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IB06

International Business

Assignment – I

Assignment Code: 2014IB06B1                   Last Date of Submission: 15th October  2014
                              Maximum Marks: 100

Attempt all the questions.  All questions are compulsory and carry equal marks.

Section-A

1.     Explain the major theories of international trade and investment.

2.     Describe the main features of Multinational Corporations. Critically evaluate the     relationship between Multinational Corporations and host countries.   
  
3.     How globalization has affected the economies of developing and less developed     countries. Also explain the advantages and disadvantages of globalization for these       countries.

4.     Explain the main features of Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA). How Foreign     Exchange management Act is different from Foreign Exchange Regulation Act (FERA).

Section-B
Case Study
Read the following case carefully and answer the questions given in the end:
After a year of scorched-earth litigation, a jury decided Friday that Samsung ripped off the innovative technology used by Apple to create its revolutionary iPhone and iPad. The jury ordered Samsung to pay Apple $1.05 billion. An appeal is expected. Apple Inc. filed its patent infringement lawsuit in April 2011 and engaged legions of the country's highest-paid patent lawyers to demand $2.5 billion from its top smartphone competitor. Samsung Electronics Co. fired back with its own lawsuit seeking $399 million. But verdict, however, belonged to Apple, as the jury rejected all Samsung's claim against Apple. Jurors also decided against some of Apple's claims involving the two dozen Samsung devices at issue, declining to award the full $2.5 billion Apple demanded. However, the jury found that several Samsung products illegally used such Apple creations as the "bounce-back" feature when a user scrolls to an end image, and the ability to zoom text with a finger tap.
    As part of its lawsuit, Apple also demanded that Samsung pull its most popular cellphones and computer tablets from the U.S. market. A judge was expected to make that ruling at a later time. During closing arguments at the trial, Apple attorney Harold McElhinny claimed Samsung was having a "crisis of design" after the 2007 launch of the iPhone, and executives with the South Korean company were determined to illegally cash in on the success of the revolutionary device.
    Samsung's lawyers countered that it was simply and legally giving consumers what they want: Smart phones with big screens. They said Samsung didn't violate any of Apple's patents and further alleged innovations claimed by Apple were actually created by other companies. Samsung has emerged as one of Apple's biggest rivals and has overtaken Apple as the leading smartphone maker. Samsung's Galaxy line of phones run on Android, a mobile operating system that Google Inc. has given out for free to Samsung and other phone makers. Samsung conceded that Apple makes great products but said it doesn't have a monopoly on the design of rectangle phones with rounded corners that it claimed it created. Google entered the smartphone market while its then-CEO Eric Schmidt was on Apple's board, infuriating Apple co-founder Steve Jobs, who considered Android to be a blatant rip off of the iPhone's innovations.
After shoving Schmidt off Apple's board, Jobs vowed that Apple would resort to "thermonuclear war" to destroy Android and its allies. The Apple-Samsung trial in San Jose came after each side filed a blizzard of legal motions and refused advisories by U.S. District Judge Lucy Koh to settle the dispute out of court. Deliberations by the jury of seven men and two women began Wednesday. Samsung has sold 22.7 million smartphones and tablets that Apple claimed uses its technology. McElhinny said those devices accounted for $8.16 billion in sales since June 2010.  Apple and Samsung combined account for more than half of global smartphone sales.
From the beginning, legal experts and Wall Street analysts viewed Samsung as the underdog in the case. Apple's headquarters is a mere 10 miles from the courthouse, and jurors were picked from the heart of Silicon Valley where Apple's late founder Steve Jobs is a revered technological pioneer. While the legal and technological issues were complex, patent expert Alexander I. Poltorak previously said the case would likely boil down to whether jurors believed Samsung's products look and feel almost identical to Apple's iPhone and iPad.
    To overcome that challenge at trial, Samsung's lawyers argued that many of Apple's claims of innovation were either obvious concepts or ideas stolen from Sony Corp. and others. Experts called that line of argument a high-risk strategy because of Apple's reputation as an innovator. Apple's lawyers argued there is almost no difference between Samsung products and those of Apple, and presented internal Samsung documents they said showed it copied Apple designs. Samsung lawyers insisted that several other companies and inventors had previously developed much of the Apple technology at issue.
    The U.S. trial is just the latest skirmish between the two tech giants over product designs. Apple and Samsung have filed similar lawsuits in eight other countries, including South Korea, Germany, Japan, Italy, the Netherlands, Britain, France and Australia. Samsung won a home court ruling Friday in the global patent battle against Apple. Judges in Seoul said Samsung didn't copy the look and feel of the iPhone and ruled that Apple infringed on Samsung's wireless technology.
    However, the judges also said Samsung violated Apple's technology behind the feature that causes a screen to bounce back when a user scrolls to an end image. Both sides were ordered to pay limited damages. The Seoul ruling was a rare victory for Samsung in its fight with Apple. Those arguments previously have been shot down by courts in Europe, where judges have ruled that they are part of industry standards that must be licensed under fair terms to competitors.
    The U.S. case is one of some 50 lawsuits among myriad telecommunications companies jockeying for position in the burgeoning $219 billion market for smartphones and computer tablets.

Questions:

a)    Discuss the issues involved in the Case.

    b)     What kind of IPR infringement is involved in the case.

IB06

International Business

Assignment – II

Assignment Code: 2014IB06B2                    Last Date of Submission: 15th November 2014
                               Maximum Marks: 100

Attempt all the questions.  All questions are compulsory and carry equal marks.

Section-A

1.     a)     What   to  you   understand   by   Global   Finance   Market? Discuss  international
        investment decisions and moving money across borders
    (b)      Discuss the role of foreign factories in domestic markets.

2.     Write short notes on:          
    i.    Strategic Alliance
    ii.    Mergers and Acquisitions
    iii.    Free Trade Area/Agreement
    iv.    Joint Ventures
    v.    Customs Union                                    (5x4)

3.    a)     Discuss   different   types   of   Regional  Economic  Integration.   What   are   the             advantages  and disadvantages of Regional Economic Integration in international         Business?
    b)     Govt. of  India   has   allowed  FDI in Indian retails sector in Dec.2012.  Discuss the         salient features of FDI policy in Indian Retail Sector.

4.     Aligned Documents System in International Trade plays a vital role. Discuss the     Commercial and Regulatory Documents used in the International Trade. How these     documents are different from each other? 
 
Section-B
Case Study

Read the following case carefully and answer the questions given in the end:

A Foreign Company has been exporting its Nylon product to India for the last one year on the lower price normally it charge in its own country. Selling of the product at lower price has resulted into the direct injury to Indian Nylon Industry by way of loss of market share, reduction in profit, loss of production and job loss. The Industry filed an application with the Director General of Antidumping and Allied Duties (DGAD) for investigating these imports at low price.

    DGAD initiated the investigations and asked for the production cost data from the domestic and foreign companies involved in the case. But the foreign company did not give the production cost data in the name of business secret. DGAD took the cost of production of similar product from the 3rd country and fixed the normal value of the product vis-a vis the price of the domestic industry.   It was found that the normal price of the like product in India is Rs. 50/- per unit where as this foreign company is selling the same product at Rs. 35/- per unit. The foreign company is selling this product in their own country at Rs. 45/- per unit. The market share acquired in India by this foreign company alone is more than 10% and the total imports of this product come to 15% of the market share. As per Article –VI of antidumping agreement DGAD is empowered to determine anti dumping duty if the dumping margin is more than 2% in a particular case.

Questions:

a)     Do you feel there is a dumping by foreign company in this case? If yes, support your     answer with evidence in the light of GATT Antidumping Agreement.

b)     Calculate the Antidumping Margin for imposing antidumping duty on the foreign     company.

c)     In India which Govt. department is empowered to notify the antidumping duty once it is     determined.

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GM14
Strategic Management and Ethics
Assignment I

Assignment Code : 2014GM14B1                Last Date of Submission: 15th October 2014
                                        Maximum Marks: 100

Attempt all the questions. All questions are compulsory and carry equal marks.
Section A
1. (a)    What do you understand by Strategic Management? Why should a student study Strategic Management?
    (b)    Why do we need it and what are the benefits to the organization?

2. (a)    What do you understand by Organizational Appraisal?
    (b)      What should the strategist look for in sizing up a company's strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats?

3.    Elaborate the four grand strategies viz. stability, growth, retrenchment and combination to achieve the corporate objectives of the firm.

4.    A firm should have an edge over competition in getting customers and defending against competitive forces to have competitive advantage. Discuss the statement with reference to –
a)    Generic Strategies
b)    Offensive Strategies
c)    Defensive Strategies

