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MBA (General)

HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT Assignment – 1

Section – A Answer any three questions (not exceeding one page): 3*5=15

1. What is selection? 2. What is placement? 3. What is training? 4. Job analysis 5. Deference between job specification and job description

Section – B Answer any five questions (not exceeding three pages): 5*9=45 1. Discuss the role of HR manager 2. Discuss suitable sources for recruiting Software professionals 3. How do you identify the need for training? 4. Elaborate any four modern techniques to evaluate employee performance. 5. What are the different techniques used in training? 6. Describe the nature and scope of Human Resource Management 7. What is the role of HR manager in employee counseling? 8. Illustrate the trends in HRM. 9. Explain HR role as a catalyst. 10. Explain theories of motivation.

Assignment – 2 CASE STUDY: 20 Marks

GVK Ltd., recently decided to install word processing equipment in order to increase employee productivity. The new centralized center was staffed with six se3cretaries who learned to operate the processors from books and audio-visual aids. The word processor manufacturer stated that the new generation of equipment is so much easier to use that companies can take someone with typing skills off the street and put them into word processing with a minimum of training.

One year after the installation of the new centre, the output averaged only 370lines a day from each operator, which is less than the most people achieve hunting and pecking on a manual typewriter. In addition, five of the original operators had resigned. One division manager, who had lost his se3cretary to the new center, stated that in case of introducing the computer, unless there is proper planning and training people will use word processors like very expensive typewriters. The tension between the operators in the center and the divisions served was great. The operators were miserable because they were being deluged with more work than they could handle, ad division managers were unhappy because their work was not being done as quickly as well as before.

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Questions:

1. Who do you think went wrong in this case?

2. Is it a training problem or an organizational issues?

3. What steps would you suggest to increase to productivity of the center?

Assignment – 3

CASE STUDY: 20 Marks

Mr.X, Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) of high-tech company was facing a very

high turnover of employees. Training cost for newcomers was high as well as the time

consuming which MR.X could ill afford. Highly skilled people demanded ever increasing

compensation. To retain competitive edge of his company, Mr.X, after consulting his

executive managers made the following announcement to employees:

a) Every employee is free to demand compensation for himself as he deems fir

b) CMD will answer Yes or No. there shall be no negotiation

c) Those who get ‘No’ to salary demanded shall leave the organization

d) This process shall be repeated annually.

After the first round, employees got what they wanted and total compensation of the

company went down. Of course number of employees reduced.

Questions:

i) Do you concur to disassociate yourself form this organization culture? State reasons

ii) IS the above a correct solution to successful organization development?

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MANAGERIAL COMMUNICATION Assignment – 1

Section – A

Answer any three questions (not exceeding one page): 3*5=15

1. Grapevine communication

2. Mass communication

3. Importance of Communication to managers

4. Interpersonal Communication

5. Horizontal Communication

Section – B

Answer any five questions (not exceeding three pages): 5*9=45

1. Communication is the life blood of an organization. Elaborate the statement with suitable

examples.

2. Explain why communicating clearly across cultures is important to business.

3. Briefly explain the process of intra and inter personal communication.

4. What is a Report? What are the different types of Reports?

5. Briefly explain the various functions and phases of communication.

6. Tables, flow charts organization charts etc are the visual aids which can make the report

more effective. Discuss.

7. Today no executive can survive without learning the art of making presentations. Do you

agree? Why?

8. State suggestions regarding appearance and dress for interviews.

9. Explain how communication leads to build relationships?

10. What are the barriers to communication? State measures to overcome those barriers.

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Assignment – 2

CASE STUDY: 20 Marks

The Board of Directors of M/S Bajaj Auto Ltd. met and decided to make certain adjustments

in the existing staff of its Akurdi plant. After the meeting, the Managing Director informally told

his Secretary that there may be changes in the staffing pattern of Akurdi plant. The Secretary told

her friends during lunch break that the plant would soon be laying off employees. Eventhough,

she took a promise that they will not tell anybody, her friends sounded some employees of the

plant about the impending danger. The employees union not only presented memorandum to the

authorities but served a notice to go on strike also.

Questions:

1) Identify the barriers of communication in the case.

2) Was there any encoding and decoding of message?

3) What lessons do you draw from the issue by assuming you as the Managing Director?

Assignment – 3

CASE STUDY: 20 Marks

Ashok Leyland, Hosur, has sold 500 bus chasis to Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation

(KSRTC). After receiving them, the Vice Chairman and Managing Director of KSRTC write a

complaint to Ashok Leyland Ltd. With regard to the chasis not adhering to the specifications,

supply not being made within the specified time and charging transportation charges exceeding

the agreed rates.

Draft this complaint in not more than 200 words.

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Operations Management

Assignment-1

Section-A

Answer any three questions (not exceeding one page): 3*5=15

1. Process Selection.

2. Mass Production

3. Value Engineering

4. Purchase requisition slip

5. Materials Management

Section-B

Answer any five Questions (not exceeding three pages): 5*9=45

1. Define Operations Management. Explain its Features and functions.

2. Discuss the scope and importance of Operations Management. What are its recent trends?

3. What are the characteristics features of mass, Batch production systems?

4. Following 5 jobs have to pass through two machines, A and B, for processing and then finishing.

The processing and finishing Times, the hours, on the two machines A and B are known.

