its really good engineers, Based on extensive turnover analyses conducted by Ned Jackson, the human resources planning manager, Microelectronics problem seems to be its inability to keep engineers beyond the "critical" five year point. Apparently, the probability of turnover drops dramatically after five years of service. Ned's conclusion is that Microelectronics has been essentially serving as an industry college. Their staffing strategy has always been to hire the best and brightest engineers from the best engineering schools in the United States.

Ned believes that these engineers often get lost in the shuffle at the time they join the firm. For example, most (if not all) of the new hires must work on non-classified projects until cleared by security to join a designated major project. Security clearance usually takes anywhere from six to ten months. In the meantime the major project has started, and these young engineers frequently miss out on its design phase, considered the most creative and challenging segment of the program. Because of the nature of project work, new engineering often have difficulty learning the organizational culture - such as who to ask when you have a problem, what the general dos and don'ts are, and why the organization does things in a certain way.

After heading a task force of human resource professionals within Microelectronics, Ned has been designated to present to top management a proposal designed to reduce turnover among young engineering recruits. The essence of his plan is to create a mentor program, except that in this plan the mentors will not be the seasoned graybeards of Microelectronics, but rather those engineers in the critical three-to-five year service window, the period of highest turnover, These engineers will be paired with new engineering recruits before the recruits actually report to Microelectronics for work.

According to the task force, the programme is twofold : (1) it benefits the newcomer by easing the transition into the company, and (2) it helps the three-to-five-year service engineers by enabling them to serve an important role for the company. By performing the mentor role, these engineers will become more committed and hence less likely to leave. As Ned prepared his fifteen-minute presentation for top management, he wondered it he had adequately anticipated the possible objections to the program in order to make an intelligent defense of it. Only time would tell.

Questions :

(a) Identify the salient issues from HR point of view for this case.

(b) lf you were to study this turnover problem, how would you conduct a needs analysis or evolve a counselling programme ?

(d) Do you find the mentoring programme suitable to reduce turnover ? Justify your answer.

MS21 Social Processes and Behavioural Issues December 2005

2010-03-07T01:57:00.000-08:00

MANAGEMENT PROGRAMME
Term-End Examination

December, 2005

MS21 : SOCIAL PROCESSES AND BEHAVIOURAL ISSUES

Time: 3 hours
Maximum Marks: 100
(Weightage 70%)

Note : (i) There are two Sections A and B.
(ii) Section A has two sets : Set I is meant for the students who have registered for MS-21 prior to January, 2004, i.e. upto July, 2003. Set II is meant for the students who have registered for MS-21 from January 2004 onwards.
(iii) Attempt any three questions from Section A. All questions carry 15 marks each.
(iv) Section B is compulsory for all and carries 40 marks.

SECTION A

Set I

(Pre-Revised)

1. Describe Erikson's Model of Personality development and It's relevance for work environment.

2. What are the different types of stress ? Describe how to cope with stress in an organisation. Cite suitable examples.

3. Explain the feedback process and its importance, citing examples.

4. Describe different types of power and their role in an organisation. Cite examples.

5. Write short notes on any three of following :
(a) Organisational effectiveness
(b) Importance of team-work
(c) Group formation
(d) Attribution theory
(e) Importance of helping process

SECTION A

Set II

(Revised)

1. Describe the role of a manager in an organisation in the present day scenario and explain how he/she can change the mindset of employees in the changing business scenario.

2. Describe salient features of counselling in the organizational context and it's importance for the management of human resources.

3. Describe any two models of group development. Can the group effectiveness be improved through a careful planning of group development processes?

4. Discuss the importance of understanding political behaviour in an organisation. Comment on whether the use of power and politics in organisations is ethical or unethical.

5. Write short notes on any three of the following :
(a) Learning organisations
(b) Importance of teams
(c) Persuasion
(d) Knowledge management
(e) Work ethics

SECTION B

6. Read the following case carefully and answer the questions given at the end :

Giridhar had come a long way from when he joined R.P. Communications (having a turnover of Rs. 20 lakhs) as a trainee artist in 1995 and today he had come to occupy the position of Creative Head at R.P. Communications (with a turnover of Rs. 15 crores). As a young trainee (in 1995), Giri (as Gridhar is addressed by his colleagues) had been an amicable personality, he had always displayed keenness to gain knowledge - learn more, many visible traits of creativty - in the sense try to make "unique"/different from others presentations, willing to share information and so on. It was typically these qualities of Giri which made him approachable to others and appreciated by one and all, and also saw him rising in the organisation structure

Nicky Tanwar. The Creative Director at R.P. Communications, who had known Giri right from the time he had joined R.P. Communications as trainee, was surprised at recalling the contents of the just concluded meeting with the members of the creative team at R.P Communications. Meena (a recent recruit at R.P.) had said "Madam, Giri sir scares the hell out of us by refusing to listen to our point of view." Raj, an executive at R.P. Communications had revealed "Madam, Giri withholds important information from us, and creates conflict when he has to interact with other teams at R.P."

Mohan, a senior creative manager at R.P. had said that Giri seems to have changed, he seems to prefer to adopt a forcing style, like a controller, and expects all the assignments to be completed before time, and doesn't entertain any questions/or queries from any of the creative team members. Nicky found it hard to believe that a likeable person such as Giri could cause conflict.

Nicky had promised the creative team to look into the matter and have a talk with Giri also. After an informal chat with Giri, Nicky felt that one of the causes of Giri's behaviour could be Role Ambiguity. This she had concluded from one statement made by Giri "You know Nicky, my team is good, however, they expect me to behave as I was before. I am trying my best to convince them that in my new role I am expected to perform even better than before."