Section B
Case Study - SUCHI HOTELS AND DIRECT MARKETING LIMITED
Mr. Pulapa hailed from a village near Rajahmundry whose hobby was travelling widely. During his extensive travel in 1950s and 1960s, he faced the problem of non-availability of good hotels in different parts of the country. He got an idea of bridging this gap in hotel industry at least in one town and he started a small hotel by name Suchi Hotel with his own capital of Rs. 50,000 in 1971. He became successful by 1973. His profits cross 30% of his investment. The number of customers went up by 200% between 1971 and 1973. Sales in monetary terms rose by 150% during the period. He was amazed by the progress of Suchi Hotel and started planning to expand the hotel to other towns particularly to Visakhapatnam and Vijayawada. He searched for a partner who can participate in equity, day to day administration and policy making. He could find Mr. Ram Krishna in 1975 and both of them started hotels in Visakhapatnam and Vijayawada after establishing a private limited company under the name of Suchi Hotels (Private) Limited in 1976. Their unit in Vijayawada was a successful project. In fact, they expanded the Vijayawada branch. The Visakhapatnam branch proved to be a failure one and the company harvested it in 1981. The money received from this source was invested in opening another branch in Vijayawada in 1982. The company had plans of opening its hotels in other cities like Hyderabad, New Delhi and Bombay. The company was converted into a public limited company in 1986 and issued share capital for public to the tune of Rs. 50 lakhs. The company was successful in this venture. The company started its branches in Hyderabad, and New Delhi in 1988 and could not start a branch in Bombay as it could not get the right place in Bombay, instead, the company opened its branch in Madras.
All the hotels of the company proved to be successful. The company's management in 1991 seriously considered the issue of supplying a lunch and dinner to the homes and/ or offices. This idea attracted the management from the view point of increasing number of working unmarried women and men. After a thorough discussion of this project, the management decided to implement this idea from janualy 1992. The company received an unexpected response from the customers. Therefore the company invested all its cash for purchasing vehicles, and other necessary equipment for this project. The company earned the profit as high as 30% in 1992 and declared dividend the highest percentage since its establishment i.e., 28%.
Pragathi Direct Marketing Limited was marketing the consumer durables like TVs, washing machines, kitchen appliances, ready-made garments in South India could not survive due to unsound financial position. The management of Suchi Hotels Limited and Pragathi Direct Marketing Limited agreed for merging the latter company with the former one. The name of the new company was decided as "Suchi Hotels and Direct Marketing Limited" and its was also agreed to offer one share of the new company for every three shares of Rs. 10 fully paid to the shareholders of the Pragathi Direct Marketing Limited. This new company of Suchi Hotels and Direct Marketing Limited came into being in April 1993. The management of the new company issued equity shares for the public to the tune of Rs. 2,00 crores in July 1993 and the company had an overwhelming response for this issue.
During this period there was a boom in the capital market. The number of new companies in the country was increasing. Added to this, a number of existing companies either expanded and/or diversified their activities. Almost all the companies went for public issue were successful. The growth of the traditional hotel industry reached a peak stage. In fact, there was cut-throat competition in this industry due to more number of firms in the industry. The new developments in this industry are the emergence of motels far from the busy places of the cities and the emergence of tiffin corners and lunch corners at all the places convenient to the customers. Even, many existing hotels started the home/office delivery of breakfast, lunch and dinners.
The Suchi Hotels and Direct Marketing Limited was affected severely by these environmental changes. The number of customers, sales and profits of all of its hotels started declining from 1995 and reached to their lowest level in 1997. The company viewed this problem very seriously as the sales level is 50% below the break-even level.
During the 1990s, there has been favourable conditions for the direct marketing industry. The industry's growth rate is nearly 20%. In fact, new items are added to the direct marketing by many companies. The Suchi Hotels and Direct Marketing Limited also expanded its operations of its direct marketing portfolio. Further, this portfolio's sales went up by 100% between 1995 and 1997, profit went up by 50% during the period. The General Manager of the company has been designing many new programmes which have been proving successful. The company could not approve some of the worthwhile projects proposed by the general manager of the Direct Marketing Portfolio of the company due to the cash crunch. The company also realised that it has been unable to exploit the opportunities offered by the direct marketing industry due to the setbacks from the hotel portfolio of the company. The genera! manager of the direct marketing wing threatened the management in September 1997, that he would leave the company by March 1998, if the company fails to make further investments.   

Questions
1-     Discuss the strategic alternatives available in the company.
2-     Should the company go for a public issue? Turn around programme of the hotel and expansion programme of direct marketing. 

GM14
Strategic Management & Ethics
Assignment II

Assignment Code : 2014GM14B2              Last Date of Submission: 15th November 2014
                                      Maximum Marks: 100
Attempt all the questions. All questions are compulsory and carry equal marks.

Section A
1.     Briefly discuss –
a)    Corporate Culture
b)    Shared Values
c)    Power
d)    Social Responsibilities
e)    Ethics

2. (a)    What are the factors influencing organizational leadership and empowerment?
    (b)    Discuss the choice of leaders with reference to their qualities and selection from inside or outside the organization.

3.    Strategic control focuses on monitoring and evaluating the strategic management process to ensure that it function in the right direction.  Discuss the purpose of strategic control and its processes.

4. (a)    What do you understand Strategic Decision Making?
    (b)    Discuss its approaches and process.

Section B
CASE STUDY- DIVERSIFICATION PROGRAMMES OF HINDUSTAN MACHINE TOOLS (HMT)
Among Indian public enterprises, Hindustan Machine Tools could be cited as a unique example of an enterprise which started in 1953, relatively small in each of its diversifications, grew rapidly in the course of time. It grew very fast, both production-wise and product-wise. Taking birth in Bangalore, the enterprise has succeeded through its diversification strategy and-today it has plants and offices spread all over India. Commending its operations as a manufacturing enterprise of machine tools it has diversified its activities broadly covering a wide range of machine tools, presses, printing machines, horological machines, watches, tractors, lamps and consultancy services and has displayed a fairly good profit performance. The late fifties and early sixties have witnessed a rigorous diversification of the machine tool product line. Subsequently, it moved on to other profitable and export oriented areas of production. The primary activity was to produce a limited range of machine tools to enable building up the industrial infrastructure of the country.
However, the rate of growth in machine tools demand outstripped all expectations by 1960-61, with HMT well on the way to attaining its full rated capacity. As the rest of the machine tool industry in the country was making slow and tardy efforts to raise the production potential matching with the rapidly increasing needs of the country, HMT took upon itself the task of recasting the role of the machine tools industry in support of the country's visions of industrialisation. With the success achieved in absorbing the technology and in attaining production competence far ahead of the original plans, and with a strategic move, the company launched a bold plan for diversification and expansion which resulted in the duplication of the Bangalore unit and the setting up of new units at Pinjore, Kalamassery and Hyderabad. Further, based on the projections of the Planning Commission, a ten-year plan, which may be termed as the first Corporate plan for HMT, was developed in 1962 to set up five more machine tools units that would raise the aggregate annual capacity to around Rs. 50 crore by 1972. This plan was complete with a statement of objectives and the strategies for integrated technical and manpower development, internal generation of financial resources, equitable sharing of surpluses with investors and employees, and so on. The actual growth of the country's consumption of machine tools, and HMT's own growth, were absolutely on-course with this plan, until 1966.
During the period 1960-66, as if encouraged by the success of HMT, other machine tool makers in the country also proportionately increased their production capacity and widened their product base. In 1967, a recession struck the Indian engineering industry and the consumption of machine tools decreased drastically, down to Rs. 42 crore in 1969-70 instead of reaching Rs. 84 crore as envisaged by the earlier projections.
The traumatic years of recession, difficult as they were to endure at the time, did indeed serve to bring to the fore two latent strengths of HMT: the urge to survive and the confidence to innovate. With these strengths at full play, the company emerged from the recession.
•    With the world's widest range of machine tools and associated services under a single corporate entity;
•    With action plans firmly launched for diversification into tractors, printing machines, etc,, which are considered to have economic cycles that are different from those of machine tools;
•    With additional capacities for watch production in the offing to provide a greater cushion against cyclical fluctuations in capital goods markets; and
•    With export markets of enormous potential under active development.
From an enterprise manufacturing a fairly narrow range of machine tools valued at about Rs. 34 million and employing about 4,200 employees in 1960-61, the Company has today (i.e., in 1993-94) grown into a giant, with 16 units (24 divisions) spread over ten states, producing goods worth nearly Rs. 6.3 billion, employing 24,919 employees and marketing a wide range of capital and consumer goods including a full spectrum of general purpose machine tools, sophisticated machines like CMC turning centres, CMC turret punch presses, etc., printing machinery, dairy machinery, tractors, watches from wrist watches to top line quartz analog watches and lamps including fluorescent and sodium vapour lamps.
HMT has three subsidiaries viz., HMT International Ltd., through which exports of all HMT units are routed, HMT Bearing Ltd., a company producing a wide range of ball, cylindrical and tapered bearings and Praga Tools Ltd, a company which also manufacturers machine tools.
The merger planks of HMT's growth in the eighties were R&D, corporate planning, and human resources development^ However, during the following decade, 1980-1990 the corporate strategy pursued by HMT preferred to confine its diversification programmes and plans mostly to its main line of activity, i.e., engineering products and machine tools. It did not venture into any new field in view of the decreasing returns on the investment and losses suffered due to diversification into unrelated fields, particularly lamps and its inability to go for technological upgradation with a view to keeping pace with its competitors. Since 1990, HMT preferred to consolidate its existing line of activity. An important landmark which influenced the corporate strategy of HMT has been the study conducted by Japan International Co-operation Agency (JICA) which provided a totally new direction for its diversification plans.
Efforts have been made by the researcher to study and analyse the strengths and weaknesses of the company's corporate policy from the point of view of its commitment to diversification plans.

Questions
1-     What were the corporate mission, objectives and goals of HMT Ltd.?
2-     Review the preparation of HMT with regard to strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats.  

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GM13

Entrepreneurial Management

Assignment I

Assignment Code : 2014GM13B1                  Last Date of Submission : 15th October 2014
                                             Maximum Marks : 100


Section A

1.    Do you agree that the most important elements of an entrepreneurial culture are; creativity and innovation, empowerment, strong relationship, continual learning and measured risk taking? Elaborate.

2.    Describe the human resource management issues with which entrepreneurs have to deal with.

3.    How will you conduct a feasibility study for the following :
a)    A good catering service
b)    A book shop

4.    What is franchising? Do you consider a ‘Franchisee’ to be a smart entrepreneur? Give some example of a successful franchising enterprise.

Section B
Case Study
Dell

Dell assembles computers. Originally assembled in the USA, they are now assembled also in Ireland, Malaysia, China and Brazil. However, from the start ,Michael Dell knew what the critical success factor for his business was. He used an expert to build prototype computers whilst he concentrated on finding cheap components. And the company still sources its components from around the world. Dell grew at an incredible pace, notching up sales to £3.7 million in the first nine months. The company pioneered direct marketing in the industry whereby systems are built to the customer's specifications after an order is placed, and then shipped directly to the customer. More lately, it has pioneered the development of integrated supply chain management, linking customers orders directly to its supply chain. At all the times it has focused clearly on a low-cost /low-price marketing strategy

'We built the company around a systematic process: give customers high-quality computers at a competitive price as quickly as possible, backed by great service.'

Each division in Dell is tasked to continuously improve efficiency and reduce costs, and workers undertake extensive training through its team-based Business Process Improvement programme. This is aimed at not only reinforcing the importance of cost reduction, but also putting in place processes and procedures that allow efficiency savings , giving the team control over implementing new ideas. As Dell says, 'Empower workers with the tools to make a difference and the innovation will follow.' Productivity at Dell, measured by the number of computers built per employee, has increased 240% in the last five years.

Dell was a pioneer of e-business. What makes Dell special today is its 'fully integrated value chain' - B2B2C. Suppliers, including small firms, have real-time access to information about customer orders and deliveries via the company's extra net. They organize supplies of hard drives, motherboards, modems etc. on a 'just-in-time' basis so as to keep the production line moving smoothly. From the parts being delivered to the orders being shipped out, takes just a few hours. Inventories are minimized and, what is more important, the cash is received from the customer before Dell pays its suppliers. These systems and processes are part of Dell's competitive advantage. They help keep Dell's costs low and allow it to build orders. In the 1990s, in order to protect this, the company started applying for patents, not for its products, but for different parts of its ordering, building and testing processes. It now holds over 80 such patents.

