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INTERNAL ASSIGNMENT APPLICABLE FOR APRIL 2020 EXAMINATION
Business Communication
1. The AlphaPlus Project that your company has been working relentlessly for is unfortunately being
cancelled due to competition concerns and the state of the national economy. You, as the Project Lead,
are to write an email to the employees working on the Alpha Plus Project. Since this is a case of negative
news that might come as a shock to your employees, you decide to start the email with an effective buffer.
What is a buffer? What are the different types of buffers? Give examples of any 4 buffers you might use
in the above situation. (10 Marks)
2. Convert the following sentences from active voice to passive voice. Discuss which sentence version is
more effective.
a) We cannot authorize the repair of your Smart TV since you have allowed the warranty period to expire.
b) I cannot give you a cash refund for items that you purchased over 60 days ago.
c) Hinduja Hospital does not accept patients who are not members.
d) You must submit all reports by Friday 5 PM.
e) You added the 2 columns instead of subtracting them, thus producing the incorrect total. (10 Marks)
3. You have just finished drafting a proposal for a coveted project. You want to make sure that you
haven’t overlooked anything.
a. What are the different proofreading techniques you’d employ to make sure your proposal is error-free?
(5 Marks)
b. How would you make sure your proposal is readable? Name 2 Readability Indices you could use. (5
Marks)
Business Economics
1. The concept of elasticity for demand is importance for determining the prices of various factors of
production. Discuss the various factors that influences the price elasticity of demand. (10 Marks)
2. Complete the hypothetical table below and explain in brief, the behaviour of each type of cost.
Quantity Total Fixed
Cost
Total
Variable
Cost
Total
Cost
Average
Fixed Cost
Average
Variable
Cost
Average
Total
Costa

Marginal
Cost
0 0
1 25
2 40
3 50
4 60
5 100 80
6 110
7 150
8 300
9 500
10 900
(10 Marks)
3. Demand forecasting in an organisations plays a vital role in business organisations It provides
reasonable data for the organization's capital investment and expansion decision.
a. Keeping the above statement in consideration. Discuss the various steps involved in demand
forecasting (5 Marks)
b. Discuss the various needs for demand forecasting in business organisations? (5 Marks)
Corporate Social Responsibility
1. Select any listed Indian or International Public Limited Company and list down its CSR activities. Also
provide any 3 alternative CSR activities that the company should implement. (10 Marks)
2. Assume you plan to develop and implement one of the CSR activities in the organization, explain the
steps that you would follow for CSR development and implementation strategy in the organization. (10
Marks)
3. a. “It is the government’s job to do CSR activities and corporates should focus their attention on Profit”
and “Companies should only focus on profit”. Explain your view point on both these statements. (5
Marks)
3. b. Explain at least 4 voluntary Codes of CSR that you would want an organization to apply. Explain the
reasons for your selection. (5 Marks)
Information Systems for Managers
1. Pais Industries Limited operates in five business verticals viz. engineering, construction,
instrumentation, software services, and consumer electronics. Its Corporate Information Technology
Division (CITD) is looking for adopting cloud and has invited you to provide recommendation for cloud
deployment model. You are required to provide a brief report explaining pros and cons of each cloud
deployment model and recommend the most appropriate deployment model. (10 Marks)
2. With the number of transactions increasing online daily, cyber-crime is gaining foothold. Individuals
and organizations need to take measures to ensure that they do not fall prey to such vicious activities.
Cybercriminals have found different ways in which they can cause harm to the users. Give two examples
of any organizations being prey to cyber-crime in 2019. (10 Marks)
3. The Sadpat Group started operations in the year 1992 with a vision to provide unparalleled quality
service to a spectrum of Maritime and Oil & Gas Industry. Sadpat is now one of the major players in Dry
Docking and Ship Repair in India. Sadpat has also become a formidable group in providing offshore
logistics to support the Oil and Gas industry. Recently a company that makes ERP software has
approached them to provide a complete solution so that it can integrate its business processes. They wish
to invest in a solution which will enable them to manage all their activities namely offshore engineering,
offshore logistics, coastal logistics and port services, dry docking and ship repairs and inland waterways.

a. What are the benefits of implementing an ERP software that the software company needs to highlight?
(5 Marks)
b. In your opinion, what challenges do you think Sadpat may face while implementing an ERP package?
(5 Marks)
Management Theory and Practice
Raj is working as a consultant in an MNC M/s Swadeshi ltd. that deals with Fast Moving Consumer
Products. Raj has been appointed by the directors of the organisation. The company wants Raj to take
care of a few problematic areas that the company is facing currently. The following issues are being faced
by the organisation:
a) Excessive internal communication - The Company has opened multiple channels of communication for
its employees. They can communicate with each other via Email, Whatsapp for Business, Internal
Messenger, SMS, etc. The same message gets posted on multiple platforms and in the process the
employees waste lots of time in checking notifications and then replying.
b) The employees are involved in taking lots of print outs for all the documents even if it's not required.
This is adding a lot of cost and it has an adverse environmental impact.
c) The employees believe in individual achievement and growth but lack the quality of working in a team.
The coordination among employees from various departments is missing.
d) There are some employees who are reporting to two or three bosses and it leads lot of chaos in work
completion.
e) The employees have this habit of ordering every organisational requirement two months in advance.
This adds to a lot of cost of holding inventory.
1. Suggest solutions to Raj to handle various problems that exist in the organisation. (10 Marks)
2. M/s Swadeshi Ltd is facing an issue of non-motivated employees. There is no motivation among
employees to work, no one takes initiatives. Employees feel that their work never gets recognised and
rewarded. Explain various ways to motivate the employees of the organisation. (10 Marks)
3. a. Explain the change management process that M/s Swadeshi Ltd should follow to improve the
functioning of the organisation. (5 Marks)
3. b. An autocratic leader at the top makes employees feel unsecured. The CEO never consults the team
for taking decisions. Explain with reason, the leadership style that will be suitable for M/s Swadeshi
Limited. (5 Marks)
Organisational Behaviour
1. Joey works for a media company as a project coordinator. His boss, Ross is not sensitive and wants
every chore to be done according to his way without even considering team’s perspective. If Joey
commits any insignificant mistake, then also he is reprimanded in front of the entire team. Ross wants
Joey to stay late beyond office hours, even when his work is complete. Considering this situation explain
the pitfalls in leadership shown by Ross. (10 Marks)
2. As Organisational behaviour is gaining importance in this world of disruptive technology and constant
changes. Several challenges have also been posed. As a coin has two sides; challenges also brings in a lot
of opportunities. Analyse the contemporary situation and list down some opportunities and challenges of
OB (10 Marks)
3. Case:
Kushal is a trainer for Yummy Tummy a home grown brand, in FMCG business. He is very hard working
and did brilliantly with the managers on their writing and helped them to feel more confident about it.
Kushal worked with top executives as well as the shop floor level. He then realized that teaching and
training people at ground level was his calling. Kushal was one of the top paid employees. Kushal met
Mark, his superior and explained to him that he wanted to be associated in teaching and training only the
ground level employees as there is a huge gap and area of improvement. He also agreed to work on
reduced salary and started offering language classes as an add on benefit to the trainees. It was noticed

that in due course of the time their productivity increased and some of them even began to apply for
supervisory positions.
Case Questions
a. Which Content theories of motivation would explain why Kushal was unhappy despite his high
income? (5 Marks)
b. Kushal seems to have drifted into being a teacher. Given his needs and motivations, do you think
teaching is an appropriate profession for him? (5 Marks)
Business Law
1. Explain the types of Alternate Dispute Resolution Mechanisms and differentiate between them? (10
Marks)
2. Explain in details two (2) real-life instances where the consumer courts in India have granted
compensation due to medical negligence. Please explain the facts of the case and respective decision of
the consumer courts. (10 Marks)
3. Ria and Mia are two adult sisters. Ria is the elder sister and Mia the younger one. Both the sisters were
orphan but had huge properties bequeathed to them by their now deceased parents. Mia first got married
to Ravi whereupon Ria started living in the same residence with Ravi and Mia together. Ria met with an
accident and lost both her legs, Ravi and Mia started taking great care of her even using their savings to
bear medical expenses of Ria. Ria after 2 years thereon decided to gift all her share of the properties to
Mia. After 5 years, Mia then conceived a child and found it difficult to take care of Ria. She requested Ria
to go to a hospice, where she could be taken care of. Ria angered by this refused to do so and started
living separately with a maid, she demanded that the gift of the properties made by her to Mia should be
cancelled. Mia refused to do so. Assuming you are the judge of the civil court hearing the matter, can you
decide on the following questions:
a. Whether the gift of properties by Ria to Mia is valid? Whether Ria can oppose and seek for cancellation
of the gift? If yes on what grounds under Contract Act, 1872? (5 Marks) b. Can Mia claim from Ria the
expenses undertaken by her for Ria’s medical expenses? Explain with legal provisions in Contract Act,
1872? (5 Marks)
Business Statistics
TABLE GIVEN BELOW
Mfr 1- Life of bulf (in hrs) Mfr 2- Life of bulf (in hrs) 684 819 831 907 859 952 893 994 922 1016 939
1038 972 1096 1016 1153 697 836 835 912 860 959 899 1004 924 1018 943 1072 977 1100 1041 1154
720 888 848 918 868 962 905 1005
1. A sample of 20 bulbs each was picked from the manufacturing facility of two bulb manufacturers –
Mfr 1 and Mfr 2. The table above provides the life of bulbs for the two manufacturers. You are a quality
testing person and are presented with this data:
i. Which manufacturer has better performance on the life of bulbs? What are the different measures you
can consider to calculate performance?
ii. How would you assess the variability in performance of the two bulb manufacturers?
iii. Would your answer to the first question change based on your assessment of the variability in
performance of bulb manufacturers? (10 Marks)
2. For the data in the table below: (10 Marks)
i. What do the correlation coefficients of 1, shaded in yellow, indicate?
ii. The highest correlation coefficient is 0.84, shaded in green. What can you infer from that score about
the relationship between the two variables?
iii. The two lowest correlation coefficients are 0.06 and -0.06. What can you infer from that score about
the relationship between the two variables?