Nicky decided to seek the help of the CEO of team and Grow Leadership Centre (LSLG), a training firm, who regularly holds workshops meant for helping professionals and executives of firms to diagnose their own behaviour patterns as well on how to manage stress that could cause various levels of conflicts for theindividual as well as the organisation.

Questions

(a) What do you think is the major cause of the problem in the above case ?

(b) Do you agree with Nicky that Role Ambiguity may have caused a change in Girl's behaviour ? Why ?

MS21 Social Processes and Behavioural Issues June 2005

2010-03-07T01:49:00.000-08:00

MANAGEMENT PROGRAMME
Term-End Examination

June, 2005

MS21 : SOCIAL PROCESSES AND BEHAVIOURAL ISSUES

Time: 3 hours
Maximum Marks: 100
(Weightage 70%)

SECTION A

Set I

(Pre-Revised)

1. Highlight the transition which has taken place in lndian society from agrarian to industrial environment. Discuss the work behaviour which has undergone change before and after the lndustrial revolutions with examples.

2. Discuss the role of reinforcement in learning. Is the use of negative reinforcement sufficient to change behaviour ? Discuss. Cite examples.

3. Explain the process of communication and its significance in an organisation.

4. Describe the bases of collaboration with reference to a few collaboration building interventions. Explain relevant examples from an organisation.

5. Write short notes on any three of the following :
(i) Power vs. Authority
(ii) Determinants of organisational effectiveness
(iii) Interpersonal style
(iv) Redsons for formation of groups
(v) Attribution theory

SECTION A

Set II

(Revised)

1. Describe the process of perception, both ,bottom-up, and 'top-down' processing. Discuss the perceptual errors and how they can be overcome, by citing a few instances.

2. Discuss the significance and process of counselling in organisations. Describe the ethical issues involved.

3. Discuss how group effectiveness can be improved. Describe a few case examples where group effectiveness was improved in an organisation.

4. Define and discuss essential features of a learning organisation. What are the facilitating and hindering factors ? Cite an example where a traditional organisation is transferred into a learning organisation.

5. Write short notes on any three of the following :
(i) Group cohesiveness
(ii) Significance of work ethics and values
(iii) Models to understand human behaviour
(iv) Importance of persuasion
(v) Team building

SECTION B

6. Read the following cases carefully and answer the questions given at the end :

CASE I

NP Software Technologies was an MNC, HQ in New York, keen to develop a design centre in India. So in 1998, when the Indian Centre at Bangalore got ready, the company sent its recruiting agency to select a Sr. Manager (in charge of Software and Hardware groups), required to directly report to the Country Manager, (to be based in Bangalore). The recruiting agency forwarded the name of Mukesh, 32 years of age, a B.Tech (IIT, Mumbai) with 10 years of industrial experience (including handling of a few foreign assignments) to suit the post of a senior manager. The core team from NP were impressed by Mukesh's performance at the interview and offered him the job.

Mukesh joined NP in June 1999. ln the first 6 months after joining NP, Mukesh showed interest and was actively involved in recruiting many engineers (either freshers or with a few years of relevant experience) to join NPs Hardware and Software divisions. After some time, i.e., from early 2000 onwards Mukesh's behaviour started changing and this was visible in the type of decisions taken by him. To quote a few instances :

The new recruits were invited for a pep talk immediately after the orientation programme. During this meeting Mukesh did most of the talking and did not encourage the new entrants to open up and mingle with each other.

Very often Mukesh was heard voicing aloud on finding it difficult to set clear-cut directions and delegate properly to his subordinates.

When top management took strategic decisions to re-organise divisions, adopt new production technologies and reduce its workforce, Mukesh found it difficult to implement the needed adaptations. Very often he was seen getting into verbal fights with the Country Manager, and not able to convince his subordinates about the new transformations and changes suggested by the top management.

At times, his subordinates found it more apt to approach the Country Manager's chamber and seek clarity with regards to their work.

Mukesh was called by his superior and told to modify his behaviour in view of the company's and his own interest. But Mukesh took the talk from the Country Manager in his own stride and very lightly. Ultimately one fine day, Mukesh was asked to resign and leave NP Software Technologies.

Questions

(a) Do you think it was wrong on the part of Mukesh to have joined NP Software Technologies ? Why ?

(b) What suggestions can you make to Mukesh to help him to modify his behaviour ?

CASE II

Raju and Kirti have been friends since their school days. After completion of their college education, Raju (son of a businessman) joined his father's business CDB firm and Kirti completed his CA and joined a well known accounting firm KPL Associaies. B.eing good in his job, Kirti slowly established a name for himself in the business circles.

Meanwhile, under Raju, CDB firm started growing and went on to become a large organisation. CDB firm was looking for competent accountants to fill up two vacancies. Tina (another competent Chartered Accountant) and Kirti were short-listed and finally hired by the CDB firm. Like a lot of successful professionals, both Kirti and Tina were confident about themselves and also about giving their best to the organisation.

After some time, to keep pace with the organisation's growth, CDB went on to bring about new team structure changes. One day the General Manger (HRD), Shirish had an opportunity to meet Raju and during the course of reviewing the structural changes said "Sir, both Kirti and Tina have similar backgrounds, they are both talented and good and seem to enjoy working with us and yet have reacted in different ways to our new team structure."