Dell has created a three-way 'information partnership' between itself and its customers and suppliers by treating them as collaborators, who together find ways of improving efficiency:

'The best way I know to establish and maintain a healthy, competitive culture is to partner with your people - through shared objectives and common strategies... Dell is very much a relationship orientated company  how we communicate and partner with our employees and customers. But our commitment doesn't stop there. Our willingness and ability to partner to achieve our common goals is perhaps seen in its purest form in how we forge strong alliances with our suppliers. Early in Dell's history we had more than 140 different suppliers providing us with component parts. Today our rule is to keep it simple and have as few partners as possible. Fewer than 40 suppliers provide us with about 90 percent of our material needs. Closer partnerships with fewer suppliers is a great way to cut cost and further speed products to market.

Dell's market place is highly competitive. Dell prides itself on not only good marketing of quality products but, most importantly, speedy delivery of customized products - factors it believes are reflected in the Dell brand.

'The idea of building a business solely on cost or price was not a sustainable advantage. There would always be someone with something that was lower in price or cheaper to produce. What really important was sustaining loyalty among customers and employees, and that could be derived from having the highest level of service and very high performing products.'

Nevertheless, whilst Dell might not sell the cheapest computers in the market place, the price it asks must always be competitive and that means costs must be kept as low as possible.

Questions
1.    How much of a generic product is a Dell computer?
2.    What do you think of Dell's marketing strategy?
3.    From what you know about the company, is Dell's competitive advantage based solely on its external architecture? What else might contribute to this?

GM13

Entrepreneurial Management

Assignment II

Assignment Code : 2014GM13B2              Last Date of Submission : 15th November 2014
                                  Maximum Marks : 100

Section A

1.    What organizational processes would reinforce the message that an organization is entrepreneurial?

2.     Describe briefly any two
a)    SWOT analysis
b)    Environment Scanning
c)    Competitive advantage

3.    Give an overview of venture capital industry in India, today.

4.    E-commerce has emerged as a new area of enterprise. What is the level of its acceptance and its future in India?

Section B
Case Study
Virgin

Virgin is one of the best known brands in Britain today, with 96% recognition, and it is well known world wide. It is strongly associated with its founder - 95% can name him. In 2004 Interbrand ranked it eighth in the global rankings as Brand of the Year. Research shows, it is associated with value for money, quality, good service, innovation, fun and a sense of competitive advantage. But despite its high profile, Virgin is actually made up of lots of small companies - 20 umbrella companies with some 270 separate, semi-independent businesses, most set up in partnership with other companies. This mirrors a Japanese management structure called 'keiretsu', where different businesses act as a family under one brand, each empowered to run its own business unit independently, offering help and support when needed. Richard Branson explains:

'Despite employing over 20,000 people, Virgin is not a big company - it's a big brand, made up of lots of small companies. Our priorities are opposite to our large competitors ... For us our employees matter most. It just seems common sense that if you have a happy, well motivated workforce, you're much more likely to have happy customers. And in due course the resulting profits will make your shareholders happy. Convention dictates that big is beautiful, but every time one of our ventures gets too big we divide it up into smaller units... Each time we do this, the people involved do not have more work to do, but necessarily they have greater incentive to perform and have a greater zest for their work.'

Virgin uses its brand as a capital asset in joint ventures. It is continually searching out opportunities where it can offer something 'better, fresher and more valuable'. Virgin contributes the brand and Richard Branson's PR profile, whilst the partner provides the operating capability and often the capital input - in some ways like a franchise operation. New firms are set up and sold off to finance Virgin's global expansion. In 2002, Virgin raised an estimated £1.3 billion in this way. Among these the biggest was the sale of 49% of Virgin Atlantic to Singapore Airlines for an estimated £600 million, followed in 2001 by a £75 million mortgage secured on his remaining stake. Virgin sold 50% of Virgin Blue, the Australian low-fare carrier to Patrick Corp. for £96 million. It also sold Virgin One, to Royal Bank of Scotland for £45 million, the Virgin Active health clubs for £75 million and the French Megastore business to Lagardere for £92 million. Virgin has also raised smaller amounts by selling stakes in Raymond Blanc's restaurants.

The brand has been largely built through the personal PR efforts of its founder. According to Richard Branson:

'Brands must be built around reputation, quality and price... People should not be asking "is this product too far?" but rather, "what are the qualities in my company's name? How can I develop them?”

According to Will Whitehorn, director of corporate affairs at Virgin Management:

'At Virgin, we know what the brand name means, and when we put our brand name on something, we're making a promise. It's a promise we've always kept and always will. It's harder work keeping promises than making them, but there is no secret formula. Virgin sticks to its principles and keeps its promises.'

Virgin defines its consumers as 'the public at large - anyone who will buy from us.' It defines its customers as 'people who are using Virgin products or services' and would like to extend its relationship with them, for example through Virgin Mobile. It believes its products and services are about making life easier - 'developing better value for money, a better service, challenging the status quo, and injecting an element of fun into what have traditionally been .dreary marketplaces.' For example, the airline industry, aims to offer excellent customer service and has consistently innovated in many ways like offering on-board messaging. In 2004 Virgin Atlantic was voted best long haul business airline by Business Travel and best transatlantic airline by Travel Weekly. Virgin Mobile offers one simple tariff with no extra charge in contrast to the complicated contracts offered by other mobile phone companies. In 2003 Mobile Choice Consumer placed it first, for the best pre-pay package and best for customer service.

Service quality is at the core of many of the businesses and this is delivered by staff having the culture of 'going the extra mile'. Staff are seen as the company's most valuable asset. They give the company its personality, shape its culture and innovate. Staff training encourages empowerment and challenges the existing rules and reinforces the brand culture. There are numerous activities designed to promote team spirit and reinforce brand values, including Richard Branson's summer party for staff. All staff have annual appraisals and a continuous service policy allows them to move freely around the Virgin Group of companies. They enjoy a group-wide discount scheme. The Group conducts regular employee satisfaction surveys and focus groups. It has staff committees and makes use of ideas/suggestion boxes. The company encourages employees to 'go that extra mile' by schemes that reward this, such as Virgin Atlantic and Virgin Holidays' Heroes, Virgin Mobile Shout Scheme, Virgin Money's Academy Awards and the group-wide Star of the Year prize dinner. In 2003 Virgin was voted, by Business Superbrands, the brand that values most its employees.

Richard Branson now runs the Virgin empire from a large house in London's Holland Park. Although there does not appear to be a traditional head office structure, Virgin employs a large number of professional managers. It has a devolved structure and an informal culture. Employees are encouraged to come up with new ideas and “development capital” is available. Once, a new venture reaches a certain size it is launched as an independent company within the Virgin Group and the intrapreneur takes an equity stake. Will Whitehorn, Branson's right hand man for the past 16 years, says of Richard: 'He doesn't believe that huge companies are the right way to go. He thinks small is beautiful. .. He's a one-person venture capital company, raising money from selling businesses and investing in new ones, and that's the way it will be in the future' (The Guardian, 30 April 2002). In 2007 Richard Branson announced that he would be taking a less active role in the day-to-day management of his companies.


Questions
1.    How would you describe the structure of the Virgin Group?
2.    Do you agree that Virgin is now just a 'branded venture capital company?”  Explain what this means.
3.    What does the Virgin brand bring to a product or service? How far can the brand be stretched?
4.    How dependent is the Virgin brand, on its founder, Richard Branson?

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GM06
Business Law and Corporate Governance
Assignment I
Assignment Code: 2014GM06B1                    Last Date of Submission : 15th October 2014                            Maximum Marks: 100
Attempt all the questions. All questions are compulsory and carry equal marks.
Section A
1.    (a)    Define  free consent. What are the different flaws in consent? Explain them with the             help of important and leading cases?
  (b)    “In cases of Equal guilt, the position of the defendant is better than that of the Plaintiff”             Comment.   
 2.     (a)    What are the various ways in which a contract may be discharged?
                (b)    What remedies are available to an aggrieved party on breach of a contract ?
 3.    (a)     Explain the nature of a contract of sale of goods and bring out clearly the distinction
                      between a sale and an agreement to sell.

SMU Assignments: Summer 2014: Contact us for answers at assignmentssolution@gmail.com