r correlationcoefficientAssetsExpense RatioReturn2006 3-Year Return5-Year ReturnAssets1 Expense
Ratio -0.29 1.00 Return 2006 0.08 -0.13 1.00 3-Year Return 0.07 -0.11 0.70 1.00 5-Year Return 0.06 -0.06
0.59 0.84 1.00
3. The Indian cricket team is visiting New Zealand to play a test series comprising five matches. In each
match, assume that the Indian team has a 70% chance of winning. Further, assuming that the matches are
independent of each other, what is the probability that:
a. The Indian team will win the series? (5 Marks)
b. The team will win all five matches, and that the team will lose all? (5 Marks)
Essentials of HRM
1. There is a lot of prominence given to the fact that the processes like HR audit and HR accounting can
only be successful if accurate HR information is available. Throw light to authenticate this statement with
proper explanation on needs and application of HRIS in relation to retention strategy & performance
appraisal. Also, conclude by emphasizing the significance of HRIS in today’s era. (10 Marks)
2. Often it is noticed that employees do not find their performance evaluation quite a progressive
experience. Adding to the misery is a fact that most managers will avoid discussing performance issues
related to behaviour. It’s more about discussing concrete job responsibilities, skills and goals. There may
be a grave concern that is never brought up because the manager is afraid of the reaction or may lack the
ability to translate it into the right words. Keeping in view the above scenario/ situation discuss any two
performance appraisal methods where feedback to the employee is essential and can help resolve such
problems. (10 Marks)
3. Rachel joined Shimmer Net a software company as program developer. On the very first day of her
joining she was handed over some literature and asked to take notes as well as cues from it which can be
utilized at her work. Learning the job role and responsibilities by herself was becoming quite a task so she
went to her peers for help when needed. It was seen that her peers started avoiding her as they had their
own work and Rachel’s queries were disturbing them. Rachel was in crossroads and sad hence resigned
from her work within two months of joining. The HR department analyzed and came to a conclusion that
the prominent reason is lack of induction.
a. What innovative approach should the HR department come up with in terms of Induction? Discuss (5
Marks)
b. Explain the purpose of induction that how things could have been different for Rachel if the
organisation followed a proper induction pattern. (5 Marks)
Financial Accounting & Analysis
1. Ind AS norms are converged with the International Financial Reporting Standards, but these are not
equivalent to IFRS. Further, there are key differences between the requirements of INDIAN GAAP, IFRS
and Ind AS. Discuss five key differences among these reporting standards. (10 Marks)
2. Mehra & Sons purchased a second hand light motor Vehicle at a cost of Rs 2 lacs. Additionally,
various accessories costing Rs50000 were also purchased along with the Vehicles which are required to
be replaced on a yearly basis. Mr. Mehra wants to write off the overall outflow in Income statement
Discuss, whether he is correct or not? Discuss the need to differentiate between the capital and revenue
items? How these items are to be treated in the financials of the company? Give reasons supporting the
same (10 Marks)
3. a. All India Insurance Company received an insurance premium of Rs 50 lacs on an insurance policy
whose coverage extends till the mid of the next accounting year. (5 Marks)
3. b. Additionally, the company has a monthly salary expense of Rs 25 lacs. For the accounting year
ended on March 31, 2019 the company paid 275 lacs on account of salary. The salary for the month end is
paid in the first week of April 2019. Discuss the treatment of both of these payments in the books and
disclosures in the financial statements, as on 31st March 2020 ( 5 Marks)

Marketing Management
Dolls, Cars, activity kits, board games are toys liked by kids. M/s Wonderkids, a company that has
multiple businesses has been eying the opportunity to target kids with various toys. The company has
launched a doll with the name “Pari” and a car with the name “Speedy”. The company plans to distribute
the products across the country. The doll “Pari” is available in the range of Rupees 400 – 600 whereas the
speedy car is available in the range of Rupees 350 -550. The company plans to target B2B customers by
selling bulk quantity to kids based park, play groups. The company has just launched the product and it
has hired you to handle the marketing activities of the new launched products.
1. Explain various ways to segment consumer market. (10 Marks)
2. What is the distribution channel that you will use to distribute the product across Indian market?
Explain the same with reason. (10 Marks)
3. a. Who will you select as a brand ambassador for “Pari” and “Speedy”? Explain the same with reason.
(5 Marks)
3. b. Explain various types of consumer products and state which type of consumer product is “Pari” and
“Speedy”? (5 Marks)
Strategic Management
1. You are the owner of a multi-million-dollar Retail business in India. Since the past 5 years, your
financial reports are showcasing a consistent drop in revenues & have entered into a loss-making position.
Your market share is also falling & your organization is now believed to be in a weak market position.
Which set of corporate strategies will you explore? Finalize the corporate strategy you would finally
choose & how will you execute the plan?
(10 Marks)
2. As the Chief Strategy Officer of Kia Motors & having entered India recently, you have to decide on a
Strategy Implementation tactic to take on the fiercely contested automobile car market space in India.
Which Market Location tactic would you plan to choose to take on other automotive rivals in this space?
Justify with reasons? (10 Marks)
3. You are the Head-Manufacturing of Godrej Industries. You are planning to set up a brand-new
Manufacturing plant at a village in rural Maharashtra.
a. Perform a Stakeholder analysis & suggest which all stakeholders will be taken into confidence & also
what would be your communications approach plan to bring them into your point of view? (5 Marks)
b. Highlight some of the creative & innovative initiatives that you would undertake to convince the
stakeholders that you mean good for all the stakeholders. (5 Marks)
Brand Management
1. An entire generation of Indian TV viewers grew up on some terrifying advertising. Cease Fire
commercials had conflagrations breaking out in urban settings as householders went about, oblivious.
And then there was the ad for Saffola, full of ambulance lights and sirens, panic-stricken faces and heart
rate monitors. The brand called itself ‘Life Insurance’, positioning the oil as a bulwark against heart
disease. And the strategy worked with Saffola being among the first brands to talk about health — albeit
in a very panic inducing manner. The longevity of the `1000 crore plus brand can be traced to that strong
positioning. Chief marketing officer, Anuradha Aggarwal says: “Very early in the journey, we found an
amazing, unique place of heart health. Someone with fore- sight chose to do fear oriented ads and the rest,
as they say, is history.” But only a small chunk of history. Over the years, Saffola realised merely scaring
consumers into buying was perhaps not the best strategy. From fear it moved to convincing at risk
consumers to adopt better, healthier practices. Aggarwal says, “We moved from pure fear to things that
strike fear: the signs of the unhealthy heart.” The brand also acknowledged the difficulty in getting people
adopting a healthier lifestyle with its ‘Kal Se’ commercial about a serial procrastinator, who’d rather let
his kid ride the exercise cycle, or who changes into gym clothes only to fall asleep again. However,
consumers and the category were moving a lot faster than the brand. Even as Saffola pitched itself to

