Internal Assignment Applicable for APRIL 2018 Examination
Essentials of HRM
1. Poshak Ltd. is an apparel company where after Sid joined as an AVP-HR and understood that workforce was not happy with their job profile as they were finding it too routine and monotonous. It has also been noted that the work productivity was decreasing and the employee attrition was increasing. It was implicit that the organisation needed to go for job designing. Suggest all the approaches to Sid for job designing which would prove beneficial for Poshak Ltd.
2. MiniBurgs is a fast food outlet which is now expanding its operation throughout Mumbai. Since it was initially a small joint which kept on growing and now is becoming a chain therefore undergoing a lots of changes. MiniBurgs can only respond better to these changes when the employees are also willing to accept and adapt to the same. The HR team is emphasising that since the business is expanding the workforce must develop their KSA (Knowledge, skill and competencies) regularly for combating any kind of change in the external or internal environment. It was also discussed that there is a need for HRD in Miniburgs. Discuss that why Miniburgs has a need for HRD.
3. Yes bank did something different for its Induction program rather than going by the old conventional methods. The new employees in Yes Bank were greeted with its drum beating session which acted as a stress buster and then it was followed by other various fun activities aimed at experiential learning, instead of the old way of inducting employees which merely focused on PPTs as well speech on organisational culture, etiquettes and opportunities. The employees really appreciated this novel way of induction. As per this case answer the following questions:
a. Yes Bank could have directly asked the employees to report at work, but why induction was needed? Discuss it from organization’s perspective.
b. The employees seemed to have really like the induction, so why it is important from their (employees) perspective? Discuss
Corporate Social Responsibility
Caselet :
Biobeauty Ltd‘s idea of responsible business is to use only natural ingredients sourced from all over the country, it believes that this will help protect the planet and the people depending on it. It is especially recognised for not testing its products on animals, other brand values are support community, defend human rights and activate self esteem. Last year it donated Rs. 50 lac to support various human rights and women empowerment organization across India.
According to its annual report of 2015-16 it now needs to comply with section 135 of the Companies Act 2013 and spend 2 % of its net profit on CSR. Hence this year Biobeauty will have to spend Rs 10 crore on CSR as per the mandate.
Biobeauty is deeply entrenched in working with the community through its supply chain as it sources majority of its raw material through self help groups (SHG) run and managed by women from rural and tribal areas. It has partnered with multiple NGO’s to help organize these rural/tribal women set up SHG’s and co-operative societies for growing and trading in herbs / flowers/ fruits / berries etc for which it is the captive buyer.
Q1. As CSR Manager you have been asked to come up with three new initiatives/projects from those listed under schedule VII of the Companies Act 2013 that the company can spend its CSR budget on. Design and develop a business plan around these 3 areas that you have selected covering the objectives (impacts expected), goals (target set), target stakeholder, geographical area where it will be implemented, time frame. Please be very specific and relevant to the company and section 135 requirements.
Q2. The CEO at Biobeauty Ltd wants your opinion on whether to partner with an NGO or should Biobeauty work directly with the target stakeholders for the 3 new CSR initiatives /projects selected by you. Prepare a document of approx 1000 words for your CEO giving the advantages and disadvantages for Biobeauty in both the scenarios.
Q3A. Companies Act 2013 requires Biobeauty Ltd to disclose its CSR Policy on its website as well as Annual Report of the company. Based on what you know so far about Biobeauty, frame a relevant and suitable CSR Policy, what is the key purpose of the policy and what are the CSR focus areas of Biobeauty Ltd.
Q3B. As part of CSR Team you have been asked to write a report of approx 500 words, which will be published on the company’s website under “CSR at Biobeauty”, detailing the 3 new CSR initiatives/projects that Biobeauty has implemented in 2016-17. You must use the ones you shortlisted in Ans1.
Financial Accounting & Analysis
1. The following trial balance has been extracted from the books of XYZ Ltd as on 31st March 2017.
Particulars Debit (Rs.) Credit (Rs.)
Share Capital 1000000
Plant and Machinery 1600000
Sales 3540000
Purchases 1200000
Returns 20000 15000
Opening Stock 600000
Discount 7000 16000
Bank Charges 1500
Sundry Debtors 900000
Sundry Creditors 500000
Salaries 136000
9% Debentures 400000
Manufacturing Wages 200000
Carriage Inwards 15000
Carriage Outwards 24000
Debenture Interest 18000
Bad Debts Provision 10500
Rent, Rates and Taxes 200000
Advertisement 40000
Cash in hand 18000
Cash at bank 120000
10% Investment 300000
Goodwill 300000
Interest on Investment 30000
Factory Expenses 12000
General Reserve 100000
Last year profit 250000
Furniture 150000
5861500 5861500
The following additional information is available:
Depreciation on Furniture, Plant and Machinery to be provided at 10% per annum
Write off Rs. 10000 as bad debts and make a provision for doubtful debts at 5% on sundry debtors
Closing stock was Rs. 700000
a. Mention the formula to calculate gross profit and net profit
b. Prepare the profit and loss account for the year ended 31st march 2017 and Balance sheet as on that date.
c. Comment on the position of financial statements as on date prepared by you. (10 Marks)
2. A company acquired the following assets three years ago:
Asset Cost (Rs.) Scrap Value (Rs.) Useful Life (Years) Depreciation Policy
Equipment 5000000 500000 5 Straight Line Method
Building 8000000 1000000 30 Straight Line Method
After using the assets for three years, the company decided to change its Depreciation policy as follows:
The useful life of the equipment was revised upwards to 8 years, keeping its residual value at Rs. 500000.
The useful life of the building was revised upwards to 40 years, keeping its residual value at Rs. 1000000.
These changes have been implemented from the fourth year onwards.
a. You are required to analyze the impact of such changes in depreciation policy on the financial statements of firms, and write a detailed note on the same..
b. How do you think future profits of this company will be impacted because of these changes?
c. Are any disclosures regarding these required to be made? (10 Marks)
3. Both A Ltd. and B Ltd. operate wholesale electronic stores throughout India. The financial statements of each business for the year ended as on 31st March, 2017 are as follows:
Balance Sheet as on 31st march, 2017 (Rs. in millions)
A Ltd. B Ltd.
Assets
Non-current assets
Property, plant and equipment (Cost less depreciation)
Land and buildings 360.0 510.0
Furniture 87.0 91.2
Current assets
Inventories 592.0 403.0
Trade Receivables 176.4 321.9
Cash at Bank 84.6 91.6
Total assets 1,300.0 1,417.7
Equity and Liabilities
Share Capital of Rs.10 320.0 250.0
Retained Earnings 367.6 624.6
Non-current liabilities
Long term, borrowings 190.0 250.0
Current liabilities
Trade Payables 406.4 275.7
Provision for Taxation 16.0 17.4
Total equity and liabilities 1,300.0 1,417.7
Statement of Profit and Loss for the year ended as on 31st march, 2017 (Rs. in millions)
A Ltd. B Ltd.
Revenue 1,478.1 1,790.4
Cost of Sales (1,018.3) (1,214.9)
Gross Profit 459.8 575.5
Operating expenses (308.5) (408.6)
Operating profit 151.3 166.9
Interest (19.4) (27.5)
Profit before tax 131.9 139.4
Taxation (32.0) (34.8)
Profit for the year 99.9 104.6
All purchases and sales were made on credit. A Ltd. and B Ltd. have declared a dividend of Rs. 135 million and Rs. 95 million in respect of the year. The market prices of a share of A Ltd. and B Ltd. are Rs. 6.50 and Rs. 8.20 respectively.
a. Both the companies have approached a particular bank for seeking long term loans. Critically evaluate which of the two companies will get the loan at better terms and conditions. (5 Marks)
b. As a potential investor looking for good investment opportunities in this sector, which of the two companies do you find more attractive?
Financial Institutions and Markets
Q1. Ms. Vijaya, after completing her graduation, has recently joined a bank. With a steady income now and good growth prospects for her career, she intends to save regularly and increase the amount of savings gradually over the years. Her colleagues in the bank have advised her investing in Mutual Funds (MFs), as a suitable option for her. However, Ms. Vijaya is not at all familiar with MFs and has some queries such as:
a) What are mutual funds and why should she be investing through mutual fund?
b) What are the various types of mutual funds? Prepare a detailed answer for her queries.
Q2. Mr. Sudhindra Kumar, aged 60, has been an investor in stock market for the last 35 years. When he initially started investing in late 1980s, he used to take positions in the stock markets after studying the annual reports of the company. He used to scan financial newspaper everyday to spot a scrip for buying or selling. He used to generate better returns on his investments than his other colleagues who would solely rely on the trends in stock prices to choose the stock. However, by the end of late 1990s, Mr. Sudhindra realized that he is not able to spot as many investment opportunities through his existing methods. He observed that her junior colleague, Ms. Rama was generating better returns than him. Ms. Rama also shared with Mr. Sudhindra that she picks up stocks based on the recommendation of his stock-broker friend. His recommendations have been a hit as he is very well connected to many corporates, financial intermediaries and other brokers. He seems to get to know about the corporate and market developments ahead of the many investors. Mr. Sudhindra requested Ms. Rama to share such invest tips with him as well in future. Using these tips judiciously along with his old methods of investing, he continued to generate handsome returns on his investment. After various stock-market scams, in the early and mid 2000s, various regulations were brought in place by SEBI to curb manipulation of stock prices and bring more transparency of information, especially for the small investors. As a result, the flow of reliable and worthy investment tips through Ms. Rama dried up and once again. Today, Mr. Sudhindra finds that his older methods of investing are not as effective as they used to be in past, in identifying an investment-worthy stock. All the information related to any stock is almost instantaneously and simultaneously available to the whole market, with the help of technology. Hence, opportunities to beat the market in generating returns have become far lesser than in past. Based on the above information, what are your observations regarding the market efficiency of Indian market since 1980s? Put your commentary/conclusions with your rationale for the same.
Q.3 DEF Limited is an Indian company, engaged in export oriented trading of various manufactured items. The company buys products manufactured in India and sells its products primarily in US. The company pays to its vendors/sellers in Indian rupee and it receives payment in USD after 90 days of dispatching its products. Also, the company borrows money in Indian Rupee for working capital purposes. The cost of borrowing for the company is around 14%-15%. The company aims to reduce its borrowing cost and is exploring options for the same.
a) How can DEF limited manage/mitigate the forex risks?
b) What kind of Swaps instruments DEF Limited can use to manage the forex related risks and reduce borrowing costs?
Business Economics
1. Suppose the demand equation for computers by Teetan Ltd for the year 2017 is given by Qd= 1200-P and the supply equation is given by Qs= 120+3P. Find equilibrium price and analyse what would be the excess demand or supply if price changes to Rs 400 and Rs 120.
2. Assume that at the price of 75, the demand for the product is 250 units. If the price of the product increases to 90, the demand decreases to 150 units. Calculate and analyse the difference in the value of price elasticity using Arc Elasticity Method and Percentage Method.
3. Alpha Ltd was planning to start production next year. Different departments of the company were working together to forecast the demand of the product in the market.
a) If you are manager of the company mention the steps and the factors that would be relevant
for forecasting the demand of rice in the market.
b) The price of rice and its demand (in kg) produced by Alpha Ltd in 2018 is given in the table. Fit a linear regression line and estimate and analyse the demand for rice when price is Rs 50 per kg.
Price(Rs/kg) 17 20 24 28 32
Demand(Kg) 80 75 65 60 54
Business Communication and Etiquette
Q 1) Share your most memorable interpersonal and intrapersonal interactions in the recent past at your workplace. Which principles govern interpersonal communication?
Q 2) As a customer relationship executive, it is your responsibility to convey the refusal of loan request to your loyal customer via a letter. What steps will you take while drafting the reply to ensure the customer continues to trust your services?