ASSIGNMENT
DRIVE  SUMMER 2014
PROGRAM  MBADS (SEM 4/SEM 6)
MBAFLEX/ MBA (SEM 4)
PGDSCMN (SEM 2)
SUBJECT CODE & NAME  SC0006 – GLOBAL LOGISTICS AND SUPPLY CHAIN
MANAGEMENT
BK ID  B1661
CREDIT AND MARKS  4 CREDITS AND 60 MARKS
Q.No  Criteria  Marks  Total Marks
1   Assume that you are working in a textile company. Your company decides to import all the raw
materials cotton clothing from the global suppliers to improve the sales. The company assigns
you the task of analysing various issues that must be considered while importing. What are
different issues you face while importing the goods from a global supplier?
A
Listing  of  the  issues  with  respect  to  various
countries you wish to import from.
Brief explanation of issues with suitable examples
Summarization of how these issues may affect your
company’s business
1
6
3
10
2  Insurance Claim by Jayshri Impex
Jayshri Impex  is one  of India's  leading  garment manufacturer and exporter of textile dyes  and
chemicals  whose  manufacturing  facility  is  located  at  Jethpur  (near  Rajkot),  Gujarat.  The  head
office of the company is at Mumbai.
The  company  manufactures  an  African  traditional  dress  worn  by  all  natives  of  African  cities  -"khanga".  Jayshri  Impex  has  set  high  standards  in  garment  export  and  it  is  recognised  by  the
government of India for its extraordinary work. They have their presence in other cities of India as
well as in Africa.
Theft of goods
Armed bandits on October 5, 2004, looted the export consignment of 185 bales of fabrics from
the train, when it was transported to Brazzaville (Republic of Congo, West Africa). The company
had insured their cargo with Bajaj Allianz and lodged a claim at the Bajaj Allianz, Rajkot office on
the same day.
Insurance support from Allianz
Even  though  the  location  of  theft  was  in  the  remote  jungles  of  Africa,  Bajaj  Allianz  appointed
Lloyd's Agency to carry out a survey immediately to check for the correctness of the claim.
Lloyd's was submitted on the survey report on November 20, 2004. It took a month for Lloyd's to
submit the report due to the procedural formalities involved in Africa to procure documents like
police papers and no trace reports. Since the survey report was submitted in French a translation
of the same was done at Ahmedabad on November 23, 2004.
The Insured submitted all the remaining documents such as Power of Attorney, Original Bill Of
Landing, NOC from Consignee, etc on November 25, 2004 from their Head Office at Mumbai.
The  claim  was  processed  and  based  on  the  survey  findings  it  was  found  to  be  true  and  the
insurance amount of Rs.31,37,360/- was released on November 30, 2004.
Inference
Jayshri Impex managed to avoid a  huge loss thanks to the insurance that it had purchased. The
insurance company Bajaj Allianz also responded quickly and supported its client by releasing the
amount at the earliest.
Why did Jayshri Impex  claim for insurance?  What type of insurance  may  Jayshri Impex
opted for. How did the insurance company help Jayshri Impex?
(Source:http://general.bajajallianz.com/BagicCorp/bajaj_home/claims/case_study.jsp)
A
Reason for claiming insurance
Inference for the Type of insurance opted (evidence
from case study, linking to type of insurance)
Settlement  of  insurance   (support  from  insurance
company)
2
4
4
10
3  Explain in detail about INCO terms.
A
Definition of INCO terms. What do they indicate?
Listing and description of INCO terms
2
8
10
4  Name the two types of rate making and explain the factors affecting air freight rates.
A  Discussion of freight rates (general and specific
commodity rate) with example
Brief explanation of freight rates (cost of service,
competition, directionality, characteristics of traffic
and value of service )
5 (2.5 marks each)
5(1 mark of each)
10
5   Write short notes on
Bareboat Charter
Combination vessels
Importance of free trade zones
Dry ports in India
A  Explanation of
Bareboat Charter
Combination vessels
Importance of free trade zones
Dry ports in India
10 (2.5 marks each)  10
6  Explain the global trends that affect the decision of a global logistics manager
A  Explanation of global trends(Market concentration ,
Production dispersion,  Product line diversity) with
suitable examples
Concluding remarks
9 ( 3 marks for each
trend)
1
10
*A-Answer
Note –Answer all questions. Kindly note that answers for 10 marks questions should be
approximately of 400 words. Each question is  followed by evaluation scheme.
ASSIGNMENT
DRIVE  SUMMER 2014
PROGRAM  MBADS (SEM 4/SEM 6)
MBAFLEX/ MBA (SEM 4)
PGDSCMN (SEM 2)
SUBJECT CODE & NAME  SC0007 – CATEGORY MANAGEMENT IN PURCHASING
BK ID  B1662
CREDITS AND MARKS  4 CREDITS AND 60 MARKS
Q.No  Criteria  Marks  Total Marks
1  Write Short notes on
Obstacles for driving change in category management process
Product category life cycle
Stakeholder mapping
Request for Information
Obstacles for driving change in category
management process
Product category life cycle
Stakeholder mapping
Request for Information
10 (2.5 marks each)  10
2  Explain opportunity analysis.
A  Explanation should include:
Use of opportunity analysis
How it is carried out?
Benefits
Disadvantage
Example
Alternative form of opportunity analysis
2
2
1
1
2
2
10
3  Wal-Mart redefines sourcing strategy
By Gill McShane
Wal-Mart Stores has announced in a press release a number of related events that position the
company to leverage its global scale to reduce costs of goods, accelerate speed to market, and
improve the quality of its products.
The new global sourcing strategy involves the creation of Global Merchandising Centers, a
change in leadership and structure, and a strategic alliance with Li & Fung, a global sourcing
organisation.
The announcements are “important elements in the company’s strategy to deliver even greater
value to its customers and shareholders”, according to Wal-Mart vice-chairman Eduardo CastroWright.
Walmart first announced a consolidated global sourcing structure centred around new Global
Merchandising Centers (GMCs) at its annual meeting for the investment community in October
2009. This new structure is expected to leverage the company’s global scale in both general
merchandise categories and global food sourcing.
“The newly-established Global Merchandising Centers represent the largest and most important
element of our new sourcing strategy,” said Mr Castro-Wright. “These centers will create
alignment between sourcing and merchandising and drive efficiencies across various
merchandise categories.”
The core of the company’s overall global sourcing strategy will be to continue increasing direct
sourcing for the company’s private brands. Today, private brand merchandise represents more
than US$100bn in purchasing annually. “Our new strategy and structure should drive significant
savings across the supply chain,” Mr Castro-Wright said.
Ed Kolodzieski, currently president and CEO of Walmart Japan Holdings G.K. and Seiyu, has
been promoted to executive vice-president and will lead Walmart’s Global Sourcing. Mr
Kolodzieski will report to Mr Castro-Wright.
As part of this new strategy, Walmart also finalised a series of agreements with Li & Fung, which
is forming a new company to manage the Walmart account, and is expected to build ca pacity that
would enable it to act as a buying agent for goods valued around US$2bn within the first year.
“In sum, we are redefining how we source products that are imported into Walmart retail markets
around the globe,” Mr Castro-Wright said. “By realigning our resources, leveraging our scale, and
restructuring our relationship with suppliers, we will enable our businesses around the world to
offer even more competitive pricing on merchandise and to provide our customers a clear and
compelling assortment of better quality products at lower prices.”
Source:http://www.fruitnet.com/americafruit/article/5565/wal-mart-redefines-sourcing-strategy
Analyse Wal-Mart’s sourcing strategy.
A  Reason why Wal-Mart redefined its strategy
Description the strategy
Benefits
Evaluation of Wal-Mart’s strategy
Conclusion
1
2
2
3
2
10
4  List and describe the different activities in relation with logistics in purchasing(unit 10)
A  Listing of activities
Brief description of activities including purpose of
each activity
Customer service
2
1
1
10
Demand forecasting
Order processing
Warehousing  and  distribution  center
management
purchasing
1
1
2
2
5
Measures Taken to Improve Lessons Learnt Review (LLR) in ABC Company
ABC  is  a  media  company  established  in  2000  in  New  Delhi.  The  company  runs  a  television
channel and also a monthly news magazine. At the end of every financial year, the management
of the company spent some quality time in preparing a lessons learnt report.  The management
was aware that continuous learning is essential to achieve continuous improvement. During the
process  of  creating  the  LLR,  the  officials  of  the  company  figured  out  that  lots  of  negative  and
positive things were happening in their business every financial year. After the analysis of their
performance, they documented their findings in a structured manner. They prepared LLR to avoid
repetition of mistakes and improve the overall performance.
Problem
However,  after  creating  LLR  on  a  regular  basis,  the  management  of  ABC  found  that  the
employees were committing the same mistakes which were explained and analysed in the LLR
many times. After much discussion, it became clear that the LLRs that  were created  were  not
shared  with  the  employees  of  the  organisation  properly.  As  a  result  of  this,  most  of  the
employees were not aware of the mistakes and the new updates.
Solution
The  management  of  ABC  deployed  a  team  to  check  whether  the  LLR  was  shared  with  the
employees immediately after it has been created. The team uploaded the LLR in the intranet and
ensured that it reached every employee of ABC. They thus ensured that the mistakes mentioned
in the LLR were not repeated by any of the employees in their future p rojects.
Result
As  a  result  of  the  proper  sharing  of  LLR,  the  overall  performance  of  the  employees  is  now
improved and the company has gained good revenue.
What was the main problem faced by ABC? How did ABC tackle its problems?
A  Description of the main problem
Analysis of ABC’s tackling of the problem
description  of  how  ABC  correctly  identified
the solution to main problem
illustrate  how  the  problem  was  repeated
despite the solution
summarization of the final solution
conclude with results
2
8(2 marks each)
10
6  Explain any seven steps used for purchasing process sourcing strategy process.
Brief explanation of the following
Profile the category
Supply market analysis
Develop the strategy
Select the supplier process
Negotiate and select the suppliers
Implement  and  integrate  in  purchasing
process
Benchmarking and tracking results
1
1.5
1.5
1.5
1.5
1.5
1.5
10
*A-Answer
Note –Answer all questions. Kindly note that answers for 10 marks questions should be
approximately of 400 words. Each question is followed by evaluation scheme.
ASSIGNMENT
DRIVE  SUMMER 2014
PROGRAM  MBADS (SEM 4/SEM 6)
MBAFLEX/ MBA (SEM 4)
PGDSCMN (SEM 2)
SUBJECT CODE & NAME  SC0008 –PURCHASING AND CONTRACTING FOR
PROJECTS
BK ID  B1663
CREDITS AND MARKS  4 CREDITS AND 60 MARKS
Q.No  Criteria  Marks  Total Marks
1  Write short notes on:
3 R's in contract management
Contracting strategies
Target cost contract
Fixed price contract
A    3 R's in contract management
Contracting strategies
Target cost contract
Fixed price contract
10 (2.5 marks each)  10
2  Contract for Transferring the Newspaper Agency
Background
Pranav, a business man, owned a newspaper agency. He wanted to sell the newspaper
agency to another party. Hence, in January 2010, he entered into negotiations with
Mishra who had just started a newspaper agency business. Pranav informed Mishra that
the newspaper agency has been making a profit of about Rs 10 lakh per annum over the
last five years.
Pranav also offered to let Mishra inspect the annual accounts of the newspaper agency,
but Mishra refused to do it. The negotiation proceeded for three months, during which
time the business diminished to such an extent that the profit reduced to approximately
Rs two lakh per annum.
Issues
On 1st June 2010, Mishra entered into a contract with Pranav by which the newspaper
agency business was transferred to Mishra for Rs 50 lakh. On 12th June 2010, Mishra
realised the actual state of the business. He also realised that the business had only
made a profit of Rs five lakh over the last five years and not Rs 10 lakh.
In this case, Mishra had no remedy against Pranav for breach of contract. This is
because a valid contract was created when Mishra agreed to Pranav's offer after months
of negotiation. Without any contrary to the contract, Mishra had entered into the contract
and offered his consent.
After creating the contract, both the parties had not breached any terms of the contract.