Determine the optimal schedule for completing these jobs.

5. “Plant Planning begins with location.” Do you agree with this statement? Critically examine the

factors which will influence for location of a plant.

6. Discuss the importance of flexibility, balance and sequence of operations in layout of a plant.

7. What is value of engineering? Discuss its elements and role in the present day of competitive

environment.

8. What is ‘Methods Study’? Explain the Components of methods study.

9. What is inventory Management? Explain various aspects of inventory planning and control

10. We have the following data for an item that we purchase regularly: annual requirements,

R=10,000 units; order preparation cost, Cp= Rs.25 per order; inventory holding cost, Ch=Rs.10

per unit per year.

a. Compute the economic order Quantity (EOQ)

b. Compute the number of orders that must be placed each year and the annual cost of

p1acing the orders.

c. Compute the average inventory if EOQ units are ordered at one time, and Compute the

annual cost of inventory.

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Assignment-2

CASE STUDY: 20 marks

Roger Curtis always had his car serviced at Brank’s Garage. One evening he found

himself at a social at his daughter’s school in George brank’s Company. As the evening

wore on they became quite friendly.

‘Look, George-there’s some thing that’s always puzzled me about your garage

and all other garages for that matter!’

‘Go on? What is the problem?

‘Well, when I want my car serviced, I ring your service department, and they give me a

date- usually about a week a head’.

‘Yes, that’s being about right –we’re pretty full of work… We do a good job, you

know!’ well, when I eventually get my car to you for a 12,000 mile service- not an engine

change or anything like that, mark you-your service supervisor always tells me that it’ll

take the whole day- and it jolly well does. I put it in before 8.30 am and when I ring for it

at 5.00 pm, they always say that “ It’s just being finished” and when I get there about half

an hour later, I usually have to wait another ten minutes’.

‘Yes, that’s about normal I’d say’.’Well, then-I can do that sort of service in a

couple of hours, and you’ve got all the equipment and the skilled staff. Why do you have

to take four times as long as me and charge the earth for it? After all, you’re charging the

poor motorist about Rs.200 an hour-so you must be raking it in. How many men have you

got? About a dozen-Rs.20,000 a day, and I bet your wage bill’s no more than Rs.6,000 a

day, so you’re really on to a good thing!

Analyse the case and answer the following:

1. Why does the situation described in the case occur? Consider specifically

a) Long lead times for short operation times.

b) Apparent high cost.

2. Can operations be planned better, and if so, how should these plans be, evaluated?

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Assignment-3

CASE STUDY: 20 marks

Three months after his appointment as Chief Work Study Officer at John Hopkins and

Sons (Tailors), John Cherry requested an interview with the Managing Director and owner,

Charles John Hopkins. "Glad to see you John, how are you settling down? Well, what do you

think of our little Work Study section? It's going pretty well, isn't it? Of course, 30 years ago,

when the place was a lot smaller, I did it myself. Do you know- some of those times, I fixed then

are still in use today! Yes Mr. Hopkins, so I have observed. What really worries me is that the

take-home pay is all over the shop! The operators never know from one week to the next what

their earnings will be! It's obvious to me that there's no relationship between allowed time and

work content.

'But you are making too much of this! When I used to do it, I took my stopwatch down to

the shop floor, stood beside the girl, timed what she was doing, had a bit of chat with her and

fixed up a bonus there and then'.

Well, that may have been alright during the 'sixties when you had plenty of long runs and

money wasn't all that tight. But now we have a lot of small orders and the unions are that much

stronger.' Yes! But you'll never get a time for these short-run-jobs by the time you've got your

stopwatch on to the job it's all over. All you can hope to do is to make a good guess at it. Look

here, John there are plenty of old' stagers about the place with the experience to set a sensible

time for any job you like to mention. As for unions, you can leave that side of the business to the

Personnel Manager.’

Look, I must be perfectly frank about this Hopkins; I think that most of the times which

are going out are useless and that's why we're in trouble. I think its time we stopped guessing

and looked into some of the other methods of fixing times. What's more we've got to have a

good look at the way jobs are being done and for this I need more resources in my department.'

This is a great disappointment to me, John. I thought you came here to save money, not spend it.'

Analyze the Case and answer the following questions:

(a) What is the Managing Director's view of work study?

(b) How does this opinion differ from the normally accepted view?

(c) Assess the potential within John Hopkins and Sons for the application of method study and

work measurement.

(d) What actions should John Cherry take?

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ACCOUNTING FOR MANAGEMENT Assignment – 1

Section – A

Answer any three questions (not exceeding one page): 3*5=15

1. What is Money Measurement Concept 2. What is Journal proper 3. What are the limitations of Standard Costing 4. What are the Assumptions of break even analysis 5. Distinguish between direct and indirect costs.