consumers showing the first signs of slowing down, the broad trend was preventive: not allowing one or
one’s family members to get to that stage in the first place. Says Aggarwal, “We realised Saffola was in
danger of becoming the oil for the unhealthy as opposed to the oil for people who want to be healthy and
have an active, fit heart.” The brand is now about a continuous investment in health.
A strategy that’s driven its expansion into adjacent categories. Saffola has the credibility required for
consumers to comfort- ably place its products on the dining table. Besides, through variants like flavoured
oats — a category that Saffola claims leadership in — the brand can comfort- ably ride the everyday
health wave. Saffola is gunning for ` 200 crores in this space by 2018, according to its 2015-16 annual
report. Says Aggarwal, “We are market leaders in flavoured oats because we’ve been cracked a fantastic
product suitable for the Indian palate.” Saffola continues to be the undisputed leader in premium health
oil, according to Aggarwal. Even at a time when the affluent Indian’s obsession with health is leading to
them buy super premium olive oils at two or three times the price. The brand is meeting the challenge
with new blends like Aura a combination of olive and flaxseed oil. On the communication front, Saffola
has moved past its scare mongering on TV. It runs its own website fitfoodie which has healthy recipes of
traditional favourites ratified by nutritionists and dieticians.
Under Saffolalife, an initiative begun in 2005, the brand pro- motes healthy lifestyles and organises heart
health checks. When asked how malleable the brand is, Aggrawal believes, “We’ve succeeded when there
was a fit and coherence and a fundamental difference from the rest of the world. We are strongly
positioned on proactive and preventive heart health, and these conditions have to be met.” It also
explains why variants like finger food brand Zest failed. Says Aggarwal, “We needed a go to market that
understood impulse purchases and the product was not as good. After that, we’ve made sure we have very
hard internal guidelines for product development. Unless we meet those standards, the products don’t go
out.” Saffola’s brand journey finds favour with an Indian marketer with considerable retail and FMCG
experience, who wishes to remain anonymous.
He says, “Given there was no awareness of health, Saffola used fear and people bought it. But now with
the entire country having a consciousness of health and gym culture coming in, it’s the right transition.”
He believes the expansions make sense given Marico’s two flagships: Parachute and Saffola earn their
spurs in categories where growth potential is limited. And so, it’s necessary for Parachute to extend into
skin and body care and Saffola to take on a more overarching health platform. He believes, “20 or 30
years ago, people worried about health only once they discovered they had problems. Today, everyone is
conscious of being healthy and wanting to look young.” He however believes Saffola needs to make a
stronger play for the millennial demographic: “It’s seen as mama papa brand. But the 30 year and younger
demographic are willing to pay premium. Brands need to change with the world. Can it be health for
youngsters or does it want to be an older consumer’s health brand is an answer only Saffola can give.
(Source:https://brandequity.economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/business-ofbrands/ the-saffola-story-
from-scare-to-care/59765523) Evaluate the positioning of Saffola and discuss how the positioning
strategy has led to the brands success. (10 Marks)
2. Bollywood star Salman Khan is returning to the cola space after a gap of three years, this
time to endorse brand Pepsi, a move that has surprised a few experts. The two-year deal
is estimated at Rs 15 crore, two external industry officials said.
A PepsiCo spokesperson confirmed the signing up of Khan as new brand ambassador of
Pepsi but declined to confirm the financials of the deal.
“The year 2020 will see brand Pepsi create a scale 360-degree campaign that will reflect
the self-confidence of today's youth as effortless as Salman,” the person said.
Brand Pepsi will base its summer 2020 campaign on Khan’s upcoming action comedy
movie Dabangg 3, the spokesperson said. A few marketing experts expressed surprise at
the PepsiCo move, considering Khan’s macho image vis-à-vis Pepsi’s more romantic,
playful image, plus the actor’s age and some controversies he has been associated with.
To amplify these efforts, Pepsi released the Har ghoont mein swag “anthem” featuring

Patani, Shroff and rapper Badshah. Released by T-Series the song is available for
streaming on YouTube, Gaana, Jio Saavn, Hungama, Amazon Prime Music, Spotify,
Wynk, iTunes and Apple Music. With music and dance covered, next up was cricket.
PepsiCo which has an on-going partnership with the Board of Control for Cricket in India
(BCCI) leveraged its sport association during India versus Australia series in February.
There the swag symbol took center stage in stadiums and on TV screens. Says Bhagat,
“This allowed us to bring music and cricket together as one popular music performer
announced the ‘Swagster of the match’, after each match, during the India-Australia
series. For a ‘culture brand’, it is important to dive into all these three streams.”
Hooked or not?
“Even as the cola companies are trying to move towards water and juices, the healthier
drinks, the two companies cannot give up on their mainstay brands just yet, that is, the
colas,” says Sunil Alagh, founder and chairman, SKA Advisors, a consultancy firm.
Alagh believes the use of social media allows these companies to keep chatter alive
around their main brands.
Industry watchers believe this campaign has helped Pepsi get its “mojo” back. Says brand
consultant Harish Bijoor, “Pepsi has reclaimed its position among the youth. Through the
campaign Pepsi can be seen talking to millennials in their language.” Former marketing director, PepsiCo
India, Vani Gupta Dandia agrees. “Using TikTok and music streaming apps to release the anthem is a
good way to extend the campaign. This allowed Pepsi to rebuild its brand equity,” says Dandia.
While the brand’s old tagline ‘Yeh dil maange more’ might be tweaked to ‘Yeh dil maange more swag’,
what remains to be seen is how Pepsi’s newfound swagger converts to sales.
The Endgame
For categories like beverages, and particularly colas, distribution is the make-or-break game. Under the
company’s ‘Away from home’ strategy, the beverage maker has tied-up with quick service restaurants
Domino’s, KFC, Pizza Hut, Burger King and Subway and multiplex operator PVR. Says PepsiCo’s Tarun
Bhagat, “An aggressive agenda has been drawn by the team to increase distribution across offline stores
and online channels over the next five years.”
Swag Not War
Cola marketing has come a long way from the days of the legendary Cola Wars. Pepsi’s ‘Nothing Official
About It’ that took the fizz out of the official sponsor of the 1996 Cricket World Cup is perhaps one of the
greatest examples of ambush marketing. Pepsi’s current campaign couldn’t be farther from that traditional
tactic. Says Lloyd Mathias, former head of PC marketing, HP Asia Pacific and Japan, “Cola as a category
has lost its relevance among consumers, as electronics, apparels took over.” He adds, “As a result, ‘cola
war’ as a marketing concept became redundant.”
(Source:https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/industry/services/advertising/salman-khan-is-pepsis-new-
face/articleshow/72449728.cms)
(Source: https://brandequity.economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/marketing/blast-from-the-past-as-pepsi-
comes-back-with-swag-this-summer/69657939)
Examine the brand personality of Pepsi and its relevance in a promising market like India. (10 Marks)
3. Hair oil and edible oil maker Marico will enter the Rs 4,500-crore skincare market in the country by
extending its two-decade-old coconut hair oil brand, Parachute, to body lotion and other skincare
products, a person directly involved with the development said.
First off the block will be a body lotion at entry-level pricing to compete in the mass segment, the person
said on condition of anonymity. The company has carried out a low-key test exercise in the east,
The strategy is aimed at reducing dependence on Parachute hair oil,” the person said. “In this case, the
company hopes to ride on Parachute’s purity and value-for-money attributes.” Marico CEO (consumer
products business) Saugata Gupta declined comment.

The company will enter the cluttered skincare market under the Parachute Advansed umbrella and
compete with Hindustan Unilever’s Vaseline and Pond’s, German company Beiersdorf ’s Nivea,
L’Oreal’s Garnier and Johnson & Johnson’s Neutrogena.
Analysts and industry watchers say the success of the move will depend on how much marketing and
distribution muscle Marico can infuse in the brand.
“Success of brand extensions are generally linked closely to the parent brand’s attributes; and depends on
how closely these are aligned to the consumer’s perception of the brand,” says consulting firm AT
Kearney Partner and VP Debashish Mukherjee.
The success of extensions of strong brands is not always certain. Cereal maker Kellogg’s extension to
biscuits flopped.
Marico hasn’t had much success with brand extensions
But Reckitt Benckiser’s Dettol is a classic succession of an antiseptic medicinal liquid to antiseptic soap.
Marico so far has had limited success with brand extensions.
Also, there is strong competition in the skincare market, although with an annual rate of 20% it’s one of
the fastest-growing consumer product categories.
About six years ago, Marico had extended Parachute to shampoos, positioned on the ‘naturals’ platform.
But that did not succeed. But Parachute Advansed has various haircare variants like styling products and
after-shower gels.
Marico has a skincare presence with its Kaya skincare clinics. But it does not have a presence in the
packaged skincare segment. Marico’s hair oil brands include category leader Parachute and Nihar, which
it had acquired in 2006 for close to Rs 220 crore.
(Source:https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/industry/cons-products/fashion-/-cosmetics-/-
jewellery/marico-to-launch-parachute-into-skincare-market/articleshow/9865069.cms)
a. Evaluate the brand extension strategy of Parachute. (5 Marks)
b. Comment on the success probability of the brand extension and the potential benefits to the parent
brand? (5 Marks)
Business Ethics, Governance & Risk
1. Choose ONE environmental policy/ practice/episode/accident from any ONE listed company (their
website, their annual report or sustainability report or from newspaper, business magazine or credible
websites) and discuss in detail the ethical issue/issues involved and your opinion on whether the company
is being ethical or not. (For example: L&T reducing & recycling water is ethically a positive
environmental practice. MMRDA & Mumbai Metro cutting down 1200 trees in Aarey Colony is
environmentally unethical practice) (10 Marks)
2. Read / research the Kingfisher Airlines case and identify and list any FIVE ethical and corporate
governance issues involved, which led to its failure, along with your comments (10 Marks)
3.a. “Excessive modern day consumerism is unethical for the planet and for society”, explain this
statement in your own words, with three logical arguments in favour of the statement. (5 Marks)
3.b. Explain in your own words why ethical business leadership is crucial in today’s business scenario.
What do YOU expect from an ethical business leader / manager?
(5 Marks)
Consumer Behaviour
1. Advertisers today face a challenge of “sensory adaptation”. It has become increasingly difficult to get
the attention of and impress consumers. In terms of consumer perception, what is the relationship between
sensory adaptation and absolute threshold? Name 3 ways in which marketers are overcoming the
challenge of sensory adaptation. (10 Marks)
2. Pooja is a stationary enthusiast. She loves collecting antique fountain pens, limited edition notebooks,
state-of-the-art mechanical pencils, post-it notes in rare shapes, etc. She has an extensive collection of