When asked to explain, th e General Manager (HRD), Shirish said "Last week. a new approach was created for the AD Audit because it was felt that we didn't have much experience with that type of audit, Tina has responded very well to the changed procedures, but Kirti seems not to be very happy about them. In a short time, he's gone from being one of the most pleasant employees to being very difficult to get along with. At times some of the subtle ways of managing people surprise me. We have employees facing the same set of circumstances and yet get such very different reactions from them. I simply don't understand, why these differences exit in behaviour among such employees. What should I do ?"

Questions :

(a) If you were Raju, what advice wiil you give to Shirish ?

(b) Can you suggest ways to avoid such occurrences in future ?

MS11 Old: Corporate Policies and Practices / Revised: Strategic Management June 2005

2010-03-07T01:38:00.000-08:00

MANAGEMENT PROGRAMME
Term-End Examination

June, 2005

MS11 : Old: CORPORATE POLICIES AND PRACTICES
Revised: STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT

Time: 3 hours
Maximum Marks: 100
(Weightage 70%)

Note : There are two Sections A and B. Section A has two sets. Set 1 is meant for the students who have registered for MS-11 : Corporote Policies and Practices prior to January 2005 i.e. upto July 2004. Set 2 is meant for the students who have registered for MS-11 : Strategic Management from January 2005 onwards. Attempt any three questions from Section A. All questions carry 20 marks each, Section B is compulsory for all, and carries 40 marks.

SECTION A

Set I (Old Course)

(Corporate Policies and Practices)

1. 'Corporate planning may be viewed as an organisational process that results in the development of the organisation's purposes, missions, objectives, goals, strategies, policies and detailed action plans to achieve the objectives.' Explain the statement. What benefits would ensure to an organisation using corporate planning ? (20)

2. What would be your role and functions if you were the CEO of a business organization operating in an environment of intense competition ? (20)

3. (a) Distinguish between the Opportunity and Threat matrices.

(b) Explain Shell's Directional Policy Matrix. (20)

4. (a) What do you understand by Break even analysis ? Explain the concept with the help of an example.

(b) Briefly explain 'Product Life Cycle Approach'. (20)

5. What are the usual motives for mergers and acquisitions? What factor would make mergers and acquisitions successfu ? Give relevant examples. (20)

SECTION A

Set 2 (Revised Course)

(Strategic Management)

1. 'Strategy includes the determination and evaluation of alternative paths to an already established mission or objective and eventually, choice of the alternatives to be adopted.' Explain the statement underlining the process of strategy formulation. (20)

2. Technological factors represent major opportunities and threats, which must be taken into account while formulating strategies. Discuss. How can a firm build a sustainable technology based competitive advantage ? (20)

3. "The low-cost leadership strategy at times enables the firrn to defend itself against each of five competitive forces." Explain. (20)

4. Briefly explain the factors which contribute towards the success of a strategic alliance. Illustrate with a recent example of strategic alliance. (20)

5. Explain any three methods/techniques used in strategic control systems, giving examples. (20)

SECTION B

6. Read the case, analyze it and answer the questions that follow : (40)

Rupbani Beverage Limited

Rupbani Beverage Limited entered the Indian wine industry in 1975 by acquiring the Mastana Wine Company of Shimla and two other smaller wine companies at Kalka for Rs. 50 lakh. Despite hostility expressed by other wine makers and predictions that Rupbani would very soon fail as other outsiders such as Parminder Wine Company had, the entry succeeded. Rupbani Limited performed the unheard-of feat of establishing a volume of 30 lakh cases wtihin two years and taking the market share away from premium brands such as the National Wine Company of Bombay, Pearl Drink Limited of Pune and Syndicate Cola Limited of Madras.

Rupbani advertised heavily and incurred Rs. 10 lakh in one year and standardised the taste of its wines with considerabie success. It also invesited Rs. 48 lakh in a large, new winery at Ahmedabad. A Rupbani Executive said, "By 1995, consumption of wine in lndia will be a litre per capita, compared with half a litre today."

The industry reacted to Rupbani's presence by doubling and tripling advertising expenditure. ABC and Company began a costly campaign to market premium and varied wines while reducing marketing emphasis on its cheap wines such as Nahan Drinks and the Gola Beverage. ABC maintained its 25 per cent market share but had to resort to some heavy price discounting to do so.

In 1982 Pearl Drinks formed a special wine unit to combine efforts for all its brands. Mr. Sailesh Kumar, former Vice-President of the National Wine Company, had directed a project to coordinate Pearl's world-wide wine business and develop a world wide strategy. The new unit was, in fact, a result of his work.

In 1983, wine consumption changed from growth at a rate of 5 per cent to no growth. The government also lifted the ban on imports of wine. This presented an even greater challenge because imported wines were cheaper as well as superior in quality.

In 1984. Mr. Ranganathan took over as Managing Director of Rupbani. He reviewed the recent performance of the company and its competitive position. He noted that the company was losing its hold over the market and it was not geittng the return as expected. He also found that the company's performance in the syrup business was excellent. He, therefore, thought of selling out the wine business to Pearl Drinks, He convened an executive meeting and apprised the executives of his proposal. He also informed them that Pearl Drinks had offered the company to recapture its investment in the wine business which was about Rs. one crore. Mr. Arun Mehta, General Manager, observed that Rupbani was in and out in the past six years and has joined different organisatons in trying the wine business. The Finance Manager, Mr. Subhash Ghai said, "The return on assets in the wine business is not the 30 to 35 per cent which Rupbani is used to getting in the syrup business. Gaining share and trying to compete with ABC and Company left Rupbani with, eventually, the number two position in the wine industry with profits of Rs. 60 lakh on Rs. 220 lakh in sales. The stockholders wanted immediate return and hence, the company could not afford to make long-term investments necessary to popularise the brands. Had they stayed for five rnore years, they would have been a key leader in a large and profitable industry."