Section – B

Answer any five questions (not exceeding three pages): 5*9=45

a) What are the Accounting Concepts? Explain the usefulness in the accounting framework. b) Distinguish between journal and ledger and explain their importance. c) What do you mean by financial statement analysis? Explain briefly Common Size

balance sheet? d) Journalise the following Transactions, post them in the ledger and balance the accounts as

on 31st January a. Ram started business with a capital of 10,000/- b. He purchased goods from mohan 2,000/- c. He paid cash to mohan 1,000/- d. He sold goods to suresh 2,000/- e. He received cash from suresh 3,000/- f. He further purchased goods from Mohan 2,000/- g. He paid cash to Mohan 1,000/- h. He further sold goods to suresh 2,000/- i. He received cash from suresh 1,000/-

e) What is cost-volume profit analysis? Explain its assumptions and uses. f) What do you mean by differential cost? State the Characteristics of differential costs. g) What is Zero-base budgeting? Explain its advantages. h) From the following data, Calculate labour variances the dudgeted labour force for

producing product ‘A’ is 20 semi-skilled workers @ 7.50 ps perhour for 50 hours 10 skilled workers @ 12.50 ps per hour for 50 hours. The actual labour force employed for producing product A is 22 semi-skilled workers @ 8.00 per hour for 50 hours.

i) The expenses budgeted for productions of 10,000 units in a factory are given below.

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Material

Perunit RS. 70

Labour 25 Variable factory overheads 20 Fixed factory overheads(100000) 10 Variable expenses (direct) 5 Selling expenses (10% fixed) 13 Distribution expenses(20 %fixed) 7 Administrative expenses(fixed 50,000) 5 Total cost of sales perunit 155

You are required to prepare a budget for the production of 6000 units and 8000 units

j) A factory produces a standard product. The following information is given to you for the month of January 2009. Prepare cost sheet with as many details as possible. Stock of raw materials on 1.1.09 57,400 Purchase of raw material in Jan 2009 116200 Stock of finished goods on 1.1.09 50,000 Productive (Direct) wages 5,00,000 Finished goods sold 1,50,000 Work over head charges 1,00,000 Office and general charges 1,00,000 Stock of materials on 31.1.09 1,40,000 Stock of finished goods on 31.1.09 60,000

Assignment-2

CASESTUDY: 20 M

From the following Particulars Calculate

a) Contribution b) p/v Ratio c) Breakeven point in units and rupees d) What will be the selling price per unit if the breakeven point is brought down to 25,000

units? Fixed expenses 1,50,000 Variable cost per unit 10 Selling price per unit 15

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Assignment-3

CASESTUDY: 20 M

From the following particulars of Mr.sekhar prepare Trading and profit & loss account for year ended 31.3.06 and balance sheet as on that date.

Particulars Debit(Rs) Credit(Rs)

Capital - 8500 Drawings 1420 - Plant & machinery 1900 - Stock on 1.4.05 2920 - Purchases & sales 20,724 23812 General expenses 880 - Purchases & sales returns 420 582 Rent 240 - Rates 400 - Apprentice Premium - 160 Bank over draft - 480 Bad bedts 344 - Debtors And creditors 8400 4000 Cash on hand 96 - Bad debts reserve - 210

Totals 37,744 37,744

Adjustments:

a) Depreciate Plant & Machinery at 10 % Pa b) Increase bad dedts reserve to 5% on sundry dedtors c) Rent accured 80/- d) Rates of 160/- are paid in advance e) Stock on hand as on 31 march 3,400/- f) Apprentice Premium received in advance 40/-

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Management Process and Behaviour

Assignment-1

Section-A

Answer any three questions (not exceeding one page): 3*5=15

a) Decision making process

b) Steps in selection process

c) Conflict management styles

d) Organizational development

e) Span of management

Section-B

Answer any Five questions (not exceeding Three page): 5*9=45

1. Discuss the qualities of Manager

2. Explain the theories of management

3. What is the significance of corporate social responsibility to a Manager?

4. Discuss the functions of Management

5. Explain the decision making process

6. Discuss the importance of formal and informal organizations

7. Explain the theories of leadership

8. Discuss the concept of perception and its barriers

9. Explain Maslow’s and Herzberg’s motivational theories

10. Discuss organizational development

Assignment –II

Case Study: Star Salesperson (Compulsory) 20 M

While growing up, Mukesh was always rewarded by his parents for showing independence. When he started school, he was successful both inside and outside the classroom. He was always striving to be things like traffic patroller and lunchroom monitor in grade school. Yes his mother worried about him because he never got along well with other children of his own age. When confronted with this, Mukesh would reply, “Well, I don’t need them. Besides, they can’t do things as well as I can. I don’t have time to help them; I’m too busy improving myself.” Mukesh went on to very well in both high school and college. He was always at or near the top of his class academically and was a very good long distance runner for the track teams in high school

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and college. In college he shied away from joining a fraternity and lived in an apartment by himself. Upon graduation he went to work for a large insurance company and soon became one of the top salespersons. Mukesh is very proud of the fact that he was one of the top five salespersons in sx out of eight years he has been with the company.