stationary which she has proudly built over many years. What is Fixated Consumption and Compulsive
Consumption? What are the characteristics of a fixated consumer and a compulsive consumer? Which of
the 2 behaviours is Pooja exhibiting?
(10 Marks)
3. a. Using an example, explain the 4 elements of Consumer Learning. (5 Marks)
3. b. Gifting is an interesting aspect of Consumer Behaviour because gifts represent more than ordinary
purchases. They are associated with important and special events (e.g., Mother’s Day, birthdays,
engagements, weddings, etc.) What are the different types of Gifting behaviours consumers may exhibit?
(5 Marks)
Corporate Finance
1. ABC Ltd. is considering two financing plans to raise ₹ 8,00,000. The key information is as follows:
TABLE GIVEN BELOW:
Plan
Equity
Debt
Preference Shares
1
50%
50%
2
50%
50%
Expected EBIT is ₹ 2,40,000.
Cost of Debt is 10% and cost of Preference Shares is 10%.
Tax rate is 50%.
Equity shares of the face value of ₹ 10 each will be issued at a premium of ₹ 10 per share.
Calculate Earnings per share for plan 1 and 2 and suggest which one is better.
(10 Marks)
2. A Project costs ₹ 60,000 and is expected to generate cash inflows as:
Year
Cash inflows(₹)
1
10,000
2
12,000
3
15,000
4
18,000
5
20,000
6
22,000
Calculate Net Present Value and Profitability Index. Comment whether project should be accepted or not.
Assume cost of capital is 10%. Enumerate the steps of calculation of NPV. (10 Marks)
3. The following information is given for Alpha Ltd.
Earnings per share
₹ 12
Dividend per share

₹ 3
Cost of Capital
18%
Internal Rate of Return On Investment
22%
Retention Ratio
75%
Calculate the market price per share using
a. Gordon’s Dividend Model (5 Marks)
b. Walter’s Dividend Model (5 Marks)
Custom Shipping and Insurance
1. There is a campus interview to select a prospective Manager for Import and Export Dept for a
company. You have been shortlisted for the interview. The interviewer asks you to explain The Customs
Act 1962. You have to inform the total number of chapters, no. of sections, and the section numbers for
(a) Bill of Entry, (b) Shipping bill, (c) Tariff value (d) Public Warehouse. (10 Marks)
2. Your company got a voluminous order to export iron pillars, girders, and accessories made of iron to
construct a tower in Muscat. This is break bulk and all items have to be sent in loose condition. Your
company decides to charter a ship for this and the selection of correct option of charter party agreement.
Management informs you that the ship will go to Muscat and return and they need the ship for a specific
period of 180 days. Kindly suggest a right type of charter with proper reasoning for your selection.
(10 Marks)
3. You have exported 2 x 20 feet containers from Chennai to Singapore by sea. You have received an
information from the shipping company that your both containers have been thrown into the sea along
with some more exporters containers to save the ship from sinking. Your company shocked to know this
and asked you to find out whether the shipping company can take such action and asked the following
queries:
a. Is there any clause under which goods can be thrown into the sea by the captain of the ship? (5 Marks)
b. Who will compensate the loss of these two containers? (5 Marks)
Customer Relationship Management
1. In your opinion should marketers challenge their customers’ communities because they are not official?
Justify your views with valid examples from the industry. (10 Marks)
2. Frame the 10 most critical criteria to develop a rich customer profile in your industry and specify the
source of data collection for the same with appropriate examples. (10 Marks)
3. Aditi works in the US for a biomedical organization. They have clients located in different parts of the
globe. Off late one of their most loyal clients from the Europe has been expressing their concern over
service issues faced by them. Next quarter their contract ends and will be time for renewal. Aditi is unsure
whether they will be able to sustain the business from their European client.
a. As per your understanding analyze the course of the relationship between the customer and the supplier
in the above scenario? (5 Marks)
b. What hampers trust and commitment in a relationship and how can it be maintained? (5 Marks)
Export Import Procedures and Documentation
1. Your organization would like to import a machinery under EPCG scheme. Management asks you to get
the latest scheme of EPCG as per the Foreign Trade Policy 2015-20. Please give a write up on this to the
Management based on your knowledge. (10 Marks)
2. You have joined a company as head of Export Import Dept. This department is a new dept for the
organization. As soon as you joined the company, you have been given a first assignment of getting
Importer Exporter Code certificate for the company. Management asks you to give a write up on the

requirements to obtain IEC certificate and documents required from various departments to complete this
process. Give a write up and specifically mention the documents required so that company can assist you
to complete the process. (10 Marks)
3. You are working in a Freight Forwarding dept and organizing an export by sea. This is a break bulk
shipment. Your boss asks you to supervise the loading of ship and obtain Mate’s receipt. Boss wants to
cross check your knowledge before sending you to seaport and asks the following queries:
a. Who issues Mate’s receipt. When this is issued? (5 Marks)
b. What are the details to be entered in the Mate’s receipt and will you get this directly in your hand? (5
Marks)
Answer the above queries to your boss so that he gets confidence on you to depute you to the seaport.
Financial Institutions and Markets
1. Mr. Rajeev Mehta was the Chairman of Topaz Bank. The bank was earning fairly well and
shareholders were receiving regular dividends. The market price of their shares was performing well. The
bank was about to announce taking over the ‘AME Bank.’ Mr. Rajeev Mehta expected that the market
share of their bank would rise once the takeover is announced in the public. Being a part of the bank,
Rajeev was not allowed to buy shares of Topaz bank. He called one of his wealthy friend Rashid and
asked him to invest Rs.5 crores in shares of his bank promising him the capital gains. As expected, the
share prices went up by 40% and the market price of Rashid’s shares was now ? 7 crores. He earned a
profit of Rs. 2 crores. He gave Rs. 1 crore to Mr. Sanjay Nehra and kept Rs. 1 crore with himself. On
regular inspection and by conducting enquiries of the brokers involved, the Securities and Exchange
Board of India (SEBI) was able to detect this irregularity. The SEBI imposed a heavy penalty on Rajeev
Mehta. In context to the above situation identify and elaborate the functions that were performed by SEBI
. (10 Marks)
2. “Money market is essentially a market for short-term funds’. In the light of this statement elaborate on
the money market and its features. (10 Marks)
3. Mr. Kumar wants to invest his saving in mutual funds. However, he is completely unfamiliar how to go
about it. He approaches you, a wealth advisor in the bank where he holds his savings account.
a. Explain him the basics of mutual fund and describe any five kinds of mutual funds which are available
in the market. (5 Marks)
b. Enumerate the advantage and disadvantages associated with investing in the mutual fund.
(5 Marks)
India’s foreign Trade
1. The current BoP scenario in India, with USA is showing positive BoP in favour of India, which is why
there is a trade issues between India and USA, since US would like India to import more from US and
also to rework on lowering import duties. According to you in that situation what is your strategy to
narrow down the BoP with USA, give step-by-step action plan to achieve this objective. (10 Marks)
2. India’s focus on exports to earn foreign currency and to stabilize economic condition of the country. To
help Indian exporters, Government of India under Ministry of Commerce has well established Export
Promotion Councils in different segments of the industries, they are fully focussed on helping Indian
exporters. Discuss what the role of EPC is and take any one segment of the industry where specific EPC
is working, and explain how they help the Indian exporters in exporting, especially for SME’s. (10
Marks)
3. India opened its market for Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in 1990’s going away from licence Raj
system, which led to economic boom in the country.
a. Explain how the Indian economy became vibrant post 1990 explain with top changes taken place
during that period which benefited faster GDP growth. (5 Marks)
b. How opening door for FDI in India by the government benefited Indian exporters. (5 Marks)