Even though Pranav had stated that the agency was earning Rs 10 lakh per annum, the
contract did not indicate that the agency to be transferred was earning Rs 10 lakh per
annum for the last five years.
The contract that existed in this scenario only covered the transfer of ownership of the
agency and the purchase price that was delivered by Pranav as fulfilment of his
obligations. As there was no apparent breach of contract terms, Mishra could not claim
breach of contract even when he identified that the agency was really earning less than
what Pranav had stated previously.
Source: http://ivythesis.typepad.com/term_paper_topics/2009/08/assignment-instructioncase-study-contract-law.html
http://ivythesis.typepad.com/term_paper_topics/2009/08/case-study-contract-law.html
Explain why Mishra could not claim breach of contract against Pranav.
A    Background of the case
Explanation terms and conditions of the
contract that was entered into.
Inference of whether what was stated
by Pranav falls under the terms and
conditions
2
4
4
10
3   Assume that you are looking out for a contracting company for the construction of a
hospital. You decide to draft a PQQ to all the proposed tenderers. Which questions you
would include in the PQQ?
A  Writing the question
Justifying the need to include the  question
in the PQQ
5
5
10
4  Explain payment security
A    Description of payment security
Discussion on various payment security
risks
Indication  of  least  and  most  risk  from
contractor’s point of view
2
7
1
10
5
Attractive Incentive Scheme
OP is a major oil company that had a massive blow-out in one of its oil wells. Oil was
flowing out and polluting a major river in an environmentally sensitive area. Only a few
companies in the area had equipment suitable to plug the well. OP’s director had a brief
discussion with one of the companies that specialised in plugging the leak.
This leak had posed a major environmental risk. Hence, the issues that needed to be
considered  here  were  urgency,  duration  of  the  work  and  availability  of  suitable
contractors.  If  the  leak  was  not  plugged  at  the  earliest  it  would  seriously  affect  the
public’s perception of the company.
As the situation had to be rectified at the earliest the company had to choose contractors
in the nearby location. Most contractors viewed  the situation as an opportunity to make
money.  The  oil  company’s  director  had  noticed  this  in  his  discussion  with  the  first
company. However, in this situation the oil company had to seek a solution that satisfied
the  contractor’s  objective  to  make money  and  the  company’s  aim  of  getting  the  work
done quickly.
The offer for the contract was such that the contractor would be paid at the standard
rates  for  normal  work,  together  with  an  incentive  scheme.  Conversely,  the  two  tasks,
plugging the well and cleaning up, had to be treated independently. The offer also stated
that if the oil leak was stopped within an hour a very high bonus would be paid, and the
longer it takes the bonus would be reduced on an hourly basis. If the time taken was
unacceptable, the bonus would be reduced to zero and only the standard rate as agreed
for the work would be paid. The bonus offered was sufficiently high in order to make the
task seem worthwhile.
The clean-up work was also based on a similar incentive formula but with a daily, rather
than an hourly, time schedule. By providing a high incentive the company was able to
get the well plugged in one day and the clean-up in 23 days.
Source: Ward, G. (2008). The Project Manager's Guide to Purchasing: Contracting for
Goods and Services. Great Britain: Gower Publishing Limited.)
What contract and payment terms should be negotiated? What should be the base
criteria for formulating the incentive scheme?
A    Analysis  with  respect  to  incentive
mechanisms
Interpretation  with  respect  to  negatives
of cost incentives
5
5
10
6  Can delivery affect the project? explain
A  Statement of the student’s viewpoint
Justification for it with supporting evidence
Conclusion
2
6
2
10
*A-Answer
Note –Answer all questions. Kindly note that answers for 10 marks questions should be
approximately of 400 words. Each question is followed by evaluation scheme.
ASSIGNMENT
DRIVE  SUMMER 2014
PROGRAM  MBADS (SEM 4/SEM 6)
MBAFLEX/ MBA (SEM 4)
PGDSCMN (SEM 2)
SUBJECT CODE & NAME  SC0009–SUPPLY CHAIN COST MANAGEMENT
BK ID  B1664
CREDITS AND MARKS  4 CREDITS AND 60 MARKS
Q.No  Criteria  Marks  Total Marks
1  Write short notes on
Methods of calculating costs of inventory
Cycle time
Various costs included in transaction costs
Different methods for identifying fair and reasonable pricing
A    Methods of calculating costs of
inventory
Cycle time
Various costs included in transaction
costs
Different methods for identifying fair and
reasonable pricing
10(2.5 marks each)  10
2  What are the tasks that an organisation needs to perform before implementing the cost
management strategy?
A  Listing of the tasks
Reviewing business plan and
procurement /marketing strategy
Identifying participants for cost
management team
Selecting primary costs to be managed
Building rest of the cost management
team
Brief discussion on the tasks
2
8( 2 marks for each)
10
3
What is process costing? Discuss the steps involved in process costing method.
A  Definition of the process costing
When to use process costing
1
1.5
10
Discussion of steps in process costing(what it
involves and examples)
7.5
4  Discuss the steps involved in overcoming the constraints of cost management plan.
A  Description of constraints a company faces
Discussion on steps to overcome constraints
Conclusion
4
5
1
10
5  HP Experiences Cost Savings And Exhibits Environmental Responsibility
Through Sustainable Supply Chain Solutions
HP is committed to its role in creating a low-carbon economy. The leading technology
company was one of the first to measure and report its global logistics and
manufacturing carbon footprint, so transitioning to more sustainable supply chain
operations was a critical next step.
HP leveraged its existing relationship with ModusLink to develop a sustainable supply
chain strategy. For more than 20 years, ModusLink has managed the company’s
complete supply chain for commercial accessories in North America and EMEA,
including procurement, kitting and distribution into direct and indirect channels.
ModusLink’s cradle-to-cradle approach includes services ranging from sustainable
packaging redesign and network optimization to GHG footprinting, recycling and asset
disposition. HP was seeking to accomplish two major goals:
Significantly decrease its GHG emissions
Reduce logistics and transportation costs
In order to achieve these goals, ModusLink used a combination of sophisticated tools,
existing relationships with key sustainable materials suppliers, and an in-house team of
experts to conduct a thorough analysis of HP’s supply chain network and operations.
This analysis confirmed that an eco-friendly product packaging redesign would
significantly reduce HP’s environmental impact and its logistics costs.
The existing packaging design consisted of large boxes and non biodegradable foam.
ModusLink has developed a 4D methodology — a process that analyzes ergonomics,
cost, logistics and sustainability — to redesign product packaging using less materials,
eliminating plastic and finding more environmentally sound alternatives. As a result, the
foam was replaced with protective end-caps made from 100 percent recycled plastic,
and cubic feet and pounds of the finished packaging were significantly reduced.
The 4D Methodology for Product Packaging
1.  Ergonomics
Design for easier assembly
Design for a supreme point-of-purchase and out-of-box experience
2.  Cost
Reduce materials where possible
Use cost-effective materials
3.  Sustainability
7Rs concept (Remove, Reduce, Recycle, Renew, Revenue, Read)
Determine CO2  footprint via ECRM scorecard
4.  Logistics
Reduce empty space and size for pallet maximization and freight reduction
Reduce packaging while still protecting the product
ModusLink then conducted a network simulation and GHG analysis incorporating the
new packaging design to understand the impact on transportation cost and other factors
in the supply chain. The analysis showed that HP could reduce GHG emissions by 10
metric tons per year and yield transportation cost savings of more than $50 thousand
per year, which is a savings of 12 percent per unit. With more compact, eco-friendly
packaging in place, HP continues to uphold its commitment to the environment while
benefiting from the cost savings and efficiency resulting from a more sustainable supply
chain.
Results:
HP experienced substantial, measurable savings:
Direct Packaging Benefits Per Year
More than 350 thousand U.S. dollar savings in packaging
materials alone
74 thousand cubic feet removed from packaging
88 thousand pounds of packaging eliminated
62 metric ton reduction in GHG, equaling:
11.9 passenger cars driven in one year
144 barrels of oil saved
6,974 gallons of gasoline
20.9 tons of waste recycled , not sent to landfills
Estimated Indirect Savings Per Year
More than 50 thousand U.S. dollars in outbound transportation costs
10 metric tons less packaging
http://www.moduslink.com/images/uploads/resources/CS_HP_DOWNLOAD.pdf
Why did HP redesign its packaging? How did they achieve these goals?
A    listing of the reason to reduce cost  2
5
10
Summarization  of the analysis of HP’s
supply chain, findings,  redesign product
packaging,  analysis  of  the  redesigned
packaging
Evaluation of benefits
Conclusion
2
1
6  Healthcare supply chains face many challenges
By NCT11. October 2013
Medical supplies and equipment are a significant cost center for hospitals.Medical
supplies and equipment are a significant cost center for hospitals.
An aging population continues to place pressure on the healthcare industry. Hospitals
are expected to deliver immediate care to anyone who walks through the door, but the
number of people needing treatment is likely to continue to grow.
This dynamic is creating new jobs within the industry - more than 5.6 million positions
are expected to be created by 2020, according to a study from Georgetown University's
Center on Education and Workforce, as reported by The Huffington Post. However, the
growth is also placing new demands on supply chains. The Supply Chain Council noted
that healthcare organizations may have to absorb 10 to 20 percent more capacity to
account for the increase in equipment and medications needed to treat an aging
population.
There is already considerable pressure to reform hospital distribution networks, as the
supply chain can represent nearly half of healthcare companies' operating costs, making
it the second largest expense behind labor. A blog post on the medical site KevinMD
stated that changes in supply chain management could contribute to significant saving
for hospitals.
Overcoming obstacles with effective shipping
Hospitals face several challenges when it comes to streamlining their supply chains. The
first is the need to cover emergency care. On any given day, a facility may have the
need for a wide range of equipment and medications. Regular, timely deliveries ensure
they have the supplies they need. The second issue facing healthcare supply chain
reform is the range of products required. Everything from cardiac stents to artificial joints
may be needed at anytime. To complicate the situation, physicians may have
preferences for select brands of medications.
More products create complex distribution networks, but hospitals could benefit from
LTL freight management. This shipping strategy lets organizations move various
quantities of goods from a variety of locations at a minimal costs. The carriers are able
to use product to increase capacity, reducing their overall operating expenses, and the
savings are passed along to customers. Switching to LTL services could help hospitals
gain control of supply chain costs.
Product quality is essential to controlling expenses in the healthcare industry.
Pharmaceuticals that are stored wrongly could deteriorate and become ineffective.
Keeping merchandise at the ideal temperature is essential for reducing waste within
supply chains, and hospitals can use refrigerated trucking services to maintain the
optimal climate for medications during delivery. This provides the guarantee that
shipments will arrive as scheduled and in good condition
Source: http://www.nctrans.com/Trucking-Industry-News/post/2013/10/11/healthcaresupply-chains-face-many-challenges
What are the challenges faced by faced by hospitals in streamline their supply
chain? How can these be overcome?
A  Listing and brief explanation of the challenges
Solution to overcome the challenges
5
5
10
*A-Answer
Note –Answer all questions. Kindly note that answers for 10 marks questions should be
approximately of 400 words. Each question is followed by evaluation scheme.
***********

