IIBM MBA FIRST SEMESTER QUESTION AND ANSWER
IIBM MBA FIRST SEMESTER QUESTION AND ANSWER PROVIDED

Examination Paper of Business Communication
IIBM Institute of Business Management
• This section consists of multiple choices and Short Notes type questions.
• Answer all the questions.
• Part one questions carry 1 mark each & Part two questions carry 5 marks each.
IIBM Institute of Business Management
Subject Code-B109
Examination Paper Business Communication
MM.100
Section A: Objective Type & Short Questions (30 marks)
Part one:
Multiple choice:
I.The most important goal of business communication is_________. (1)
a) favorable relationship between sender and receiver
b) organizational goodwill
c) receiver response
d) receiver understanding
II. Down ward communication flows from_________ to_________. (1)
e) Upper to lower
f) Lower to upper
g) Horizontal
h) Diagonal
III. Horizontal communication takes place
between_________. (1)
a. superior to subordinate
b. subordinate to superior
c. employees with same status
d. none of these
IV. The study of communication through touch is_________. (1)
a. chronemics
b. haptics
c. proxemics
d. semantic
V._____________ channel of communication is known as grapevine (1)
a. Formal
b. Informal
c. Horizontal
d. Vertical
VI. The following is (are) the most effective ways of communication. (1) a. Verbal b. Non verbal c. Written d. All of the above
Examination Paper of Business Communication
IIBM Institute of Business Management
END OF SECTION A
• This section consists of Caselets.
• Answer all the questions.
• Each Caselet carries 20marks.
• Detailed information should form the part of your answer (Word limit 150 to 200 words).
VII. The handshake that conveys confidence is (1)
a. Limp
b. Firm
c. Loose
d. Double
VIII. ________ of the letter consists of main message. (1)
a. Heading
b. Body
c. Greeting
d. Closing
IX. Body of a letter is divided into ________
parts. (1)
a. 1
b. 2
c. 3
d. 4
X. X. A persuasive message will fail if_____ (1)
a. it does not focus on what is in it for the reader
b. it only lists facts
c. it moves too slowly
d. all of the above
Part Two:
1. Brief Grapevine communication? (5)
2. List the 7 C’s of Communication? (5)
3. Describe the various barriers of communication? (5)
4. Write the negotiation process. (5)
Section B: Caselets (40 marks)
Caselet 1
Barry and Communication Barriers Effective Communication as a Motivator One common complaint employees voice about supervisors is inconsistent messages – meaning one supervisor tells them one thing and another tells them something different. Imagine you are the supervisor/manager for each of the employees described below. As you read their case, give
Examination Paper of Business Communication
IIBM Institute of Business Management
consideration to how you might help communicate with the employee to remedy the conflict. Answer the critical thinking questions at the end of the case then compare your answers to the Notes to Supplement Answers section. Barry is a 27-year old who is a foodservice manager at a casual dining restaurant. Barry is responsible for supervising and managing all employees in the back of the house. Employees working in the back of the house range in age from 16 years old to 55 years old. In addition, the employees come from diverse cultural and ethnic backgrounds. For many, English is not their primary language. Barry is Serv Safe® certified and tries his best to keep up with food safety issues in the kitchen but he admits it’s not easy. Employees receive “on the job training” about food safety basics (for example, appropriate hygiene and hand washing, time/temperature, and cleaning and sanitizing). But with high turnover of employees, training is often rushed and some new employees are put right into the job without training if it is a busy day. Eventually, most employees get some kind of food safety training. The owners of the restaurant are supportive of Barry in his food safety efforts because they know if a food safety outbreak were ever linked to their restaurant; it would likely put them out of business. Still, the owners note there are additional costs for training and making sure food is handled safely. One day Barry comes to work and is rather upset even before he steps into the restaurant. Things haven’t been going well at home and he was lucky to rummage through some of the dirty laundry and find a relatively clean outfit to wear for work. He admits he needs a haircut and a good hand scrubbing, especially after working on his car last evening. When he walks into the kitchen he notices several trays of uncooked meat sitting out in the kitchen area. It appears these have been sitting at room temperature for quite some time. Barry is frustrated and doesn’t know what to do. He feels like he is beating his head against a brick wall when it comes to getting employees to practice food safety. Barry has taken many efforts to get employees to be safe in how they handle food. He has huge signs posted all over the kitchen with these words: KEEP HOT FOOD HOT AND COLD FOOD COLD and WASH YOUR HANDS ALWAYS AND OFTEN. All employees are given a thermometer when they start so that they can temp food. Hand sinks, soap, and paper towels are available for employees so that they are encouraged to wash their hands frequently.
Questions
1. What are the communication challenges and barriers Barry faces? (10)
2. What solutions might Barry consider in addressing each of these challenges and barriers? (10)
Caselet 2
Mr. Dutta, newly appointed president of century Airlines, knew the company’s survival depended on customer service, which in turn depended on motivated employees. So he created the Century Spirit program to build team spirit by encouraging employee participation, individual initiative, and open communication. Among the program’s early successes was newspaper started by a group of flight attendants. The plane truth published information about benefits and work conditions as well as feature stories and humorous articles. It quickly became popular not only with flight attendant but with pilot, machinists, and baggage handlers.
As time went on, though, the plane truth began to run articles critical of the company. When management cut back worker’s hours, the, newspaper questioned what sacrifices the executive were making. When the technical services department releases figures showing long turnaround times, the paper questioned the machinist’s work ethic. Worried that customer might see the newspaper; Mr. Dutta wanted to cancel it. The president of the flight attendants union also wanted to see it was stirring up trouble with the machinists.
Examination Paper of Business Communication
IIBM Institute of Business Management
• This section consists of Applied Theory Questions.
• Answer all the questions.
• Each question carries 15marks.
• Detailed information should form the part of your answer (Word limit 200 to 250 words).
END OF SECTION C
Ms. Rachel, Century’s human resource director, was asked to stop the publication. But she hesitated. She knew the employee morale was on the brink, but she did not know whether the newspaper was venting worker’s frustrations and reinforcing team spirit or stirring up old animosities and bringing the whole company down. Was it creating more tension than unity or vice-versa?
Questions
1. What Communication issues are involved at Century Airlines? (10)
2. What Communication Channels are being Utilized (10)
Section C: Applied Theory (30 marks)
1. Explain the various non verbal communications with an example in business
Scenario? (15)
2. Delineate the types of parts of business report writing? (15)
S-2-010619

Examination Paper of Strategic Management
IIBM Institute of Business Management
IIBM Institute of Business Management
SubjectCode-B108 Examination Paper
Strategic Management
MM.100
Section A: Objective Type & Short Questions (30 marks)
Part one:
Multiple choice:
I. Horizontal integration is concerned with
(1)
a) Production
b) Quality
c) Product planning
d) All of the above
II. It refers to formal and informal rules, regulations and procedures that complement the company structure (1)
a) Strategy
b) Systems
c) Environment
d) All of the above
III. Strategic management is mainly the responsibility of (1)
a. Lower management
b. Middle management
c. Top management
d. All of the above
IV. Formal systems are adopted to bring ________ & amalgamation of decentralized units into product groups.
(1)
a. Manpower
b. Co-ordination
c. Production
d. All of the above
 This section consists of multiple choices and Short Notes type questions.
 Answer all the questions.
 Part one questions carry 1 mark each & Part two questions carry 5 marks each.
Examination Paper of Strategic Management
IIBM Institute of Business Management
IV.Like roots of a tree, ________of organization is hidden from direct view. (1)
a. Performance
b. Strategy
c. Core competence
d. All of the above
V. The actual performance deviates positively over the budgeted performance. This is an indication of ……….. Performance. (1) a. Superior b. Inferior c. Constant d. Any of the above
VI. Criteria for making an evaluation is (are)
(1)
a. Consistency with goals
b. Consistency with environment
c. Money
d. All of the above
VII. Changes in company ………. also necessitates changes in the systems in various degrees (1)
a. structure
b. system
c. strategy
d. turnover
VIII. Micro environment is the ………. environment of a company. (1)
a. Working
b. Human
c. External
d. Internal
X Techniques used in environmental appraisal are (1)
a.Single-variable
extrapolation/multivariable
interaction analysis
b.Structured/ unstructured
expert/inexpert opinion
c.Dynamic modes and mapping
d.All of the above
Part Two:
1. Distinguish between a strategy and tactics. (5)
2. Give an outline of relation between ‘Strategy and Customer’ in brief? (5)
3. Explain in brief the concept of strategic thinking? (5)
4. What are the basic elements of planning? (5)
Section B: Caselets (40 marks)
END OF SECTION A
 This section consists of Caselets.
 Answer all the questions.
 Each Caselet carries 20marks.
 Detailed information should form the part of your answer (Word limit 150 to 200 words).
IIBM Institute of Business Management
Examination Paper of Strategic Management
Caselet 1
Apple’s profitable but risky strategy
When Apple’s Chief Executive – Steven Jobs – launched the Apple iPod in 2001 and the iPhone in 2007, he made a significant shift in the company’s strategy from the relatively safe market of innovative, premium-priced computers into the highly competitive markets of consumer electronics. This case explores this profitable but risky strategy.
Early beginnings
To understand any company’s strategy, it is helpful to begin by looking back at its roots. Founded in 1976, Apple built its early reputation on innovative personal computers that were particularly easy for customers to use and as a result was priced higher than those of competitors. The inspiration for this strategy came from a visit by the founders of the company – Steven Jobs and Steven Wozniack – to the Palo Alto research laboratories of the Xerox Company in 1979. They observed that Xerox had developed an early version of a computer interface screen with the drop-down menus that are widely used today on all personal computers. Most computers in the late 1970s still used complicated technical interfaces for even simple tasks like typing – still called ‘word-processing’ at the time.
Jobs and Wozniack took the concept back to Apple and developed their own computer – the Apple Macintosh (Mac) – that used this consumer-friendly interface. The Macintosh was launched in 1984. However, Apple did not sell to, or share the software with, rival companies. Over the next few years, this non-co-operation strategy turned out to be a major weakness for Apple.
Battle with Microsoft
Although the Mac had some initial success, its software was threatened by the introduction of Windows 1.0 from the rival company Microsoft, whose chief executive was the well-known Bill Gates. Microsoft’s strategy was to make this software widely available to other computer manufacturers for a license fee – quite unlike Apple. A legal dispute arose between Apple and Microsoft because Windows had many on-screen similarities to the Apple product. Eventually, Microsoft signed an agreement with Apple saying that it would not use Mac technology in Windows 1.0. Microsoft retained the right to develop its own interface software similar to the original Xerox concept.