International Business
1. Analyze the financial accounts in the Balance of payments statements of any two countries in the
BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa) for different types of capital flows. (10 Marks)
2. Being an exporter of garment house, discuss how letter of credit can be used for processing export
contracts. (10 Marks)
3. Alphabet unit Google was hit with a record-breaking 4.34 billion euro ($5.04 billion) fine on
Wednesday, topping the 2.4 billion euros it was ordered to pay in another case last year. EU antitrust
regulators accused it of abusing the dominance of its Android smartphone operating system by blocking
rivals. Below is a timeline of Google’s antitrust cases in Europe: 18 July 2018 - EU antitrust regulators
hand down a 4.34 billion euro fine to Google after a three-year long investigation. 27 June 2017 - EU
fines Google 2.4 billion euros for thwarting rivals of shopping comparison websites. 14 July 2016 - EU
sets out another charge against Google’s shopping service. It also accuses the company of preventing
third parties using its Adsense product from displaying search advertisements from Google’s competitors
- a third case against the company. 20 April 2016 - EU sends a charge sheet to Google outlining the
company’s anti-competitive practices with regard to Android smartphone makers and apps makers. 15
April 2015 - EU opens investigation into Google’s Android smartphone operating system. 15 April 2015 -
EU charges Google with blocking competitors of its shopping service. Sept 2014 - Almunia says he will
not be able to wrap up the Google case before his mandate ends in October. May 2014 - Joaquin Almunia,
European Competition Commissioner at that time, says feedback from complainants will be crucial to
determining whether he accepts Google’s concessions. 5 Feb 2014 - Google improves its concessions
related to online search.
2013 - Lobbying Group Fair Search files a complaint about Google’s Android business practices to the
European Commission. 25April 2013 - EU seeks feedback from rivals and users to Google’s concessions.
a. Discuss how the legal aspects of business environment impacting Google in Europe. (5 Marks)
b. Discuss all the other aspects of the business environment that provide complexity to international
business operations like cultural aspects for companies engaged in International business. (5 Marks)
International Marketing
1. India is trying to promote ‘Make in India’ and has also recently opened up Defense sector. You are a
strategy manager at Dassault, one of leading manufacturers of defense equipment. However, your boss
wants to set up a new venture in Brazil. Please justify using Business Environment why you would like to
set up in India instead of Brazil. (10 Marks)
2. You are the CEO of a competing brand of Starbucks but claim to offer more value for money. Your
products cost less than Starbucks. You have also decided to enter India after seeing success of Starbucks.
Evaluate any 3 entry options to enter into India. Which of the market entry options would you finally
choose & why? (10 Marks)
3. Lemon Tree operates mid-premium hotels in India and position it for cost conscience corporate
travelers. They have decided to enter European market now with 4 properties, two each in Germany &
France. a. Suggest what should be their pricing strategy for the European market. (5 Marks)
b. Suggest the possible brand positioning for their European market. (5 Marks)
Operations Management
1. Explain how the operations strategies are different when applied to a service company such as “Tata
Sky” versus a manufacturing company such as “Tata Steel”. (10 Marks)
2. What are the key factors that firms consider while designing a facility layout? List five major factors.
What kind of layout is best suited for a Pharmaceuticals manufacturing firm? (10 Marks)
3. Indian Railways is a name synonymous to an operational activity at a large scale. Give your views on
the following aspects of Indian railways
a. There have been several instances & reports of problems faced by customers during booking of tickets
through its online portal. What should Indian railways do to make this system world class? (5 Marks)

b. Discuss the concept of inventory management with reference to any one aspect (Food served/
hospitality/ safety, etc.) of Indian Railway. (5 Marks)
Organisational Theory, Structure and Design
1. SmallSoft Ltd is a technology giant which over the years had built a huge organization, servicing
customers globally. Started by a visionary founder, the organization’s products had almost a monopolistic
control over the markets they operated in. However, the last decade saw them being taken over by
smaller, more agile organizations. The Board realized that the current way of working would not help
them retain their growth or their profitability and hence they decided to go in for a changed strategy. A
new CEO was brought in, who quickly realized that the organization was stuck in the past ways of doing
business and that its vision and mission were now redundant in the current technology scenario. Also, the
teams were working in silos and the company structure needed to be integrated. The CEO called you, the
Head-HR to discuss this. She has asked your help as the Head HR help transform the company and drive
this change. You recommend that the company follow Kotter’s 8-step model to drive this change. Detail
out the steps to be followed for Change Management as per Kotter’s 8-step model, adding on any specific
points mentioned in the case. (10 Marks)
2. Jahazi Company is a company that is into operating boats for leisure cruises in Kerala. The owner of
this company, Mr. Nair, now wants to move into International waters by setting up a base in Singapore, to
provide these services in South East Asia. Your firm has been tasked with doing an External Analysis
prior to the move. Detail out the techniques you would follow for doing an External Analysis using
PESTLE method for this company. (10 Marks)
3. Funky TV is a music television channel that is very popular amongst youngsters. It is considered a fun
channel and has a great brand recall value, but due to high content costs and other expenses, it is not very
profitable. The channel is successful because of the new formats and interesting ideas it keeps introducing
regularly on air. The employees are mostly in the age group of 22-30. There are a few other employees
from older age groups as well. The company prides itself on being a Crazy and Cool workplace. Each
employee at the time of joining is given decorating material and lots of colorful paper to help them
decorate their workplace. This is an open office layout. All employees including the senior management
sit in the same area and there are small meeting rooms for people who wish to have a quiet conversation.
Every evening at 6 pm, one employee is randomly selected by draw of lots and gets to choose a playlist to
play on the public address system. There is no dress code and employees are inspired to discover their
individual style. The employees are encouraged to speak their mind, share their ideas and disagreements
are considered healthy. Managers avoid taking unilateral decisions and prefer to have a consensus-based
approach. The culture is also such that it attracts talented people from across all walks of life. The current
channel programming in charge was a professor of physics before he joined the channel. Though the
company faces stiff competition in the music television space and is not the best paymaster, it still has
low levels of attrition.
a. Describe the basic features of Schein’s model of culture and classify the elements of culture mentioned
in the case into Schein’s framework (5 Marks)
b. What is the Function of culture? Give example from the case to show the function of culture for the
employees of Funky TV. (5 Marks)
Sales Management
1. Bajaj Electronics administers a Quarterly performance review for all its sales employees.
The below mentioned table provides the number of sales calls done by the sales people for the month of
Oct- Dec 2019. You are the Area manager in charge of their performance. The performance standard set
by the company is that every sales person must do 150 sales calls in every quarter.
Name of the executive
No. of sales calls
Ramnath

142
Tapan
160
Jeetendra
87
Saurabh
125
Bhaskar
92
How will you evaluate the performance of the sales executives as an Area Manager? What are the steps
you can take to improve the performance?
(10 Marks)
2. Take an appointment and meet with a senior sales person from two industries – Pharma industry (such
as Sun Pharma, Lupic, Dr. Reddy’s, Glaxo or any other company) and Engineering industry (such as
L&T, BHEL, ABB, Siemens or any other company). Study and prepare the sales organization structure of
these two companies.
(10 Marks)
3. Raymond Fibres Ltd is a fibre making company in India. They are predominantly in fashion wear from
men and women. The fibre market is divided into natural and synthetic fibres. The company has 5 plants
in India and employs over 700 sales people. The company competes with the Reliance group which is one
of the leading synthetic fibre makers along with some global players such as DuPont. However, the
company has been hit with the economic slowdown in the country. To make things worse, cheaper
imports of fashion wear from China and e-commerce has affected store sales. The sales people in the
company are feeling demotivated. The sales people have put pressure on the top management to improve
their salary.
a. What alternatives will you suggest to the top management to improve the salary plan to the sales
employees? (5 Marks)
b. What are some of the non-financial tools of motivation that you can use
(5 Marks)
Services Marketing
1. You have recently joined in as the Head of a Public Sector Bank? Design strategies to help reduce the
Customer Complaint barriers. What Service recovery tactics will you leverage on to tackle customer
complaints. (10 Marks)
2. You are planning to open India’s first ever Apple owned store in Mumbai by end of the year 2020?
Suggest & describe all the design elements that you shall consider for building the Retail store
environment? (10 Marks)
3. You are setting up an IKEA store in Mumbai by the end of the year 2020.
a. What Service Quality parameters & dimensions would you consider while driving this initiative?
Provide examples from an IKEA perspective. (5 Marks)
b. Design a Creative & Innovative Loyalty Program for IKEA highlighting all the tiers/levels & the
rewards that the customer will stand to gain (5 Marks)
Taxation- Direct and Indirect
1. Leo Messi, a football player visits India for 110 days in every financial year. This has been his practice
for the past ten years. Explaining the conditions to determine the residential status, find out his residential
status for the assessment year 2019-20. Also, comment on whether he is resident but not ordinarily
resident during the previous year 2018-19 (10 Marks)

2. GST has made tax structure simple and clear. It brings better compliance and ensures more
transparency in business affairs. GST has facilitated desired competition and coordination between central
and state authorities. Discuss any five points highlighting the benefits of GST. (10 Marks)
3. a. Mr. Abraham is one of the whole time director of Sidha Shila Group of companies He receives Rs
50000 per month as sitting fees from the company for the financial year. He is also an active partner in
Sankalp LLP (limited liability partnership) from where he receives Rs 50000 as salary per month for the
financial year Discuss about chargeability of such income in the hands of Mr. Abraham, for the financial
year 2019-20 (5 Marks)
3. b. Mr. Mohsin is an employee of L& T Infra. The company provides an interest free loan to Mr.
Mohsin for three years. The loan amount was Rs 75000 for medical treatment in respect of tuberculosis
Discuss with suitable reasons, the value of the benefit to the assesse resulting from the interest free loan
provided by the company to Mr. Mohsin. (5 Marks)
Treasury Management in Banking
1. Explain yield curves with the help of India GOI bond yield curve. Explain the relationship between the
bond prices, yield and duration. (10 Marks)
2. Explain duration GAP analysis in banks. Calculate the duration Gap of the following excerpts from the
balance sheet of a bank. Also calculate the impact on the equity of the bank in the different interest rates
scenarios.
Balance Sheet for Hypothetical Bank Particulars Assets Duration Liabilities Duration Current Assets 500
5 years Current Liabilities 400 6 Years Fixed Assets 400 Other Liab. 300 900 Equity 200 900
Scenarios for Impact analysis:
1. Interest rates increased by 1%
2. Interest rates decreased by 1%
(10 Marks)
3. Case Study:
PMC Bank, which has lately been in the news for fraudulently extending loans to Housing Development
& Infrastructure Ltd (HDIL), imperiling deposits of numerous customers, is just the latest in a series of
cooperative banks that have been placed under restrictions by the RBI. As of March 2019, 26 urban
cooperative banks (UCBs) were placed under directions of the central bank for putting depositors at risk,
thanks to mismanagement or fraud. PMC Managing Director Joy Thomas has admitted to hoodwinking
the auditors, bank’s board and the RBI for many years by concealing the default on loans to the tune of
Rs. 6,500 crore taken by real estate firm Housing Development and Infrastructure Ltd (HDIL).
This means operations are restricted deposits are stuck lead to chaos among depositors for their hard
earned deposits.
a. What are the various risk faced by the banks? Elaborate how risk management norms (Basel norms for
e.g.) being provided by RBI can help avoiding such situations.
(5 Marks)
b. What are the reasons that such default happened in PMC bank? Do you think this can be avoided if
proper risk management has been implemented by the bank or RBI? (5 Marks)
Insurance & Risk Management
1. India has one of the lowest Insurance penetration rates in the world. Given this fact, if you were to take
over as the CEO of a brand new private sector Insurance company “WeEnsureYou” that is about to
commence its operations Shortly. Present an article in front of the board members on the future of health
Insurance market in India and how this company would contribute itself in creating awareness among the
people about the health insurance. (10 Marks)
2. Kiran is appointed as a life Insurance Agent in a renowned Insurance company. In order to acquire and
expand her client base she is required to prepare a presentation on the needs for buying life insurance
policy. Discuss the Needs for buying the life Insurance Plan in her presentation. (10 Marks)