Pearl Drinks immediately went from the sixth position in the industry to a strong second place with an 11 per cent market share. The Chairman of Pearl Drinks stated : "We believe you can make money in this business in two ways -- remain a small boutique winery or become large and achieve economies of scale."

Mr. Harish, Marketing Manager of Rupbani said, "it is no use selling out our business to Pearl Drink and get back what we have invested. We can compete with our competitors successfully and improve our market share if we manufacture wines of varying qualities to suit the varied preferences and pockets of diverse sections of society. We should also offer price discounts to attract the consumers. There should be wide publicity of our brands throughout the country".

Questions :

(a) Perform SWOT analysis of Rupbani.

(b) In the light of opportunities and threats of Rupbani Beverage and its strengths and weaknesses, what strategy should it formulate to improve its performance and strengthen its competitive position ?

(d) What other strategies would you suggest for Rupbani for increasing their share of the market ?

Previous question papers of Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) : MBA

2010-03-06T23:26:00.000-08:00

Here you can find previous years question papers of IGNOU Management Functions and Behaviour (MS1)

Please click on a link below to access testpapers of the course.

Tip : Press shift + click to open in a new window.

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(1) MS1 Management Functions and Behaviour

MS1 Management Functions and Behaviour June 1999

MS1 Management Functions and Behaviour December 1999

MS1 Management Functions and Behaviour June 2000

MS1 Management Functions and Behaviour June 2001

MS1 Management Functions and Behaviour December 2001

MS1 Management Functions and Behaviour June 2002

MS1 Management Functions and Behaviour December 2002

MS1 Management Functions and Behaviour June 2005

MS1 Management Functions and Behaviour December 2005

MS1 Management Functions and Behaviour June 2006

MS1 Management Functions and Behaviour December 2006

MS1 Management Functions and Behaviour June 2007

MS1 Management Functions and Behaviour December 2007

MS1 Management Functions and Behaviour June 2008

MS1 Management Functions and Behaviour June 2009

(2) Management of Human Resources

Management of Human Resources (Revised) June 2007

Management of Human Resources (Revised) December 2007

Management of Human Resources (Revised) June 2009

(3) MS3 Economic and Social Environment

MS3 Economic and Social Environment June 2006

MS3 Economic and Social Environment December 2006

MS3 Economic and Social Environment June 2007

MS3 Economic and Social Environment December 2007

(4) MS4 Accounting and Finance for Managers

MS4 Accounting and Finance for Managers June 2006

MS4 Accounting and Finance for Managers December 2006

MS4 Accounting and Finance for Managers June 2007

MS4 Accounting and Finance for Managers December 2007

(5) MS5 Management of Machines and Materials

MS5 Management of Machines and Materials June 2005

MS5 Management of Machines and Materials December 2005

MS5 Management of Machines and Materials December 2006

(6) MS6 Marketing for Managers

MS6 Marketing for Managers June 2007

MS6 Marketing for Managers December 2007

(7) MS7 Information Systems for Managers

MS7 Information Systems for Managers December 2006

(8) MS9 Managerial Economics

MS9 Managerial Economics June 2007

MS9 Managerial Economics December 2007

(9) MS10 Organisational Design, Development and Change

MS10 Organisational Design, Development and Change December 2005

MS10 Organisational Design, Development and Change June 2007

(10) MS11 Old: Corporate Policies and Practices / Revised: Strategic Management

MS11 Old: Corporate Policies and Practices / Revised: Strategic Management June 2005

(11) MS21 Social Processes and Behavioural Issues

MS21 Social Processes and Behavioural Issues June 2005

MS21 Social Processes and Behavioural Issues December 2005

(12) MS22 Human Resource Development

MS22 Human Resource Development December 2005

MS22 Human Resource Development June 2005

(13) MS23 Human Resource Planning

MS23 Human Resource Planning December 2005

MS23 Human Resource Planning June 2005

(14) MS24 Union-Management Relations

MS24 Union-Management Relations June 2005

MS24 Union-Management Relations (Pre-Revised) / Employment Relations (Revised) December 2005

(15) MS25 Managing Change in Organisations

MS25 Managing Change in Organisations June 2005

MS25 Managing Change in Organisations December 2005

(16) MS26 Organisational Dynamics

MS26 Organisational Dynamics June 2005

MS26 Organisational Dynamics December 2007

(17) MS27 Wage and Salary Administration

MS27 Wage and Salary Administration June 2007

MS27 Wage and Salary Administration December 2006

MS27 Wage and Salary Administration June 2006

(18) MS28 Labour Laws

MS28 Labour Laws June 2005

(19) MS41 Working Capital Management

MS41 Working Capital Management June 2005

(20) MS42 Capital Investment and Financing Decisions

MS42 Capital Investment and Financing Decisions June 2005

MS42 Capital Investment and Financing Decisions June 2007

MS42 Capital Investment and Financing Decisions December 2007

(21) MS43 Management Control Systems

MS43 Management Control Systems December 2007

MS43 Management Control Systems June 2007

(22) MS46 Management of Financial Services

MS46 Management of Financial Services June 2005

(23) MS51 Operations Research

MS51 Operations Research June 2005

MS51 Operations Research December 2006

(24) MS612 Retail Management

MS612 Retail Management December 2005

(25) MS611 Rural Marketing

MS611 Rural Marketing June 2005

(26) MS97 International Business

MS97 International Business June 2005

(27) MS94 Technology Management

MS94 Technology Management June 2005

MS94 Technology Management December 2005

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MS10 Organisational Design, Development and Change June 2007

2010-03-06T23:08:00.001-08:00

MANAGEMENT PROGRAMME

Term-End Examination

MS10: ORGANISATIONAL DESIGN, DEVELOPMENT AND CHANGE

Time : 3 hours
Maximum Marks: 100 (Weightage 70%)

Note
(i) There are two Sections A and B.
(ii) Attempt any three questions from Section A. All questions carry 20 marks each:
(iii) Section B is compulsory and carries 40 marks

June 2007

SECTION A

1. Distinguish between the Functional and Product organisation and Line & Staff organisation. List out their merits and demerits with examples.