Coupled with Microsoft’s willingness to distribute Windows freely to computer manufacturers, the legal agreement allowed Microsoft to develop alternative technology that had the same on-screen result. The result is history. By 1990, Microsoft had developed and distributed a version of Windows that would run on virtually all IBM-compatible personal computers – see Case 1.2. Apple’s strategy of keeping its software exclusive was a major strategic mistake. The company was determined to avoid the same error when it
IIBM Institute of Business Management
Examination Paper of Strategic Management
came to the launch of the iPod and, in a more subtle way, with the later introduction of the iPhone.
Apple’s innovative products
Unlike Microsoft with its focus on a software-only strategy, Apple remained a full-line computer manufacturer from that time, supplying both the hardware and the software. Apple continued to develop various innovative computers and related products. Early successes included the Mac2 and PowerBooks along with the world’s first desktop publishing program – PageMaker. This latter remains today the leading program of its kind. It is widely used around the world in publishing and fashion houses. It remains exclusive to Apple and means that the company has a specialist market where it has real competitive advantage and can charge higher prices.
Not all Apple’s new products were successful – the Newton personal digital assistant did not sell well. Apple’s high price policy for its products and difficulties in manufacturing also meant that innovative products like the iBook had trouble competing in the personal computer market place.
Apple’s move into consumer electronics
Around the year 2000, Apple identified a new strategic management opportunity to exploit the growing worldwide market in personal electronic devices – CD players, MP3 music players, digital cameras, etc. It would launch its own Apple versions of these products to add high-value, user-friendly software. Resulting products included iMovie for digital cameras and I DVD for DVD-players. But the product that really took off was the iPod – the personal music player that stored hundreds of CDs. And unlike the launch of its first personal computer, Apple sought industry co-operation rather than keeping the product to itself.
Launched in late 2001, the iPod was followed by the iTunes Music Store in 2003 in the USA and 2004 in Europe – the Music Store being a most important and innovatory development. iTune was essentially an agreement with the world’s five leading record companies to allow legal downloading of music tracks using the internet for 99 cents each. This was a major coup for Apple – it had persuaded the record companies to adopt a different approach to the problem of music piracy. At the time, this revolutionary agreement was unique to Apple and was due to the negotiating skills of Steve Jobs, the Apple Chief Executive, and his network of contacts in the industry. Apple’s new strategy was beginning to pay off. The iPod was the biggest single sales contributor in the Apple portfolio of products.
In 2007, Apple followed up the launch of the iPod with the iPhone, a mobile telephone that had the same user-friendly design characteristics as its music machine. To make the iPhone widely available and, at the same time, to keep control, Apple entered into an exclusive contract with only one national mobile telephone carrier in each major country – for example, AT&T in the USA and O2 in the UK. Its mobile phone was premium priced – for
IIBM Institute of Business Management
Examination Paper of Strategic Management
example, US$599 in North America. However, in order to hit its volume targets, Apple later reduced its phone prices, though they still remained at the high end of the market. This was consistent with Apple’s long-term, high-price, high-quality strategy. But the company was moving into the massive and still-expanding global mobile telephone market where competition had been fierce for many years.
And the leader in mobile telephones – Finland’s Nokia – was about to hit back at Apple, though with mixed results. But other companies, notably the Korean company Samsung and the Taiwanese company, HTC, were to have more success later.
So, why was the Apple strategy risky?
By 2007, Apple’s music player – the iPod – was the premium-priced, stylish market leader with around 60 per cent of world sales and the largest single contributor to Apple’s turnover. Its iTune download software had been re-developed to allow it to work with all Windows-compatible computers (about 90 percent of all PCs) and it had around 75 percent of the world music download market, the market being worth around US$1000 million per annum. Although this was only some 6 percent of the total recorded music market, it was growing fast. The rest of the market consisted of sales of CDs and DVDs direct from the leading recording companies.
In 2007, Apple’s mobile telephone – the iPhone – had only just been launched. The sales objective was to sell 10 million phones in the first year: this needed to be compared with the annual mobile sales of the global market leader, Nokia, of around 350 million handsets. However, Apple had achieved what some commentators regarded as a significant technical breakthrough: the touch screen. This made the iPhone different in that its screen was no longer limited by the fixed buttons and small screens that applied to competitive handsets. As readers will be aware, the iPhone went on to beat these earlier sales estimates and was followed by a new design, the iPhone 4 in 2010.
The world market leader responded by launching its own phones with touch screens. In addition, Nokia also launched a complete download music service. Referring to the new download service, Rob Wells, senior Vice President for digital music at Universal commented: ‘This is a giant leap toward where we believe the industry will end up in three or four years’ time, where the consumer will have access to the celestial jukebox through any number of devices.’ Equally, an industry commentator explained: ‘[For Nokia] it could be short-term pain for long-term gain. It will steal some of the thunder from the iPhone and tie users into the Nokia service.’ Readers will read this comment with some amazement given the subsequent history of Nokia’s smart phones that is described in Case 9.2.
‘Nokia is going to be an internet company. It is definitely a mobile company and it is making good progress to becoming an internet company as well,’ explained Olli PekkaKollasvuo, Chief Executive of Nokia. There also were hints from commentators that Nokia was likely to make a loss on its new download music service. But the company was determined to ensure that Apple was given real competition in this new and unpredictable market.
IIBM Institute of Business Management
Examination Paper of Strategic Management
Here lay the strategic risk for Apple. Apart from the classy, iconic styles of the iPod and the iPhone, there is nothing that rivals cannot match over time. By 2007, all the major consumer electronics companies – like Sony, Philips and Panasonic – and the mobile phone manufacturers – like Nokia, Samsung and Motorola – were catching up fast with new launches that were just as stylish, cheaper and with more capacity. In addition, Apple’s competitors were reaching agreements with the record companies to provide legal downloads of music from websites.
Apple’s competitive reaction
As a short term measure, Apple hit back by negotiating supply contracts for flash memory for its iPod that were cheaper than its rivals. Moreover, it launched a new model, the iPhone 4 that made further technology advances. Apple was still the market leader and was able to demonstrate major increases in sales and profits from the development of the iPod and iTunes. To follow up this development, Apple launched the Apple Tablet in 2010 – again an element of risk because no one really knew how well such a product would be received or what its function really was. The second generation Apple tablet was then launched in 2011 after the success of the initial model. But there was no denying that the first Apple tablet carried some initial risks for the company.
All during this period, Apple’s strategic difficulty was that other powerful companies had also recognized the importance of innovation and flexibility in the response to the new markets that Apple itself had developed. For example, Nokia itself was arguing that the markets for mobile telephones and recorded music would converge over the next five years. Nokia’s Chief Executive explained that much greater strategic flexibility was needed as a result: ‘Five or ten years ago, you would set your strategy and then start following it. That does not work anymore. Now you have to be alert every day, week and month to renew your strategy.’
If the Nokia view was correct, then the problem for Apple was that it could find its market-leading position in recorded music being overtaken by a more flexible rival – perhaps leading to a repeat of the Apple failure 20 years earlier to win against Microsoft. But at the time of updating this case, that looked unlikely. Apple had at last found the best, if risky, strategy.
Questions
1. using the concepts in this chapter undertake a competitive analysis of both Apple and Nokia – who is stronger? (10)
2. What are the problems with predicting how the market and the competition will change over the next few years? What are the implications for strategy development? (10)
IIBM Institute of Business Management
Examination Paper of Strategic Management
Caselet 2
Mr. Ashwin is the marketing manager of the cosmetics. division of the Medwin Drug Company. The company was well known as a leader in new proprietary drug and toiletry products and had a good record of profitability. The cosmetics division had been especially successful in women’s toiletries and .1/4.-o..,unctitk.:s and in the introduction of new products, It always based its new-product development on market research respect to what Would appeal to women and, after almost invariably test marketing a new product in a few almost invarariably test marketing a new product in selected cities, launched it with a heavy advertising and sales promotion program. It had hoped in this way not only to get a large initial share of the markets but also to become so well entrenched that competitors. who soon copy a successful product would not dislodge it from its market share.
After being cautioned by the president of Medwin Drug about the necessity for watching costs more carefully, the division manager became increasingly concerned with two opposing factors in his marketing strategy: ( 1) test marketing of new products (offering them for sale first in a few test cities with area advertising and sales programs) tended increasingly to give competitors advance information on new products, and certain competitors had been able to copy a product almost as soon as Medwin could offer it nationally and profited thereby from Medwin’s advertising; and (2) national advertising and sales promotion expenses were rising so fast that a single major product failure would have an important impact on division profits, on which his annual bonus was primarily determined. On the one hand, he recognized the wisdom of test marketing, but he disliked the costs and dangers involved. On the other hand, he hardly wished to take an unknown risk of embarking on a national program until a test showed that the product did in fact have a good market demand. Yet, he wondered whether all products should be test marketed.
Mr. Ashwin was asked to put this problem to his marketing department subordinates and ask them what should be done. To give the strategy some meaning, he used as a case at point the company’s new hair conditioner which had been developed on the basis of promising, although preliminary, market research. He asked his sales manager whether he thought the product would succeed and what he thought his “best estimate” of sales would be. He also asked his advertising manager to give some cost estimates on launching the product.
Mr. Kiran, division sales manager, thought a while, then said he was convinced that the product was a winner and that his best estimate would be sales of Rs. 5 crores per year for at least five years. Mr. Desai, the advertising manager, said that the company could launch the product for a cost of Rs. 1 crore the first year and some Rs. 25 lakhs per year thereafter. He also pointed out that the test-marketing program would cost Rs. 15 lakhs, of which half would be saved if these test cities were merely a part of a national program, and that the testing program would delay the national program for six months. But he warned Mr. Ashwin that test marketing would save the gamble of so much money on the national promotion program. At this point, Mr. Sachdev, the new marketing research manager, suggested that the group might come to a better decision if they used a proper decision-making technique.
Question:
1. Which decision-making technique can be used in this situation? Why? (20)
IIBM Institute of Business Management
Examination Paper of Strategic Management
Section C: Applied Theory (30 marks)
1. What are the main characteristics of strategic decisions? (15)
2. What specific entrepreneurial aspects include the strategy formation process? (15)
S-2-010619
 This section consists of Applied Theory Questions.
 Answer all the questions.
 Each question carries 15marks.
 Detailed information should form the part of your answer (Word limit 200 to 250 words).