Q 3) You are the lead flight attendant on your aircraft. Your prime responsibility is to guide your crew to provide the best hospitality to the passengers so they prefer travelling with your airlines.
a) During greeting the passengers on board, two things are most important eye contact and body language. What guidance will you provide to your crew on these important non-verbal behaviors?
b) If your team encounters an irate customer travelling alone with a baby who has been delayed by 7 hours owing to flight cancellation, how will you communicate so that the customer feels comfortable?
Business Law
1. Explain which type of contract does an Insurance falls under. Also, please explain the features of such contract along with rights of an Insurer and Insured vis-à-vis the type of contract entered.
2. Competition law is a specific law which was passed in 2002 and called as “The Competition Act”. It aims at promoting sustainable competition between the various market parties and protect the interests of customers. It also ensures that the freedom to carry out a trade by each party in the market is maintained. It avoids any player from carrying out any activities which have an “adverse appreciable effect on the competition”. Under this law, the Competition Commission of India has been established which is aimed at preventing those activities that have an adverse effect on competition in India. Please describe atleast 2 cases in which Competition Commission of India has prevented adverse effect on competition in India. (For each case please present an introduction, facts and the order passed in the case) (10 Marks)
3. Amar had gone to buy Crockery from a Mall. He impulsively selected the crockery from the display area and proceeded to the billing counter. The crockery was from the stock clearance sale and therefore there was no guarantee or warranty on the goods. He paid the amount and left the Mall. Upon exiting the mall he realized that the crockery selected by him suffered from some defects. He went back to the shop and asked to replace the goods, the shopkeeper refused stating that there was no guarantee or warranty and hence was not liable to replace or give any refund. Please advise Amar
a. Can Amar insist on his claim to replace the goods. Please give reasons for your answer and explain the underlying legal principle. (Please provide an introduction, to your answer along with reasoning and underlying principle)
b. Assuming, “if Amar had not selected the goods but had informed the shopkeeper about his requirement and based on such requirement Amar was provided with crockery”. Would such assumption have any affect to claim of Amar. (Please provide an introduction, to your answer along with reasoning)
Business Statistics
1. The following results were obtained from medical records about age (x) and systolic blood pressure (y) of a group of 10 women: The mean and variance of x are 53 and 121 respectively and mean and variance of y are 142 and 169 respectively. Σ(x-X)(y-Y)=1210. (X is the mean of x and Y is mean of y). Find the regression equation of systolic blood pressure on age of a women. Also estimate systolic blood pressure of a women whose age is 55.While solving this example, explain the relevant terms used in details. (10 Marks)
2. A sarcastic graduate student from Waterloo was testing the American media at the Salt Lake City Olympics about Canadian history and geography. Reporters were given a 10- item multiple-choice questionnaire to complete. Each question had four possible answers. Unfortunately, one reporter wanted to return to the bar for the rest of the morning, so he simply guessed on all of the questions and then handed in the questionnaire. What is the probability that he will score at least 6 out of 10 in this questionnaire? State clearly the assumptions you need to make to solve this question. Also, write a note on the relevant probability distribution you used to solve this example. (10 Marks)
3. In order to compare the batting performances in Test Cricket of Indian legends, in a meeting of administrators it was proposed that instead of using arithmetic mean of runs scored in all the innings played, Median score be used as an average to represent the performance. But one member, who happened to be a statistician, objected to the proposal saying that by doing so we are favouring the players like Sachin Tendulkar.
a) Give your opinion with appropriate justification. (5 Marks)
b) If it is further decided to compare the performance based on consistency in performance, which statistical measures would you recommend? Substantiate your answer with appropriate justification.
Management Theory and Practice
1. Jeff Weiner (CEO- LinkedIn) is known for his open and compassionate leadership style. He spends quite some time coaching his executives and encourages them to put the customer first and think like an owner. Explain with examples, what type of leader is Jeff Weiner and what kind of leadership style (with reference to leadership styles mentioned in your text book) does he practice?
2. ‘The New You’ manufactures garments and is currently engaged in jeans, shirts, trousers, swimwear for men and school uniforms for boys. They have product based organization structure in place. However, it is prohibiting the company to achieve its company-wide goals as each unit operates on its own. The organization intends sharing equipments and experts across products to achieve higher utilization rate. Design an organization structure for ‘The New You’ and list benefits of the proposed structure. (10 Marks)
3. Joe was heading the Human Resources Department at Lifelong Insurance Pvt. Ltd. Joe was an experienced HR professional with a track record of successfully managing Human Resources and reducing labor attrition. He recently happened to attend a session on employee motivation where various theories of motivation were discussed. He was highly impressed with the simplicity of the Maslow’s Need Hierarchy theory and Herzberg’s motivation model. He decided to implement the same at the workplace for employees of Lifelong Insurance. He convinced the CEO of the company to incorporate the factors of recognition, advancement, growth for employees. The CEO supported Joe and various plans for employee recognition, advancement, etc were rolled out. The plans received a mixed response. Some found them as a cheap substitute to salary hikes while the back-office staff enjoyed the processes but failed to recognize its impact on work. The field executives said that their job was already challenging and commission on insurance sales acted as a motivator to them. After about a couple of months of implementing these programs, Joe was highly disappointed to notice that the programs did not have the impact as desired. Joe faced severe criticism from the top management of the company.
a. What according to you were the reasons of failure of the strategy adopted by Joe? Discuss with reference to Maslow and Herzberg’s theories. (5 Marks)
b. To what extent do you think is money a motivator?
Information Systems for Managers
Q.1) A leading global organization GEMS dealing in production field has spread its business all over the world and deal in production of automobile parts at a large scale. Due to market fluctuations and change in customers’ needs and preferences it has become difficult for the organization to manage their operations efficiently. As a result, the products were not delivered on time. There is a need of implementing a robust business process to reduce overhead and move ahead of the competitors. Hence, the organization decided to implement an ERP system for the same. Discuss any five benefits of implementing ERP system in the organization so that it can be benefitted and also the different phases of ERP implementation. (10 Marks)
Q.2) Pizza Express is a food chain which has just started its various restaurants all over India which offers various types of pizzas. In order to maintain high rate of consistency and defined standards, the company needs to have an excellent supply chain management. Discuss how maintaining a high standard of supply chain management in the Pizza Express organization will keep stronghold in the country. Also, explain the various steps of supply chain process which can be implemented by the organization. (10 Marks)
Q.3) ‘The Coffee’ a leading brand in the field of brand of Coffee sells various varieties of coffees. The company maintained its quality and standards by following and implementing different quality standards in the organization. But few months ago, the security of the organization went on stake due to virus attack by intruders.
3 a). You as Head of the Company will follow which steps for incident handling in the organization.
3.b) Explain the disaster recovery and business continuity planning mechanisms which will help the ‘ The Coffee’ organization to bring back its normal operation.
Organisational Behaviour
1. Sana and Reema joined a quick serve restaurant chain at the head office in the marketing department. Both of them were very happy with the compensation and designation offered to them. Since Sana and Reema joined in the same month so they bonded well together, during one of the conversation Sana got to know that Reema was getting paid 25% more than her. This revelation had caused a conflict between them as it had really saddened Sana which was observable by her hostile behaviour towards Reema. Sana never missed a chance to make Reema feel miserable. Sana Started comparing the fact that both of them had the same qualification and work experience and still she (Sana) was getting paid less than her peer. The situation had worsened so much that they both stopped communicating with each other. You are the HR manager who has observed all this and now you have to come up with techniques with the help of which this conflict can be resolved. Discuss any 4 (four) techniques of conflict resolution and management. Also, conclude the answer by discussing how organisations can avoid/minimise such conflicts. (10 Marks)
2. Karan and Sanjay work as Project Lead for two different teams. It has been noticed that Karan is very helpful and empathetic towards his team and supports them in every possible manner. The team in turn is very close knit and can really works hard to accomplish the objectives. They also give Karan full support whenever required by going out of their way. Whereas Sanjay just wants to get the work done by being a tight fisted man. He reprimands his team members in front of outsiders. He only instructs his team and is never in execution front. Sanjay's team is really petrified of him and always is under fear. Team's motivation is very low and everyone is searching for opportunity to move out of Sanjay's team. Compare the leadership style of Karan and Sanjay. Conclude by discussing that in a workplace which style of leadership is better suited. (10 Marks)
3. Rajat and Suresh have got their yearly targets and both of them are working hard to surpass each other as by the year end the one who achieves the maximum is going to be awarded in the sales conference with a cash prize of Rs. 50000 which would be given by the CEO of the company. They both are doing their best to win this contest for Rajat, the prime factor is money as he has recently got married and his expenses have increased. Whereas, Suresh comes from a very affluent family and for him getting recognized in front of PAN India team and by the CEO is the driving force. Here, we can see that both Rajat and Suresh had different motives.
a. Based on the above scenario discuss the different types of motives which regulate the behaviour of individuals. (5 Marks)
b. With the help of Maslow need hierarchy theory discuss why Rajat, Suresh and even every individual has different motive?
Marketing Management
1. Construct the 4P’s of Marketing Mix for Starbucks Coffee chain in India alongwith the 3 extended P’s for Services. ( 10 Marks)
2. You are the Chief Marketing Officer for Apple India. Conduct a macro external environmental analysis on 8 factors & suggest whether India is an attractive market for higher range of iphone devices such as iPhone 8, iPhone 8plus & iPhoneX? (10 Marks)
3. You are an Italian shoe making firm by the name of “Scarpa” & your target audience is primarily middle class in Europe. You wish to enter the Indian market looking at India’s vast middle class segment which is your intended target market.
a. Which one of the following pricing strategies would you wish to pursue in India? Explain the reasons behind choosing this pricing strategy (5 Marks)
Full Cost pricing
Psychological pricing
Premium pricing
b. Given that Scarpa is a new entrant into India, describe atleast 6 innovative sales promotions campaign aimed at Indian consumers (5 Marks)
Manpower Planning, Recruitment and Selection
1. Gone are the days when State and National Employment Exchanges, newspapers like ‘The Employment News’, the ‘Classified ‘columns in the newspapers were largely used as the sources of recruitment. Though they still largely dominate recruitments for certain type of jobs and industries; there has been a global shift towards recruitment using social media. Presence on sites like LinkedIn, being a part of various trade specific groups on Facebook, WhatsApp and other social media platforms is on a rise exponentially. What according to you is the role of Social Media in recruitment? (Focus on points of reach, costs, time frame, etc.) (10 Marks)
2. Differentiate between Career and Succession Planning. Discuss the state of succession planning in Indian companies with special reference to Infosys (since 2002- Mr. Murthy stepped down to 2017- Vishal Sikka’s exit) (10 Marks)
3. ‘Fly Bird’ manufactures and sells denims for men, women and kids. It is more than a century old company and has 500+ exclusive stores in the country. It has been observed for the past six months that for the stores located in Mumbai, the productivity levels of the front-line staff have gone down which has slashed the profit figures. Further probing into the matter revealed that there has been a new training manager for the Mumbai region. There have been a lot of new recruits due to rapid expansion, who haven’t undergone any training, the existing staff is overworked, and the store managers are struggling between responsibilities of contributing to opening of new stores, supervising existing staff and giving OJT for new recruits.
a. According to you how could training contribute to solving of the issue mentioned above?
b. If you were the training manager, what kind of trainings would you plan for the new recruits? Make reference to Organizational, Task and Person Analysis while giving solutions.