2. Describe the skills required for becoming a successful change agent and briefly discuss the role of a change agent.

3. Briefly describe the emerging trends in work organisation and discuss how they affect the quality of work life of employees, with suitable examples.

4. Describe the meaning and purpose of job design and various approaches to job design and their relevance.

5. Write short notes on any three of the following:
(i) Inverted pyramid structure
(ii) Interview as a diagnostic tool
(iii) Organisation vs. institution
(iv) T-Group training
(v) Mechanistic vs. Organic organisation

SECTION B

6. Read the following case carefully and answer the questions given at the end :

If lean and mean could be personified, Percy Barnevik would walk through the door. A thin, bearded Swede, Barnevik is Europe's leading hatchet man. He is also the creator of what is fast becoming the most successful cross-border merger since Royal Dutch Petroleum linked up with Britain's Shell in 1907.

In four years, Barnevik, 51, has welded ASEA, a Swedish engineering group, to Brown Boveri, a Swiss competitor, bolted on 7 more companies in Europe and the U.S., and created ABB, a global electrical equipment giant that is bigger than Westinghouse and can go head to head with GE. It is a world leader in high-speed trains, robotics, and environmental control.

To make this monster dance, Barnevik cut more than one in five jobs, closed dozens of factories, and decimated headquarters staffs around Europe and the U.S. Whole businesses were shifted from one country to another. He created a corps of just 25 global managers to lead 21,000 employees. IBM has talked with Bamevik and his team about how to pare down its own overstaffed bureaucracy. Du Pont recently put Barnevik on its board. Says a senior executive at Mitsubishi Hearqy Industries :

"They're as aggressive as we are, I mean this as a compliment. They are sort of super-Japanese."

ABB isn't Japanese, nor is it Swiss or Swedish. It is multinational without a national identity, though its mailing address is in Zurich. The company's 13 top managers hold frequent meetings in different countries. Since they share no common first language, they speak only English, a foreign tongue to all but one. Like their boss, senior ABB managers are short on sentiment and long on commitment. An oil portrait of a 19th-century founder of Brown Boveri hangs in ABB's headquarters, but few are sure what his name is. (lt's Charles Brown.) Ask for a fax number, though, and you're likely to get two, office and home.

To Barnevik, today's competitive market economy is a "cruel world". Not making it any kinder, he has launched a personal war on what he sees as excess capacity- 2% to 3% in the electricale quipment industry in Europe alone. Educated in Sweden and the U.S. (he studied Business Administration and Computer Science at Stanford in the mid-1960s), Barnevik thinks European industry must be restructured massively to become competitive in world markets. He foresees billions of dollars of mergers and acquisitions in the next three to five years. Europe's best strategy against the Americans and Japanese, he believes; is to break free of, protected national markets..

Before the merger, Brown Boveri had 4 people in Baden, Switzerland. ASEA had as many as 2, in Vasteros, Sweden. The combined company now employs just 15 in a modest six-storey building across from a train station in west Zurich. Where did everybody go ? Many were fired. The rest were sent to subsidiaries or offered jobs in new companies set up to assume any headquarters functions. (ABB Marketing Services, for example, creates and runs and campaigns for ABB, but also takes on a few other clients. And Bamevik expects it to make money.) It's not just cost cutting Barnevik is after, though that is obviously important. Says he : "ldeally you should have a minimum of staff to disturb the operating people and prevent them from doing their more important jobs. " ...

Bamevik's master matrix gives all employees a country manager and a business sector manager. The country managers run traditional, national companies with local boards of directors, including eminent outsiders. ABB has about 2 such managers, most of them citizens of the country in which they work. Of more exalted rank are 65 global managers who are organized into eight segments : transportation, process automation and engineering, environmental devices, financial services, electrical equipment (mainly motors and robots), and three electric power businesses : geh€ration, transmission, and distribution.

Barnevik is well aware that the once popular management by matrix is in disfavour in the U.S. business schools and has been abandoned by most multinational companies. But he says he uses a loose , decentralized version of it the two bosses are not always equal that is particularly suited to an organization composed of many nationalities

The matrix system makes it easier for managers like Gerhard Schulmeyer, a German who heads ABB's U.S. businesses as well as the automation segment, to make use of technology from other countries. Because of the matrix, Schulmeyer has a better idea of what is available where. He says that the techniques developed by ABB in Switzerland that he uses to serviee U.S. steam turbines are more reliable and efficient than those of General Electric and Westinghouse, his main American competitors. Schulmeyer also relied on European technology to convert a Midland, Michigon, nuclear reactor into a natural gas-fired plant, ...

ABB executives say the value of the company's matrix system extends beyond the swapping of technology and products. For example, the power transformer business segment consists of 31 factories in

16 countries. Barnevik wants each of these businesses to be run locally with intense global coordination. So every month the businesss egment headquartersi n Mannheim, GermaoV, tells all the factories how all the others are doing according to dozens of measurements. If one factory is lagging, solutions to common problems can be discussed and worked out across borders.