END OF SECTION C
END OF SECTION B

Examination Paper of Production and Operations Management
IIBM Institute of Business Management
IIBM Institute of Business Management
Subject Code-B107 Examination Paper
Production and Operations Management
MM.100
Section A: Objective Type & Short Questions (30 marks)
Part one:
Multiple choice:
I.The purpose of the transportation approach for locational analysis is to minimize (1)
a) Total costs
b) Total shipping costs
c) Total variable costs
d) Total fixed costs
II. Which of the following would not generally be a motive for a firm to hold inventories? To (1)
e) Take advantage of quantity discounts
f) Minimize holding costs
g) Reduce stock out risks
h) Decouple production from distribution
III. Which of the following are assignable cause? (1)
a. Large variations in hardness of material
b. Tool wear
c. Errors in setting
d. All of the above
IV. Like roots of a tree, ________of organization is hidden from direct view.
(1)
a. Goodwill
b. Core competence
c. Higher management
d. Capital investment
 This section consists of multiple choices and Short Notes type questions.
 Answer all the questions.
 Part one questions carry 1 mark each & Part two questions carry 5 marks each.
Examination Paper of Production and Operations Management
IIBM Institute of Business Management
V.Inadequate production capacity ultimately leads to (1)
a. Poor quality
b. Poor Customer Service
c. Poor inventory control
d. All of the above
VI. Limitations of Traditional cost accounting are (1) a. Assumes factory as an isolated entity b. It measures only the cost of producing c. Both (A) and (B) d. None of the above
VII. Business is rated on which dimensions
(1)
a. Market attractiveness
b. Business strength
c. Both (A) and (B)
d. None of the above
VIII. How does ‘structure’ reduce external uncertainty arising out of human behavior (1)
a. Research and planning
b. Forecasting
c. Both (A) and (B)
d. None of the above
IX. Objective of Work Study is to improve _______ (1)
a. Cycle time
b. Productivity
c. Production
d. All of the above
X. Which of the following are activities of corrective maintenance? (1)
a. Overhauling
b. Emergency repairs
c. Modifications and improvements
d. All of the above
Part Two:
1. What are the dimensions of quality? (5)
2. What is Quality? (5)
3. What is Materials Planning? (5)
4. Need for Inventory Management – Why do Companies hold inventories? (5)
Section B: Caselets (40 marks)
END OF SECTION A
 This section consists of Caselets.
 Answer all the questions.
 Each Caselet carries 20marks.
 Detailed information should form the part of your answer (Word limit 150 to 200 words).
IIBM Institute of Business Management
Examination Paper of Production and Operations Management
Caselet 1
The pizza business did well and by 1965, Thomas was able to open two more stores in the town -Pizza King and Pizza from the Prop. Within a year, Varti opened a pizza store in a neighborhood town with the same name, DomiNick’s Pizza. Thomas decided to change the name of his first store, DomiNick’s Pizza, and one of his employees suggested the name Domino’s Pizza(Domino’s). The advantage of this name Thomas felt was that it would be listed after DomiNick in the directory. Domino’s philosophy rested on two principles – limited menu and delivering hot and fresh pizzas within half-an-hour. In 1967, it opened the first franchise store in Ypsilanti, and in 1968, a franchise store in Burlington, Vermont. However, the company ran into problems when its headquarters (the first store) and commissary were destroyed by fire. In the early 1970s, the company faced problems again when it was sued by Amstar, the parent company of Domino Sugar for trademark infringement. Thomas started looking for a new name and came up with Red Domino’s and Pizza’s Dispatch. However, there wasn’t any need for it because Domino’s won the lawsuit in 1980.In 1982, Domino’s Pizza established Domino’s Pizza International (DPI) that was made responsible for opening Domino’s stores internationally. The first store was opened in Winnipeg, Canada. Within a year, DPI spread to more than 50 countries and in 1983, it inaugurated its1000th store. Around the same time, new pizza chains like Pizza Hut and Little Caesar established themselves in the USA. Domino’s Pizza faced intense competition because it had not changed its menu of traditional hand-tossed pizza. The other pizza chains offered low-priced breadsticks, salads and other fast food apart from pizzas. Domino’s faced tough competition from Pizza Hut in the home delivery segment also. Little Caesar was eating into Domino’s market share with its innovative marketing strategies. By 1989, Domino’s sales had reduced significantly and cash flows were affected due to the acquisition of assets. In 1993, Thomas took measures to expand Domino’s product line, in an attempt to revive the company and tackle competition. The company introduced pan pizza and bread sticks in the USA. In late 1993, Domino’s introduced the Ultimate Deep Dish Pizza and Crunchy Thin Crust Pizza. In 1994, it rolled out another non-pizza dish – Buffalo wings. Though Domino’s did not experiment with its menu for many years, the company adopted innovative ways in managing a pizza store. Thomas gave about 90% of the franchisee agreements in the USA to people who had worked as drivers with Domino’s. The company gave ownership to qualified people, after they had successfully managed a pizza store for a year and had completed a training course. Domino’s also gave franchises to candidates recommended by existing franchisees. Outside the USA, most of Domino’s stores were franchise-owned. Domino’s was also credited for many innovations in the pizza industry and setting standards for other pizza companies. It has developed dough trays, corrugated pizza boxes, insulated bags for delivering pizzas, and conveyor ovens.
In 1993, Domino’s withdrew the guarantee of delivering pizzas within 30-minutes of order andstarted emphasizing on Total Satisfaction Guarantee (TSG) which read: “If for any reason, you are dissatisfied with your Domino’s Pizza dining experience, we will re-make your pizza or refund your money.” Domino’s entered India in 1996 through a franchise agreement with VamBhartia Corp in Delhi. With the overwhelming success of the first outlet, the company opened another outlet in Delhi. By 2000, Domino’s had outlets in all major cities in India. When
IIBM Institute of Business Management
Examination Paper of Production and Operations Management
Domino’s entered India, the concept of home delivery was still in its nascent stages. It existed only in some major cities and was restricted to delivery by the friendly neighborhood fast food outlets. Eating out at ‘branded’ restaurants was more common. To penetrate the Indian market, Domino’s introduced an integrated home delivery system from a network of company outlets within 30 minutes of the order. Goutham Advani (Advani), Chief of Marketing, Domino’s Pizza India, said, “What really worked its way into the Indian mind set was the promised 30-minute delivery.” Domino’s also offered compensation: Rs.30/- off the price tag if there was a delay in delivery. For the first 4 years in India, Domino’s concentrated on its ‘Delivery’ strategy.
Domino’s Logistics Model
Analysts felt that Domino’s took a cue from McDonald’s supply chain model. However, they opined that the level of complexity in McDonald’s system in India was not as high as that of Domino’s. Commented Bhatia ,”McDonald’s operations are not as spread out as ours. They are in four cities while we are in 16.Centralizing wouldn’t work on such a geographical scale”. The logistics model adopted by Domino’s offered some obvious benefits including lower transportation costs, cheaper procurement and economies of scale. Domino’s had already cut out the duplication in procurement and processing of raw materials across each of the three commissaries. The old model of self-contained commissaries had another disadvantage: adding new outlets did not translate into greater economies of scale. Bhatia planned to extend the model to other parts of the country as well. The commissary was to be located near the largest market in that region. Bhatia said, “Our roll-out began only after we mapped out our procurement strategy.” Based on the agricultural map of India, Domino’s looked McDonald’s had one of the best logistics models in India. To maintain consistency and quality of its products, McDonald’s shipped all the raw materials lettuce, patties et al to a cold storage close to the main market. Based on a daily demand schedule that was prepared a day in advance, the required amount of raw material was transported to individual outlets to get the best product at the lowest cost.
Thus, tomatoes would come from Bhubaneswar, spices from the south, baby corn from Nepal (where it’s 40% cheaper than in India) and vegetables from Sri Lanka. Similarly, Domino’s India planned to extend its operations to Nepal, Sri Lanka and Dhaka. The company planned to establish a commissary in Sri Lanka. Domino’s also identified specialty crops in each region. The commissary in that region was entrusted with the task of processing that specialty crop. For instance, the commissary for the eastern region in Kolkata was responsible for buying tomatoes, processing them and then sending them to all the other commissaries. Similarly, the northern commissary had to deliver pizza bases. This way, Domino’s minimized duplication as well as the dangers of perish ability. Once the new model was formalized, Bhatia planned to use Domino’s 25 refrigerated trucks to transport products for other companies on the same route. For instance, if an operator in Kochi(Kerala) needed to transport specialty cheese, he could use the Domino’s fleet to transport his products. Said Bhatia, “Not too many people have refrigerated trucks in the country. And we can offer them quality service because we will be giving them standards we use for ourselves.” Company sources said that enquiries from clients for such transport facilities had started coming in. Bhatia said he was in the process of selecting a person to head the logistics operation, which would be spun off as a separate profit centre. Bhatia seemed confident that the profit centre had the potential to bring in Rs 10 by 2006. However, he said the profit center would not be allowed to impede the growth of the pizza
IIBM Institute of Business Management
Examination Paper of Production and Operations Management
business, Domino’s core operation. Only those deliveries that did not delay or deroute the truck would be considered
Questions
1. Describe about the Article for Logistics and Operations Management Domino’s Pizza’s Process Technology (20)
Caselet 2
ABC Ltd. is the country’s largest manufacturer of spun yarn with well-established market. ABC Ltd. has good reputation for quality and service. Their marketing department identified that the potential for global market is expanding rapidly and hence the company undertook exercise for expansion of the capacity for export market. The company formed team of Marketing and Materials department to study the global logistics possibilities. After extensive study, the team came up with a report on global logistics and submitted that global logistics is essentially same as domestic due to following similarities: • The conceptual logistics framework of linking supply sources, plants, warehouses and customers is the same. • Both systems involve managing the movement and storage of products. • Information is critical to effective provision of customer service, management of inventory, vendor product and cost control. • The functional processes of inventory management, warehousing, order processing, carrier selection, procurement, and vendor payment are required for both. • Economic and safety regulations exist for transportation. The company had very economical and reliable transportation system in existence. For exports as well they decided to evaluate capabilities of their existing transporter and entrusted them with the job of transport till port. For customs formalities they engaged a good CHA after proper cost evaluation and entered into contract for freight with shipping company agent. The response for company’s export was very good and the company could get as many as 15 customers within first two months and reached to a level of USD 250,000 per month by the end of first half of the year. Based on this response the export volumes were expected to grow to a level of USD 400,000 per month by the end of the year. When the review was made at the end of the year, company found that export volumes had in fact come down to the level of USD 120,000 which was much lower than it had reached in the first half of the year. The managing committee had an emergency meeting to discuss this and the export manager was entrusted with the task of identifying the reasons for this decline. Mr. Ganesh decided to visit the customers for getting the first hand information. When he discussed the matter with the customers, the feedback on the quality and price were good but the customers were very upset on the logistic services due to delayed shipments, frequent changes in shipping schedules, improper documentation, improper identifications, package sizes, losses due to transit damages etc. After coming back, the export manager checked the dispatch schedules and found that production and ex-works schedules were all proper. Then he studied the logistics systems and found that the logistics cost was very high and all the logistics people were demotivated due to the overwork and were complaining of total lack of co-ordination and the system had become totally disorganized.