Strategic Financial Management
1. A company is evaluating a proposal to replace a machine costing Rs. 800000 and having a written down value of Rs. 400000. The machine has a remaining economic life of 5 years after which it will have no salvage value. However, if sold today, it will fetch an amount equal to its book value. The new machine is expected to cost Rs. 1400000. It is also expected to have a life of 5 years with a scrap value of Rs. 400000. Owing to its technological superiority, the new machine is expected to contribute additional annual benefit (before depreciation and tax) of Rs. 400000. The company’s opportunity cost of capital is 10%. The tax rate applicable to the firm is 30%. The company follows Straight Line Method of Depreciation for its machines. Should the company replace the old machine with the new one? (10 Marks)
2. The country’s leading oil company is planning to set up a Greenfield project to carry out exploration work in a recently identified prospective site. Keeping the high risks associated with this project in mind, funding the project is turning out to be tricky issue for the company. You, being a subject specialist, have been approached by the company to assist it in project funding. Identify the possible sources of fund for this Greenfield project. Also, guide the company through the various stages involved in the project financing. (10 Marks)
3. A) A company is considering an investment of Rs. 500 million in a project. Expected earnings before interest and tax (EBIT) are Rs. 150 million per year. The operational risks associated with the project are fairly low, and EBIT is expected to remain steady during the project tenure. The company can raise equity, 14% preference shares, 10% debentures, or any combination thereof. Face value of equity shares is Rs. 100. Tax rate is 30%. The company is exploring the following four financing options:
Issue equity capital at par value
Raise 50% by equity share capital and 50% by preference capital
Raise 50% by equity share capital, 25% by preference capital, and 25% by debenture
Raise 25% by equity share capital, 25% by preference capital, and 50% by debenture
Identify the best financing option for the company.
3. B) Which of the above four options will be the best, if the expected EBIT is only Rs. 60 million per year, everything else remaining the same?
Consumer Behavior
Q1. What do you understand by consumer involvement. How would you classify the following purchase decision in terms of high or low involvement decisions? Explain the reason for your classification in each case.
Gel Pen
An Birthday Greeting Card to wife
Restaurant selection
Car
Selection of school for your child
Stationery for everyday use.
Q2. A well-known International fitness company is planning to set up a nationwide fitness centers in India. Describe how this international company can use psychographics to plan its segmentation and promotion strategy. Using VALS II typology, suggest which segments should the company target and why?
Q3 What type of information search behaviour would you expect in the first time purchase of the following products and why?
a Ice Cream
Skin whitening Cream
Lap top
A study table
3b. What are the implications of the above information search behavior for marketers of these products? Explain.
Corporate Finance
1: Calculate the degree of operating leverage and degree of financial leverage for the following firms:
Firms
A
B
Sales (Rs.)
Variable cost p.u
Fixed cost (Rs.)
Output (units)
Interest
3,60,000
20
72,000
6,000
40,000
7,50,000
150
1,40,000
1,500
80,000
Q2. A Project costs Rs 60,000 and is expected to generate cash inflows as:
Year
Cash inflows(Rs)
1
10000
2
12000
3
15000
4
18000
5
20000
6
22000
Calculate the Net Present Value of the project if the cost of capital is 10%.
Q3. Solve the following:
a) A company earns 5 per share. The cost of capital is 10%, the rate of return on investment is 14% and the dividend payout ratio is 25%. Calculate the value of each share by using Walter’s Model.
b) XYZ Limited has a paid-up share capital of Rs. 10 lakhs of Rs. 10 each. The company has a dividend payout rate of 10%. Annual growth rate is expected to be 4%. The capitalisation rate is 20%. Calculate the value of the share of XYZ based on Gordon’s Model.
International Business
Q1. A Mumbai based manufacturer of textile products is negotiating an export contract with a new prospective customer based in Mexico. He is concerned that international trade presents a spectrum of risk, involving differences in regulatory and legal environment, cultural differences, etc. More specifically, he is unsure of how he would receive the payment and the associated risks involved. As a specialist in the subject, you are required to guide him and help him resolve his dilemma regarding choice of payment instrument.
Q2. A newly appointed General Manager of a domestically strong FMCG company feels that the next big growth thrust can only come from venturing into new international markets. Despite a strong domestic presence, the company is yet to foray into international markets. The CEO of the company, however, is not too convinced about the benefits of such a move, and is not too clear about the ways to enter an international market. Discuss and conclude whether entering international markets will be helpful? If yes, discuss the different ways for the company to enter international markets.
Q3A) A globally renowned MNC, headquartered in the US and specializing in Children’s toys, has recently forayed into India. However, it has very soon realized that its marketing campaigns and product lines, which have been so successful in other parts of the world, are not working in India. Sales have stagnated and the company is finding it difficult to establish a significant presence in India. It has recently appointed you as General Manager to look into these issues and take the company forward. Could cultural intricacies in the Indian market be a reason behind this?
B) Suggest ways through which the company can turn around its fortunes in the Indian market.
Organisational Theory and Design
Q1. Areva is a big invertor and transformer manufacturer with more than 1200 employees .The Company is facing a big challenge of organizational effectiveness mainly due to fast changing market. The company appointed you as a consultant to overcome these challenges, the company is ready to do modifications without losing its existing employees. Provide an appropriate solution to the company.
Q2. Ms Nandita an MBA graduate from Stanford University joins her father’s company after coming back to India. It is a small organization which depends on Ms Mohan Kapoor’s (Nandita’s Father and Owner) and his team having three very senior people who joined the organization since inception. Now Nandita is having big expansion plan for the company but what she is missing in executing her expansion plan is culture. Explain why culture is very important, and what are the factors required for the formation of organizational culture.
Q3. Mr. Nandan, a Sr. Manager in an IT company at Bangalore, is very clear that he wants only males, that too from Bangalore and nearby places, in his team. He said that we generally have to work late nights; hence managing female staff for late night work is difficult and people from Bangalore have better communication skills. But slowly he observed that his team is losing creativity, motivation and design thinking. Same gender in the same vicinity has a very limited scope of thinking out of the box. You are also a Sr. Manager in the same company with a diverse team having more fun and doing great on employee engagement and the team is performing extraordinarily. Your Boss wants you to convince Mr Nandan to go in for a diverse team.
Answer the following:
a) Identify various barriers in creating diverse workforce. ?
b) Give points how you will convince Mr Nandan in favour of Diversity
Taxation - Direct and Indirect
Q1. Dr Kabra is planning to visit Singapore to attend a round table conference on Neurological diseases. The conference is for 25 days. He wants to plan his tour in such a manner that his residential status for the relevant previous year remains unaffected. Discuss the charging section which governs the residential status of an Individual? Further, what conditions he has to satisfy in order to remain as Ordinary resident of India for the applicable assessment year.
Q2. From Income Tax Preview, what factors every Company needs to consider while disbursement of Salary to its Employees? In case of general CTC structure, on which types of allowances management needs to consider tax imposition? Explain the same in light of provisions applicable to the allowances which are fully taxable. What if, an Individual receives salary from more than one employer during the same previous year, how the same will be assessed at the year end? Provide sufficient reasoning for your answer.
Q3a) Apart from Normal Salary, House Rent, Income from Business / Profession and capital gain, what could be other differential sources of Income for an Individual from Income Tax Act point. of view. Conclude the same with relevant examples.
b) Mr. Pratik – a Corporate Employee lives in New Delhi and earns a basic salary of Rs. 30,000 per month. The HRA component of his salary is Rs. 15,000 but the actual rent paid by him is Rs. 10,000. How much exemption can he get? What steps Company Management will undertake for calculation of this HRA exemption amount?
Performance Management System
1. Define mentoring and discuss the mentoring programmes of at least two companies with benefits accrued. (10 Marks)
2. ‘24x7’is a hypermarket chain introduced in the city. It has launched four stores and has been in operation for almost a year now. The HR manager intends setting up a reward system for the employees. Chalk out a detailed plan of action for the same. (10 Marks)
3. DKMG is a CA firm having 15 branches in different parts of the country. In the home office there are more than 45 employees. This company has a performance rating under which the employees are rated quarterly by a committee of executives. Linear rating scales are used for conducting the appraisal. The qualities considered are responsibility, initiative, interest in work, leadership potential, co-operative attitude and community service. After the performance is evaluated, the ratings are discussed with the concerned employees by their immediate boss who counsels them. The ratings are used to influence promotions and salary adjustments of the employees. Recently few employees of the company called on the firm’s owner to express their dissatisfaction with the ratings they had received. Because their ratings were comparatively low, they had been denied annual increments in salary. Approximately, two thirds of all the employees received such increments. The aggrieved employees argued that their ratings did not accurately represent their qualifications or performance. They insisted that “community service” was not actually a part of their job and that what they do off the job is none of the company’s business. The employees threatened to stop work. The threat caused concern to the management. This particular experience convinced the management that ratings may represent a serious hazard to satisfactory relationship with employees. Even the owner finds that performance appraisal is a dangerous source of friction and its hazards outweigh its values; so it should be discontinued altogether.
Questions:
a. How far do you agree with the management that performance appraisal should be discontinued? (5 Marks)
b. If you were the HR manager, how would you tackle the situation?
Services Marketing
1. BodyPluz is planning to introduce a new service of gyms focusing on the kids segment. It is planning to launch its first ever gym in Mumbai. Based on this scenario, prepare a Service Marketing Mix Plan for BodyPluz (10 Marks)
2. Consider the following scenario: Mr. Rajesh is planning to introduce a travel company. He wants an appropriate Segmentation Plan to be designed for the same. As a Service Consultant, suggest Mr. Rajesh for an appropriate Segmentation Plan. (10 Marks)
3. Read the following Case & solve the questions given:
The passengers were through with their final security check and were boarding the aircraft. The Lotus Airlines personnel were awaiting the arrival of a V.I.P. to clear the take off. Finally the V.I.P. arrived half an hour late and went directly for the security check. During the check the security personnel came across weapon with live cartilages. He was requested not to carry the weapon on flight. However the V.I.P. refused to part with the weapon for personal security. When he was asked for license, he said he was not carrying it. The security personnel refused to give permission to the V.I.P. to board the aircraft. This led to heated argument and in rage the V.I.P. threw one of the security staff across the floor. This further delayed the flight. The passengers were very restless since they were in the aircraft last 1 ½ hours. To top it up they were not allowed to leave the aircraft for security purpose.
Questions:
a. In this case, where do the service gaps exist and how would you close the gaps? (5 Marks)
b. Elaborate the importance of ‘People’ in airline service. (5 Marks)
International Marketing
Q1. Yoghurt Lab, a US Based Frozen Yoghurt chain, is planning its foray in India in 2018. It is confused about how to enter India since it would be an absolutely new market for them. Can you guide them with the options available and suggest the best alternative to them? (10 Marks)
Q2.Chikamanglu, the owner of multiple banana and coconut plantations down south in Kerala plans to export these high quality products. But he is unaware about the entire export process and is seeking your support as a consultant. Can you please guide him about the process and documents required for the same? (10 Marks)
Q3. Read the below given Case Study and answer the questions below?
Dunkin Donuts brand is owned by Dunkin Brands Group which is a well known pioneering brand of quick service restaurants. It has more than 18000 points of distribution in the world with presence in more than 60 countries (Dunkin Donuts, 2014). The company is headquartered in Canton, Massachusetts. The company reported a sale of $9.3 billion in the year 2013. The company operates on a 100 percent franchised model and there are nearly 11000 Dunkin’ Donuts restaurants in 33 countries (Dunkin Donuts, 2014). The company has an established leadership in coffee segment for more than 60 years and sells more than 1.8 billion cups of coffee all over the world. The brand has a high level of customer loyalty and is a socially responsible brand. India is an attractive expanding economy for global fast food chains such as Dunkin Donuts and offers the company with a large customer base.
Dunkin Donuts was launched in India in the year 2012 on the basis of the classic donuts model to serve breakfast to customers 7 am onwards. The brand quickly realized that Indians do not like doughnuts and are unlikely to buy doughnuts in bulk (Rana, 2014). The concept of doughnuts is new in India and Indians are more likely to consume burgers or pizza than doughnuts in the current fast food market scenario. The brand had to quickly customize its menu in India to include burgers like competitor McDonald’s and had to advertise in its marketing campaign that the brand offered much more than Bavarian Cream and coffee in its menu. This article shall highlight the issues faced by Dunkin Donuts brand in India and its offerings for the Indian customers and how the brand was repositioned to suit the Indian customers.
Dunkin Donuts began offering American Doughnuts for breakfast in India with its stores opening at 8 am with the aim of offering breakfast to Indians. The brand offered doughnuts that were priced high in accordance with the American culture of having a light breakfast.
How Dunkin Donuts failed to understand consumer preferences?