Questions:
(a) How is ABB achieving integration and coordination of its global operations ?
(b) Which of the four basic departmentalization formats do you detect in ABB's structure of eight segments? Explain.
(c) Has Barnevik created an effective balance between centralizationa nd decentralization?
(d) How does ABB apparently avoid unity-of-command problems with its matrix structure ?

MS10 Organisational Design, Development and Change December 2005

2010-03-06T22:58:00.000-08:00

MANAGEMENT PROGRAMME
Term-End Examination

December, 2005

MS10 : ORGANISATIONAL DESIGN, DEVELOPMENT AND CHANGE

Time: 3 hours
Maximum Marks: 100
(Weightage 70%)

Note : (i) There are two Sections A and B.
(ii) Section A has two sets : Set I is meant for the students who have registered for MS-10 prior to July, 2004, i.e., upto January, 2004 Set II is meant for the students who have registered for MS-10 for July, 2004 semester onwards.
(iii) Attempt any four questions from Section A. All questions carry 15 marks each.
(iv) Section B is compulsory for all and carries 40 marks

SECTION A

SET I (Pre-Revised)

1. Describe centralisation and decentralisation of organisational structures with their merits and demerits. Cite suitable examples from organisational context.

2. Discuss the notion of organisational change and it's influence on organisational effectiveness. Describe it's implications for organisational design.

3. Discuss the implications of quality of worklife in Indian context. Describe how social and cultural conditions affect the quality of working life.

4. Discuss any two models of organisation development andcite suitable case examples.

5. Write short notes on any three of the following :
(i) Institution building
(ii) Role of a change agent
(iii) Questionnaire as a diagnostic tool
(iv) Socio-Technical approach to work design
(v) Mechanistic vs. Organic systems

SECTION A

SET II (Revised)

1. Explain the factors which are responsible for effective job design and describe any two approaches to job design.

2. Discuss any two significant interventions which are essential for managing change.

3. Define organisational diagnosis. Describe its purpose and discuss the techniques used for organisational analysis in brief.

4. Describe Olmosk's change strategy model and critically analyse its implications.

5. Write short notes on any three of the following :
(i) Quality of work life
(ii) Institution building
(iii) Task force
(iv) Inverted pyramid structure
(v) Job rotation

SECTION B

6. Read the following case carefully and answer the questions given at the end :

Mr. Anand occupies No. 2 position in the Corporate Planning Department of multi-product company having a turnover of more than Rs. 900 crores and operating in a high technology (hi-tech) industry. For the last five years, Anand has been associated with strategic planning of the company and recently he has been deputed to a task force to reorganise the company to cope up with the changing technology and environment.

At the last meeting of the Board of Directors of the company, the members expressed their concern about the falling competitive position of the company in the industry. The main reason cited by the Chief Executive was the outdated organisation structure which has not undergone any change for the last 10 years though the size, technology and environment of the company have changed tremendously. It was on the advice of the Chief Executive that the Board of Directors decided to set up a task force for the company's reorganisation.

At the first meeting of the task force, Anand, who is an expert in planning, convinced the other members to adopt the following procedure :
(i) Determine exactly what type of structure the company has at present.
(ii) Determine the type of environment the company faces now and the weaknesses of the present structure.
(iii) Forecast the environmental changes in the future and the type of technology to be used by the company.
(iv) Design the organisation structure to meet the future challenges.

It was discovered that the company is currently structured along classical lines and the company is operating in a highly dynamic environment. The environment in future is likely to be more uncertain because of fast changes in technology and requirements of customers and competition by MNCS. The task force came to the conclusion that the structural design must be responsive to change and if this is not done, the company's survival in the market would be made more difficult.

Questions :

(a) How far do you agree with the procedure adopted by the task force ?

(b) Explain how the system and contingency approaches can contribute to the analysis of this case.

MS9 Managerial Economics December 2007

2010-03-06T22:56:00.000-08:00

MANAGEMENT PROGRAMME
Term-End Examination

MS9 MANAGERIAL ECONOMICS

December 2007

Time: 3 hours
Maximum Marks: 100
(Weightage 70%)

Note : This paper contains two Sections A and B. Attempt any three questions from Section A carrying 20 marks each. Section B is compulsary and carries 40 marks.

SECTION A

1. What is the basic objective of a firm? Distinguish between 'Accounting Profit' and 'Economic Profit' with the help of an illustration. 20

2. What do you understand describing the regression explain why it is important by demand forecasting? While method of demand forecasting, for the firm to forecast demand. 20

3. Distinguish between the following with the help of illustrations : 20

(a) Fixed costs and Variable costs

(b) Short run costs and Long-run costs

(d) Total cost, Average cost and Marginal cost

4. (a) Differentiate between Monopoly and Monopolistic competition giving examples (10)

(b) Explain why profit is maximum at a level where MC : MR. Is profit always maximum when MC : MR? Comment. 10

5. (a) What are the different types of statistical analyses used in the estimation of production function? Explain briefly with the help of examples. Discuss the limitations of different types of statistical analysis. (10)

(b) Briefly explain how the Cobb - Douglas production function can be used to determine returns to scale. (10)

SECTION B

6. (a) Which of the following commodities has most inelastic demand? Give reasohs for your answer. (10)

(i) Soap

(ii) Salt

(iii) Penicillin

(iv) Ice-cream

(v) Cigarettes

(b) Suppose the demand function of a product is given as Q = 500 - 5P. Find the profit maximising price when (10)

MC=0

MC=20

7. Suppose you are a sales manager of an organization. Explain how does the analysis of demand contribute to business decision making, in the light of the responsibilities of a sales manager. 20

MS9 Managerial Economics June 2007

2010-03-06T22:51:00.000-08:00

MANAGEMENT PROGRAMME
Term-End Examination

MS9 MANAGERIAL ECONOMICS

June 2007

Time: 3 hours
Maximum Marks: 100
(Weightage 70%)

Note : This paper contains two Sections A and B. Attempt any three questions from Section A carrying 20 marks each. Section B is compulsary and carries 40 marks.