Questions
1. Explain the problems experienced by ABC Ltd. What is the main cause of these problems? (20)
END OF SECTION B
IIBM Institute of Business Management
Examination Paper of Production and Operations Management
Section C: Applied Theory (30 marks)
1. The Advantages & Disadvantages of Economic Order Quantity (EOQ)? (15)
2. Distinguish between just-in-time and just-in-case as stock management systems?(15)
S-2-010619
 This section consists of Applied Theory Questions.
 Answer all the questions.
 Each question carries 15marks.
 Detailed information should form the part of your answer (Word limit 200 to 250 words).
END OF SECTION C

Examination Paper of Management Information Systems
IIBM Institute of Business Management
IIBM Institute of Business Management
SubjectCode-B110
Examination Paper
Management Information Systems
MM.100
Section A: Objective Type & Short Questions (30 marks)
Part one:
Multiple choice:
I.A person machine-system and a highly integrated grouping of information-processing functions designed to provide management with a comprehensive picture of specific operation is called (1)
a) DSSB
b) MISC
c) IISD
II. Which one of the following is not an important characteristic of useful and effective information? (1)
a) Accuracy
b) Timelines
c) Completeness
d) Economy
d) All of the above
III. The most important reason for failure of MIS is (1)
a) Use of improper tools for design
b) Noninvolvement of end-user
c) Improper specification
d) None of the above
IV. Top level Managers use (1)
a) Strategic information
b) Tactical information
c) Operational information
d) None of these
V.System is an important factor of MIS. There are various types of systems. Which one of the following is not a system? (1)
a) Physical system
b) Integrated system
c) Open system
d) Open system
VI. Which one of the following is not an approach for development of MIS? (1) a) Hierarchical approach b) Integrative approach c) Modular approach d) Elective approach
 This section consists of multiple choices and Short Notes type questions.
 Answer all the questions.
 Part one questions carry 1 mark each & Part two questions carry 5 marks each.
Examination Paper of Management Information Systems
IIBM Institute of Business Management
VII. Management is linked to information by (1)
a. Decisions
b. Data
c. Both [A] And [B]
d. None Of The Above
VIII. Which pattern reflects a pure executive form of management?
(1)
a. Functional
b. Line
c. Line and Staff
d. Committee
IX. The term financial engineering is related to (1)
a) Cost of production
b) Financial restructuring
c) Product planning
d) Capital issue
X. The goal of financial management is to (1)
a) Maximize the wealth of preference share holders
b) Maximize the wealth of debenture holders
c) Maximize the wealth of equity share holders
d) All of the above
Part Two:
1. What is purpose of information system from a business perspective? (5)
2. What are Enterprise System? How do they benefit businesses? (5)
3. Differentiate DSS from MIS. (5)
4. What do you mean by Data visualizations? (5)
Section B: Caselets (40 marks)
END OF SECTION A
 This section consists of Caselets.
 Answer all the questions.
 Each Caselet carries 20marks.
 Detailed information should form the part of your answer (Word limit 150 to 200 words).
IIBM Institute of Business Management
Examination Paper of Management Information System
Caselet -1
A waiter takes an order at a table, and then enters it online via one of the six terminals located in the restaurant dining room. The order is routed to a printer in the appropriate preparation area: the cold item printer if it is a salad, the hot-item printer if it is a hot sandwich or the bar printer if it is a drink. A customer’s meal check-listing (bill) the items ordered and the respective prices are automatically generated. This ordering system eliminates the old three-carbon-copy guest check system as well as any problems caused by a waiter’s handwriting. When the kitchen runs out of a food item, the cooks send out an ‘out of stock’ message, which will be displayed on the dining room terminals when waiters try to order that item. This gives the waiters faster feedback, enabling them to give better service to the customers. Other system features aid management in the planning and control of their restaurant business. The system provides up-to-the-minute information on the food items ordered and breaks out percentages showing sales of each item versus total sales. This helps management plan menus according to customers’ tastes. The system also compares the weekly sales totals versus food costs, allowing planning for tighter cost controls. In addition, whenever an order is voided, the reasons for the void are keyed in. This may help later in management decisions, especially if the voids consistently related to food or service. Acceptance of the system by the users is exceptionally high since the waiters and waitresses were involved in the selection and design process. All potential users were asked to give their impressions and ideas about the various systems available before one was chosen.
Questions
1. What would make the system a more complete MIS rather than just doing transaction processing? (10)
2. Explain the probable effects that making the system more formal would have on the customers and the management? (10)
Caselet 2
The Company is considered to be a leader in the design and production of industrial and commercial air-conditioning equipment. While most of the products were standard items, a considerable number involving large sales volume were specially designed for installation in big office buildings and factories. Besides being an innovator in product design and having an exceptionally good customer service department, the company is well known for its high-quality products and its ability to satisfy the customer requirements promptly.
Because of its rapid growth, the company had to be careful with its cash requirements, especially for accounts receivable and for inventories. For many years, the company had kept inventories under close control at a level equal to 1.7 times the monthly sales, or a turnover of nearly 6 times per year. But, all of a sudden, inventories soared to triple monthly sales, and the company found itself with Rs.30 crores of inventories above a normal level. Calculating a cost of carrying inventory at 30 percent of the value of
IIBM Institute of Business Management
Examination Paper of Management Information System
inventories (including the cost of money, storage and handling, and obsolescence), it was estimated that this excess inventory was costing the company Rs.9 crores per year in profits before taxes. In addition, it forced the to call on its bank for more loans than had company been expected.
Mr. Dcepak Mehra, president of Connair, was understandably worried and incensed when this matter came to his attention. He was told that the primary reasons for this rise in inventory were excessive buying of raw materials in advance because of anticipated shortages and the failure of a new computer software, with the result the people in the production and purchasing departments were not having complete information as to what was happening to inventory for several months.
Mr. Mehra, taking the stand that no company should let something like this surplus inventory occur without advance notice and that no manager can be expected to control a business on the basis of history, instructed his vice-president for finance to come up with a program to get better control of inventories in the future.
Questions for Discussion:
1. What do you find wrong with Connair’s controls? (10)
2. Are there any other techniques or approaches to control that you would suggest? (10)
Section C: Applied Theory (30 marks)
1. List and describe the information systems serving each of the major functional areas of business? (15)
2. What are the characteristics of MIS? How MIS do differs from TPS? (15)
S-2-010619
 This section consists of Applied Theory Questions.
 Answer all the questions.
 Each question carries 15marks.
 Detailed information should form the part of your answer (Word limit 200 to 250 words).
END OF SECTION C
END OF SECTION B

IIBM MBA FOURTH SEMESTER EXAM ANSWER SHEETS PROVIDED

Examination Paper of Computer Fundamental
IIBM Institute of Business Management
• This section consists of multiple choices and Short Notes type questions.
• Answer all the questions.
• Part one questions carry 1 mark each & Part two questions carry 5 marks each.
IIBM Institute of Business Management
Subject Code-B112
Examination Paper
Computer Fundamental
MM.100
Section A: Objective Type & Short Questions (30 marks)
Part one:
Multiple choice:
I.A Light Sensitive device that converts drawing, printed text or other image into digital from is (1)
a) Keyboard
b) Plotter
c) Scanner
d) OMR
II. The basic operations performed by a computer are (1)
e) Arithmetic operation
f) Logical operation
g) Storage and relative operation
h) All the above l
III. The two major types of computer chips are (1)
a. External memory chip
b. Primary memory chip
c. Microprocessor chip
d. Both b and c
IV. Microprocessors as switching devices are for which generation computers (1)
a. First Generation
b. Second Generation
c. Third Generation
d. Fourth Generation
Examination Paper of Computer Fundamental
IIBM Institute of Business Management
END OF SECTION A
V.What is the main difference between a mainframe and a super computer?
a. A Super computer is much larger than the mainframe computers.
b. Super computers are smaller than the mainframe computers.
c. Supercomputers are focused to execute few programs as fast as possible while mainframe computers use its power to execute as many programs concurrently.
d. Supercomputers are focused to execute as many programs as possible while mainframe
VI. ASCII and EBCDIC are the popular character coding systems. What does EBCDIC stand for?
a) Extended Binary Coded Decimal Interchange Code
b) Extended Bit Code Decimal Interchange Code
c) Extended Bit Case Decimal Interchange Code
d) Extended Binary Case Decimal Interchange Code
VII. The brain of any computer system is
a) ALU
b) Memory
c) CPU
d) Control unit
VIII. Storage capacity of magnetic disk depends on
a) tracks per inch of surface
b) bits per inch of tracks
c) disk pack in disk surface
d) All of above
IX. The two kinds of main memory are:
a) Primary and secondary
b) Random and sequential
c) ROM and RAM
d) All of above
X. A storage area used to store data to a compensate for the difference in speed at which the different units can handle data is
a) Memory
b) Buffer
c) Accumulator
d) Address
Part Two:
1. What is Windows? (5)
2. What is Windows? (5)
3. What is Computer Virus? (5)
4. What is the meaning of ‘CC’ in case of E-mail? (5)
Examination Paper of Computer Fundamental
IIBM Institute of Business Management
• This section consists of Caselets.
• Answer all the questions.
• Each Caselet carries 20 marks.
• Detailed information should form the part of your answer (Word limit 150 to 200 words).
Section B: Caselets (40 marks)
Caselet 1
Mr. and Mrs. Sharma went to Woodlands Apparel to buy a shirt. Mr. Sharma did not read the price tag on the piece selected by him. At the counter, while making the payment he asked for the price. Rs. 950 was the answer.
Meanwhile, Mrs. Sharma, who was still shopping came back and joined her husband. She was glad that he had selected a nice black shirt for himself. She pointed out that there was a 25% discount on that item. The counter person nodded in agreement.
Mr. Sharma was thrilled to hear that “It means the price of this shirt is just Rs. 712. That‟s fantastic”, said Mr. Sharma. He decided to buy one more shirt in blue color.In no time, he returned with the second shirt and asked them to be packed. When he received the cash memo for payment, he was astonished to find that he had to pay Rs.. 1,900 and Rs.1,424.
Mr. Sharma could hardly reconcile himself to the fact that the counter person had quoted the discounted price which was Rs. 950. The original price printed on the price tag was Rs.1,266.