The company was treated no more than a pastry shop initially on its launch in India in the year 2012 where people would visit to consume Doughnuts as a dessert. The company was initially launched as an AM brand that offered breakfast menu to customers. Dunkin Donuts had initially failed to understand the consumer preferences in India for a fast food restaurant that offered full meals rather than light doughnuts for a breakfast. After looking at poor response from customers with respect to doughnuts, the company decided to rebrand itself as a PM brand that offered much more than doughnuts and coffee.
Dunkin’ Donuts less than impressive performance so far
Dunkin Donuts has been successful in adapting its donought menu to suit Indian preferences by offering India centric doughnuts in its menu that are a hit among the Indian customers. Since its launch in the year 2012, Dunkin Donuts has been successful in expanding its reach to 38 locations in India (Spiegel, 2014). The restaurant faced rejection initially as a breakfast menu restaurant that offered only American doughnuts at 7 am. The company failed in India due to its inability to understand the Indian culture and the concept of healthy and complete breakfast in India with family members. The restaurant has now customized its food menu to offer burgers and cheese sandwiches that are popular among the Indian consumers. In view of successful fast food chains such as McDonald’s and KFC well established in India, Dunkin Doughnuts has also expanded its menu to lure Indian customers. However, it remains a challenge for the company to expand its operations and menu items to increase its market share in the Indian fast food industry.
a. What has Dunkin Donuts done wrong in India? (5 Marks)
b. What steps should the company take in order to recover? (5 Marks)
Integrated Marketing Communications
1) You are about to launch a product (you can select a product of your choice) in India. Using the customer-controlled market concept how will you ensure the success of that product? (10 Marks)
2) You have been assigned a role to market a deodorant by a well known company. How will you use and improve your personal selling skills to increase the market share of this brand? (10 Marks)
3) Case Study
Its not Tesla that scares Europe in electric-car race.
Electric car production in the European Union got a spur on Wednesday as EU regulators acted to close a technological gap with China by seeking stricter emission curbs on manufacturers such as Volkswagen and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles.
The European commission, the EU’s regulatory arm, proposed a 30 percent reduction in car discharges of carbon dioxide by 2030 compared with 2021 levels, as part of a steeped-up ight against global warming. The plan which will progressive tighten existing CO2 limits, features incentives or automakers to shift to electric vehicles.
There’s a component of trying to facilitate the development of a powerful car-manufacturing industry of electric vehicles. Miguel Arias Canete, EU climate and energy commissioner, said in an interview in his Brussels office.
There will be a race for developing lean-energy vehicles. We are seeing that the others are taking a global lead. Europe is gearing up for a technological revolution in road transport that would push the traditional internal combustion engine from showrooms into museums in a bid to retain leadership in the worldwide market of passenger cars.
The combustion is taking advantage of the landmark climate-protection agreement reached by almost 200 countries in Paris in late 2015 to get a grip on the European road-transportation pollution, which has bucked a general trend of falling EU discharges of greenhouse gases including CO2 that are blamed for climate change. Under the Paris accord, the EU aims to slash such pollution at least 40 percent by 2030.
As China expands its electric-vehicle prowess with the blunt policy of quotas, Europe is counting on a more nuanced approach that would force carmakers to choose between making the combustion engine cleaner or abandoning it in favour of electric vehicles.
The production of Tesla cars in 2016 was around 80,000 cars, Canate said. The big problem is China which has mandatory target of 10 percent in 2019, 12 percent in 2020 and 7.5 million vehicles per year in the future. The Chinese market already boasts 400 types of electric vehicles, whereas Europe has six, according to Canate. India meanwhile aims for all new passenger cars sold by 2030 to be electric. There is a huge gap between European Union, which invented the car, and developing countries, Canete said.
a. If India develops the Electric car and by 2030 all cars sold will be electric which media do you think is suitable to advertise from the Integrated marketing communication perspective? How would you plan to launch the car? (5 Marks)
b. What do you think the future of this industry will be? How can one leverage and grow the market share of electric vehicles? (5 Marks)
Business Ethics: Governance & Risk
1. Fashion Styles Ltd is a garment manufacturing and exporting company based out of Mumbai, India. They are suppliers to an International Brand in Europe. As Head of Supply Chain, Anup is responsible for selection and appointment of third party manufacturer in some of the product category. With recent media explosion about use of migrant worker in garment supply chain he wants to sit with his Human Resources Head, Amrita to review all the relevant compliances, voluntary code / standards they adhere to before appointing new supplier for the next financial year. Anup has given you the responsibility to prepare a document consisting of all the relevant points/topics that he needs to review and discuss with Amrita. So what all topics / points should be included and what should he discuss about each of those topics/points? (10 Marks)
2. Do you think pollution is customer responsibility as well? Why do you think so? Who are the other stakeholders around this issue and how are they contributing to the escalating problem? Analyse atleast three ethical dilemmas faced by companies while trying to reduce their pollution levels. (10 Marks)
3. A.) Andrew, a customer executive from Southeast Asia will visit your HQ facility and meet with your executive team. Your independent Southeast Asian agent requests that you reimburse the customer executive for his expenses, including expenses that could violate your company's policies. The agent will reimburse you. How do you proceed? Explain the thought process behind your decision. (5 Marks)
B.) Our company prides itself on hiring minorities. One African candidate fully fits the job requirements for the open position. However, we are concerned that our customers will not understand his limited command of the English language. What should be done in these circumstances? As the person to whom he will report what steps will you take and why? (5 Marks)
B2B Marketing
Q.1 Crompton Greaves Ltd is the leader in Indian Domestic market for electric motors, which conform to Indian & International Standards. The company faces a severe competition from small scale motor manufacturer as well as large global players like Siemens & ABB. What suggestions you would like to give to the company to maintain its leadership position in this product category?
Q.2 Sam Chem Corporation is into the business of House Keeping products & equipments. Develop an effective communication programme for the company.
Q.3 Read the following Case & solve the questions given:
Mahindra Parikh, Senior Manager-Commercial, India Textiles Ltd., felt doubtful on bringing down the delivery time from 60 days to 45 days, demanded by some international buyers of garments. The company's manufacturing unit at Bangalore produced garments like shirts, trousers, for domestic as well as international customers, including Walmart, i.e. Penny, and Gap. The production process included various operations like dyeing of yarn, weaving, and processing.
The production was organized on three shift basis. The company had outsourced some of the operations like processing because it did not have facility to do the processing, although it had adequate space.
Mahindra asked the market research manager to get the information about the competitor’s delivery time for the garments. The market research manager informed him that only four out of about 100 garment (or apparel) manufacturing units were in a position to fulfill the important purchasing objectives of 45 days delivery time and consistent product quality. Mahindra applied a lot of pressure on the existing processing firms to bring down the delivery time. However, he did not receive any positive commitments from them. Mahindra felt that it was very important to satisfy the delivery and quality objectives of the garment buying firms, in order to achieve the company's sales and profitability goals.
Questions:
a. If you were Mahindra Parikh, what would you do? (5 Marks)
b. ‘The company had outsourced some of the operations like processing because it did not have facility to do the processing, although it had adequate space’. Do you agree with this decision? Justify ( 5 Marks)
Capital Market and Portfolio Management
Q.1 Mr. Mahendra Kumar would like to invest in mutual funds. He has been suggested by his friend to choose a fund from any of the three mutual funds, as given in the table below. Mr. Mahendra learns that he can use Sharpe’s ratio, Treynor’s ratio and Jensen’s Alpha to measure the performance of a mutual fund. Help Mr. Mahendra to rank the three funds on each of the measures.
Fund A Fund B Fund C
Portfolio Return 12% 15% 18%
Standard Deviation 0.15 0.25 0.4
Beta of the portfolio 0.6 0.8 1.4
Return from the market 12%
Risk free rate of return 6%
Q.2 Mr. Virendra Kumar invests Rs. 10,000 in a stock that gives him dividend of Rs. 100, Rs. 200 and Rs. 300 at the end of the first, second and third year respectively. He sells his holdings at Rs. 13,500 at the end of the third year. How much returns did he earn, as per Money weighted rate of return method? Further, instructions- students can directly calculate the IRR either using in-built formula in MS Excel or create calculations of Present Values (PVs) in MS Excel. Find sum of PVs and set the sum to zero by changing the value of the discounting rate. (you may use Goal Seek function of MS Excel to accurately calculate the IRR). The rate at which the sum is zero is IRR. (10 Marks)
Q.3 Mr. Dhirendra Kumar is a 24 years old professional, working as a programmer for the largest software company in India. He has earned his bachelor degree of engineering in Computer Science from IIT Mumbai and has been working for the company for last three years. He belongs to Pathankot and his parents live there. For last three years, he has been staying in Bengaluru along with his other colleagues in a rented accommodation. He plans to get married not before the age of 28 and would like to have his own house before he gets married. His father is working currently at Pathankot and is due to retire in another ten years. He plans to convince to his parents to shift to Bengaluru from Pathankot to stay with him post his father’s retirement. Mr. Dhirendra is the star performer of his company. He currently enjoys a package of Rs. 18 lakhs per annum. After accounting for his expenditure, he has been able to save close to Rs. 30 lakhs over the last three years. Till date he has been putting his savings in either Fixed deposits (FDs) of his bank or some of the tax savings instruments such as Public Provident Fund etc. However, now he would like to see his investments grow much faster so that he can meet his marriage related expenditure four years later and also make the down payment for his new house before marriage. He has been getting various investment advices from different people telling him where to put his money. His parents are advising him to buy some gold every year and put rest of the money in FD. His boss tells him to buy the house right away, even though it could be smaller than he would need later. According to his boss, value of his small house would appreciate in four years and that the sale proceeds would partially fund the new purchase. Some of his friends have told him that investing in high safety corporate bonds will give him better returns than putting money in PPF. Amongst all this, he is getting the constant feed through newspapers of Sensex and Nifty scaling new heights every other day and a few one-off stories of rags to riches. Mr. Dhirendra is thoroughly confused between the choices and he now approaches a professional (you) to advice him on the right investment strategy. Some questions that you need to answer for Mr. Dhirendra:
a) Where should he put his money, in gold, in FD, in PPF, in real estate, in corporate bonds or in stocks? Or do you have some other strategy in mind? Provide your answer with the rationale.
b) Should he invest in any of these assets directly or should he choose the mutual fund route or create a portfolio of mutual funds? How will choosing the mutual fund route (single mutual fund or a portfolio of mutual funds) will prove beneficial to Mr. Dhirendra? Explain your recommendation with reasons for the same.
Industrial Relations & Labour Laws
1. The working hours of each of the manufacturing unit differ depending upon the availability of resources in that particular area. The management decides on the working hours, the facilities provided to the employees, the wages etc. However, at no point of the decision making is the suggestion of the workers taken. Infact, any grievances by the employees on the decision given by the management is also not appreciated. The trade union met the management and informed them that if such a behavior continued the employees would go a strike. The management replied saying that it would be physically difficult to travel to all the units before implementing a decision and an economical loss to the company also. Analyze the case and find a suitable suggestion (10 Marks)
2. Nitin had been working in an industry for the past 10 years. He has been efficient in his work and also been appreciated by his seniors and employers. In the month of November 2017, he was given a promotion. Next month he was transferred to a new unit in a rural area. Nitin refused the transfer stating that he would be getting married within 2 months. The management felt offended and removed his promotion. When Nitin questioned the decision, the management did not give a satisfactory answer, he approached the trade union. The other workers also sympathized with Nitin and joined his dispute. The management told the trade union that if it raises this dispute it shall deduct the wages of the employees. This created a strain in the relation between the employers and the employees. Analyze the case and suggest the various ways in which the dispute can be settled (10 Marks)
3. Yash was working in a factory. While working a part of machinery fell on his head. He was rushed to the hospital, but was declared dead. The employer said that it was the neglect of the employee, and refused to pay any compensation to the dependents of Yash. One of the employees in the factory informed the Commissioner about the accident
a. Advise the dependents on the compensation payable to the employee under the Employees Compensation act. (5 Marks)
b. Advise the dependents on the procedure followed by the Commissioner in case of fatal accidents.