At the home office of the insurance company, the executive committee in charge of making major personnel appointments was discussing the upcoming vacancy of the sales manager’s job for the Eastern region. The personnel manager gave the following ‘report: ‘As you know, the Eastern region is lagging far behind our other regions as far as sales go. We need a highly motivated person to take that situation over and turn it around. After an extensive screening process, I am recommending that Mukesh be offered this position. As you know, Mukesh has as outstanding record with the company and is highly motivated. I think he is the person for the job.”

Questions:

1. Do you agree with the personnel manager? Why or why not? 2. Relate the motivational theories of Maslow’s and Herzberg’s and choose the best

motivating factors for Mukesh in this case.

Assignment –III

Case Study: Changing Mitsubishi (Compulsory) 20 M

Mitsubishi Motor’s Corporation president, Katsunhiko Kawasoe, was the bearer of bad news. In the fiscal year 1997, his company had lost more than $800 million. Mitsubishi, the fourth largest automaker in Japan, was suffering from weak truck and bus markets at home. Additionally, the company had been slow to take on the Toyota and Honda in the hot minivan and sport-utility sectors.

Closer analysis suggests that problems involve a lot more than its product line. The major problem lies in the roots of the larger system of which it is part. Mitsubishi Corporation, the super-conglomerate, owns Mitsubishi Motors, Banks of Tokyo (the world’s largest bank), Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, and dozens of other businesses. The group’s annual revenues of $370 billion equaled 10 percent of Japan’s gross domestic product.

Much of the Mitsubishi Empire is isolated in many ways from the real world of competition. Mitsubishi companies do things the way they’ve been doing them for more than a century. Long and close relationships with customers and suppliers preclude dropping loss making product lines. Executives, for the most part pay little attention to the market, and the organization’s culture focuses on the past. New recruits, for example, are told about the company’s special place in history and duty to country. When a reporter asked a senior Mitsubishi executive why his company didn’t follow such U.S management practices as downsizing the executive sternly replied, “Employment is more than profits! We are not concerned with return on equity. If

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foreign investors don’t see merit on our stock they can sell it.” Mitsubishi executives believe that it would be un-Japanese to fire anyone or close plants. And these same executives seem to lack incentives to respond to the sort of market pressures that might make their counterparts in North America or Europe change.

Questions:

1. What effect is the century-old organizational culture at M having on the company? 2. What role do you believe the crisis of losing nearly a billion dollars annually will have on

fostering change at Mitsubishi?

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Research methodology for Management

Assignment-1

Section-A

Answer any three questions (not exceeding one page): 3*5=15

1. Null and Alternate Hypotheses

2. Exploratory research

3. Type-I and Type-II errors

4. One and Two tail test

5. Discuss briefly about SPSS package

Section-B

Answer any five Questions (not exceeding three pages): 5*9=45

1. Define research design, classify various research designs and compare them.

2. Describe the primary and secondary methods of data collection. Give example of each with

relative merits and demerits.

3. Describe the different methods of scale Construction, pointing out the merits and demerits of

each.

4. Elaborate on the various Techniques of probability sampling.

5. In trying to evaluate the effectiveness of advertisement Campaign a firm compiled the following

information

YEAR 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012

ADV.EXP

(RS.in’000)

12

15

17

23

25

34

40

SALES

(RS.in Lakhs)

5.0

5.6

5.8

7.0

7.2

8.8

9.2

6. The number of Laboratory tests (in’00) Conducted and the revenue (Rs.’000) generated in 8

units of a corporate Hospital are as given below. Find Karl Pearson’s coefficient and comment.

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No. of

test

75 60 55 80 52 68 49 82

Revenue 230 164 157 255 300 435 180 690

7. Explain the use of multiple regression analysis in business research

8. What is factor analysis? In what context factor analysis is used in business research. Discuss

9. What is cluster analysis? Explain its importance in research.

10. Discuss in detail the steps that a research needs to follow to formulate a good research report.

Assignment-2

Case study: 20 Marks

A marketing manager wants an attractive packaging for a brand of toothpaste. The research advisor is suggesting a research using an experimental research design the marketing manger wonders whether a research is required for this, and if so, is an experimental research design suitable for this purpose.

How would you advise the marketing manager?

Assignment-3

Case Study 20 marks

A leading oil company claims that its engine oil improves the efficiency. To check this claim, the

company’s Brand ‘A’ is compared with three other brands B, C and D. The data consists of kilometers per

gallon consumption across different types of roads. Analyse the data and test

1. IS there any difference between types of roads in consumption?

2. Is there any difference between brands in consumption?

Brands

Road Type

I II III IV

A 36 25 19 29

B 34 24 20 26

C 33 25 18 28

D 35 23 18 27

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Management Information System

Assignment-1

Section-A

Answer any three questions (not exceeding one page): 3*5=15

6. Advantages of cloud Computing

7. Characteristics of GDSS

8. Executive support system

9. Concepts of information

10. Characteristics of a system

Section-B

Answer any five Questions (not exceeding three pages): 5*9=45

1. Write about the principles of Information resource management & explain how to manage

information as a strategic Asset?