3. Shyama after completing her MBA from a renowned college got placed as an assistant manager in a
Risk Management Department of an Insurance firm.
a. Shyama’s manager ask her to give a short presentation on the concept of Risk Management. (5 Marks)
b. She is required to discuss the various techniques of Risk Management. Help Shyama with the same. (5
Marks)
International Banking & Foreign Exchange Management
1. An export company in India had already issued equity in India and was currently listed in both BSE as
well as NSE. The company was planning to expand and have its presence in foreign countries as well.
The firm wanted to borrow funds from international market. Suggest any five sources of funding from the
international market. (10 Marks)
2. An exporter wants to hedge his one year receivables in USD for $30 million, for which he wants to
enter into a futures contract. The spot exchange rate is USD-INR72. The futures price for a contract
having the same maturity date is ₹74. Is perfect hedging possible with the futures contract in this case?
Calculate loss or profit in the cash and futures market if the spot price is ₹ 75 on the maturity date.
Assume lot size as 1000 units.
(10 Marks)
3. A fresh Graduate had joined the International Banking Division of the Bank. On the first day, he was
asked by his manager to revise and understand the concepts of International Banking. He was little
confused between direct and indirect quote so he decided to approach his manager for the same. If you are
his manager explain:
a. Concept of Direct Quote with an example (5 Marks)
b. Concept of Indirect Quote with an example (5 Marks)
Retail Banking
1. Banking today has become a competitive industry. Discuss how the internet and mobile banking is ice
breaker to the tradition banking industry. Highlight how internet and mobile banking have brought
digitalization in the banking Industry and is helping the industry to pave its way to success. (10 Marks)
2. Shriram has recently graduated from a reputed MBA college and got placed in a private sector bank.
His manager asks him to prepare a short note the different types of lending which are carried by banks in
day to day operations. Help him to prepare his notes. (10 Marks)
3. “The test of our progress is not whether we add more to the abundance of those who have much; it is
whether we provide enough for those who have too little.” - Franklin D. Roosevelt Despite witnessing
progressive growth in economy post liberalization, yet nearly 75 % of the households even today are
deprived to access to any funds-institutional or otherwise. Banks play a vital role in bridging the social
divide and achieving robust and sustainable economic growth. Financial inclusion is viewed as a
promising step towards achieving financial equality and stability.
a. Discuss the various initiatives taken by RBI for promoting financial inclusion (5 Marks)
b. Highlight the barriers that impends financial inclusion (5 Marks)
Cost and Management Accounting
1. Analyzing and making decisions in relation to cost requires in-depth study of various costs involved.
The process of managerial decision making classify costs into certain specific head so as to be precise in
evaluating various business proposals. Discuss any five such costs with relevant examples which are
significant for managerial decision making (10 Marks)
2. Standard costing is the process where standard costs of various components and resources are
predetermined. Further, there are certain specific objectives for adopting the standard costing techniques
in management accounting, Discuss in brief, the distinguished objectives of adopting standard costing in
any organization (10 Marks)

3. Puppies and Rabbits, a soft toy manufacturing company requires 1250 units per month, of the soft toy
named “COCO Rabbit”. The ordering cost is Rs 1000 per order. The cost of carrying inventory is 10%
per annum. The cost of manufacturing one unit of COCO Rabbit is Rs 200
a. Determine the most economic lot size (5 Marks)
b. The minimum total variable cost for the economic lot size (5 Marks)
Marketing Research
1. As a researcher, you need to study how many Kirana stores in Mumbai sell Knorr soup of the
Hindustan Unilever brand. Which non-probabilistic sampling method would you use to complete your
research. Also state the reasons behind choosing that method. Also explain as to how will you proceed
ahead with choosing the areas/ localities in Mumbai to conduct your research along with timelines. (10
Marks)
2. You are the Head of a Market Research Organisation. Your FMCG client has recently introduced
“Lean Noodles,” a new type of noodle that contains ingredients that are meant to be good for Obese
people. The FMCG company wants to understand how customers are reacting to their recently launched
noodle brand. Draft a Questionnaire containing not more than 20 questions that would succinctly address
the query posed by the FMCG client. (10 Marks)
3. As a New Product Development (NPD) Head for an Automobile brand Kia Motors, you have been
asked to develop 2 new innovative products as part of their soon to be launched Electric Vehicle version
& a Petrol Vehicle version.
a. Explain the process in detail to arrive at the creation of your 2 new products (5 Marks)
b. Is there a need to conduct Test Marketing? If Yes or No, please state your reasons to support your
answer. (5 Marks)
Project Management
1. Create a RACI chart for “Our Software Project” as per the WBS shown below, for the project
management roles of project sponsor, project manager, customer, business analyst and software
developer. (10 Marks)

2. You are a project manager with Striker Projects Pvt. Ltd. As the project manager, you need to evaluate
two projects “Salient” and “Stylish”, and make a recommendation to management for the selection of a
suitable project. Both the projects “Salient” and “Stylish” entail an initial investment of ₹5,00,000.
Projected cash inflows for the Project “Salient” are ₹1,50,000 in year 1; ₹1,60,000 in year 2; ₹1,70,000 in
year 3, and ₹1,65,000 in year 4. Projected cash inflows for the Project “Stylish” are ₹1,40,000 in year 1;
₹1,40,000 in year 2; ₹1,40,000 in year 3, ₹1,25,000 in year 4; and ₹1,22,000 in year 5. The required rate
of return is 10%. The present value of ₹1 at 10% is ₹0.909 for year 1, ₹0.826 for year 2, ₹0.751 for year 3,
₹0.683 for year 4, and ₹0.621 for year 5. Calculate Net Present Value (NPV), Internal Rate of Return
(IRR) and Profitability Index (PI) for both the projects “Salient” and “Stylish”. Compare and contrast
NPV, IRR and PI values of projects “Salient” and “Stylish”, and recommend a suitable project for
investment to the management. (10 Marks)
3. A project “Suprio” comprises of 9 activities of varying durations and dependence on previous
activities. These activities, along with their precedent relationships, and their 3-point estimates of
optimistic, most likely and pessimistic duration are given in the table below.
Project Activity
Precedent Activity
Activity Duration (Days)
Optimistic
Most Likely
Pessimistic
A
--
4
6
8
B
--
5
7
9
C
A
4
7
10
D
B
6
8
10
E
C,D
3
6
9
F
C,D
4
6
8

G
E
3
6
9
H
F
3
5
7
I
G,H
4
6
8
a. Draw the network diagram of project “Suprio” and also determine the critical path for the completion
of project “Suprio”. (5 Marks)
b. Calculate the expected time of completion of project “Suprio” based upon the 3-point estimates. What
is the probability that project “Suprio” would be completed within 37 days? (5 Marks)
Advanced Supply Chain Management
1. A product launch strategy defines several stages of the launch including development, internal testing,
external testing, objective and goal setting, positioning, excitement building and event timing. The supply
chain design team must develop a Strategic fit as it is important for both the competitive and supply chain
strategies to meet the common goal. How different will the strategy be for two companies, one launching
high tech product with uncertain demand and the other FMCG product like breakfast cereal with certain
demand? (10 Marks)
2. A hotel has 100 rooms. The rent charged is Rs.4200 per night. To avoid revenue loss due to sudden
cancellation they have a policy to over-book rooms. This at times resulted in an additional cost of
Rs.7000 to get alternative accommodation in another hotel in case of shortage of rooms when all guests
turned up. In the last few months they found last minute cancellations averaged 20 cancelled booking
with a standard deviation of 8. What will be your suggestion to the hotel on its over-booking policy to
limit its revenue losses in case a cancellation takes place? (Use the Service factor table is given below).
Service Level (%) 50 55 60 65 70 75 80 85
Service Factor 0 0.13 0.25 0.39 0.52 0.65 0.84 1.04
(10 Marks)
3. a. If you are the procurement head of your organization, what will be the various aspects that you will
consider before selection of suppliers? (5 Marks)
3. b. If your organization is considering implementing IT, what impact will it have on your sourcing
strategy?
Decision Analysis & Modeling
1. Decision Analysis and Modelling has wide spread applicability in various domains of management.
Support the statement with relevant examples of applications of Decision Analysis and Modelling in
various domains of management. (10 Marks)
2. Vroom and Yetton’s Normative Model is one of the models of Decision Making. Explain the decision
making styles in the Vroom-Yetton Model. (10 Marks)
3. a. A project has been defined to contain the following list of activities, along with their
required time for completion:
Activity