Essentials of HRM
1. Poshak Ltd. is an apparel company where after Sid joined as an AVP-HR and understood that workforce was not happy with their job profile as they were finding it too routine and monotonous. It has also been noted that the work productivity was decreasing and the employee attrition was increasing. It was implicit that the organisation needed to go for job designing. Suggest all the approaches to Sid for job designing which would prove beneficial for Poshak Ltd.
2. MiniBurgs is a fast food outlet which is now expanding its operation throughout Mumbai. Since it was initially a small joint which kept on growing and now is becoming a chain therefore undergoing a lots of changes. MiniBurgs can only respond better to these changes when the employees are also willing to accept and adapt to the same. The HR team is emphasising that since the business is expanding the workforce must develop their KSA (Knowledge, skill and competencies) regularly for combating any kind of change in the external or internal environment. It was also discussed that there is a need for HRD in Miniburgs. Discuss that why Miniburgs has a need for HRD.
3. Yes bank did something different for its Induction program rather than going by the old conventional methods. The new employees in Yes Bank were greeted with its drum beating session which acted as a stress buster and then it was followed by other various fun activities aimed at experiential learning, instead of the old way of inducting employees which merely focused on PPTs as well speech on organisational culture, etiquettes and opportunities. The employees really appreciated this novel way of induction. As per this case answer the following questions:
a. Yes Bank could have directly asked the employees to report at work, but why induction was needed? Discuss it from organization’s perspective.
b. The employees seemed to have really like the induction, so why it is important from their (employees) perspective? Discuss
Corporate Social Responsibility
Caselet :
Biobeauty Ltd‘s idea of responsible business is to use only natural ingredients sourced from all over the country, it believes that this will help protect the planet and the people depending on it. It is especially recognised for not testing its products on animals, other brand values are support community, defend human rights and activate self esteem. Last year it donated Rs. 50 lac to support various human rights and women empowerment organization across India.
According to its annual report of 2015-16 it now needs to comply with section 135 of the Companies Act 2013 and spend 2 % of its net profit on CSR. Hence this year Biobeauty will have to spend Rs 10 crore on CSR as per the mandate.
Biobeauty is deeply entrenched in working with the community through its supply chain as it sources majority of its raw material through self help groups (SHG) run and managed by women from rural and tribal areas. It has partnered with multiple NGO’s to help organize these rural/tribal women set up SHG’s and co-operative societies for growing and trading in herbs / flowers/ fruits / berries etc for which it is the captive buyer.
Q1. As CSR Manager you have been asked to come up with three new initiatives/projects from those listed under schedule VII of the Companies Act 2013 that the company can spend its CSR budget on. Design and develop a business plan around these 3 areas that you have selected covering the objectives (impacts expected), goals (target set), target stakeholder, geographical area where it will be implemented, time frame. Please be very specific and relevant to the company and section 135 requirements.
Q2. The CEO at Biobeauty Ltd wants your opinion on whether to partner with an NGO or should Biobeauty work directly with the target stakeholders for the 3 new CSR initiatives /projects selected by you. Prepare a document of approx 1000 words for your CEO giving the advantages and disadvantages for Biobeauty in both the scenarios.
Q3A. Companies Act 2013 requires Biobeauty Ltd to disclose its CSR Policy on its website as well as Annual Report of the company. Based on what you know so far about Biobeauty, frame a relevant and suitable CSR Policy, what is the key purpose of the policy and what are the CSR focus areas of Biobeauty Ltd.
Q3B. As part of CSR Team you have been asked to write a report of approx 500 words, which will be published on the company’s website under “CSR at Biobeauty”, detailing the 3 new CSR initiatives/projects that Biobeauty has implemented in 2016-17. You must use the ones you shortlisted in Ans1.
Financial Accounting & Analysis
1. The following trial balance has been extracted from the books of XYZ Ltd as on 31st March 2017.
Particulars Debit (Rs.) Credit (Rs.)
Share Capital 1000000
Plant and Machinery 1600000
Sales 3540000
Purchases 1200000
Returns 20000 15000
Opening Stock 600000
Discount 7000 16000
Bank Charges 1500
Sundry Debtors 900000
Sundry Creditors 500000
Salaries 136000
9% Debentures 400000
Manufacturing Wages 200000
Carriage Inwards 15000
Carriage Outwards 24000
Debenture Interest 18000
Bad Debts Provision 10500
Rent, Rates and Taxes 200000
Advertisement 40000
Cash in hand 18000
Cash at bank 120000
10% Investment 300000
Goodwill 300000
Interest on Investment 30000
Factory Expenses 12000
General Reserve 100000
Last year profit 250000
Furniture 150000
5861500 5861500
The following additional information is available:
Depreciation on Furniture, Plant and Machinery to be provided at 10% per annum
Write off Rs. 10000 as bad debts and make a provision for doubtful debts at 5% on sundry debtors
Closing stock was Rs. 700000
a. Mention the formula to calculate gross profit and net profit
b. Prepare the profit and loss account for the year ended 31st march 2017 and Balance sheet as on that date.
c. Comment on the position of financial statements as on date prepared by you. (10 Marks)
2. A company acquired the following assets three years ago:
Asset Cost (Rs.) Scrap Value (Rs.) Useful Life (Years) Depreciation Policy
Equipment 5000000 500000 5 Straight Line Method
Building 8000000 1000000 30 Straight Line Method
After using the assets for three years, the company decided to change its Depreciation policy as follows:
The useful life of the equipment was revised upwards to 8 years, keeping its residual value at Rs. 500000.
The useful life of the building was revised upwards to 40 years, keeping its residual value at Rs. 1000000.
These changes have been implemented from the fourth year onwards.
a. You are required to analyze the impact of such changes in depreciation policy on the financial statements of firms, and write a detailed note on the same..
b. How do you think future profits of this company will be impacted because of these changes?
c. Are any disclosures regarding these required to be made? (10 Marks)
3. Both A Ltd. and B Ltd. operate wholesale electronic stores throughout India. The financial statements of each business for the year ended as on 31st March, 2017 are as follows:
Balance Sheet as on 31st march, 2017 (Rs. in millions)
A Ltd. B Ltd.
Assets
Non-current assets
Property, plant and equipment (Cost less depreciation)
Land and buildings 360.0 510.0
Furniture 87.0 91.2
Current assets
Inventories 592.0 403.0
Trade Receivables 176.4 321.9
Cash at Bank 84.6 91.6
Total assets 1,300.0 1,417.7
Equity and Liabilities
Share Capital of Rs.10 320.0 250.0
Retained Earnings 367.6 624.6
Non-current liabilities
Long term, borrowings 190.0 250.0
Current liabilities
Trade Payables 406.4 275.7
Provision for Taxation 16.0 17.4
Total equity and liabilities 1,300.0 1,417.7
Statement of Profit and Loss for the year ended as on 31st march, 2017 (Rs. in millions)
A Ltd. B Ltd.
Revenue 1,478.1 1,790.4
Cost of Sales (1,018.3) (1,214.9)
Gross Profit 459.8 575.5
Operating expenses (308.5) (408.6)
Operating profit 151.3 166.9
Interest (19.4) (27.5)
Profit before tax 131.9 139.4
Taxation (32.0) (34.8)
Profit for the year 99.9 104.6
All purchases and sales were made on credit. A Ltd. and B Ltd. have declared a dividend of Rs. 135 million and Rs. 95 million in respect of the year. The market prices of a share of A Ltd. and B Ltd. are Rs. 6.50 and Rs. 8.20 respectively.
a. Both the companies have approached a particular bank for seeking long term loans. Critically evaluate which of the two companies will get the loan at better terms and conditions. (5 Marks)
b. As a potential investor looking for good investment opportunities in this sector, which of the two companies do you find more attractive?
Financial Institutions and Markets
Q1. Ms. Vijaya, after completing her graduation, has recently joined a bank. With a steady income now and good growth prospects for her career, she intends to save regularly and increase the amount of savings gradually over the years. Her colleagues in the bank have advised her investing in Mutual Funds (MFs), as a suitable option for her. However, Ms. Vijaya is not at all familiar with MFs and has some queries such as:
a) What are mutual funds and why should she be investing through mutual fund?
b) What are the various types of mutual funds? Prepare a detailed answer for her queries.
Q2. Mr. Sudhindra Kumar, aged 60, has been an investor in stock market for the last 35 years. When he initially started investing in late 1980s, he used to take positions in the stock markets after studying the annual reports of the company. He used to scan financial newspaper everyday to spot a scrip for buying or selling. He used to generate better returns on his investments than his other colleagues who would solely rely on the trends in stock prices to choose the stock. However, by the end of late 1990s, Mr. Sudhindra realized that he is not able to spot as many investment opportunities through his existing methods. He observed that her junior colleague, Ms. Rama was generating better returns than him. Ms. Rama also shared with Mr. Sudhindra that she picks up stocks based on the recommendation of his stock-broker friend. His recommendations have been a hit as he is very well connected to many corporates, financial intermediaries and other brokers. He seems to get to know about the corporate and market developments ahead of the many investors. Mr. Sudhindra requested Ms. Rama to share such invest tips with him as well in future. Using these tips judiciously along with his old methods of investing, he continued to generate handsome returns on his investment. After various stock-market scams, in the early and mid 2000s, various regulations were brought in place by SEBI to curb manipulation of stock prices and bring more transparency of information, especially for the small investors. As a result, the flow of reliable and worthy investment tips through Ms. Rama dried up and once again. Today, Mr. Sudhindra finds that his older methods of investing are not as effective as they used to be in past, in identifying an investment-worthy stock. All the information related to any stock is almost instantaneously and simultaneously available to the whole market, with the help of technology. Hence, opportunities to beat the market in generating returns have become far lesser than in past. Based on the above information, what are your observations regarding the market efficiency of Indian market since 1980s? Put your commentary/conclusions with your rationale for the same.
Q.3 DEF Limited is an Indian company, engaged in export oriented trading of various manufactured items. The company buys products manufactured in India and sells its products primarily in US. The company pays to its vendors/sellers in Indian rupee and it receives payment in USD after 90 days of dispatching its products. Also, the company borrows money in Indian Rupee for working capital purposes. The cost of borrowing for the company is around 14%-15%. The company aims to reduce its borrowing cost and is exploring options for the same.
a) How can DEF limited manage/mitigate the forex risks?
b) What kind of Swaps instruments DEF Limited can use to manage the forex related risks and reduce borrowing costs?
Business Economics
1. Suppose the demand equation for computers by Teetan Ltd for the year 2017 is given by Qd= 1200-P and the supply equation is given by Qs= 120+3P. Find equilibrium price and analyse what would be the excess demand or supply if price changes to Rs 400 and Rs 120.
2. Assume that at the price of 75, the demand for the product is 250 units. If the price of the product increases to 90, the demand decreases to 150 units. Calculate and analyse the difference in the value of price elasticity using Arc Elasticity Method and Percentage Method.
3. Alpha Ltd was planning to start production next year. Different departments of the company were working together to forecast the demand of the product in the market.
a) If you are manager of the company mention the steps and the factors that would be relevant
for forecasting the demand of rice in the market.
b) The price of rice and its demand (in kg) produced by Alpha Ltd in 2018 is given in the table. Fit a linear regression line and estimate and analyse the demand for rice when price is Rs 50 per kg.
Price(Rs/kg) 17 20 24 28 32
Demand(Kg) 80 75 65 60 54
Business Communication and Etiquette
Q 1) Share your most memorable interpersonal and intrapersonal interactions in the recent past at your workplace. Which principles govern interpersonal communication?
Q 2) As a customer relationship executive, it is your responsibility to convey the refusal of loan request to your loyal customer via a letter. What steps will you take while drafting the reply to ensure the customer continues to trust your services?
Q 3) You are the lead flight attendant on your aircraft. Your prime responsibility is to guide your crew to provide the best hospitality to the passengers so they prefer travelling with your airlines.
a) During greeting the passengers on board, two things are most important eye contact and body language. What guidance will you provide to your crew on these important non-verbal behaviors?
b) If your team encounters an irate customer travelling alone with a baby who has been delayed by 7 hours owing to flight cancellation, how will you communicate so that the customer feels comfortable?