2. Explain the components of information system?

3. Discuss the classification of Application Software & System software?

4. Explain OSI model of computer Network?

5. Write about the Components of SQL?

6. Explain Socio Legal aspects of Computerization?

7. Write the steps in IT Audit Procedure?

8. Explain the process of security Management for MIS?

9. Explain Different Types of Viruses & enumerate the solutions to avoid virus?

10. Explain system development Life cycle?

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Assignment-2

Case study:

Even great ideas have their limits. Following the debut of Enron Corp.’s web-

based power and gas trading platform, revenue at the Houston-based energy company

jumped from $40.1 billion in 1999 to $100.8billion the following year. But after

striking gold by combining its energy industry experience with a world-class trading

system, Enron (www.enron.com)kept digging into new markets convinced that its IT

infrastructure had the Midas touch. In 2000, Enron suffered a $60 million loss in its

broadband business. It struggled in more than a dozen unfamiliar industries and

crashed within a year.

Questionable partnerships, overaggressive investments, and shady accounting

practices top a long list of factors in Enron’s downfall. But as they look for lessons

from history’s biggest bankruptcy, executives in all industries are questioning whether

they, like Enron, spent so much time turning IT into a profit center that they lost sight

of their organizations’ core missions.

Is it time to go back to the days when IT supported the business rather than

became the business? “I think Enron’s bankruptcy is going to have a very sobering

effect on boardrooms across the country,” said Dick Hudson, former CIO of Houston-

based oil drilling company Global Marine Inc. and now president of Hudson &

Associates, an executive IT consulting firm in Katy, Texas. “You can almost see a

bunker mentality taking hold in the senior suites.” Hudson said he has heard from

CEOs who have been reviewing their risky IT ventures, such as application service

provider spin-offs or extraneous e-commerce services, to make sure they don’t have

any investments that will blow up in their face. If they find any such ventures, he

added, “They will probably retrench. It’s a bottomless pit”.

Charlie Lace field, who retired from his position as CIO at Midland, Michigan-

based Dow Corning Corp. three years ago, warned that although IT innovation is

critical for companies to thrive in a global economy, those that stray too far from their

core business strategies could see their plans backfire on them, as it did with Enron.

“If IT is not the core competency of the organization, then why throw away the core

business competency in favor of IT?” asked Lace field, who now lives in North

Carolina. “Why would you want to do that wish so many IT companies out there… that

already have a running start on you?”

Hudson said he thinks Enron started with a good business strategy and that if

it hadn’t pushed the envelope, it could well have been a successful Fortune 1,000 firm.

But its sights were set on the Fortune 10, so it got into markets such as broadband,

which is a tough nut to crack even for the industry’s leaders, he added. “Those good

old boys in Houston, they had to walk with the big dogs,” said Hudson. “They are a

textbook case of greed and mismanagement.” Enron officials couldn’t be reached for

comment.

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“What the 90s showed us was how much IT can do,” said Charlie Field, CEO of

Irving, Texas-based IT management firms the Field Group. “I think the next decade is

going to be about businesses finding ways to harness all that creativity and use it,

rather than chasing it because it’s there.” As a CIO for hire at companies like Delta Air

Lines Inc.in Atlanta and Frito-Lay Inc.in Plano Texas, Field’s jobs have often been

about simplifying IT infrastructures that grew complex because companies chased so

many new opportunities that they lost focus. “Companies fall in love with different

technologies or business plans, and suddenly they find their infrastructure’s been

built in stovepipes,” said Field. “IT should make life simpler.”

Companies’ poured cash into customer relationship management, enterprise

resource planning, and web-based systems during the 1990s, said Lace field, and

many are now realizing that they never saw returns from them. At the time, he said,

“it was nothing to talk about tens of millions of dollars of expense. “ The problem, said

Bill Schiano, an e-commerce professor at Bentley College in Waltham, Massachusetts,

is that companies were developing e-commerce IT strategies. “What they really needed

was… a business strategy with e-commerce at its center,” he said.

Another mistake companies made was pursuing complex business- to-business

processes when they couldn’t even integrate their internal data, added Mark Evans,

CIO at Tesoro Petroleum Corp. in San Antaonio. Industrial-strength application

integration tools that unlock legacy data and break down traditional IT silos are only

now hitting the market, he said.” Truth is, you can save more money improving

internal processes than you can with any B2B project,” Evans said.

Companies are done with the pipe dream prospectuses of the 1990s, and

they’re back to the fundamentals: using IT to deliver ever –increasing quality to

customers at ever lower costs, said Jim Prevno, CIO at Waterbury, Vermont - based

Green Mountain Coffee Inc. “I think the whole world went nuts,” he said.” But

somehow, the truth has a way of winning in the end”.

Case Study Questions

1. Did mistakes in the use or management of IT play a part in the failure of

Enron? Why or why not?