SECTION A

l. Differentiate between 5 types of rnarket using the following characteristics :

(a) Number of independent sellers

(b) Seller concentration

(d) Conditions of entry

2. Describe the various types of price discrimination. Is price discrimination a characteristic of monopoly or perfect competition? Explain.

3. (a) Explain and illustrate the various returns to scale.

(b) What is Operating Leverage? Give examples.

4. Discuss various Demand Forecasting Techniques. Illustrate your answer with examples.

5. Write notes on any four of the following :

(a) Value maximisation

(b) Technical efficiency

(d) Equilibrium price

(e) Price bundling

SECTION B

6. Mr. Balakrishnan, the research manager for marketing at the Maruti Udyog Limited has specified the following demand function for Maruti 800 in India : Q_m: f (P_m,N,I,P_H,P_G,A P₁)

where Q_m, is the quantity demanded of Maruti 800 per year, P_m is the price of Maruti, N is population, I is the disposable income, PH is price of Hyundai, P_G is price of gasoline, A is the amount of advertisement on Maruti 800 and P₁ is credit incentive to purchase Maruti 800. Indicate whether you expect each independent or explanatory variable to be directly or inversely related to the quantity dernanded of Maruti 800 and the reason for your expectation.

7. (a) State True or False :

(i) Over time, demand becomes less elastic, while supply becomes more elastic

(ii) The elasticities of demand tend to be higher For luxuries than for necessities.

(b) Choose the correct answer. Match List I and II and select the correct answer using the codes.

I - II

A. Horizontal LAC schedule - 1. Economies of scale

B. Decreasing LAC schedule - 2. Constant return to scale

C. Increasing LAC schedule - 3. Diseconomies of scale

Codes :

	A	B	C
(i)	3	1	2
(ii)	3	2	1
(iii)	2	1	3
(iv)	1	2	3

The BC part of the curve in the above figure is the demand curve of

(i) Superior goods

(ii) Inferior goods

(iii) Normal goods

(iv) Giffen goods

MS7 Information Systems for Managers December 2006

2010-03-06T22:47:00.000-08:00

MANAGEMENT PROGRAMME
Term-End Examination

December, 2006

MS7 : INFORMATION SYSTEMS FOR MANAGERS

Time: 3 hours
Maximum Marks: 100
(Weightage 70%)

Note : (i) Answer any three questions from Section A
(ii) Section B is compulsory.
(iii) All questions carry equal marks.

SECTION A

1. (a) Is Information Technology as vital to modern global business as money ? Why or why not ? Discuss some trends in IT development.

(b) Write a note on input and output devices, Dâstingush between human data input devices and source data capture devices.

2. (a) Describe various ways of assessing the value of information. Explain each method briefly.

(b) In context of MIS, compare the job content of management levels.

3. (a) Describe how IT facilitates recruiting, training and personnel development and labour planning.

(b) What are integrated software applications ? Discuss their advantages and business utility.

4. (a) Write short notes on any one of the following

(i) Communication systems
(ii) Decision support systems
(iii) Briefly explain the features of HTML and elaborate its applications in business.

5. (a) Discuss data warehousing and data mining. How are they helpful?

(b) ExpLain Neural Networks and their applications in business.

SECTION B

6. Write short notes on any two of the following

(i) Programmed decisions
(ii) Emerging trends in convergence of IT
(iii) Intranet and Internet

7. Read the case given below and answer the questions given at the end.

An Enterprisewide information System at Hertz

Hertz Corporation, the largest company In the car rental industry, competes against dozens of companies in hundreds of locations worldwide. Several marketing decisions must be made almost instantaneously (such as whether to follow a competitor’s price discount). The company’s marketing decisions are decentralized and are based on information about cities, climates, holidays, business cycles, tourist activities, past promotions, competitors’ actions, and customers’ behaviour. The amount of such information is huge, and the only way to process it is to use computers. The problem faced by Hertz was how to provide accessibility to such information and use it properly. A mainframe-based DSS was developed as early as 987 to allow fast analysis by executives and managers. But a marketing manager who had a question had to go through a staff assistant, which made the process lengthy and cumbersome . The need for a better system was obvious.

In 1988, Hertz decided to add a PC-based EIS as a companion to the DSS. The combined system gave executives tools to analyze the mountains of stored information and make real-time decisions without the help of assistants. The system was migrated to a Web-based enterprise system in 2001. It Is extremely user-friendly and is maintained by the marketing staff. Since its assimilation into the corporate culture conformed to the manner in which [Iertz executives were used to working. implementation and extensive use were no problem. Hertz managers say that the enterprise system creates synergy in decision making. It triggers questions, a greater influx of creative ideas, and more cost-effective marketing decisions. In the Late l990s, the system was integrated with a data warehouse and connected to the corporate intranets and the Internet. Now local managers know all competitors’ prices, in real time. By using supply-demand models, they can assess the impact of price changes on the demand for cars. In 2001 the system was connected to the corporate ERP and expanded to include e-commerce capabilities.