Questions
1. What should Mr. Sharma have done to avoid them is understanding? (10)
2. Discuss the main features involved in this case. (10)
Caselet 2
I don’t want to speak to you. Connect me to your boss in the USA,” hissed the Alfred is a do-it yourself entrepreneur who built up his fortune in trading. He traded in anything and everything and kept close control of every activity. That was now he had grown rich enough to indulge in his own dream-to build a college in his home town. A college that would be at par to the ones in the better cities, the one in which he could not study himself.
Work started a year hack and the buildings were coming along well He himself did not use computers much and became hooked to the Internet and e-mail only recently. He was determined to provide a PC with Internet connectivity to every students and faculty member. He was currently engrossed in plans for the 100 seater computer lab.
What was confusing him was the choice of Internet connectivity. He had about a dozen quotations in front of him, Recommendations ranged from 64 Kbps ISDN all the way to 1 Gbps leased line to Guwahati which was almost 200 kms away. Prices ranged from slightly under a lakh all the way upto 25 lakh and beyond. He did not understand most of the equipment quoted firewall, proxy server, cache appliance, nor was he sure what the hidden cost were. Although it went against his very nature, he would have to identify a trustworthy consultant who would help him make sense of the whole thing.
Examination Paper of Computer Fundamental
IIBM Institute of Business Management
END OF SECTION B
• This section consists of Applied Theory Questions.
• Answer all the questions.
• Each question carries 15marks.
• Detailed information should form the part of your answer (Word limit 200 to 250 words).
END OF SECTION C
Questions
1. In the context of the given case, what managerial issues need to be addressed by Alfred. Why is It Important for managers to be tech savvy? (10)
2. What is the importance of a ‘Systems consultant’ to an organization? What skills should he/she possess? (10)
Section C: Applied Theory (30 marks)
1. What are Web sites & URL(s)? (15)
2. Explain how data is organized on a magnetic tape? (15)
S-2-010619

Examination Paper of Risk Management
IIBM Institute of Business Management 1
IIBM Institute of Business Management
Examination Paper MM. 100
Risk Management
Section A: Objective Type & Short Questions (30 Marks)
Part One:
Multiple Choices:
1. Which of the following is the characteristic of forward contract?
a. Is traded over the counter?
b. Is a customized financial product
c. Is a credit derivative
d. Both a & b
2. Coordinating all the operational risk activities of the bank, working towards achievement of the stated
goals & objective are the task attributed to:
a. Operational risk management committee
b. Operational risk management department
c. Operational risk management officers
d. Chief risk officer
3. This is the risk of adverse deviations of the mark-to-market value of the trading portfolio, due to market
movements; during the period required to liquidate the transactions.
a. Market Risk
b. Liquidation Risk
c. Market liquidity Risk
d. Credit & counterparty Risk
4. A fraud acts by a third party, of a type intended to defraud, misappropriate property or circumvent the
law is called____________
a. Internal fraud
b. External fraud
c. Damage to physical assets
d. Clients, products & business practices
5. In the standardized approach, bank‟s activities are divided into how many business lines?
a. 4
b. 6
c. 8
d. 10
6. Credit risk management committee & credit policy & procedures committee monitors__________
 This section consists of Multiple Choices and Short Notes Type Questions.
 Answer all the questions.
 Part one carries 1 mark each and Part Two carries 5 marks each.
Examination Paper of Risk Management
IIBM Institute of Business Management 2
a. Market risk
b. Credit risk
c. Operational risk
d. All of the above
7. Which of the following is the duty of risk management committee for credit?
a. Implementation of risk management policy for credit strategy
b. Monitor credit risk
c. Regulatory/ Legal compliances
d. All of the above
8. Duration is defined as___________
a. Time to maturity
b. Average time
c. Weighted average time to maturity
d. Remaining maturity
9. ALCO stands for _____________
10. RAROC stands for _____________
Part Two:
1. List the principles of risk management.
2. Discuss the sources of risk.
3. What is „Asset liability management‟? List its objectives in banks.
4. Write a short note on Interest rate risk.
Section B: Caselets (40 Marks)
 This section consists of Caselets.
 Answer all the questions.
 Each caselet carries 20 marks.
 Detailed information should form the part of your answer (Word limit 150 to 200 words).
Caselet 1
Everybody Bank was set up with a registered office at Gwalior in 1995-96 by a leading financial
organization, when the government liberalized its policies and allowed private sector banks to operate. The
branch at Gwalior was established on November 13, 1995. Everybody bank was the first private sector bank
to commerce its operations at Gwalior. The bank had the advantage of being the first and got good business.
Subsequently, other private sector banks also opened their branches in Gwalior. Dinesh joined the branch as
branch head in june-1998. His focus was to retain the leadership of the bank with improved profitability. He
adopted a multi-programmed strategy which yielded good results during the three years of working. The
END OF SECTION A
Examination Paper of Risk Management
IIBM Institute of Business Management 3
bank not only continued to be a leader in private sector banks but also established nationalized banks. In
2001, it stood to the State Bank of India. Profitability also improved during these years.
Dinesh had joined Everybody Bank in 1997, after serving more than 20 years in a leading nationalized
bank. After serving for 1.5 years in other branches, he was posted at the Gwalior‟s branch as the Branch
head in June 1998. The new generation of banks was setup with a clear focus on the corporate sector during
its initial phases. The Gwalior branch of everybody bank also had the same focus with 85 percent of total
advances in the corporate sector and a residual 15 percent in the retail sector. Gradual opening up of the
economy, and increasing competition, forced the corporate sector to improve the quality of services and to
reduce the cost. In its search, the interest component gained focus and the corporate started looking for
avenues to mobilize low cost funds. RBI also gradually reduced the bank rate resulting in reduction of the
margin of profit, in the banks.
The deposits of the Gwalior branch consisted of high cost funds, namely, certificate of deposits at the rate
of 13-14 percent. The need of the hour was to collect the resources; therefore, all resources were tapped
irrespective of their costs. Considering the reduction in the margin of corporate sector, the bank changed its
focus from the corporate to the retail segment. It came up with the portfolio of schemes in the housing
loans, car loans, educational loans, loan against demat shares and personal loans. It resulted in the increases
of the share of retail segment from 15 percent to 50 percent and corresponding reduction in the corporate
segment from 85 percent to 15 percent. The strategy resulted in the improvement of the margin of the bank
to a level of 3-4 per cent.
Another strategy adopted by the bank, with a view to reduce the cost of resources, was to concentrate on
saving bank account and current account. With a view to tap the low cost funds, the strategy adopted was to
setup a network of branches in various cities. In 1998, there was only one branch in the city and by the end
of 2001 the number of ATMs across the city. The number of ATMs increased from one to five by 2001.
They also came up with services like mobile banking, internet banking etc.
Another important step taken by Dinesh in this direction was established high service standards. The
complaints from the customers were taken up seriously. Also, schemes of performance-linked
increment/bonus were adopted. The performance expectations of the management were high. The bank also
focused on all the areas of administrative cost very reduction. In this direction the staff requirement was
reviewed and the class four positions were reduced. The arrangements with taxi operators: courier service
companies were renegotiated for reducing the cost. For example, the courier cost per package was reduced
from Rs. 30 to Rs. 15. The executives voluntarily decided to travel in the economy class and do not during
the night, so as to avoid overnight stay charges. Although the not, the overtime allowances was permissible,
but in order to reduce the cost, the practice of payment of overtime was stopped. These strategies resulted in
saving of the bank, from Rs. 4.2 crores in 1998, to cover Rs 20 crores in 2001. total deposits increased
during these three years from Rs. 112 crores to 200 crores.
The assets of the bank had increased from 100 crore in 1998 to 267 crore in 2001. in addition to this, 65
crores were sanctioned in a non-fund limit. Dinesh also concentrated on improving the quality of assets.
The proactive approach of Dinesh resulted in the leading position of the branch during his tenure of three
years as the bank, i.e. , business per employee was the highest amongst all the 65 branches of the bank and
on the basis of profit per employee, the branch was ranked third. Achievements of Dinesh were appreciated
by the management in the meeting. After returning to his headquarters, sitting in his chamber he has
wondering as to what should be his future plan of action for further growth.
Questions:
1. Critically analyze the strategies adopted by Dinesh to retain the leading position.
2. What additional steps Dinesh could have taken to improve the profitability?
Caselet 2
Examination Paper of Risk Management
IIBM Institute of Business Management 4
Established in 1950 Ramakrishna Motors Ltd.is one of the India‟s pioneers in vehicle Manufacturing with a
total investment of Rs.500 crore and currently has a gross capital Employed of Rs 906 crores (Annexure
I).Over the years, Ramakrishna Motors Ltd, has Established a reputation as a quality-conscious company
with a unique corporate culture. The company had collaboration with Tshi Mishu, Japan Ramakrishna
Motors Ltd. Was Recognized internationally for its expertise in design and manufacture of a wide range of
Products from general purpose engines to specialty, technology and processes. Ramakrishna Motors had a
single product in the car segment named Amanda. Ramakrishna Motors Ltd. Is a part of Ramakrishna
group, which besides automobile manufacturing also had an Export company? The company had enjoyed a
monopoly in the passenger car segment for 50 years. However it had failed to diversify into other related
products or introduce cars; in different segments. It had started its operations throughout the country and
had plants located at Rajkot, Nagpur, Bangalore and Agra.
AGRA PLANT
The Agra plant was established in April, 1989 with an investment of Rs 150 crores. The project was an
ambitious venture started with the intention of converting Agra into the Detroit of India. The required
investment of Rs.150 crores was funded by the promoter as Well as various financial institutions such as
International Financial Corporation (IFC), Asian Development Bank, IDBI, IFCI and ICICI. The
institutions provided the funds on The basis of the future projections of the Agra plant. The plant was able
to acquire funds at The rate of 6.25% from foreign financial institution namely, IFCI and Asian
Development Back whereas, the loan from the Indian financial institutions namely, IDBI, ICICI and IFCI
was obtained at 16%. The plant was set up on 40 acres of land which was leased from the Uttar Pradesh
State Government for 99 years at the low rate of 0.05 paisa per square metre. The plant employed a total of
1,000 persons consisting of both skilled and unskilled personnel to man the unit. The Agra plant had two
units namely, the gear box unit and engine unit. The machinery installed in the plant was state-of-the-art
technology and imported mainly from Japan. The total investment in plant and machinery was Rs. 120
crores which was depreciated under Schedule 14 of the Companies Act, 1956 at the rate of 4.75% for single
shift and at the rate of 8.25% for the double shift for the purpose of Income Tax Act. The plant was initially
hoping to come out with a car in the small car segment called Libra. The car was expected to capture a large
market segment due to its high quality, cost competitiveness and few players in the market. However, the
company failed to obtain the license for the manufacture of the vehicle due to the government requirement
of foreign currency which resulted in the license going to Maruti Udyog Limited which was a foreign
collaboration of Government of Government of India with Suzuki, Japan. It was therefore, decided that the
Agra plant would act as a feeder plant for the Bangalore plant, which manufactured the model Amanda. The
Agra plant hoped to supply 30,000 units and thereby, achieve 100% installed capacity utilization.