2. What are several major lessons for the future use of information technology in

business that you gained from this case?

3. How would you apply one of these lessons in your present job situation or

future business career? Give a specific example to illustrate your proposal

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Assignment-3

Case Study

Our case study is based on El-Alamein Co. of Middle East (Egypt) which has founded in1921. El-Alamein

is a company which relies on Printing & packaging industry. Its Head-Quarters located in Alexandria, it

occupies an area of 40,000 square meters & employs more than 700 employees. It has obtained

international quality certificates including: ISO 9001; ISO 14001; ISO OHSAS 18001 & BRC/IOP. El-

Alamein is the approved supplier to the biggest international companies in the fast food industry. The

company produces paper cups, ice-cream packages, eight-cornered carrion boxes, potatoes boxes,

wrapping paper for fast food, multi-layered paper bags, etc. The co. decided to go digital from July 2006

& company establish several infrastructural components such as computer network, a backup system

&security policy. It has established its own informative web site & linked to Enterprise Resource

Planning (ERP) & Oracle E-Business Suite was chosen as the best ERP to meet the company’s

requirements.

Relationship with Management Information System (MIS) concept

El – Alamein is practicing the modern methods of MIS.

1. In current situation MIS thought us how to manage information with computer and online or IT. To cope with global E- Business El – Alamein has formed totally online and computer based information system which is making them faster in competitive world.

2. MIS is all about networking, servers, reliable information infrastructure, storage of information, enhancing informative communication etc. The required organization is performing all this activities as per the structure of MIS.

3. MIS indicates the strategic way to run the business such as El- Alamein is doing. They do take their orders through online by which they gain a lion’s share of packaging business around the world.

4. MIS develop a relationship with hardware and software through specialists such as programmers, system analysts, project leaders, and information system managers etc who play a vital role to achieve success so as to El Alamein does.

5. El Alamein is too much successful because they are performing the technical approach suggested by MIS.

6. El Alamein reduced investment risk, strengthened process integration, improved productivity and enhanced the efficiency using MIS concept

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Case Questions

1. What systems are described here? What valuable information do they provide?

2. What are the risks facing El-Alamein in implementing the ERP system? How do you evaluate the actions taken from their side to mitigate those risk factors?

3. What value did the IT/IS investments add to El-Alamein?

MIS in Action-

Do you think that Teradata could be beneficial to El-Alamein?

4. .If El- Alamein decided to implement data warehousing, will Tera data be sufficient for them or will they require other software?

5. What do you think of the integration between ERP and Data warehousing in terms of the benefit it can deliver to El- Alamein?

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Managerial Economics

Assignment-1

Section-A

Answer any three questions (not exceeding one page): 3*5=15

1. Elasticity of Demand

2. Cobb-Douglas Production function

3. Oligopoly

4. Break even analysis

5. Inflation

Section-B

Answer any three questions (not exceeding one page): 5*9=45

1. Briefly Explain the methods of forecasting demand of established product and new

product.

2. What is the theory of marginal utility.Explain in detailed

3. What is law of diminishing return? Why is it called the law of variable proportions?

4. Enumerate different approaches for estimating cost of production

5. Compare and contrast the two market structures. Perfect competition and monopoly

6. Discuss in detail the approaches to princing

7. What is the main emphasis of the economic theory of a firm? Explain

8. What are the objectives of profit and Comment on the concept of profit maximization Vs

wealth maximization

9. Define business cycle. Explain different theories of business cycles.

10. Write the causes of inflation? What measures are needed to control inflation?

Assignment-2

Case study: 20M

Resolving China's Power Shortage: 1.

Shanghai is China's fmancial and business hub. In late July 2004, with daytime temperatures

reaching 37 degrees Celsius, the city's electricity consumption surged to a weekly record of 14.35

mill ion kilowatt hours. The city authorities resorted to asking 2,100 business to operate at night, and a

further 3,000 others to adjust operating hours. Eve high-profile multinational companies were not

spared. General Motors aad Volkswagen were 'ordered to suspend production for more than a week

each. Shanghai Volkswagen spokesman Lu Jun explained, "it's a rule. We have to cut power for 10 days.

We've cut power and so have had to stop production. Its all over Shanghai". 1 The Shanghai episode

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mirrored a nationwide shortage of electric power. In Beijing, on July 22, 2004, the Municipal Power

Supply Bureau imposed the capital's first brownout of the year, disrupting supply to suburban areas for

47 minutes in the afternoon. The Chinese government has certainly been working tirelessly to resolve

the power crisis. Thermal coal is the principal fuel used to generate electric power in China.

In July, Premier Wen Jiabao exhorted. "Railway department should do their utmost for the

transport of coal for electricity generation". 2 The Ministry of Railways increased train speed and

freight loads, and allocated 90% of freight capacity to transport key materials. In the fi rst half of

2004, Chinese railways shipped 480 million tons of coal, up 12.2% over the same period last year.