SMU Assignments: Summer 2014: Contact us for answers at assignmentssolution@gmail.com

ASSIGNMENT
DRIVE  SUMMER 2014
PROGRAM  MBADS (SEM 3/SEM 5)
MBAFLEX/ MBA (SEM 3)
PGDPMN (SEM 1)
SUBJECT CODE & NAME  PM 0010 – INTRODUCTION TO PROJECT MANAGEMENT
BK ID  B1936
CREDIT & MARKS  4 CREDITS & 60 MARKS
Q.No  Criteria  Marks  Total Marks
1   Case Study: New Age Constructions
New Age is a building construction organisation based in Bangalore. The  organisation,
which was established in the year 2005, is relatively new in  this sector. The activities of
the  organisation  are  limited  to  Bangalore.  There  are  a  number  of  well-established
builders  in  Bangalore.  Therefore,  initially  New  Age  found  it  difficult  to  obtain  large
projects and undertook only small building projects.
However, recently, New Age has got a lucrative contract for building a large  shopping
mall. The organisation finds the contract to be a stepping stone of  its future success.
Therefore, it is striving to deliver the project on time and  within the planned budget. The
organisation has hired Mr. Sinha as the project manager.
To  carry  out  the  assigned  project,  Mr.  Sinha  has  emphasised  on  three  principles  of
project  management  including  the  principle  of  project  strategy,  the  principle  of  team
building, and the principle of satisfaction. During the  project, Mr. Sinha communicated
the relevant project information to all the  team members. However, he did not prioritise
maintaining a thorough documentation of the entire project.
Seven months into the project, Mr. Sinha faced some major issues. He was  asked by
the management of the organisation to provide a complete project  report on a day-today  basis.  Moreover,  it  was  also  noticed  that  he  used  some  extra  human  resource,
which affected the project’s cost management  as well. Mr. Sinha did not even consider
the triple constraints of the project
Questions:
a.  As a project manager of New Age, which knowledge areas and principles would
you like to follow the most?
b.  Do  you  think  considering  the  triple  constraints  would  have  helped  Mr.  Sinha?
Justify your answer.
A  a.  Summarise  the  various  knowledge
areas and principles in brief  you would
follow as a project manager of New Age
b.  Give  your  opinion  if  triple  constraints
would have helped Mr. Sinha
Provide justification for the opinion
6
1
3
10
2
Describe the five phases of a generic project lifecycle. (unit 1)
A  Describe  each  phase  of  a  project  lifecycle 10( 2 marks for each
phase)
10
3  Write short notes on:
Work breakdown structure
Product line analysis
Capital rationing
Challenges in Social Cost Benefit Analysis (SCBA)
A    Work breakdown structure
Product line analysis
Capital rationing
Challenges  in  Social  Cost  Benefit
Analysis (SCBA)
10 (2.5 marks each)  10
4  How would you classify the sources of financing infrastructure projects?
A  State the meaning of source of finance,
Explain the external and
Domestic sources of finance available in the
infrastructure financing
List financing sources available for
infrastructure projects in India in tabular format
2
2
2
4( 2 marks for
domestic sources
and 2 marks for
external sources)
10
5   Discuss the different types of project termination.
A  Discuss the types of project termination with
suitable examples
10(2.5 marks each)  10
6  How is a monitoring system designed?
A  Explain what is done in each step of the
process of designing a monitoring system
10(2 marks each)  10
*A-Answer
Note –Answer all questions. Kindly note that answers for 10 marks questions should be
approximately of 400 words. Each question is followed by evaluation scheme.
ASSIGNMENT
DRIVE  SUMMER 2014
PROGRAM  MBADS (SEM 3/SEM 5)
MBAFLEX/ MBA (SEM 3)
PGDPMN (SEM 1)
SUBJECT CODE & NAME  PM0011 – PROJECT PLANNING AND SCHEDULING
BK ID  B1937
CREDIT AND MARKS  4 CREDITS AND 60 MARKS
Q.No    Criteria    Marks  Total Marks
1   Write short note on:
Controlling PMO (Project Management Office )
Bottom-up approach for estimating project planning
Consequences of project delays
Partnering
A    Controlling  PMO  (Project  Management
Office )
Bottom-up  approach  for  estimating
project planning
Consequences of project delays
Partnering
10 (2.5 marks each)
10
2  Explain various stages of project scope management.
A  Briefly describe each stage of scope
management
10 ( 2 marks each)
10
3  Write short notes on :
Scope change
Porter model used by organisations to identify investment opportunities
Tools for Project Scheduling
Operating Feasibility 
A    Scope change
Porter  model  used  by  organisations  to
identify investment opportunities
Tools for Project Scheduling
Operating Feasibility
10 (2.5 marks each)  10
4  Explain the various tools of project planning.
A  Briefly mention the role of project planning tools
in an organisation
Explain various tools that are used in project
Planning
2
8( 2 marks for each
tool)
10
5   Explain the meaning of CPM. Mention various steps involved in CPM.
A  Write the meaning of CPM
Explain various steps associated with CPM
2
8 ( 2 marks for each
step)
10
6  What do you understand by cost of quality? Elaborate on various types of quality costs
associated with a project.
A  Write the meaning of cost of quality
Explain various types of quality costs
associated with a project
Write a note on Total quality costs
2
6 ( 2 marks for each
cost)
2 marks
10
*A-Answer
Note –Please provide keywords, short answer, specific terms, specific examples and marks
break - up (wherever necessary)
Note –Answer all questions. Kindly note that answers for 10 marks questions should be
approximately of 400 words. Each question is followed by evaluation scheme.
ASSIGNMENT
DRIVE  SUMMER 2014
PROGRAM  MBADS (SEM 3/SEM 5)
MBAFLEX/ MBA (SEM 3)
PGDPMN (SEM 1)
SUBJECT CODE & NAME  PM 0012 – PROJECT FINANCE AND BUDGETING
BK ID  B1938
CREDIT AND MARKS  4 CREDITS AND 60 MARKS
Q.No  Criteria  Marks  Total Marks
1   Write short notes on:
Lump sum contract
Project Cost Profile
Trade credit
Types of project resources
A    Lump sum contract
Project Cost Profile
Trade credit
Types of project resources
10 (2.5 marks each)  10
2
Discuss the financing of telecommunication projects.
A  Explain the financing of telecommunication
projects and
Discuss the factors needs to be considered
while financing a telecommunication project.
2
8 (2 marks for each
factor)
10
3  Do lenders, sponsors, EPC contractors, and the government require project insurance?
Explain
A
Give your opinion is project insurance required
by lenders, sponsors, EPC contractors, and the
government
Provide justification to your answer from
perspective of lenders, sponsors, EPC
contractors, and the government
2
8 (2 marks for each
perspective)
10
4  Write short notes on:
Expected Monetary Value (EMV)
Earned Value Analysis (EVA)
Optimal capital structure
Net Present Value(NPV method of capital budgeting
A    Expected Monetary Value (EMV)
Earned Value Analysis (EVA)
Optimal capital structure
Net Present Value(NPV method of
capital budgeting
10 (2.5 marks each)  10
5
Explain the role played by engineering advisors in project finance.
A  Explanation of the nature of the role played by
engineering advisors in project finance
Summarization  of  the  role  played  by
engineering advisors according four phases of
activities
2
8 ( 2 marks for each
phase)
10
6  Define PPP (Public Private Partnership) and list the advantages and disadvantages of
PPP .
A  Define PPP
List advantages of PPP
List disadvantages of PPP
1
5
4
10
*A-Answer
Note –Please provide keywords, short answer, specific terms, specific examples and marks
break - up (wherever necessary)
Note –Answer all questions. Kindly note that answers for 10 marks questions should be
approximately of 400 words. Each question is followed by evaluation scheme.
ASSIGNMENT
DRIVE  SUMMER 2014
PROGRAM  MBADS (SEM 3/SEM 5)
MBAFLEX/ MBA (SEM 3)
PGDPMN (SEM 1)
SUBJECT CODE & NAME  PM 0013 – MANAGING HUMAN RESOURCES IN PROJECTS
BK ID  B1939
CREDIT AND MARKS  4 CREDITS AND 60 MARKS
Q.No  Criteria  Marks  Total Marks
1   Write short notes on:
Human Resource Cycle
Role of a project manager
Productivity measurement method of manpower estimation
Managing Conflicts in a project
A    Human Resource Cycle
Role of a project manager
Productivity  measurement  method  of
manpower estimation
Managing Conflicts in a project
10 (2.5 marks
each)
10
2  What is the need for building a team during any project?
A  Define team building and its significance Discuss the
various reasons for building a project team
2
8( 2 marks for
each reason)
10
3
Write short notes on
Qualities of a project leader
Dealing with Poor Performers in a Project Team
Minority groups
Health issues of project team members
A
Qualities of a project leader
Dealing  with  Poor  Performers  in  a  Project
Team
Minority groups
Health issues of project team members
10 (2.5 marks
each)
10
4  What are the major roles that motivation plays in handling project environment?
A  Explain how motivation plays a considerable
role in the success and failure of a project
Discuss the major roles of motivation in a
project environment
1
9
( 1 mark for each
role)
10
5   Explain various types of collective bargaining.
A  Explanation of four types of collective
bargaining
10 (2.5 marks each)  10
6  What is a Human Resource Information System(HRIS).
A  Define HRIS
Very briefly Functions of HRIS
List any two advantages of HRIS
List any two disadvantages of HRIS
1.5
4.5 (1.5 marks for
each function)
2
2
10
*A-Answer
Note –Answer all questions. Kindly note that answers for 10 marks questions should be
approximately of 400 words. Each question is followed by evaluation scheme.
***********

SMU Assignments: Summer 2014: Contact us for answers at assignmentssolution@gmail.com