Business Law
1. Explain which type of contract does an Insurance falls under. Also, please explain the features of such contract along with rights of an Insurer and Insured vis-à-vis the type of contract entered.
2. Competition law is a specific law which was passed in 2002 and called as “The Competition Act”. It aims at promoting sustainable competition between the various market parties and protect the interests of customers. It also ensures that the freedom to carry out a trade by each party in the market is maintained. It avoids any player from carrying out any activities which have an “adverse appreciable effect on the competition”. Under this law, the Competition Commission of India has been established which is aimed at preventing those activities that have an adverse effect on competition in India. Please describe atleast 2 cases in which Competition Commission of India has prevented adverse effect on competition in India. (For each case please present an introduction, facts and the order passed in the case) (10 Marks)
3. Amar had gone to buy Crockery from a Mall. He impulsively selected the crockery from the display area and proceeded to the billing counter. The crockery was from the stock clearance sale and therefore there was no guarantee or warranty on the goods. He paid the amount and left the Mall. Upon exiting the mall he realized that the crockery selected by him suffered from some defects. He went back to the shop and asked to replace the goods, the shopkeeper refused stating that there was no guarantee or warranty and hence was not liable to replace or give any refund. Please advise Amar
a. Can Amar insist on his claim to replace the goods. Please give reasons for your answer and explain the underlying legal principle. (Please provide an introduction, to your answer along with reasoning and underlying principle)
b. Assuming, “if Amar had not selected the goods but had informed the shopkeeper about his requirement and based on such requirement Amar was provided with crockery”. Would such assumption have any affect to claim of Amar. (Please provide an introduction, to your answer along with reasoning)
Business Statistics
1. The following results were obtained from medical records about age (x) and systolic blood pressure (y) of a group of 10 women: The mean and variance of x are 53 and 121 respectively and mean and variance of y are 142 and 169 respectively. Σ(x-X)(y-Y)=1210. (X is the mean of x and Y is mean of y). Find the regression equation of systolic blood pressure on age of a women. Also estimate systolic blood pressure of a women whose age is 55.While solving this example, explain the relevant terms used in details. (10 Marks)
2. A sarcastic graduate student from Waterloo was testing the American media at the Salt Lake City Olympics about Canadian history and geography. Reporters were given a 10- item multiple-choice questionnaire to complete. Each question had four possible answers. Unfortunately, one reporter wanted to return to the bar for the rest of the morning, so he simply guessed on all of the questions and then handed in the questionnaire. What is the probability that he will score at least 6 out of 10 in this questionnaire? State clearly the assumptions you need to make to solve this question. Also, write a note on the relevant probability distribution you used to solve this example. (10 Marks)
3. In order to compare the batting performances in Test Cricket of Indian legends, in a meeting of administrators it was proposed that instead of using arithmetic mean of runs scored in all the innings played, Median score be used as an average to represent the performance. But one member, who happened to be a statistician, objected to the proposal saying that by doing so we are favouring the players like Sachin Tendulkar.
a) Give your opinion with appropriate justification. (5 Marks)
b) If it is further decided to compare the performance based on consistency in performance, which statistical measures would you recommend? Substantiate your answer with appropriate justification.
Management Theory and Practice
1. Jeff Weiner (CEO- LinkedIn) is known for his open and compassionate leadership style. He spends quite some time coaching his executives and encourages them to put the customer first and think like an owner. Explain with examples, what type of leader is Jeff Weiner and what kind of leadership style (with reference to leadership styles mentioned in your text book) does he practice?
2. ‘The New You’ manufactures garments and is currently engaged in jeans, shirts, trousers, swimwear for men and school uniforms for boys. They have product based organization structure in place. However, it is prohibiting the company to achieve its company-wide goals as each unit operates on its own. The organization intends sharing equipments and experts across products to achieve higher utilization rate. Design an organization structure for ‘The New You’ and list benefits of the proposed structure. (10 Marks)
3. Joe was heading the Human Resources Department at Lifelong Insurance Pvt. Ltd. Joe was an experienced HR professional with a track record of successfully managing Human Resources and reducing labor attrition. He recently happened to attend a session on employee motivation where various theories of motivation were discussed. He was highly impressed with the simplicity of the Maslow’s Need Hierarchy theory and Herzberg’s motivation model. He decided to implement the same at the workplace for employees of Lifelong Insurance. He convinced the CEO of the company to incorporate the factors of recognition, advancement, growth for employees. The CEO supported Joe and various plans for employee recognition, advancement, etc were rolled out. The plans received a mixed response. Some found them as a cheap substitute to salary hikes while the back-office staff enjoyed the processes but failed to recognize its impact on work. The field executives said that their job was already challenging and commission on insurance sales acted as a motivator to them. After about a couple of months of implementing these programs, Joe was highly disappointed to notice that the programs did not have the impact as desired. Joe faced severe criticism from the top management of the company.
a. What according to you were the reasons of failure of the strategy adopted by Joe? Discuss with reference to Maslow and Herzberg’s theories. (5 Marks)
b. To what extent do you think is money a motivator?
Information Systems for Managers
Q.1) A leading global organization GEMS dealing in production field has spread its business all over the world and deal in production of automobile parts at a large scale. Due to market fluctuations and change in customers’ needs and preferences it has become difficult for the organization to manage their operations efficiently. As a result, the products were not delivered on time. There is a need of implementing a robust business process to reduce overhead and move ahead of the competitors. Hence, the organization decided to implement an ERP system for the same. Discuss any five benefits of implementing ERP system in the organization so that it can be benefitted and also the different phases of ERP implementation. (10 Marks)
Q.2) Pizza Express is a food chain which has just started its various restaurants all over India which offers various types of pizzas. In order to maintain high rate of consistency and defined standards, the company needs to have an excellent supply chain management. Discuss how maintaining a high standard of supply chain management in the Pizza Express organization will keep stronghold in the country. Also, explain the various steps of supply chain process which can be implemented by the organization. (10 Marks)
Q.3) ‘The Coffee’ a leading brand in the field of brand of Coffee sells various varieties of coffees. The company maintained its quality and standards by following and implementing different quality standards in the organization. But few months ago, the security of the organization went on stake due to virus attack by intruders.
3 a). You as Head of the Company will follow which steps for incident handling in the organization.
3.b) Explain the disaster recovery and business continuity planning mechanisms which will help the ‘ The Coffee’ organization to bring back its normal operation.
Organisational Behaviour
1. Sana and Reema joined a quick serve restaurant chain at the head office in the marketing department. Both of them were very happy with the compensation and designation offered to them. Since Sana and Reema joined in the same month so they bonded well together, during one of the conversation Sana got to know that Reema was getting paid 25% more than her. This revelation had caused a conflict between them as it had really saddened Sana which was observable by her hostile behaviour towards Reema. Sana never missed a chance to make Reema feel miserable. Sana Started comparing the fact that both of them had the same qualification and work experience and still she (Sana) was getting paid less than her peer. The situation had worsened so much that they both stopped communicating with each other. You are the HR manager who has observed all this and now you have to come up with techniques with the help of which this conflict can be resolved. Discuss any 4 (four) techniques of conflict resolution and management. Also, conclude the answer by discussing how organisations can avoid/minimise such conflicts. (10 Marks)
2. Karan and Sanjay work as Project Lead for two different teams. It has been noticed that Karan is very helpful and empathetic towards his team and supports them in every possible manner. The team in turn is very close knit and can really works hard to accomplish the objectives. They also give Karan full support whenever required by going out of their way. Whereas Sanjay just wants to get the work done by being a tight fisted man. He reprimands his team members in front of outsiders. He only instructs his team and is never in execution front. Sanjay's team is really petrified of him and always is under fear. Team's motivation is very low and everyone is searching for opportunity to move out of Sanjay's team. Compare the leadership style of Karan and Sanjay. Conclude by discussing that in a workplace which style of leadership is better suited. (10 Marks)
3. Rajat and Suresh have got their yearly targets and both of them are working hard to surpass each other as by the year end the one who achieves the maximum is going to be awarded in the sales conference with a cash prize of Rs. 50000 which would be given by the CEO of the company. They both are doing their best to win this contest for Rajat, the prime factor is money as he has recently got married and his expenses have increased. Whereas, Suresh comes from a very affluent family and for him getting recognized in front of PAN India team and by the CEO is the driving force. Here, we can see that both Rajat and Suresh had different motives.
a. Based on the above scenario discuss the different types of motives which regulate the behaviour of individuals. (5 Marks)
b. With the help of Maslow need hierarchy theory discuss why Rajat, Suresh and even every individual has different motive?
Marketing Management
1. Construct the 4P’s of Marketing Mix for Starbucks Coffee chain in India alongwith the 3 extended P’s for Services. ( 10 Marks)
2. You are the Chief Marketing Officer for Apple India. Conduct a macro external environmental analysis on 8 factors & suggest whether India is an attractive market for higher range of iphone devices such as iPhone 8, iPhone 8plus & iPhoneX? (10 Marks)
3. You are an Italian shoe making firm by the name of “Scarpa” & your target audience is primarily middle class in Europe. You wish to enter the Indian market looking at India’s vast middle class segment which is your intended target market.
a. Which one of the following pricing strategies would you wish to pursue in India? Explain the reasons behind choosing this pricing strategy (5 Marks)
Full Cost pricing
Psychological pricing
Premium pricing
b. Given that Scarpa is a new entrant into India, describe atleast 6 innovative sales promotions campaign aimed at Indian consumers (5 Marks)
Manpower Planning, Recruitment and Selection
1. Gone are the days when State and National Employment Exchanges, newspapers like ‘The Employment News’, the ‘Classified ‘columns in the newspapers were largely used as the sources of recruitment. Though they still largely dominate recruitments for certain type of jobs and industries; there has been a global shift towards recruitment using social media. Presence on sites like LinkedIn, being a part of various trade specific groups on Facebook, WhatsApp and other social media platforms is on a rise exponentially. What according to you is the role of Social Media in recruitment? (Focus on points of reach, costs, time frame, etc.) (10 Marks)
2. Differentiate between Career and Succession Planning. Discuss the state of succession planning in Indian companies with special reference to Infosys (since 2002- Mr. Murthy stepped down to 2017- Vishal Sikka’s exit) (10 Marks)
3. ‘Fly Bird’ manufactures and sells denims for men, women and kids. It is more than a century old company and has 500+ exclusive stores in the country. It has been observed for the past six months that for the stores located in Mumbai, the productivity levels of the front-line staff have gone down which has slashed the profit figures. Further probing into the matter revealed that there has been a new training manager for the Mumbai region. There have been a lot of new recruits due to rapid expansion, who haven’t undergone any training, the existing staff is overworked, and the store managers are struggling between responsibilities of contributing to opening of new stores, supervising existing staff and giving OJT for new recruits.
a. According to you how could training contribute to solving of the issue mentioned above?
b. If you were the training manager, what kind of trainings would you plan for the new recruits? Make reference to Organizational, Task and Person Analysis while giving solutions.