The Ministry of Communications has also pitched in. It diverted ships from overseas routes to domestic

coal transport and approved emergency coal transportation ,on various roads and waterways. China is the

world's second-biggest coal exporter. In 2003, China exported 93 Mill ion tons of coal, including 80.8

million tons of thermal coal. To assure supplies to the electric power Industry, the Chinese government

has limited coal exports to 80 million tons in 2004. China Coal Import & Export Vice President Zhou

Dongzhou predicted that exports of thermal coal would fall to 70 million tons. Since the 1960s, the

Chinese government has regulated the supply of thermal coal to electric power plants. It requires coal

mines to supply power plants with about one-quarter of coal purchases at a contract price. The

government regulates the supply of coal to support its regulation of the electricity industry. In the late

1990s, the Chinese government dissolved the Ministry of Electric Power, and divided its functions

between the State Electricity Regulatory Commission (SERC) and the State Power Corporation of China.

The State Power Corporation owns five of the six transmis- sion grids (Northwest, North, Northeast,

Central, and East) and about half of the national generating capacity. Regulation is necessary to ensure

that the State Power Corporation does not abuse its monopoly power. The SERC regulates all aspects of

the electricity industry, except pricing. With regard to electricity pricing, the SERC's role is to advise the

National Development Reform Com- mission (NDRC). To ensure that electric power generation is

economicall y viable, mines are re- quired to sell coal cheaply to power plants. Typically, the government

sets the contract price below the spot market price. For instance, between 2003-04, while the spot market

price of thermal coal rose by 25%, the contract price rose by only 10%. Many mines have ignored their

contracts with power plants and sold coal on the spot market to earn higher profits. Some power plants cut

back production, so exacerbating the national power shortage. Some estimate that the nationwide power

shortage will soon reach 30 million kilowatts, which is more than double Shanghai's peak consump- tion.

With China headed for a power crisis, the government is under pressure to increase electricity prices. In

June 2004, following persistent rises in the cost offuel, the NDRC increased electricity prices by an

average of2.2 fen per kilowatthour in the East, North, Central, and South grids. But, apparently, this

increase has not been sufficient. The threat of a power crisis continues.

Questions:

(a) Explain how the impact ofa price increase on electricity consumption depends on the price elasticity of demand.

(b) The price elasticity of the Indian demand for electricity has been estimated to be -0.65 among residential users and -0.45 among industrial users. If these elasticities apply to China aswell, how will the impact of a price increase be spread between residential as compared with industrial users?

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Assignment-3

Case study: 20M

Gayatri Fertiliser Limited - Salesman's Dilemma

Employed in Gayatri Fertilisers Company, Krishna is the Sales Officer-in-Charge of its Product

Distribution Depot at Dharmapuri. The Regional Manager of Gayatri Fertilisers Co. is Mr. Venu, who is

the immediate boss in whom Krishna has full faith and devoted loyalty.

" . MIS Hussein & Sons is in the speculation business and are also a wholesale dealer offertilizers

in Dharmapuri area Also, they have long standing business dealings with Gayatri F ertiliser Co., receiving

regular supplies at Dharmapuri Depot. In early September 1997 two wagons loads of urea arrived at

Dharmapuri station and Krishna had no storage facilities to stock the goods. He therefore contacted. MIS

Hussein and Sons to clear the wagons costing Rs. 68,0001- but they expressed helplessness due to

shortage of money for cash payment but were prepared to lift the material, if the payment was deferred till

Oct. '97. Only the Regional Manager at Coimbatore had the powers to allow such a deal. Therefore,

Krishna attempted to contract Venu whose phone was found out of order, the reason was threatening

rains.

In view of the circumstances, Krishna issued wagons on credit to Mis Hussein & Sons who

went completely bankrupt in February 1998. An enquiry into the non-payment was made by Marketing

Manager, Madras and as a result Krishna has been suspended and is threatened dismissal by the

Marketing Manager for incurring heavy loss to the company.

Questions for discussion

1. Was justice done to Krishna? If not , why?

2. If you were the marketing manager, what would you do?

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Marketing management

Assignment-1

Section-A

Answer any three questions (not exceeding one page): 3*5=15

1. Define customer relationship management?

2. Explain guerilla marketing & telemarketing?

3. What is Labeling ? Explain different labeling techniques?

4. Define Advertisement management?

5. Define social marketing?

Section-B

Answer any Five questions (not exceeding Three page): 5*9=45

1. What is marketing? Explain the nature and scope of marketing?

2. Define Emerging Concepts of Marketing?

3. What is market research? Explain the nature and scope of market research?

4. How are markets segmented? Explain the criteria for effective segmentation?

5. Define factors influencing product mix and strategies for product mix?

6. Explain about pricing methods and different strategies of pricing?

7. Define marketing Communication process? Explain the methods of effective

communication?

8. What is personal selling? Explain the objectives of personal selling?

9. Define sales promotion and its objectives & determine the tools of sales promotion?

10. What are the functions of a channel? Explain the various levels of Marketing channels

and their importance?