ASSIGNMENT
DRIVE  SUMMER 2014
PROGRAM  MBADS (SEM 4/SEM 6)
MBAFLEX/ MBA (SEM 4)
PGDOMN (SEM 2)
SUBJECT CODE & NAME  OM0015 – MAINTENANCE MANAGEMENT
BK ID  B1340
CREDIT & MARKS  4 CREDITS, 60 MARKS
Q.No  Criteria  Marks  Total Marks
1   Write a note on preventive maintenance.
A    Definition  of preventative  maintenance
Prerequisites  of  preventative
maintenance
Grouping of preventive maintenance
Advantages  of  preventative
maintenance
2
2
3
3
10
2   Write short notes on:
Routine maintenance
Measures of maintenance performance
A    Routine maintenance
Measures of maintenance performance
5
5
10
3  Explain any four maintenance scheduling principles.
A  Explanation of any four principles  10 (2.5 marks each)  10
4  What  is  meant  by  asset  management  system?  Explain  briefly  the  three  phases  of
actions required in “Asset Life Cycle Management” in an organisation.
A   Explanation of asset management system
Explanation  of  three  phases  of  actions
required  in  “Asset  Life  Cycle
Management” in an organization
2.5
7.5(2.5 marks each)
10
5  Describe the different types of spare parts.
A  Explanation of spare parts  10 (2.5 marks for
each spare part)
10
6  Explain the activities involved in work management process.
A  Explanation of work management process
Explanation activities involved in work
management process
1.25
8.75 marks(1.25
marks each)
10
A-Answer
Note –Answer all questions. Kindly note that answers for 10 marks questions should be
approximately of 400 words. Each question is followed by evaluation scheme
ASSIGNMENT
DRIVE  SUMMER 2014
PROGRAM  MBADS (SEM 4/SEM 6)
MBAFLEX/ MBA (SEM 4)
PGDOMN (SEM 2)
SUBJECT CODE & NAME  OM 0016 – QUALITY MANAGEMENT
BK ID  B1341
CREDIT & MARKS  4 CREDITS, 60 MARKS
Q.No  Criteria  Marks  Total Marks
1   Define data quality and explain its six characteristics.
A    Definition of data quality
Explanation  of  six  characteristics  of
data quality
1
9(1.5 marks each)
10
2   Write short notes on:
ISO 9000 series
DMAIC methodology
A    ISO 9000 series
DMAIC methodology
5
5
10
3  What are the advantages of quality planning.
A    Listing  and  explanation  of  advantages
of quality planning
10(1.25 marks each)  10
4  Quality culture can be defined as the incorporation of quality in the overall system of an
organisation which leads to a positive internal environment and creation of delighted
customers. The essential tool for implementation of such a culture is a changed mindset
at all the levels of management.
Explain in brief the Key drivers for developing quality culture.
A  Explanation of Key Drivers  10 (2 marks each)  10
5  Define quality control. Explain the seven basic tools of statistical process control
A  Definition of quality control
Explanation of seven basic tools of statistical
process control
1.25
8.75(1.25 marks
each)
10
6  Explain the eight elements of TQM.
A  Explanation of the eight elements of TQM    10(1.25 marks each)  10
A-Answer
Note –Answer all questions. Kindly note that answers for 10 marks questions should be
approximately of 400 words. Each question is followed by evaluation scheme
ASSIGNMENT
DRIVE  SUMMER 2014
PROGRAM  MBADS (SEM 4/SEM 6)
MBAFLEX/ MBA (SEM 4)
PGDOMN (SEM 2)
SUBJECT CODE & NAME  OM 0017 – ADVANCED PRODUCTION PLANNING AND
CONTROL
BK ID  B1342
CREDIT & MARKS  4 CREDITS, 60 MARKS
Q.No  Criteria  Marks  Total Marks
1   A large number of forecasting methods are available. Discuss the categories of
forecasting methods.
A  Explanation of Opinion and judgmental
(Predictive) methods
Methods under this category
Explanation of Time series methods or
quantitative methods
Methods under this category
0.5
4(1 mark each)
0.5
5 ( 1 mark each)
10
2   Explain how economic order quantity can be calculated by Model 1: EOQ with Uniform
Rate of Demand and Instantaneous Replenishment.
A    Type of model and how it is developed
Assumptions of the model
Graphical  representation  of  the  varying
inventory  level  with  time  (along  with
explanation)
Formulae  for(Total  annual  inventory
cost,Total  annual  ordering  cost  ,Total
Annual Holding Cost)
Determination of EOQ for Model 1
1
2
3
2
2
10
3  The priority rule is a systematic procedure for assigning priorities for awaiting jobs. The
common problem faced in most of the companies is assigning priority with respect to the
job on hand for production. When there is a set of orders to be executed, th e question of
prioritising  arises.  Priority  rules  give  the  solution  to  the  priority  problems  faced  by
companies. Explain in brief about Priority Rules for Scheduling?
A  Major criteria for selecting priority rules
Classification of priority rules
Definition of major criteria rules
1.75
1.25
4.5
10
First Come First Served (FCFS):
Shortest Processing Time (SPT
Longest Processing Time (LPT
Least slack
Random Selection (RS):
Next Queue (NQ
Mathematical Programming Methods
Least Stup (LSU):
DS/RO  (Dynamic  Slack  per  Remaining
Operation)
definition of priority criteria rules
Single criterion rule
Critical ratio
Index method
Critical path method
0.5
1.0
0.5
0.5
4  A Flexible Manufacturing System (FMS) is a manufacturing system comprising a set of
similar  and/or  corresponding  numerically  controlled  machines,  which  are  connected
through an automated transportation system. What are the fundamental building blocks
and benefits of FMS?
A    Workstations.(explanation  and  list  of
various workstations)
Automated  Material  Handling  and  Storage
system.(explanation and functions)
Computer Control System.(explanation and
functions)
Benefits
2
2
2
4 marks
10
5  Supply chain management is essential for the success of every company and to satisfy
customer demand. Supply chain management plays a critical role in the success of the
company. Supply chain management is equipped to deal with anything from flow of
products to unexpected natural disasters. Supply chain management diagnoses the
problem and innovatively works around the problems. Explain the impact Supply chain
management has on business.
A    Explain how supply chain management
reduces operating costs
Explain how supply chain management
improves financial position
Explain how supply chain management
boosts customer service
Conclusion
3
3
3
1
10
6  Quality Planning is defined as a “Systematic process that translates the quality policy
into measurable objectives and requirements, and lays down a sequence of steps for
realising them within a specified timeframe.” Explain the elements associated with
quality plan.
A  What needs to be checked?
What is the most suitable way to check?
When should the check be carried out?
Who should be involved in the checking?
What quality materials should be used?
2
2.5
2
1
2.5
10
A-Answer
Note –Answer all questions. Kindly note that answers for 10 marks questions should be
approximately of 400 words. Each question is followed by evaluation scheme
ASSIGNMENT
DRIVE  SUMMER DRIVE 2014
PROGRAM  MBADS (SEM 4/SEM 6)
MBAFLEX/ MBA (SEM 4)
PGDOMN (SEM 2)
SUBJECT CODE &
NAME
OM0018- TECHNOLOGY MANAGEMENT
BK ID  B1326
CREDIT   4
MARKS  60
Note: Answer all questions. Kindly note that answers for 10 marks questions should be
approximately of 400 words. Each question is followed by evaluation scheme.
Q.No  Questions  Marks  Total Marks
1  Consider that you are a manager in a company and you want to manage a technology that is
newly incorporated.
a.  Describe the effects of technologies on business.
b.  Prepare a list of the factors that are considered in managing technology.
A  a.  Explaining the effects of technologies I
business
5
10
b.  Collect from the key issues in managing
technological innovation
5
2  The purpose of forecast is to improve the quality of the decisions related to selection of an
alternative from available alternatives and not to force to accept a particular decision.
Explain various techniques for forecasting with a neat diagram
A  Diagram  3  10
Describing the techniques  7
3  Write short notes on
a.  Technology adoption
b.  Technology diffusion
c.  Technology absorption
A  a.  Technology adoption  3  10
b.  Technology diffusion  3
c.  Technology absorption  4
4  When you choose a new technology, you may have to face some of the question like what are
its functional erquirements, non-functional requirements and does the technology fit the
organization culture?
a.  How do you answer for these questions?
b.  What is memristor?
A  a.  Explaining eight tips related to the
selection of a new technology
8  10
b.  Explaining memristor  2
5  Write short notes on
a.  Bridging agencies
b.  Problem solver model
c.  Bar-Zakay model
d.  Schlie, Radnor and Wad model
A  a.  Bridging agencies  2  10
b.  Problem solver model  2
c.  Bar-Zakay model  3
d.  Schlie, Radnor and Wad model  3
6  Explain the basic scheme for knowledge based applications
A  Diagram of basic scheme for knowledge based
applications
3
10    Explaining the knowledge based technology
process
7
*A-Answer  

SMU Assignments: Summer 2014: Contact us for answers at assignmentssolution@gmail.com