Time (Days)
Immediate Predecessors A 1 ----
B
4
A C 3 A
D
7
A E 6 B
F
2
C,D G 7 E,F
H
9
D I 4 G,H
Identify the Critical Path. (5 Marks)
3. b. A project has been defined to contain the following list of activities, along with their
required time for completion:
TABLE GIVEN BELOW
Activity
Time (Days)
Immediate Predecessors A 1 ----
B
4
A C 3 A
D
7
A E 6 B
F
2
C,D G 7 E,F
H
9
D I 4 G,H
Calculate the Earliest Start and End Times. (5 Marks)
International Logistics & Supply Chain Management
1. An Indian company Master Lifestyle Ltd is having operations in India and is into the business of
cosmetics. The company is exploring international opportunities for which they have orders for their
products from UAE and Europe. Explain the strategic approach of the company for successful order
execution and growing the business in international markets. (10 Marks)
2. The company Speed Ltd is into the business of toys and exploring its opportunities to set up the
business activities in the Australia by launching its products across the well-known retail chain stores for
brand penetration. What is the approach strategy that the company would employ for the successful
launch of its products in the Australian market? Analyze and suggest logistics and SCM strategies which
can enhance the service quality with on time availability and generating market share of the company. (10
Marks)
3. A beverage company named Thunder Drinks Ltd is in the Indian market for about 10 long years. The
company is based in India and had gained good recognition. It has orders from Europe for its beverages.
The order varies in terms it has LCL and FCL.

a. Work out a plan how it has to ship the products and what elements of importance it should consider
while doing so like containers and packaging. (5 Marks)
b. What kind of production planning and pricing patterns it needs to implement and mention the supply
chain strategies to be followed? (5 Marks)
World Class Operations
1. You are the Quality Control Manager of a firm. Explain the measures for achieving customer
satisfaction in your firm. (10 Marks)
2. You are going to implement PDCA Cycle. Explain in brief the concept of PDCA Cycle. (10 Marks)
3. a. You have been asked to implement the concept of Reliability in the manufacturing unit of your firm.
Explain in this concept the commonly used Reliability Indices. (5 Marks)
3.b. You are soliciting the implementation of Reliability program in manufacturing companies in order to
achieve world class standards in operations. Briefly explain the salient features of Reliability program in
support for your solicitation. (5 Marks)
Capital Market and Portfolio Management
1. The following data shows the return of Alpha Ltd and the Market:
TABLE GIVEN BELOW
Year
Return Alpha(%)
Return Market (%)
1
12
18
2
16
17
3
17
19
4
14
18
5
10
15
Calculate the Beta of Alpha Ltd and interpret. Explain the implications of different values of Beta. (10
Marks)
2. Calculate the standard deviation and return of portfolio consisting of 60% of Security A and 40% of
Security B. Assume correlation coefficient between stock A and stock B is 0.55. Interpret the benefit of
portfolio over individual stock investment (in case of security A and B).
Year
Security A return(%)
Security B return(%)
2015
20
15
2016
22
12

2017
18
11
2018
15
10
2019
11
11
(10 Marks)
3. Observed Return and Beta of SBI Bluechip Fund and Franklin India Equity Fund for the year 2019 are
as follows:
Observed Return
Beta
SBI Bluechip Fund
18%
0.9
Franklin India Equity Fund
20%
1.1
Assume standard deviation of the market to be 8%, Return on Sensex 15% and the risk-free return to be
7%.
a. Compute the Jensen index for each of the funds and interpret the results. (5 Marks)
b. Compute the Treynor index for each of the funds and interpret the results. (5 Marks)
Industrial Relations & Labour Laws
1. Mr. Thakur is advised by his consultants to change the authoritative style of management in his factory
and encourage worker’s participation. Please elaborate on the objectives of workers’ participation and
various levels of participation for him. (10 Marks)
2. Mr. Kasture has been head of production with Hayway productions for a long time and has been
thinking of working on structuring the employees under a more collective banner. Most of the staff
including workers also have been working with the organization for a long time and Mr. Kasture has been
speaking with the foremen and some leadership heads about forming a union. The management is finding
it strange that in spite of being a part of the senior management, Mr. Kasture is still promoting the ideas of
having trade unions in the organization. Mr. Kasture wants to make a presentation to his bosses about
how Trade Unions can act as agents of collective bargaining. Please help him by listing the points leading
to the thought. (10 Marks)
3. David keeps an ambition of leading his team of workers for better working conditions and better rights
at his workplace. He is working for a small organization with a medium sized unit of shirt manufacturing
and exports. He feels, the working hours and working conditions need to be worked at and most
importantly he feels that compensation offered for the kind of work is not fair. However, he is not a
degree holder and needs to read and understand the issues involved with the same. He knows that there is
an act named Workmen’s compensation act and he wants to understand. Please help David understand
following parts of the act by listing out:
a. Objectives of the Workman’s compensation Act (5 Marks) b. Scope of Workman’s compensation Act.
Manpower Planning, Recruitment and Selection
Raju is fresh MPharm qualified. He hails from a business family and hence denied campus placements at
college since starting his own business was always at the back of his mind. He is currently observing
various formats for the sale of medicines like generic medicine shops, online medicine delivery platforms,

traditional medicine shops and the chains like Wellness Forever, etc. He wants to start a medicine store
which will be a walk-in mini medicine mall with access to prescribed medicines / generic substitutes and
over the counter products. This will aim at educating customers of what they choose, of course will have
supervised check out to monitor the right purchase of prescribed medicines.
1. With reference to the above case, list down the various quantitative as well as qualitative methods of
demand forecasting that Raju can use for manpower planning and why.
2. List down the various training topics on which the employees of this store can be trained and what
training methods can be employed?
3.a. With reference to the above case, elaborate on the importance of the right recruitment and selection
processes and suggest any two of each that Raju can use.
3.b. Define Knowledge Management. What will be the sources of Knowledge in this store to implement
knowledge management?
Performance Management System
1. Ahuja Industries is an online furniture company which commenced operations in 2018. The company is
now planning to introduce Performance Appraisals for all employees. Design a Performance Appraisal
form using the Graphic Rating Scale.
2. Rahul Dixit is working with Dhanraj Enterprises as Manager since the past 2 years. Rahul reports to
Bala Raghavan. Rahul has been having constant conflicts with his boss Bala. Rahul has also escalated this
to HR. Rahul’s performance appraisal is due and he has requested the HR Manager to also be a part of the
performance feedback discussions as he is unsure if Bala will evaluate his performance in a fair manner.
How do you think Bala should handle the appraisal discussions?
3. You have joined Adivesh Solar Enterprises as Manager – HR. Your role is to guide employees in Goal
writing. Using the concept of SMART Goals, provide illustrations of SMART goals:
a. 2 goals for Customer Service Executive
b. 2 goals for Sales Executive
Compensation and Benefits
1. Your Company is a leading retail organization in India. The company, in its recent Quality HR
Initiatives, opted for a ‘Pay for Position’ compensation strategy. Explain the pay for position strategy and
also write its pitfalls.
2. ANT Ltd is a medium IT firm in Mumbai specializing in software for educational institutions. The
company is facing a problem of increasing number of individual low performers. After analyzing,
company found that existing compensation system is inadequate to ensure that individuals are motivated
to perform better. Explain different types of individual pay plans that can be introduced to solve this
problem.
3. ANANTA Enterprises is a newly set start up in Bengaluru. The startup is operating in online trading of
sports merchandizing. The company is considering to conduct the process of job evaluation, so that it can
determine relative worth of each job. For this the company has to do job analysis process. In this
background, answer the following:
a. What are the components of job analysis?
b. What is the process of job analysis?
Organisation Culture
1. Compare and evaluate the culture of any two countries of your choice as per the Hofstede’s cultural
dimensions (10 Marks)
2. Kakoli has joined a multi-national company as a management trainee. She is expected to learn the
culture of this organisation and adapt to it. The culture of any organisation is transmitted in a number of
forms, based on it discuss what could be the different ways through which Kakoli can learn the culture?