Assignment-2

Case study: Sales India Limited 20 M

A young scientist has approached Sales India Ltd., with a prototype of a solar cooking oven and sought the company's assistance in marketing the product. The company has to make a decision whether to take up the product in the first place and secondly, how to organise the efforts for its successful introduction in the Indian market.

Sales India Ltd, is a marketing organisation specializing in domestic appiiances. The company has agencies of several manufacturers and has its sales offices in all major cities in India. The company is an example of marketing success and several manufacturers prefer to exhibit, demonstrate and market their products through the impressive sales off ices of Sales India. Even though doing an agency business, Sales India has acquired its own image and standing in the market. The company is, therefore,

25

very choosey in selecting new products for selling though its own outlets.

Solar cooking oven has been a subject of very long research and discussions, especially in India. This idea using the free and abundantly available solar energy has always had a special attraction in everyone's mind. India has a special advantage of having bright and sunny days in at least eight months of the year in most parts of the country. Efforts to develop an actual prototype has, however, met with only a limited success. Development of an efficient, compact and still commercially feasible solar reflector has been the crux of the problem. Parabolic reflectors which had good effi ciency are invariably very costly. On the other hand, plane reflectors are not so efficient in concentrating the solar energy.

The young scientist has now claimed that he has developed a process of manufacturing cheap parabo ic reflector and it could heat the water to a boil ing point within half an hour. Sales India has actually tested the prototype and found it satisfactory. The oven has a capacity of 3 to 5 litres and can cook any kind of food. The arrangement of the cooking vessel is, however, a little clumsy and hence operations like stirring etc. are difficult. It is also necessary to change the angie of the reflector as the sun rises in the sky. The totai space occupied by the apparatus is 5 feet cube. The oven would take more time to reach boiling point of water with intermittent clouds. It would, however, not reach 1000e if the sky is clouded continuously through thinly.

The product testing laboratory of Sales India has remarked: "The product would be idea! for boil ing water or cooking foods that need no attention during cooking. The sales price of the oven would be Rs.4,OOO and if used for 4 hrs. a day, it could effect a saving of Rs.600 worth of fuel every year. At best, it could be a partial substitute of other cooking equipments".

The company now wonders how it should go about marketing this product. Would it be better to start in a city where people would be receptive to such new idea or on the rural side where there would be no problem of open space to use the apparatus. Promotion of the product is another problem to be considered. Unless all these points were decided upon, the company is not in a position co g:l;e a dear acceptance to the young scientist.

1. What would be your decision in respect of accepting this product for marketing through sales India Ltd.?

2.Design a detailed plan for introducing this product in the Indian market.

Assignment-3 Case Study: Bharah Electricals 20 M

Bharah Electricals is a manufacturer of electrical metors. Originall y Bharath was engaged almost exclusively in the production and sale of small motors manufactured to customer specifications. These motors were used by markers of appliances, hand tools and toys. This market was stable but very competitive as the original equipment manufacturers compared tenders periodicaliy . Bharath then decided to enter the market of precision machinery.

The precision machinery market was specialised and catered to variety or customers such as aircraft manufactu-rers, control systems for defence products, manufacturers of high speed printers and space equipment. Products used in these applications require extremely high quality and accuracy. Government contracts require special configuration and designs to meet required specifications. This market represented 20% of the Corporation's revenues and approxi-mately 30 per cent contribution to profits. Due to high reliability requirements prices were not major criteria in selection of sources.

26

Sales and Distribution

Bharath has approximately 1,000 active customers. In the last year sales, the fifty largest customers accounted 'ror 40 per cent of net sales. Bharath's customers included industrial clients, Government Departments, Aerospace companies and Precision machinery manufacturers. Largest customers accounted for five per cent of net sales. Sales to original equipment manufacturers were made through five regional sales managers who were supported by 15 sales engineers. High precision motor sales were primarily made by advanced engineering department which was responsible for preparation of proposals and quotations.

Advert ising:

For the last five years, Bharath spent Rs.20,00,000 to Rs.40,50,000 on advertising. Twenty per cent of the advertising expenses were made on corporate image advertising in VClriOUS trade journals. Rest of the advertising was carried on television, radio and magazines and was aimed at the consumers at large. The strategy was to make consumers aware of the Bharath products used in their day-to-dayappliances and tools. Bharath had four major competitors in India and several foreign manufacturers were getting active in the small electrical motor market.

Three months ago, Bharath's management went through a. major reorganization. A new president was appointed to direct the operations of the company. He reviewed the busi-ness expenses and questioned the advertising expenses directed at consumers. He said that Bharath manufactured industrial products which lost its identity in the products made by other corporations. Sincetheultimate customer never asso-ciated Bharath motors specifically with any brand names, the consumeradvertising was a total waste. He gave orders to eliminate all of the consumer-oriented advertising.

Questions: 1. Is it important to create demand for Bharath's products with advertising directed at the ultimate

consumer?

2. How should Bharath structure its advertising for its products?

3. What media would you recommend to reach new customers?

4. How much Should bharath spend on corporate image and advertising