Questions:

(a) Why was the DSS insufficient by itself, and how did the addition of the EIS make it effective ?
(b) Why is the data warehouse useful?
(c) Why was an integration to e-commerce needed ?

MS6 Marketing for Managers December 2007

2010-03-06T22:45:00.001-08:00

MANAGEMENT PROGRAMME
Term-End Examination

MS6 MARKETING FOR MANAGERS

December 2007

Time: 3 hours
Maximum Marks: 100
(Weightage 70%)

Note : (i) Attempt any three questions from Section A.
(ii) Section B is compulsory.
(iii) All questions carry equal marks.

SECTION A

1. What is consumer behaviour? Explain briefly the various factors influencing consumer behaviour taking example of any consumer durable of your choice.

2. (a) Distinguish between Market Segmentation and Product Differentiation.

(b) Describe the bases that you will use in segmenting the market for the following products :

(i) Hair dryer

(ii) Low calorie sweetener

3. What are the objectives of Sales Promotion?

As a Sales Manager, you have been assigned the task planning the Sales Promotion program of a ready-to-co meal. Discuss the steps that you would follow for effective planning and management of the said program.

4. Write short notes on any three of the following :

(a) Marketing Research as a tool for decision making

(b) Functional Organisation

(d) Stages in new product development

(e) Product Life Cycle

SECTION B

5. Read carefully the following two case situations given below and answer the questions mentioned at the end of each case.

(a) The pen market in India is around Rs. 700 crores and 60 to 650/o of the market belongs to ball pens. Growth is in the range of 20o/o annually. The "X" brand created a kind of revolution by bringing in an offering priced higher than a number of competing brands and also offered greater reliability and superior flow. The brand is a market leader. "Y" was a follower brand priced below "X" and it has become a 50 crore brand. The brand also provided a "secondary" differentiation by introducing a number of colours.

Question :

Explain the pricing strategy of to this situation. and its relevance

(b) ABC is a well-known brand in the cement industry. It has a large distribution network of around 8000 plus stockists and 20 C and F agents. During the last decade the company's market share has gradually declined to 15% from earlier 30%. About a couple of years ogo, the brand opened its first company-owned retail outlet called "ABC Ki Duniya" (World of ABC). The outlet reassures the customer about the genuine material, and encourages interaction besides displaying a range of refractory and aluminium based products. This type of outlet is also likely to enhance the company's image.

Question :

Taking into consideration the cement market and the commoditised nature of the product, comment on the pros and cons of an outlet of this kind. Would such outlets alone enhance sales? Explain your answer

MS6 Marketing for Managers June 2007

2010-03-06T22:43:00.000-08:00

MANAGEMENT PROGRAMME
Term-End Examination

MS6 MARKETING FOR MANAGERS

June 2007

Time: 3 hours
Maximum Marks: 100
(Weightage 70%)

Note : (i) Attempt any three questions from Section A.
(ii) Section B is compulsory.
(iii) All questions carry equal marks.

SECTION A

l - Explain the various segmentation bases used by marketers, with suitable illustrations. Suggest suitable segmentation basis for the following, giving reasons :

(i) Light Commercial Vehicles (LCV)

(ii) Contact lenses

2. (a) How does the Product Life Cycle (PLC) influence the marketing mix decisions ? Explain with suitable examples.

(b) Packaging has a direct bearing on the consumer buying behaviour. Explain.

3. (a) Distinguish Primary data from Secondary data' Enumerate and discuss briefly the major sources of secondary data available for the marketers. What are the limitations of using secondary data ?

(b) Why and when do firms go in for related and unrelated diversification decisions ? Explain with examples.

4. Write short notes on any three of the following :

(a) Matrix organisation

(b) Product augmentation

(d) Steps in selling process

(e) Determinants of Price

SECTION B

5. Read carefully the following two case situations and answer the questions rnentioned at the end of each case.

(a) Nestle has launched brands Quality Stree, Lion and After Eight (Chocolates). These brands are being imported from Europe. Qualtty Street is an assortment of chocolates priced at Rs. 175 for 218 gm. After Eight is a popular adult chocolate priced at Rs. 125 for 200 gm and Lion is a caramel wafer bar pnced at Rs. 20 for a 45 gm bar. (Kit Kat is priced at Rs. 6 for a 17 gm bar and has a chocolaty taste while Lion has a crunchy taste). The brands have different tastes and will appeal to different target segments (though the target segment is one which may have already been exposed to these brands during visits abroad). These brands have been introduced in metros in upmarket stores which sell brands bears the label "lmported by Nestle India Ltd." indicating that they may be better than smuggled ones (which may be stale).

Question

Suggest suitable media /media vehicles for promoting these brands. Give reasons in support of your answer.

(b) The herbal shampoo market is valued at around Rs. 100 crores. Nyle, Ayur, Dabur and Biotique are some of the established brands in the market. Helene Curtis (JK Group) has introduced a premium herbal shampoo (with variants Shikskai, henna and qmla and brqhmi and josur) priced between Rs. 80 and Rs. 90 (500 ml) for different types of hair. The proposition is the benefits offered by the variant based on the combination of herbs. The benefits offered by the variants range from extra protection and nourishment to colour, body and bounce. The shampoos have been launched under the brand name Premium Herbsl Shsmpoos and they target urban housewives with a monthly household income of Rs.25,000. The brand is distributed through 70,000 retail outlets and 120 Raymond shops. The company has planned only point of purchase (POP) posters initially and may consider the electronic media later. The shampoo has an annual advertising expenditure of Rs. 10 crores.

Question

Comment on the marketing mix of JK's Premium Herbsl Shampoos and give suggestions for making it more effective.