In the early nineties the process of liberalization and globalization was ushered into Indian economy. This
process of liberalization saw the end of the license raj and a number of new players in the car manufacturing
segment entered the market. Due to this, the company‟s product faced stiff competition and there was a
steady decline in the sales of Amanda. This resulted in a decline in demand of the parent plant for the
products manufactured at Agra. The parent company which had a total workforce of 16,000 began
downsizing and retrenched 10,000 of its employees. The Agra plant which had 1,000 employee strength
downsized itself to a total of 500 employees. This plant which was set up anticipating 100% capacity
utilization saw itself facing a problem of under utilization of production capacity as only 40% of the
capacity could be utilized. The Agra plant being a feeder plant found itself in a loss making situation where
it became difficult to recover its fixed overheads. At around this time, the Indian economy too was hit by a
recessionary phase and there was an overall decline in demand in the passenger car segment. The Agra
plant started considering ways to get itself out of the loss making situation.
The plant has been recording a loss and although it has paid back the IFC loan, it has been unable to pay
back the Indian financial institutions as a result of which it was unable to get any further funding from
them. In 1999, one of its competitors Ford Company Ltd. Approach the plant with a proposal for using the
Examination Paper of Risk Management
IIBM Institute of Business Management 5
unutilized capacity. The proposal was that the five C‟s namely, cylinder block, cylinder head, crank shaft,
cam shaft and connecting rod which the plant was making for its parent company, would be modified and
homolocated for the Ford company cars. This would involve an expense of approximately Rs. 2 crores in
terms of general equipment. However, specific equipment and tools would be invested by the Ford
Company. In case the arrangement was discontinued at a later date, the Ford Company would take away its
equipment. The arrangement would increase capacity utilization of the Agra plant to the extent of 5%. The
finance manager was seriously considering this proposal and was analyzing the investment decision on the
basis of Accounting Rate of Return.
Questions:
1. Evaluate the company‟s investment decision with specific reference to the Agra plant.
2. Had you been the finance manager, would you accept Ford Motors proposal? Why?
3. Do you think the finance manager needs to be concerned about the low depreciation provision?
Why?
4. What according to you is the source of finance available to Ramakrishna Motors Ltd in case it is
required to finance the Ford proposal for the Agra plant?
Section C: Applied Theory (30 Marks)
 This section consists of Long Questions.
 Answer all the questions.
 Each question carry 15 marks each.
 Detailed information should from the part of your Answer (Word limit 200 to 250 words)
1. Define “Risk”, Explain types of risk faced by a bank or financial institutions?
2. What is “Credit risk management”? Explain its objectives?
END OF SECTION B
END OF SECTION C
Examination Paper of Risk Management
IIBM Institute of Business Management 6
IIBM Institute of Business Management
Examination Paper MM.100
Risk Management and Financial Institutions
Section A: Objective Type & Short Questions (30 Marks)
 This section consists of Multiple Choice & Short Notes type questions.
 Answer all the questions.
 Part one carries 1 mark each & Part Two carries 5 Marks each.
Part One:
Multiple Choices:
1. The options where the strike price is close to the price of underlying asset is:
a. At-the-money options
b. In-the-money options
c. Out-of-the money Options
d. All of these
2. Which of the following are the non-traditional derivatives?
a. Weather derivatives
b. Oil derivatives
c. Natural gas derivatives
d. All of the above
3. An option gives the holder the right to sell the underlying asset by a certain price is termed
as_____________
a. Call option
b. Put option
c. American option
d. European option
4. A product where value at any given time is linearly dependent on the value of an underlying market
variable is:
a. Linear product
b. Non-Linear product
c. Both a & b
d. None of these
5. The agreement between two companies to exchange cash flows in the future known as____________
a. Future
b. Forward
c. Swap
Examination Paper of Risk Management
IIBM Institute of Business Management 7
d. Options
6. The life insurance lasts for a specified period & pays a lump sum either when the policy holder dies or
at the end of the period, which ever, is known as____________
a. Variable life insurance
b. Group life insurance
c. Whole life insurance
d. Endowment life insurance
7. When an company wishing to issue is not publicly traded, the share issue known as____________
a. Equity share
b. Initial public offer(IPO)
c. Debenture
d. None of these
8. VAR stands for______________
9. The volatility of this model is changes with the passage of time
a. EMWA Model
b. GAMMA Model
c. VEGA Model
d. GARCH Model
10. LIBOR is stands for ______________
Part Two:
1. What is difference between open-ended and close-ended mutual fund?
2. Write short note on „option contract‟?
3. What are the main sources of liquidity for financial institution?
4. Explain the Concept of „Exchange-Traded Markets‟?
Section B: Practical Problems (40 Marks)
 This section consists of Practical Questions.
 Answer all the questions.
 Each Question carries 10 marks.
 Detailed information should from the part of your answer.
1. In the 1980s, Bankers Trust developed index currency option notes (ICONs). These are bonds in which
the amount received by the holder at maturity varies with a foreign exchange rate. One example was its
trade at maturity varies with a foreign exchange rate. One example was its trade with the Long Term
END OF SECTION A
Examination Paper of Risk Management
IIBM Institute of Business Management 8
Credit Bank of Japan. The ICON specified that if the yen/US dollar exchange rate, ST , is greater than
169 yen per dollar at maturity (in 1995), the holder of the bond receives $1,000. If it is less than 169
yen per dollar, the amount received by the holder of the bond is
1,000- max[0, 1,000 (169 – 1)
ST
When the exchange rate is below 84.5, nothing is received by the holder at maturity. Show that this
ICON is a combination of a regular bond and two options.
2. Suppose that the risk-free zero curves is flat at 7% per annum with continuous compounding and that
defaults can occur halfway through each year in a new 5- year credit default swap. Suppose that the
recovery rate is 30% and the default probabilities each year conditional on no earlier default are 3%.
Estimate the credit default swap spread. Assume payments are made annually.
3. Suppose that 6- month, 12-month, 18-month, 24-month, and 30-month zero rates are 4%, 4.2%, 4.4%,
4.6%, and 4.8% per annum, respectively, with continuous compounding. Estimate the cash price of a
bond with a face value of 100 that will mature in 30 months and pays a coupon of 4% per annum
semiannually.
4. Suppose that the economic capital estimates for two business units are as follows:
Business Unit
1 2
Market risk 10 50
Credit risk 30 30
Operational risk 50 10
The correlation between market risk and credit risk in the same business unit is 0.3. the correlation
between credit risk in one business unit and credit risk in another is 0.7. the correlation between
market risk in one business unit and market risk in the other is 0.2.
All other correlations are zero. Calculate the total economic capital. How much should be allocated
to each business unit?
Section C: Applied Theory (30 marks)
 This section consists of Long Questions.
 Answer all the questions.
 Each question carries 15 marks.
 Detailed information should from the part of your answer (Word limit 200 to 250 words).
END OF SECTION B
SECTION B
Examination Paper of Risk Management
IIBM Institute of Business Management 9
1. Define “Derivative market”. Explain the types of derivative market?
2. What is “Operational Risk”. Explain the categories of operational risk?
S-2-300813
END OF SECTION C
SECTION C

Examination Paper of Managerial Economics
IIBM Institute of Business Management
IIBM Institute of Business Management
Subject Code-B106
Examination Paper
Managerial Economics
MM.100
Section A: Objective Type & Short Questions (30 marks)
Part one:
Multiple choice:
I.Demand is determined by
(1)
a) Price of the product
b) Relative prices of other goods
c) Tastes and habits
d) All of the above
II. When a firm’s average revenue is equal to its average cost, it gets (1)
a) Super profit
b) Normal profit
c) Sub normal profit
d) None of the above
III. Managerial economics generally refers to the integration of economic theory with business
(1)
a) Ethics
b) Management
c) Practice
d) All of the above
IV. Which of the following was not immediate cause of 1991 economic crisis (1)
a) Rapid growth of population
b) Severe inflation
c) Expanding Fiscal deficit
d) Rising current account deficit
V.Money functions refers to : (1)
a) Store of value
b) Medium of Exchange
c) Standard of deferred payments
d) All of the above VI. Given the price, if the cost of production increases because of higher price of raw materials, the supply (1) a) Decreases b) Increases c) Remains same d) Any of the above
 This section consists of multiple choices and Short Notes type questions.
 Answer all the questions.
 Part one questions carry 1 mark each & Part two questions carry 5 marks each.
Examination Paper of Managerial Economics
IIBM Institute of Business Management
VII. Total Utility is maximum when (1)
a. Marginal Utility is maximum
b. Marginal Utility is Zero
c. Both of the above
d. None Of The Above
VIII. Cardinal approach is related to (1)
a. Equimarginal Curve
b. Law of diminishing returns
c. Indifference Curve
d. All of the above
IX. Marginal Utility curve of a consumer is also his (1)
a) Supply Curve
b) Demand Curve
c) Both of above
d) None of above
X. Government of India has replaced FERA by (1)
a) The competition Act
b) FRBMA
c) MRTP Act
d) FEMA
Part Two:
1. What is Managerial Economics? What is its relevance to Engineers/Managers? (5)
2. “Managerial Economics is economics that is applied in decision making” Explain? (5)
3. Differentiate b/w, Micro economics vs. macroeconomics? (5)
4. Factors Affecting Price Elasticity of Demand? (5)
Section B: Caselets (40 marks)
END OF SECTION A
 This section consists of Caselets.
 Answer all the questions.
 Each Caselet carries 20marks.
 Detailed information should form the part of your answer (Word limit 150 to 200 words).
IIBM Institute of Business Management
Examination Paper of Managerial Economics
Caselet1
Dabur is among the top five FMCG companies in India and is positioned successfully on the specialist herbal platform. Dabur has proven its expertise in the fields of health care, personal care, home care and foods. The company was founded by Dr. S. K. Burman in 1884 as small pharmacy in Calcutta (now Kolkata), India. And is now led by his great grandson Vivek C. Burman, who is the Chairman of Dabur India Limited and the senior most representative of the Burman family in the company. The company headquarter is in Ghaziabad, India, near the Indian capital New Delhi, where it is registered. The company has over 12 manufacturing units in India and abroad. The international facilities are located in Nepal, Dubai, Bangladesh, Egypt and Nigeria. S.K. Burman, the founder of Dabur, was trained as a physician. His mission was to provide effective and affordable cure for ordinary people in far-flung villages. Soon, he started preparing natural remedies based on Ayurveda for diseases such as Cholera, Plague and Malaria. Due to his cheap and effective remedies, he became to be known as ‘Daktar’ (Indian izedversion of ‘doctor’). And that is how his venture Dabur got its name—derived from Daktar Burman. The company faces stiff competition from many multinational and domestic companies. In the Branded and Packaged Food and Beverages segment major companies that are active include Hindustan Lever, Nestle, Cadbury and Dabur. In case of Ayurvedic medicines and products, the major competitors are Baidyanath, Vicco, Jhandu, Himani and other pharmaceutical companies.