3. Aryaman has joined as VP HR in an automobile firm and he observes that the organisation is working
on a very old school of thought and is not taking any risk hence has become stagnant. He knows that if
the organisation does not change it will lose its sheen and become obsolete. As HR personnel he feels that
the organisation is in dire need to have an innovative culture.
a. Discuss the ways in which an innovative culture can be created
b. What could be Aryaman’s and his peers’ role in creating innovative culture.
International Finance
1. ABC Ltd was planning to raise equity from other financial markets. The economy in which the
company was present was not doing good and there was a lack of liquidity in the economy. As a Finance
Manager prepare a report on the advantages of cross listing on foreign exchanges to present it to the
management of the firm.
2. The profitability and financial soundness of a company can be determined by analyzing financial
statements. How can economic transactions of an economy be analysed? Prepare a report on the purpose
of calculation of balance of payments and also mention the components of different parts of the balance
of payments accounts.
3. Spot Exchange rate between US$ and British £ on 1 January 2012 was $1.5507 per £. Inflation rate and
interest rate in US were 2.1% and 3.5% respectively. Inflation rate and interest rate in UK were 2.8% and
3.3%.
a. Estimate the forward exchange rate between the countries in $/£ using purchasing power parity.
b. Estimate the forward exchange rate between the countries in $/£ using interest rate parity.
Marketing Strategy
1. Identify and explain the four key factors/characteristics affecting customer buying behaviour,
specifically for developing product/pricing/distribution/promotion strategy of the following
products/brands/organisations: (1) Indian Railways, (2) Wakefit (mattresses), (3) Statue of Unity, and (4)
Yogabar (protein bars). (10 Marks)
2. Explain various stages in industry life cycle with examples from passenger vehicles industry in India,
with specific comments regarding (1) Product, (2) Pricing, (3) Distribution, and (4) Promotion strategies
of market leaders in the current stage of the passenger vehicles industry in India. (10 Marks)
3. a. Explain low cost strategy and differentiation strategy, highlighting 3 key differences between the two
strategies, and two supporting examples from Indian FMCG/Retail sector for each strategy. (5 Marks)
3. b. The Finance Minister, India announced reduction in corporate tax rates in Sep-2019; why is it
important for companies in Indian FMCG/Retail sector, and what are 5 ways (with examples of
companies) in which leading companies in the sector can benefit from the development from the point of
view of Marketing Strategy? (5 Marks)
Strategic Financial Management
1. The capital structure of XYZ Ltd is:
TABLE GVEN BELOW
Equity Capital (40 million shares; Rs 10 par) Rs 400 million
Preference capital,12 percent(500,000 shares,
Rs 100 par)
Rs 50 million
Debentures 15 percent(1,200,000 debentures,
Rs 100 par)
Rs 120 million
Term Loans, 12 percent Rs 50 million

Rs 620 million
The next expected dividend per share is Rs 1.5. The dividend per share is expected to grow at the rate of 8
percent. The market price per share is Rs 50. Preference share redeemable after 10 years is currently
selling for Rs 90 per share. Debentures redeemable after 5 years are selling for Rs 80 per debenture.
Calculate the weighted average cost of capital in book value terms. (10 Marks)
2. A company is planning to make an investment in a new project for which a new machine has to be
installed. This machine will cost ₹1,00,000 and will have a life of 5 years with no salvage value. Tax rate
is 50 percent. Assume cost of capital as 10%. Evaluate the project using Discounted Payback period and
Profitability Index and suggest whether project has to be accepted or not. The cash inflows from the
project are as follows:
Years 1 2 3 4 5
Cash Inflows( ₹) 20,000 22,000 28,000 30,000 50,000
3. A company’s current operating income is ₹5 lakhs. The firm has ₹12 lakhs of 10 percent debt
outstanding. Assume tax rate as 50%. Determine the value of the firm using Net Income Approach if the
cost of equity capital is estimated to be 14%. Estimate as the finance manager of the company:
a. Value of the Equity of the firm (5 Marks)
b. Overall cost of capital of the firm (5 Marks)
Total Quality Management
1. How “Strategic Performance Measurement” process helps management in an organization to take their
organization in success path? (10 Marks)
2. How effective supplier selection helps organization in building better and effective Supplier –
Manufacturer – Customer relationship? (10 Marks)
3. A manufacturing cos manufactures bangles for different sizes for the kids of different group. You are
appointed as an expert. You selected 1 unit (As sample) in every 5 finished product. Total population size
is 50. You checked every specification given to you. Below are the number of defects identified by you in
each of the sample.
Sample No
No of defects
Defect / Sample
1
2
2
2
3
3
3
1
1
4
2
2
5
3
3
6
4
4
7
2

2
8
1
1
9
3
3
10
2
2
a. Calculate the UCL & LCL for the above mentioned scenario? (5 Marks)
b. Assume the below & calculate Cp & Cpk. USL LSL Recorded results
47
25
49
47
25
19.4
47
25
47.6
(5 Marks)
Logistics Management
1. BigDeal is an online retailer. Recently it found its inventory management was hopelessly in trouble.
Materials Department noticed most of the inventory problem are due to poor warehouse management.
The warehouse was poorly organized and there was no proper identification of inventory. What will be
your advice to the warehouse manager on codification of selective inventory control? (10 Marks)
2. SELMORE is a consumer product distributer with a chain of retail outlets. They are in the process of
designing the distribution channel for their new territory. How will you guide them in their channel
strategy decisions? (10 Marks)
3. The demand for a product in each of the last five months is shown below.
Month 1 2 3 4 5
Demand ('00s) 13 17 19 23 24
a. Use a three month moving average to generate a forecast for demand in month 6. (5 Marks)
b. What are the four components of time series analysis which needs to be first evaluated, extracted and
interpreted so as to make it understandable? (5 Marks)
Employee Development & Talent Management
1. Human resource is one of the most valuable asset of any organisation, therefore it is of utmost
importance that the employees must be made agile and their skills be honed from time to time. When the
organisation does not look into the employees’ growth and development opportunities then a dip in the
productivity can be shown. List and discuss any five development programmes used by organisations to
develop the skills of their employees and improve their performance. (10 Marks)
2. You have recently joined Poshak & Vastra an apparel giant. The organisation works on old school of
thought where not much emphasis is given on training the employees. The productivity of employees is
dropping constantly. Off late there is a lot of absenteeism and turnover of employees. You need to
develop a training programme for the employees. Discuss all the necessary steps required for a training
process. (10 Marks)

3. Complete Solutions is a manufacturing firm which is rated very high in employee satisfaction survey.
The organisation never hires the senior officials though external recruitment but highly relies on building
the competencies of their own employees. It is said that since career planning is practiced in the
organization which helps the employee remain motivated and hence the high satisfaction level. Discuss:
a. Career planning and the entire process (5 Marks)
b. Discuss the benefits which Complete solutions as well as the employees working there could reap. (5
Marks)
HR Audit
1. Dingo Tech, a technology start-up has grown rapidly since its inception 4 years ago. While the
company is increasing manpower at the rate of 30% per annum, it is also losing a lot of key people. You
have been appointed as the external HR Auditor for this company. What are the different Methods of HR
Audit you will use to audit the attrition in the company? (10 Marks)
2. John & Co is a family run business, which has been in existence for many years. The MD, Mr. John,
knew each and every employee in his company and ran the company like his extended family. He was
personally involved in every performance and increment discussion and would take the final decision for
each employee. The employees were quite happy in this set-up. After a few decades, Mr. John decided to
retire from the company and put in place a professional management team to run the Company. The new
management team has been hired from other companies and has been given a free hand to run the
company. The new CEO has appointed your firm to audit the Performance Management process. What
aspects of PMS will you focus on while conducting the audit? (10 Marks)
3. Asha and co has seen rapid growth into a well-established organization. The company has a clear
strategy and the same has been shared with all the employees. The company hired an external Human
Resources consultant who then redefined the policies to keep them in line with the overall business
strategy. A recent satisfaction survey showed that the employees felt that there was a big difference
between the aim of the policy and the actual implementation.
The current HR team was set up at the start of the company’s operations and has efficiently managed the
basic HR processes so far. However, they are now finding it difficult to handle the new processes that the
consultant has put in. The CEO has hired your firm to conduct a HR audit. To present to the CEO:
a. Detail out the Levels of HR Audit you will focus on as well including the reasons for the same and (5
Marks)
b. A brief note on the steps you will take to audit the company. (5 Marks)
Commercial banking system and role of RBI
1. Sundarajan Pvt.Ltd., Bangalore based company are engaged in exporting sea food to various
countries. They entered in a contract with Japanese Company, Ziomei Pvt Limited for the
exporting cuttle fish. Ziomei Pvt Limited asked XYZ Limited to issue the letter of credit.
Sundarajan ‘s owner doesn’t have much idea on letter of credit. He visits the bank to get an idea
of how the letter of credit works. As a bank manager, you are required to explain him the
procedure of how letter of credit works as its advantages from buyer’s as well as seller’s point of
view.
2. You are an operational trainer in a bank. You are asked to prepare a presentation on the
various types of fund based credit facility of a bank. Describe the same.
3. The Basel Accords primarily focuses on prudential norms for bank capital under the aegis of
which banks are required to ensure adequate capital to cover losses on account of significant
risks in their business. In regard to the above statement answer the below questions.
a. Elaborate on Basel I, Basel II, Basel III.

b. Highlight the significance of Basel III in context to Indian banks?
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