Strategic Financial Management
1. A company is evaluating a proposal to replace a machine costing Rs. 800000 and having a written down value of Rs. 400000. The machine has a remaining economic life of 5 years after which it will have no salvage value. However, if sold today, it will fetch an amount equal to its book value. The new machine is expected to cost Rs. 1400000. It is also expected to have a life of 5 years with a scrap value of Rs. 400000. Owing to its technological superiority, the new machine is expected to contribute additional annual benefit (before depreciation and tax) of Rs. 400000. The company’s opportunity cost of capital is 10%. The tax rate applicable to the firm is 30%. The company follows Straight Line Method of Depreciation for its machines. Should the company replace the old machine with the new one? (10 Marks)
2. The country’s leading oil company is planning to set up a Greenfield project to carry out exploration work in a recently identified prospective site. Keeping the high risks associated with this project in mind, funding the project is turning out to be tricky issue for the company. You, being a subject specialist, have been approached by the company to assist it in project funding. Identify the possible sources of fund for this Greenfield project. Also, guide the company through the various stages involved in the project financing. (10 Marks)
3. A) A company is considering an investment of Rs. 500 million in a project. Expected earnings before interest and tax (EBIT) are Rs. 150 million per year. The operational risks associated with the project are fairly low, and EBIT is expected to remain steady during the project tenure. The company can raise equity, 14% preference shares, 10% debentures, or any combination thereof. Face value of equity shares is Rs. 100. Tax rate is 30%. The company is exploring the following four financing options:
Issue equity capital at par value
Raise 50% by equity share capital and 50% by preference capital
Raise 50% by equity share capital, 25% by preference capital, and 25% by debenture
Raise 25% by equity share capital, 25% by preference capital, and 50% by debenture
Identify the best financing option for the company.
3. B) Which of the above four options will be the best, if the expected EBIT is only Rs. 60 million per year, everything else remaining the same?
Consumer Behavior
Q1. What do you understand by consumer involvement. How would you classify the following purchase decision in terms of high or low involvement decisions? Explain the reason for your classification in each case.
Gel Pen
An Birthday Greeting Card to wife
Restaurant selection
Car
Selection of school for your child
Stationery for everyday use.
Q2. A well-known International fitness company is planning to set up a nationwide fitness centers in India. Describe how this international company can use psychographics to plan its segmentation and promotion strategy. Using VALS II typology, suggest which segments should the company target and why?
Q3 What type of information search behaviour would you expect in the first time purchase of the following products and why?
a Ice Cream
Skin whitening Cream
Lap top
A study table
3b. What are the implications of the above information search behavior for marketers of these products? Explain.
Corporate Finance
1: Calculate the degree of operating leverage and degree of financial leverage for the following firms:
Firms
A
B
Sales (Rs.)
Variable cost p.u
Fixed cost (Rs.)
Output (units)
Interest
3,60,000
20
72,000
6,000
40,000
7,50,000
150
1,40,000
1,500
80,000
Q2. A Project costs Rs 60,000 and is expected to generate cash inflows as:
Year
Cash inflows(Rs)
1
10000
2
12000
3
15000
4
18000
5
20000
6
22000
Calculate the Net Present Value of the project if the cost of capital is 10%.
Q3. Solve the following:
a) A company earns 5 per share. The cost of capital is 10%, the rate of return on investment is 14% and the dividend payout ratio is 25%. Calculate the value of each share by using Walter’s Model.
b) XYZ Limited has a paid-up share capital of Rs. 10 lakhs of Rs. 10 each. The company has a dividend payout rate of 10%. Annual growth rate is expected to be 4%. The capitalisation rate is 20%. Calculate the value of the share of XYZ based on Gordon’s Model.
International Business
Q1. A Mumbai based manufacturer of textile products is negotiating an export contract with a new prospective customer based in Mexico. He is concerned that international trade presents a spectrum of risk, involving differences in regulatory and legal environment, cultural differences, etc. More specifically, he is unsure of how he would receive the payment and the associated risks involved. As a specialist in the subject, you are required to guide him and help him resolve his dilemma regarding choice of payment instrument.
Q2. A newly appointed General Manager of a domestically strong FMCG company feels that the next big growth thrust can only come from venturing into new international markets. Despite a strong domestic presence, the company is yet to foray into international markets. The CEO of the company, however, is not too convinced about the benefits of such a move, and is not too clear about the ways to enter an international market. Discuss and conclude whether entering international markets will be helpful? If yes, discuss the different ways for the company to enter international markets.
Q3A) A globally renowned MNC, headquartered in the US and specializing in Children’s toys, has recently forayed into India. However, it has very soon realized that its marketing campaigns and product lines, which have been so successful in other parts of the world, are not working in India. Sales have stagnated and the company is finding it difficult to establish a significant presence in India. It has recently appointed you as General Manager to look into these issues and take the company forward. Could cultural intricacies in the Indian market be a reason behind this?
B) Suggest ways through which the company can turn around its fortunes in the Indian market.
Organisational Theory and Design
Q1. Areva is a big invertor and transformer manufacturer with more than 1200 employees .The Company is facing a big challenge of organizational effectiveness mainly due to fast changing market. The company appointed you as a consultant to overcome these challenges, the company is ready to do modifications without losing its existing employees. Provide an appropriate solution to the company.
Q2. Ms Nandita an MBA graduate from Stanford University joins her father’s company after coming back to India. It is a small organization which depends on Ms Mohan Kapoor’s (Nandita’s Father and Owner) and his team having three very senior people who joined the organization since inception. Now Nandita is having big expansion plan for the company but what she is missing in executing her expansion plan is culture. Explain why culture is very important, and what are the factors required for the formation of organizational culture.
Q3. Mr. Nandan, a Sr. Manager in an IT company at Bangalore, is very clear that he wants only males, that too from Bangalore and nearby places, in his team. He said that we generally have to work late nights; hence managing female staff for late night work is difficult and people from Bangalore have better communication skills. But slowly he observed that his team is losing creativity, motivation and design thinking. Same gender in the same vicinity has a very limited scope of thinking out of the box. You are also a Sr. Manager in the same company with a diverse team having more fun and doing great on employee engagement and the team is performing extraordinarily. Your Boss wants you to convince Mr Nandan to go in for a diverse team.
Answer the following:
a) Identify various barriers in creating diverse workforce. ?
b) Give points how you will convince Mr Nandan in favour of Diversity
Taxation - Direct and Indirect
Q1. Dr Kabra is planning to visit Singapore to attend a round table conference on Neurological diseases. The conference is for 25 days. He wants to plan his tour in such a manner that his residential status for the relevant previous year remains unaffected. Discuss the charging section which governs the residential status of an Individual? Further, what conditions he has to satisfy in order to remain as Ordinary resident of India for the applicable assessment year.
Q2. From Income Tax Preview, what factors every Company needs to consider while disbursement of Salary to its Employees? In case of general CTC structure, on which types of allowances management needs to consider tax imposition? Explain the same in light of provisions applicable to the allowances which are fully taxable. What if, an Individual receives salary from more than one employer during the same previous year, how the same will be assessed at the year end? Provide sufficient reasoning for your answer.
Q3a) Apart from Normal Salary, House Rent, Income from Business / Profession and capital gain, what could be other differential sources of Income for an Individual from Income Tax Act point. of view. Conclude the same with relevant examples.
b) Mr. Pratik – a Corporate Employee lives in New Delhi and earns a basic salary of Rs. 30,000 per month. The HRA component of his salary is Rs. 15,000 but the actual rent paid by him is Rs. 10,000. How much exemption can he get? What steps Company Management will undertake for calculation of this HRA exemption amount?
Performance Management System
1. Define mentoring and discuss the mentoring programmes of at least two companies with benefits accrued. (10 Marks)
2. ‘24x7’is a hypermarket chain introduced in the city. It has launched four stores and has been in operation for almost a year now. The HR manager intends setting up a reward system for the employees. Chalk out a detailed plan of action for the same. (10 Marks)
3. DKMG is a CA firm having 15 branches in different parts of the country. In the home office there are more than 45 employees. This company has a performance rating under which the employees are rated quarterly by a committee of executives. Linear rating scales are used for conducting the appraisal. The qualities considered are responsibility, initiative, interest in work, leadership potential, co-operative attitude and community service. After the performance is evaluated, the ratings are discussed with the concerned employees by their immediate boss who counsels them. The ratings are used to influence promotions and salary adjustments of the employees. Recently few employees of the company called on the firm’s owner to express their dissatisfaction with the ratings they had received. Because their ratings were comparatively low, they had been denied annual increments in salary. Approximately, two thirds of all the employees received such increments. The aggrieved employees argued that their ratings did not accurately represent their qualifications or performance. They insisted that “community service” was not actually a part of their job and that what they do off the job is none of the company’s business. The employees threatened to stop work. The threat caused concern to the management. This particular experience convinced the management that ratings may represent a serious hazard to satisfactory relationship with employees. Even the owner finds that performance appraisal is a dangerous source of friction and its hazards outweigh its values; so it should be discontinued altogether.
Questions:
a. How far do you agree with the management that performance appraisal should be discontinued? (5 Marks)
b. If you were the HR manager, how would you tackle the situation?
Services Marketing
1. BodyPluz is planning to introduce a new service of gyms focusing on the kids segment. It is planning to launch its first ever gym in Mumbai. Based on this scenario, prepare a Service Marketing Mix Plan for BodyPluz (10 Marks)
2. Consider the following scenario: Mr. Rajesh is planning to introduce a travel company. He wants an appropriate Segmentation Plan to be designed for the same. As a Service Consultant, suggest Mr. Rajesh for an appropriate Segmentation Plan. (10 Marks)
3. Read the following Case & solve the questions given:
The passengers were through with their final security check and were boarding the aircraft. The Lotus Airlines personnel were awaiting the arrival of a V.I.P. to clear the take off. Finally the V.I.P. arrived half an hour late and went directly for the security check. During the check the security personnel came across weapon with live cartilages. He was requested not to carry the weapon on flight. However the V.I.P. refused to part with the weapon for personal security. When he was asked for license, he said he was not carrying it. The security personnel refused to give permission to the V.I.P. to board the aircraft. This led to heated argument and in rage the V.I.P. threw one of the security staff across the floor. This further delayed the flight. The passengers were very restless since they were in the aircraft last 1 ½ hours. To top it up they were not allowed to leave the aircraft for security purpose.
Questions:
a. In this case, where do the service gaps exist and how would you close the gaps? (5 Marks)
b. Elaborate the importance of ‘People’ in airline service. (5 Marks)
International Marketing
Q1. Yoghurt Lab, a US Based Frozen Yoghurt chain, is planning its foray in India in 2018. It is confused about how to enter India since it would be an absolutely new market for them. Can you guide them with the options available and suggest the best alternative to them? (10 Marks)
Q2.Chikamanglu, the owner of multiple banana and coconut plantations down south in Kerala plans to export these high quality products. But he is unaware about the entire export process and is seeking your support as a consultant. Can you please guide him about the process and documents required for the same? (10 Marks)
Q3. Read the below given Case Study and answer the questions below?
Dunkin Donuts brand is owned by Dunkin Brands Group which is a well known pioneering brand of quick service restaurants. It has more than 18000 points of distribution in the world with presence in more than 60 countries (Dunkin Donuts, 2014). The company is headquartered in Canton, Massachusetts. The company reported a sale of $9.3 billion in the year 2013. The company operates on a 100 percent franchised model and there are nearly 11000 Dunkin’ Donuts restaurants in 33 countries (Dunkin Donuts, 2014). The company has an established leadership in coffee segment for more than 60 years and sells more than 1.8 billion cups of coffee all over the world. The brand has a high level of customer loyalty and is a socially responsible brand. India is an attractive expanding economy for global fast food chains such as Dunkin Donuts and offers the company with a large customer base.
Dunkin Donuts was launched in India in the year 2012 on the basis of the classic donuts model to serve breakfast to customers 7 am onwards. The brand quickly realized that Indians do not like doughnuts and are unlikely to buy doughnuts in bulk (Rana, 2014). The concept of doughnuts is new in India and Indians are more likely to consume burgers or pizza than doughnuts in the current fast food market scenario. The brand had to quickly customize its menu in India to include burgers like competitor McDonald’s and had to advertise in its marketing campaign that the brand offered much more than Bavarian Cream and coffee in its menu. This article shall highlight the issues faced by Dunkin Donuts brand in India and its offerings for the Indian customers and how the brand was repositioned to suit the Indian customers.
Dunkin Donuts began offering American Doughnuts for breakfast in India with its stores opening at 8 am with the aim of offering breakfast to Indians. The brand offered doughnuts that were priced high in accordance with the American culture of having a light breakfast.
How Dunkin Donuts failed to understand consumer preferences?