Vision statement of Dabur says that the company is “dedicated to the health and wellbeing of every household”. The objective is to “significantly accelerate profitable growth by providing comfort to others”. For achieving this objective Dabur aims to:
 Focus on growing core brands across categories, reaching out to new geographies, within and outside India, and improve operational efficiencies by leveraging technology.
 Be the preferred company to meet the health and personal grooming needs of target consumers with safe, efficacious, natural solutions by synthesizing deep knowledge of Ayurveda and herbs with modern science.
 Be a professionally managed employer of choice, attracting, developing and retaining quality personnel.
 Be responsible citizen with a commitment to environmental protection.
 Provide superior returns, relative to our peer group, to our shareholders.
Chairman of the company
Vivek C. Burman joined Dabur in 1954 after completing his graduation in Business Administration from the USA. In 1986 he was appointed as the Managing Director of Dabur and in 1998 he took over as Chairman of the Company.
IIBM Institute of Business Management
Examination Paper of Managerial Economics
Under Vivek Burman’s leadership, Dabur has grown and evolved as a multi-crore business house with a diverse product portfolio and a marketing network that traverses the whole of India and more than 50 countries across the world. As a strong and positive leader, Vivek C. Burman had motivated employees of Dabur to “do better than their best”—a credo that gives Dabur its status as India’s most trusted nature-based products company.
Leading brands
More than 300 diverse products in the FMCG, Healthcare and Ayurveda segments are in the product line of Dabur. List of products of the company include very successful brands like Vatika, Anmol, Hajmola, Dabur Amla Chyawanprash, Dabur Honey and Lal Dant Manjan with turnover of Rs.100 crores each.
Strategic positioning of Dabur Honey as food product, lead to market leadership with over 40% market share in branded honey market; Dabur Chyawanprash is the largest selling Ayurvedic medicine with over 65% market share. Dabur is a leader in herbal digestives with 90% market share. Hajmola tablets are in command with 75% market share of digestive tablets category. Dabur Lal Tail tops baby massage oil market with 35% of total share.
CHD (Consumer Health Division), dealing with classical Ayurvedic medicines, has more than 250 products sold through prescription as well as over the counter. Proprietary Ayurvedic medicines developed by Dabur include Nature Care Isabgol, Madhuvaani and Trifgol.
However, some of the subsidiary units of Dabur have proved to be low margin business; like Dabur Finance Limited. The international units are also operating on low profit margin. The company also produces several “me – too” products. At the same time the company is very popular in the rural segment.
Questions
1. What is the objective of Dabur? Is it profit maximisation of growth maximisation? (10)
2. Do you think the growth of Dabur from a small pharmacy to a large multinational company is an indicator of the advantages of joint stock company against the proprietorship form? Elaborate. (10)
Caselet2
The Regina Company„ one of the largest inakets of vacuum cleaners recent’) had scv cfc ptollkins with the quality of its products. The market responsc to this 1ak of quality caused financial problems for Ow company. in late 1995. Regina began having return rates as high as 30 to 50 percent on some of its Housekeeper and Housekeeper Plus models. These models were sold primarily through discount stores. Further, Regina’s Spectrum vacuum cleaner, an upgraded version sold in specialty stores, was introduced in 1995 with many quality problems. ef The specific problems identified for the Housekeeper and Housekeeper Plus models were associated with faulty belts and weak suction. In the Spectrum model, the agitator was melting; and making a loud noise, the foot pedals were breaking, and the steel-encased motor (which had been advertised as the
IIBM Institute of Business Management
Examination Paper of Managerial Economics
power source for the vacuum cleaner) had been replaced with a less desirable. less reliable motor.
As a result of these problems, Target stores discontinued Regina’s Housekeeper Plus model after reporting that “at least half of those sold were returned.” At Starmart, which accounts for about a quarter of the Housekeeper sales, I. out of every 5 machines sold was returned. To help service customer complaints, Regina set up an 800 telephone number for customers to contact the firm. directly. The sales returns caused Regina’s shareholders to question the 1995 fiscal earnings report. Furthermore, both inventories and accounts receivable doubled during the 1995 fiscal year. At the end of that period, Regina’s chairman and 40 percent stockholders
Resigned. The chairman’s resignation was closely followed by a company announcement stating that the financial results reported for the 1995 fiscal year were materially incorrect and had been withdrawn. This announcement brought a suit from shareholders who had bought Reoina stock on the basis of the 1995 camings report. It also prompted an audit of the 1995 results and a request to another accounting organization to work on Regina’s business and accounting controls. A few months later, Regina ‘agreed to be acquired by a unit of Magnum, a vacuum cleaner and Water-purification Company. Under Magnum, Regina shut down production while engineers worked to solve the problems inherent in the Housekeeper and Housekeeper Plus vacuums, particularly the suction difficulties. In September 1998, Magnum and Regina decided to separate the two companies again. Since then, Regina has been regaining market share with its Housekeeper models. The ‘vacuums are popular because they carry on-board tools.
Questions:
1. What type of controls would you have established to preclude the major returns experienced by Regina? (10)
2. How would you have controlled the finished-goods -inventory to avoid its growing to twice the size that it was in the previous year. (10)
Section C: Applied Theory (30 marks)
1. What is the importance of demand analysis in business decision? (15)
2. Explain individual demand function and market demand function. (15)
S-2-010619
 This section consists of Applied Theory Questions.
 Answer all the questions.
 Each question carries 15marks.
 Detailed information should form the part of your answer (Word limit 200 to 250 words).
END OF SECTION C
END OF SECTION B

IIBM MBA FIRST SEMESTER EXAM ANSWER SHEETS PROVIDED

Examination Paper of Business Communication
IIBM Institute of Business Management
• This section consists of multiple choices and Short Notes type questions.
• Answer all the questions.
• Part one questions carry 1 mark each & Part two questions carry 5 marks each.
IIBM Institute of Business Management
Subject Code-B109
Examination Paper Business Communication
MM.100
Section A: Objective Type & Short Questions (30 marks)
Part one:
Multiple choice:
I.The most important goal of business communication is_________. (1)
a) favorable relationship between sender and receiver
b) organizational goodwill
c) receiver response
d) receiver understanding
II. Down ward communication flows from_________ to_________. (1)
e) Upper to lower
f) Lower to upper
g) Horizontal
h) Diagonal
III. Horizontal communication takes place
between_________. (1)
a. superior to subordinate
b. subordinate to superior
c. employees with same status
d. none of these
IV. The study of communication through touch is_________. (1)
a. chronemics
b. haptics
c. proxemics
d. semantic
V._____________ channel of communication is known as grapevine (1)
a. Formal
b. Informal
c. Horizontal
d. Vertical
VI. The following is (are) the most effective ways of communication. (1) a. Verbal b. Non verbal c. Written d. All of the above
Examination Paper of Business Communication
IIBM Institute of Business Management
END OF SECTION A
• This section consists of Caselets.
• Answer all the questions.
• Each Caselet carries 20marks.
• Detailed information should form the part of your answer (Word limit 150 to 200 words).
VII. The handshake that conveys confidence is (1)
a. Limp
b. Firm
c. Loose
d. Double
VIII. ________ of the letter consists of main message. (1)
a. Heading
b. Body
c. Greeting
d. Closing
IX. Body of a letter is divided into ________
parts. (1)
a. 1
b. 2
c. 3
d. 4
X. X. A persuasive message will fail if_____ (1)
a. it does not focus on what is in it for the reader
b. it only lists facts
c. it moves too slowly
d. all of the above
Part Two:
1. Brief Grapevine communication? (5)
2. List the 7 C’s of Communication? (5)
3. Describe the various barriers of communication? (5)
4. Write the negotiation process. (5)
Section B: Caselets (40 marks)
Caselet 1
Barry and Communication Barriers Effective Communication as a Motivator One common complaint employees voice about supervisors is inconsistent messages – meaning one supervisor tells them one thing and another tells them something different. Imagine you are the supervisor/manager for each of the employees described below. As you read their case, give
Examination Paper of Business Communication
IIBM Institute of Business Management
consideration to how you might help communicate with the employee to remedy the conflict. Answer the critical thinking questions at the end of the case then compare your answers to the Notes to Supplement Answers section. Barry is a 27-year old who is a foodservice manager at a casual dining restaurant. Barry is responsible for supervising and managing all employees in the back of the house. Employees working in the back of the house range in age from 16 years old to 55 years old. In addition, the employees come from diverse cultural and ethnic backgrounds. For many, English is not their primary language. Barry is Serv Safe® certified and tries his best to keep up with food safety issues in the kitchen but he admits it’s not easy. Employees receive “on the job training” about food safety basics (for example, appropriate hygiene and hand washing, time/temperature, and cleaning and sanitizing). But with high turnover of employees, training is often rushed and some new employees are put right into the job without training if it is a busy day. Eventually, most employees get some kind of food safety training. The owners of the restaurant are supportive of Barry in his food safety efforts because they know if a food safety outbreak were ever linked to their restaurant; it would likely put them out of business. Still, the owners note there are additional costs for training and making sure food is handled safely. One day Barry comes to work and is rather upset even before he steps into the restaurant. Things haven’t been going well at home and he was lucky to rummage through some of the dirty laundry and find a relatively clean outfit to wear for work. He admits he needs a haircut and a good hand scrubbing, especially after working on his car last evening. When he walks into the kitchen he notices several trays of uncooked meat sitting out in the kitchen area. It appears these have been sitting at room temperature for quite some time. Barry is frustrated and doesn’t know what to do. He feels like he is beating his head against a brick wall when it comes to getting employees to practice food safety. Barry has taken many efforts to get employees to be safe in how they handle food. He has huge signs posted all over the kitchen with these words: KEEP HOT FOOD HOT AND COLD FOOD COLD and WASH YOUR HANDS ALWAYS AND OFTEN. All employees are given a thermometer when they start so that they can temp food. Hand sinks, soap, and paper towels are available for employees so that they are encouraged to wash their hands frequently.