ASSIGNMENT
DRIVE  SUMMER 2014
PROGRAM  MBADS (SEM 3/SEM 5)
MBAFLEX/ MBA (SEM 3)
PGDOMN (SEM 1)
SUBJECT CODE & NAME  OM 0010 - OPERATIONS MANAGEMENT
BK ID  B1934
CREDITS & MARKS  4 CREDITS AND 60 MARKS
Q.No  Criteria  Marks  Total Marks
1  What are the elements and objectives of operations management?
A  Define operations management and
Explain its elements
Explain its objectives
1
4.5 (1.5 marks each)
4.5 (1.5 marks each)
10
2  Explain operations research models.
A  Give the classification of
various models and discuss the models
10 ( 2 marks for each
model)
10
3  What is meant by multiple goal programming ? Give the steps for solving a goal
programming problem using the graphical method of goal programming.
A  Define multiple goal programming
Explain two types of goal programming with
multiple goals
Define the graphical method for solving goal
programming and
Give the steps for solving a problem using the
graphical method of goal programming
1
2(1 mark each)
1 mark
6 (1 mark per step)
10
4  What are the applications of queuing models. What is multiple server model of the
queuing system. State its assumptions
A  Explain  the  application  of  queuing  models  in
various areas
Define the multiple server model and
Explain the model with assumptions
5 (1 mark each)
1
4
10
5  What are the various priority rules used in the process of sequencing?
A  Define sequencing and
Explain the priority rules used in the process of
Sequencing
1
9( 1 mark for each
priority)
10
6  Explain the concept of replacement models. What are the limitations of replacement
models?
A  Define the concept of replacement models
Explain the importance of replacement models
Explain the limitations of replacement models
1
4( 1 mark each)
5( 1 mark each)
10
*A-Answer
Note –Answer all questions. Kindly note that answers for 10 marks questions should be
approximately of 400 words. Each question is followed by evaluation scheme.
ASSIGNMENT
DRIVE  SUMMER 2014
PROGRAM  MBADS (SEM 3/SEM 5)
MBAFLEX/ MBA (SEM 3)
PGDOMN (SEM 1)
SUBJECT CODE & NAME  OM0011  ENTERPRISES RESOURCE PLANNING
BK ID  B1964
CREDITS AND MARKS  4 CREDITS AND 60 MARKS
Q.No  Criteria  Marks  Total Marks
1   Write short notes on:
Type of information required at various levels of the enterprise
Service-Oriented Architecture (SOA) factor for developing ERP systems
Role of ERP in Sales and Distribution
Trans-shipment
A    Type of information required at various
levels of the enterprise
Service-Oriented Architecture (SOA)
factor for developing ERP systems
Role of ERP in Sales and Distribution
Trans-shipment
3
2
3
2
10
2  Write short notes on :
Distribution Requirements Planning (DRP)
Role of ERP Consultants
Product Lifecycle Management (PLM)
Collaborative CRM
A    Distribution  Requirements  Planning
(DRP)
Role of ERP Consultants
Product Lifecycle Management (PLM)
Collaborative CRM
10 (2.5 marks each)  10
3  What are the benefits and features of ERP purchase module.
A  Listing of benefits of purchase module
Description of features of purchase module
6( any 6 benefits , 1
mark each)
4( 1 mark for each
feature)
10
4  What are the benefits and features of ERP financial module?
A  Listing of benefits of financial module
Description of features of financial module
5( any 5 benefits , 1
mark each)
5( 1 mark for each
feature)
10
5  Case Study: Implementation of ERP HRM System at ABC
ABC is a US-based organisation that operates several museums, research centres, and
zoological  parks.  A  few  years  back,  the  organisation  faced  a  number  of  issues  in
managing  its  human  resource  functions.  This  was  due  to  the  obsolescence  of  the
existing human resource management system. The old system of the organisation was
not able to provide accurate information related to employees.
Considering the on-going issues, ABC decided to implement the latest version of ERP
HRM system called PeopleSoft HRMS V8.8 from Software Performance Systems, Inc.
The implementation of this system was divided into four phases.
First Phase: Focused on implementing personnel management, benefits administration,
and payroll administration functions.
Second Phase: Focused on implementing job requisition, labour relations, and workflow
management features.
Third Phase: Concerned with the development of an organisation-wide learning source
to facilitate information and knowledge sharing.
Fourth Phase: Focussed on competency mapping and personnel development.
The  implementation  of  the  ERP  HRM  system  not  only  improved  human  resource
functions but also increased the overall operational efficiency of the organisation.
Questions:
a)  Why was ABC facing problems related to HRM? How did they solve it?
b)  What  are  the  advantages  obtained  by  ABC  after  implementing  the  ERP  HRM
system?
A  a.  List  the  HR  problems  ABC  was  facing.
List the four phases of implementation
b.  List  the  advantages  obtained  by  ABC
after  implementing  the  ERP
HRM(mentioned in the case as well as
what you think are the advantages)
4 marks
6 marks
10
6  Discuss the ERP selection criteria
A  Explain the importance of selecting the right
ERP system
Explain the three major criteria for selecting an
ERP system.
1
9( 3 marks for each
criteria)
10
*A-Answer
Note –Please provide keywords, short answer, specific terms, specific examples and marks
break - up (wherever necessary)
Note –Answer all questions. Kindly note that answers for 10 marks questions should be
approximately of 400 words. Each question is followed by evaluation scheme.
ASSIGNMENT
DRIVE  SUMMER 2014
PROGRAM  MBADS (SEM 3/SEM 5)
MBAFLEX/ MBA (SEM 3)
PGDOMN (SEM 1)
SUBJECT CODE & NAME  OM0012 SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT
BK ID  B1542
CREDITS AND MARKS  4 CREDITS AND 60 MARKS
Q.No  Criteria  Marks  Total Marks
1   What are the different factors affecting transportation decisions?
A  Description/outline of different factors and its
sub factors in students own words
10(5 marks for each
factor – any 2)
10
2  Write short notes on risk pooling.
A    description of risk pooling
importance of risk pooling in SCM
listing  and  summarization(along  with
suitable  examples  for  each)  of  four
types of risk pooling
1
1
8(2 marks each)
10
3  Read the following case study and answer the questions given the end of the case
study
Best Supplier Relationship Management: Jaguar Land Rover and Gobel & Partner
Jaguar Land Rover production line
8 October 2013 | CIPS Supply Management Awards 2013
“Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) transformed its position in customer satisfaction surveys and
enhanced the quality of its products through an innovative partnership with a key
supplier.
By re-evaluating the way it deals with quality control and suppliers, Jaguar took top spot
in the 2012 JD Power Survey for customer satisfaction and Land Rover raced up the
chart.  In 2008, the survey put Jaguar at nine and Land Rover at 34 for quality,
described by JLR as “clearly an unsatisfactory situation” for a premium brand and stated
that “something had to change”.
Component quality was identified as the key issue – for some suppliers the proportion of
rejected parts was as high as 65 per cent – and some finished vehicles were being put
into ‘containment’ due to faulty components. This had knock-on effects including
delayed customer shipments, production line stoppages that cost £2,000 per minute and
the risk that faulty parts could make their way into completed vehicles.
At the time, JLR was working with 16 different suppliers across three factories to
undertake parts rework and containment, resulting in differing quality regimes and an
inability to share data across the company. As a result, there was no single view of any
given supplier’s quality history, which made preventative action impossible. A new
director of quality was appointed who launched a review of quality across the supply
chain that identified potential improvements that could be made to the inspection of
incoming components from suppliers. The Inbound Materials Project was established
and the 16 suppliers dealing with quality control were reduced to one – Gobel & Partner
(G&P) – who saw it as an opportunity to introduce innovations and boost investment in
its Qtrak quality management system, which totals £2 million to date.
This evolved into a partnership between JLR and G&P. Both realised that prevention
was better than cure, and through Qtrak they could identify the component suppliers
causing the most problems. Those with a recurrent history of reject parts were subject to
a more rigorous inspection regime. G&P’s aim is to ensure no faulty part ever arrives at
JLR production facilities and they now work on the premises of high-risk suppliers to
review quality processes. The firm is also working at JLR’s new plant in China to ensure
the right quality approach is in place from the beginning.
Over six years, the relationship between the firms has evolved from a traditional
adversarial situation, where G&P were treated as one of a number of commodity
suppliers, to one where the two are working to the same goal of “bringing premium
quality to premium brands”.Wolfram Leidtke, JLR board quality director, said: “JLR is a
premium brand and accordingly needs to have premium quality vehicles. Procurement
has aligned with this objective. G&P has been able to transfer their global knowledge
and work with JLR to develop a new approach to incoming material quality and the
results are starting to speak for themselves.’ ”
Source : http://www.supplymanagement.com/analysis/features/2013/best-supplier-relationshipmanagement-jaguar-land-rover-and-gobel-partner/
Question:
Illustrate the role quality played as criteria in JLR choosing its supplier Gobel & Partner.
Explain the importance of Gobel & Partner in the supply chain
A  Students should illustrate based on:
How critical is component quality to JLR
What were the effects of bad quality
What were the issues JLR had to tackle
to working with 16 suppliers
The  steps  taken  by  JLR  to  improve
quality
Importance of the supplier
8 (2 marks each)
2
10
4  “MTR Foods, the Bangalore-based food processing company, is planning to utilise the
services of a third party manufacturer for the first time. The contracted plant in Mathura
for producing vermicelli is expected to give it a push in the northern and eastern markets
where it is trying to expand its presence. The company is also planning a capacity
expansion in spices.
MTR has nine plants in Bommasandra Industrial Area in Bangalore which caters to its
product categories like spices and masala, beverages, vermicelli and frozen food. The
company has so far produced its brands inhouse.
‘The plant in Mathura would help us supply to the north and eastern parts of the country.
It would help us source wheat faster and also trim freight costs by 6-7 per cent,’ said
Sanjay Sharma, chief executive officer, MTR Foods.”
Source:  http://www.business-standard.com/article/companies/mtr-foods-to-outsourcemanufacturing-110041200084_1.html
Which according to you may then be distribution strategy used by MTR? Justify your
answer
A    Explanation  on  the  facts  fitting  the
strategy
Identification of the strategy
Rationale behind choosing the strategy
Conclusion
3
2
3
2
10
5  Write short notes on:
Intercompany  -  interfunctional  strategic  scope:  The  maximise  supply  chain
surplus view
Capacitated plant location model
A    Intercompany  -  interfunctional  strategic
scope:  The  maximise  supply  chain
surplus view
Capacitated plant location model
10 (5 marks each)  10
6  Briefly explain how information helps in resolving the important trade-offs involved in a
supply chain.
A
Explanation  of  how  information  helps  in
resolving the important trade-offs
10 (2 marks for each
trade-off)
10
*A-Answer
Note –Answer all questions. Kindly note that answers for 10 marks questions should be
approximately of 400 words. Each question is followed by evaluation scheme.
ASSIGNMENT
DRIVE  SUMMER 2014
PROGRAM  MBADS (SEM 3/SEM 5)
MBAFLEX/ MBA (SEM 3)
PGDOMN (SEM 1)
SUBJECT CODE & NAME  OM 0013 – ADVANCED PRODUCTION  AND
OPERATIONS MANAGEMENT
BK ID  B1935
CREDITS & MARKS  4 CREDITS & 60 MARKS
Q.No  Criteria  Marks  Total Marks
1  Describe the Process of Quality Control.
A  Description of the steps of quality control(list
the sub-steps under each step)
10(2.5 marks each)
10
2  What is meant by the capacity of a facility? Explain the different types of capacity
A  Define capacity of a facility and
Explain the different types of capacities
1
9( 1 mark per
capacity)
10
3  What are the factors affecting MRP. State the advantages and drawbacks of MRP
A  Listing of external and internal factors affecting
MRP
List advantages
List drawbacks of MRP
3 marks(1.5 marks
for each)
4(0.5 marks for each
advantage)
3(0.5 marks for each
drawback)
10
4  Arrange the following steps used in the process of production scheduling in a sequential
order and briefly explain each of them:
a.  Preparing an MPS
b.  Assigning jobs to different work centres
c.  Developing an aggregate production schedule
A  Arrange of steps in sequential order
Explain steps
1
9( 3 marks each)
10
5  Write short notes on.
Safety stock
World class manufacturing
A  Safety stock(Explanation of safety stock and its
importance)
World  class  manufacturing  (Explanation  of
world class manufacturing and its principles)
10 (5 marks each)  10
6  What factors need to be taken into consideration while designing a product?
A  Define product design,
Explain its importance, and
Discuss the different factors needs to be
considered while designing a product
1
1
8
10
*A-Answer
Note –Answer all questions. Kindly note that answers for 10 marks questions should be approximately of
400 words. Each question is followed by evaluation scheme.
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