The company was treated no more than a pastry shop initially on its launch in India in the year 2012 where people would visit to consume Doughnuts as a dessert. The company was initially launched as an AM brand that offered breakfast menu to customers. Dunkin Donuts had initially failed to understand the consumer preferences in India for a fast food restaurant that offered full meals rather than light doughnuts for a breakfast. After looking at poor response from customers with respect to doughnuts, the company decided to rebrand itself as a PM brand that offered much more than doughnuts and coffee.
Dunkin’ Donuts less than impressive performance so far
Dunkin Donuts has been successful in adapting its donought menu to suit Indian preferences by offering India centric doughnuts in its menu that are a hit among the Indian customers. Since its launch in the year 2012, Dunkin Donuts has been successful in expanding its reach to 38 locations in India (Spiegel, 2014). The restaurant faced rejection initially as a breakfast menu restaurant that offered only American doughnuts at 7 am. The company failed in India due to its inability to understand the Indian culture and the concept of healthy and complete breakfast in India with family members. The restaurant has now customized its food menu to offer burgers and cheese sandwiches that are popular among the Indian consumers. In view of successful fast food chains such as McDonald’s and KFC well established in India, Dunkin Doughnuts has also expanded its menu to lure Indian customers. However, it remains a challenge for the company to expand its operations and menu items to increase its market share in the Indian fast food industry.
a. What has Dunkin Donuts done wrong in India? (5 Marks)
b. What steps should the company take in order to recover? (5 Marks)
Integrated Marketing Communications
1) You are about to launch a product (you can select a product of your choice) in India. Using the customer-controlled market concept how will you ensure the success of that product? (10 Marks)
2) You have been assigned a role to market a deodorant by a well known company. How will you use and improve your personal selling skills to increase the market share of this brand? (10 Marks)
3) Case Study
Its not Tesla that scares Europe in electric-car race.
Electric car production in the European Union got a spur on Wednesday as EU regulators acted to close a technological gap with China by seeking stricter emission curbs on manufacturers such as Volkswagen and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles.
The European commission, the EU’s regulatory arm, proposed a 30 percent reduction in car discharges of carbon dioxide by 2030 compared with 2021 levels, as part of a steeped-up ight against global warming. The plan which will progressive tighten existing CO2 limits, features incentives or automakers to shift to electric vehicles.
There’s a component of trying to facilitate the development of a powerful car-manufacturing industry of electric vehicles. Miguel Arias Canete, EU climate and energy commissioner, said in an interview in his Brussels office.
There will be a race for developing lean-energy vehicles. We are seeing that the others are taking a global lead. Europe is gearing up for a technological revolution in road transport that would push the traditional internal combustion engine from showrooms into museums in a bid to retain leadership in the worldwide market of passenger cars.
The combustion is taking advantage of the landmark climate-protection agreement reached by almost 200 countries in Paris in late 2015 to get a grip on the European road-transportation pollution, which has bucked a general trend of falling EU discharges of greenhouse gases including CO2 that are blamed for climate change. Under the Paris accord, the EU aims to slash such pollution at least 40 percent by 2030.
As China expands its electric-vehicle prowess with the blunt policy of quotas, Europe is counting on a more nuanced approach that would force carmakers to choose between making the combustion engine cleaner or abandoning it in favour of electric vehicles.
The production of Tesla cars in 2016 was around 80,000 cars, Canate said. The big problem is China which has mandatory target of 10 percent in 2019, 12 percent in 2020 and 7.5 million vehicles per year in the future. The Chinese market already boasts 400 types of electric vehicles, whereas Europe has six, according to Canate. India meanwhile aims for all new passenger cars sold by 2030 to be electric. There is a huge gap between European Union, which invented the car, and developing countries, Canete said.
a. If India develops the Electric car and by 2030 all cars sold will be electric which media do you think is suitable to advertise from the Integrated marketing communication perspective? How would you plan to launch the car? (5 Marks)
b. What do you think the future of this industry will be? How can one leverage and grow the market share of electric vehicles? (5 Marks)
Business Ethics: Governance & Risk
1. Fashion Styles Ltd is a garment manufacturing and exporting company based out of Mumbai, India. They are suppliers to an International Brand in Europe. As Head of Supply Chain, Anup is responsible for selection and appointment of third party manufacturer in some of the product category. With recent media explosion about use of migrant worker in garment supply chain he wants to sit with his Human Resources Head, Amrita to review all the relevant compliances, voluntary code / standards they adhere to before appointing new supplier for the next financial year. Anup has given you the responsibility to prepare a document consisting of all the relevant points/topics that he needs to review and discuss with Amrita. So what all topics / points should be included and what should he discuss about each of those topics/points? (10 Marks)
2. Do you think pollution is customer responsibility as well? Why do you think so? Who are the other stakeholders around this issue and how are they contributing to the escalating problem? Analyse atleast three ethical dilemmas faced by companies while trying to reduce their pollution levels. (10 Marks)
3. A.) Andrew, a customer executive from Southeast Asia will visit your HQ facility and meet with your executive team. Your independent Southeast Asian agent requests that you reimburse the customer executive for his expenses, including expenses that could violate your company's policies. The agent will reimburse you. How do you proceed? Explain the thought process behind your decision. (5 Marks)
B.) Our company prides itself on hiring minorities. One African candidate fully fits the job requirements for the open position. However, we are concerned that our customers will not understand his limited command of the English language. What should be done in these circumstances? As the person to whom he will report what steps will you take and why? (5 Marks)
B2B Marketing
Q.1 Crompton Greaves Ltd is the leader in Indian Domestic market for electric motors, which conform to Indian & International Standards. The company faces a severe competition from small scale motor manufacturer as well as large global players like Siemens & ABB. What suggestions you would like to give to the company to maintain its leadership position in this product category?
Q.2 Sam Chem Corporation is into the business of House Keeping products & equipments. Develop an effective communication programme for the company.
Q.3 Read the following Case & solve the questions given:
Mahindra Parikh, Senior Manager-Commercial, India Textiles Ltd., felt doubtful on bringing down the delivery time from 60 days to 45 days, demanded by some international buyers of garments. The company's manufacturing unit at Bangalore produced garments like shirts, trousers, for domestic as well as international customers, including Walmart, i.e. Penny, and Gap. The production process included various operations like dyeing of yarn, weaving, and processing.
The production was organized on three shift basis. The company had outsourced some of the operations like processing because it did not have facility to do the processing, although it had adequate space.
Mahindra asked the market research manager to get the information about the competitor’s delivery time for the garments. The market research manager informed him that only four out of about 100 garment (or apparel) manufacturing units were in a position to fulfill the important purchasing objectives of 45 days delivery time and consistent product quality. Mahindra applied a lot of pressure on the existing processing firms to bring down the delivery time. However, he did not receive any positive commitments from them. Mahindra felt that it was very important to satisfy the delivery and quality objectives of the garment buying firms, in order to achieve the company's sales and profitability goals.
Questions:
a. If you were Mahindra Parikh, what would you do? (5 Marks)
b. ‘The company had outsourced some of the operations like processing because it did not have facility to do the processing, although it had adequate space’. Do you agree with this decision? Justify ( 5 Marks)
Capital Market and Portfolio Management
Q.1 Mr. Mahendra Kumar would like to invest in mutual funds. He has been suggested by his friend to choose a fund from any of the three mutual funds, as given in the table below. Mr. Mahendra learns that he can use Sharpe’s ratio, Treynor’s ratio and Jensen’s Alpha to measure the performance of a mutual fund. Help Mr. Mahendra to rank the three funds on each of the measures.
Fund A Fund B Fund C
Portfolio Return 12% 15% 18%
Standard Deviation 0.15 0.25 0.4
Beta of the portfolio 0.6 0.8 1.4
Return from the market 12%
Risk free rate of return 6%
Q.2 Mr. Virendra Kumar invests Rs. 10,000 in a stock that gives him dividend of Rs. 100, Rs. 200 and Rs. 300 at the end of the first, second and third year respectively. He sells his holdings at Rs. 13,500 at the end of the third year. How much returns did he earn, as per Money weighted rate of return method? Further, instructions- students can directly calculate the IRR either using in-built formula in MS Excel or create calculations of Present Values (PVs) in MS Excel. Find sum of PVs and set the sum to zero by changing the value of the discounting rate. (you may use Goal Seek function of MS Excel to accurately calculate the IRR). The rate at which the sum is zero is IRR. (10 Marks)
Q.3 Mr. Dhirendra Kumar is a 24 years old professional, working as a programmer for the largest software company in India. He has earned his bachelor degree of engineering in Computer Science from IIT Mumbai and has been working for the company for last three years. He belongs to Pathankot and his parents live there. For last three years, he has been staying in Bengaluru along with his other colleagues in a rented accommodation. He plans to get married not before the age of 28 and would like to have his own house before he gets married. His father is working currently at Pathankot and is due to retire in another ten years. He plans to convince to his parents to shift to Bengaluru from Pathankot to stay with him post his father’s retirement. Mr. Dhirendra is the star performer of his company. He currently enjoys a package of Rs. 18 lakhs per annum. After accounting for his expenditure, he has been able to save close to Rs. 30 lakhs over the last three years. Till date he has been putting his savings in either Fixed deposits (FDs) of his bank or some of the tax savings instruments such as Public Provident Fund etc. However, now he would like to see his investments grow much faster so that he can meet his marriage related expenditure four years later and also make the down payment for his new house before marriage. He has been getting various investment advices from different people telling him where to put his money. His parents are advising him to buy some gold every year and put rest of the money in FD. His boss tells him to buy the house right away, even though it could be smaller than he would need later. According to his boss, value of his small house would appreciate in four years and that the sale proceeds would partially fund the new purchase. Some of his friends have told him that investing in high safety corporate bonds will give him better returns than putting money in PPF. Amongst all this, he is getting the constant feed through newspapers of Sensex and Nifty scaling new heights every other day and a few one-off stories of rags to riches. Mr. Dhirendra is thoroughly confused between the choices and he now approaches a professional (you) to advice him on the right investment strategy. Some questions that you need to answer for Mr. Dhirendra:
a) Where should he put his money, in gold, in FD, in PPF, in real estate, in corporate bonds or in stocks? Or do you have some other strategy in mind? Provide your answer with the rationale.
b) Should he invest in any of these assets directly or should he choose the mutual fund route or create a portfolio of mutual funds? How will choosing the mutual fund route (single mutual fund or a portfolio of mutual funds) will prove beneficial to Mr. Dhirendra? Explain your recommendation with reasons for the same.
Industrial Relations & Labour Laws
1. The working hours of each of the manufacturing unit differ depending upon the availability of resources in that particular area. The management decides on the working hours, the facilities provided to the employees, the wages etc. However, at no point of the decision making is the suggestion of the workers taken. Infact, any grievances by the employees on the decision given by the management is also not appreciated. The trade union met the management and informed them that if such a behavior continued the employees would go a strike. The management replied saying that it would be physically difficult to travel to all the units before implementing a decision and an economical loss to the company also. Analyze the case and find a suitable suggestion (10 Marks)
2. Nitin had been working in an industry for the past 10 years. He has been efficient in his work and also been appreciated by his seniors and employers. In the month of November 2017, he was given a promotion. Next month he was transferred to a new unit in a rural area. Nitin refused the transfer stating that he would be getting married within 2 months. The management felt offended and removed his promotion. When Nitin questioned the decision, the management did not give a satisfactory answer, he approached the trade union. The other workers also sympathized with Nitin and joined his dispute. The management told the trade union that if it raises this dispute it shall deduct the wages of the employees. This created a strain in the relation between the employers and the employees. Analyze the case and suggest the various ways in which the dispute can be settled (10 Marks)
3. Yash was working in a factory. While working a part of machinery fell on his head. He was rushed to the hospital, but was declared dead. The employer said that it was the neglect of the employee, and refused to pay any compensation to the dependents of Yash. One of the employees in the factory informed the Commissioner about the accident
a. Advise the dependents on the compensation payable to the employee under the Employees Compensation act. (5 Marks)
b. Advise the dependents on the procedure followed by the Commissioner in case of fatal accidents.
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