Questions
1. What are the communication challenges and barriers Barry faces? (10)
2. What solutions might Barry consider in addressing each of these challenges and barriers? (10)
Caselet 2
Mr. Dutta, newly appointed president of century Airlines, knew the company’s survival depended on customer service, which in turn depended on motivated employees. So he created the Century Spirit program to build team spirit by encouraging employee participation, individual initiative, and open communication. Among the program’s early successes was newspaper started by a group of flight attendants. The plane truth published information about benefits and work conditions as well as feature stories and humorous articles. It quickly became popular not only with flight attendant but with pilot, machinists, and baggage handlers.
As time went on, though, the plane truth began to run articles critical of the company. When management cut back worker’s hours, the, newspaper questioned what sacrifices the executive were making. When the technical services department releases figures showing long turnaround times, the paper questioned the machinist’s work ethic. Worried that customer might see the newspaper; Mr. Dutta wanted to cancel it. The president of the flight attendants union also wanted to see it was stirring up trouble with the machinists.
Examination Paper of Business Communication
IIBM Institute of Business Management
• This section consists of Applied Theory Questions.
• Answer all the questions.
• Each question carries 15marks.
• Detailed information should form the part of your answer (Word limit 200 to 250 words).
END OF SECTION C
Ms. Rachel, Century’s human resource director, was asked to stop the publication. But she hesitated. She knew the employee morale was on the brink, but she did not know whether the newspaper was venting worker’s frustrations and reinforcing team spirit or stirring up old animosities and bringing the whole company down. Was it creating more tension than unity or vice-versa?
Questions
1. What Communication issues are involved at Century Airlines? (10)
2. What Communication Channels are being Utilized (10)
Section C: Applied Theory (30 marks)
1. Explain the various non verbal communications with an example in business
Scenario? (15)
2. Delineate the types of parts of business report writing? (15)
S-2-010619
IIBM MBA FIRST SEMESTER EXAM ANSWER SHEETS PROVIDED

Examination Paper of Strategic Management
IIBM Institute of Business Management
IIBM Institute of Business Management
SubjectCode-B108 Examination Paper
Strategic Management
MM.100
Section A: Objective Type & Short Questions (30 marks)
Part one:
Multiple choice:
I. Horizontal integration is concerned with
(1)
a) Production
b) Quality
c) Product planning
d) All of the above
II. It refers to formal and informal rules, regulations and procedures that complement the company structure (1)
a) Strategy
b) Systems
c) Environment
d) All of the above
III. Strategic management is mainly the responsibility of (1)
a. Lower management
b. Middle management
c. Top management
d. All of the above
IV. Formal systems are adopted to bring ________ & amalgamation of decentralized units into product groups.
(1)
a. Manpower
b. Co-ordination
c. Production
d. All of the above
 This section consists of multiple choices and Short Notes type questions.
 Answer all the questions.
 Part one questions carry 1 mark each & Part two questions carry 5 marks each.
Examination Paper of Strategic Management
IIBM Institute of Business Management
IV.Like roots of a tree, ________of organization is hidden from direct view. (1)
a. Performance
b. Strategy
c. Core competence
d. All of the above
V. The actual performance deviates positively over the budgeted performance. This is an indication of ……….. Performance. (1) a. Superior b. Inferior c. Constant d. Any of the above
VI. Criteria for making an evaluation is (are)
(1)
a. Consistency with goals
b. Consistency with environment
c. Money
d. All of the above
VII. Changes in company ………. also necessitates changes in the systems in various degrees (1)
a. structure
b. system
c. strategy
d. turnover
VIII. Micro environment is the ………. environment of a company. (1)
a. Working
b. Human
c. External
d. Internal
X Techniques used in environmental appraisal are (1)
a.Single-variable
extrapolation/multivariable
interaction analysis
b.Structured/ unstructured
expert/inexpert opinion
c.Dynamic modes and mapping
d.All of the above
Part Two:
1. Distinguish between a strategy and tactics. (5)
2. Give an outline of relation between ‘Strategy and Customer’ in brief? (5)
3. Explain in brief the concept of strategic thinking? (5)
4. What are the basic elements of planning? (5)
Section B: Caselets (40 marks)
END OF SECTION A
 This section consists of Caselets.
 Answer all the questions.
 Each Caselet carries 20marks.
 Detailed information should form the part of your answer (Word limit 150 to 200 words).
IIBM Institute of Business Management
Examination Paper of Strategic Management
Caselet 1
Apple’s profitable but risky strategy
When Apple’s Chief Executive – Steven Jobs – launched the Apple iPod in 2001 and the iPhone in 2007, he made a significant shift in the company’s strategy from the relatively safe market of innovative, premium-priced computers into the highly competitive markets of consumer electronics. This case explores this profitable but risky strategy.
Early beginnings
To understand any company’s strategy, it is helpful to begin by looking back at its roots. Founded in 1976, Apple built its early reputation on innovative personal computers that were particularly easy for customers to use and as a result was priced higher than those of competitors. The inspiration for this strategy came from a visit by the founders of the company – Steven Jobs and Steven Wozniack – to the Palo Alto research laboratories of the Xerox Company in 1979. They observed that Xerox had developed an early version of a computer interface screen with the drop-down menus that are widely used today on all personal computers. Most computers in the late 1970s still used complicated technical interfaces for even simple tasks like typing – still called ‘word-processing’ at the time.
Jobs and Wozniack took the concept back to Apple and developed their own computer – the Apple Macintosh (Mac) – that used this consumer-friendly interface. The Macintosh was launched in 1984. However, Apple did not sell to, or share the software with, rival companies. Over the next few years, this non-co-operation strategy turned out to be a major weakness for Apple.
Battle with Microsoft
Although the Mac had some initial success, its software was threatened by the introduction of Windows 1.0 from the rival company Microsoft, whose chief executive was the well-known Bill Gates. Microsoft’s strategy was to make this software widely available to other computer manufacturers for a license fee – quite unlike Apple. A legal dispute arose between Apple and Microsoft because Windows had many on-screen similarities to the Apple product. Eventually, Microsoft signed an agreement with Apple saying that it would not use Mac technology in Windows 1.0. Microsoft retained the right to develop its own interface software similar to the original Xerox concept.
Coupled with Microsoft’s willingness to distribute Windows freely to computer manufacturers, the legal agreement allowed Microsoft to develop alternative technology that had the same on-screen result. The result is history. By 1990, Microsoft had developed and distributed a version of Windows that would run on virtually all IBM-compatible personal computers – see Case 1.2. Apple’s strategy of keeping its software exclusive was a major strategic mistake. The company was determined to avoid the same error when it
IIBM Institute of Business Management
Examination Paper of Strategic Management
came to the launch of the iPod and, in a more subtle way, with the later introduction of the iPhone.
Apple’s innovative products
Unlike Microsoft with its focus on a software-only strategy, Apple remained a full-line computer manufacturer from that time, supplying both the hardware and the software. Apple continued to develop various innovative computers and related products. Early successes included the Mac2 and PowerBooks along with the world’s first desktop publishing program – PageMaker. This latter remains today the leading program of its kind. It is widely used around the world in publishing and fashion houses. It remains exclusive to Apple and means that the company has a specialist market where it has real competitive advantage and can charge higher prices.
Not all Apple’s new products were successful – the Newton personal digital assistant did not sell well. Apple’s high price policy for its products and difficulties in manufacturing also meant that innovative products like the iBook had trouble competing in the personal computer market place.
Apple’s move into consumer electronics
Around the year 2000, Apple identified a new strategic management opportunity to exploit the growing worldwide market in personal electronic devices – CD players, MP3 music players, digital cameras, etc. It would launch its own Apple versions of these products to add high-value, user-friendly software. Resulting products included iMovie for digital cameras and I DVD for DVD-players. But the product that really took off was the iPod – the personal music player that stored hundreds of CDs. And unlike the launch of its first personal computer, Apple sought industry co-operation rather than keeping the product to itself.
Launched in late 2001, the iPod was followed by the iTunes Music Store in 2003 in the USA and 2004 in Europe – the Music Store being a most important and innovatory development. iTune was essentially an agreement with the world’s five leading record companies to allow legal downloading of music tracks using the internet for 99 cents each. This was a major coup for Apple – it had persuaded the record companies to adopt a different approach to the problem of music piracy. At the time, this revolutionary agreement was unique to Apple and was due to the negotiating skills of Steve Jobs, the Apple Chief Executive, and his network of contacts in the industry. Apple’s new strategy was beginning to pay off. The iPod was the biggest single sales contributor in the Apple portfolio of products.
In 2007, Apple followed up the launch of the iPod with the iPhone, a mobile telephone that had the same user-friendly design characteristics as its music machine. To make the iPhone widely available and, at the same time, to keep control, Apple entered into an exclusive contract with only one national mobile telephone carrier in each major country – for example, AT&T in the USA and O2 in the UK. Its mobile phone was premium priced – for
IIBM Institute of Business Management
Examination Paper of Strategic Management
example, US$599 in North America. However, in order to hit its volume targets, Apple later reduced its phone prices, though they still remained at the high end of the market. This was consistent with Apple’s long-term, high-price, high-quality strategy. But the company was moving into the massive and still-expanding global mobile telephone market where competition had been fierce for many years.
And the leader in mobile telephones – Finland’s Nokia – was about to hit back at Apple, though with mixed results. But other companies, notably the Korean company Samsung and the Taiwanese company, HTC, were to have more success later.
So, why was the Apple strategy risky?
By 2007, Apple’s music player – the iPod – was the premium-priced, stylish market leader with around 60 per cent of world sales and the largest single contributor to Apple’s turnover. Its iTune download software had been re-developed to allow it to work with all Windows-compatible computers (about 90 percent of all PCs) and it had around 75 percent of the world music download market, the market being worth around US$1000 million per annum. Although this was only some 6 percent of the total recorded music market, it was growing fast. The rest of the market consisted of sales of CDs and DVDs direct from the leading recording companies.
In 2007, Apple’s mobile telephone – the iPhone – had only just been launched. The sales objective was to sell 10 million phones in the first year: this needed to be compared with the annual mobile sales of the global market leader, Nokia, of around 350 million handsets. However, Apple had achieved what some commentators regarded as a significant technical breakthrough: the touch screen. This made the iPhone different in that its screen was no longer limited by the fixed buttons and small screens that applied to competitive handsets. As readers will be aware, the iPhone went on to beat these earlier sales estimates and was followed by a new design, the iPhone 4 in 2010.
The world market leader responded by launching its own phones with touch screens. In addition, Nokia also launched a complete download music service. Referring to the new download service, Rob Wells, senior Vice President for digital music at Universal commented: ‘This is a giant leap toward where we believe the industry will end up in three or four years’ time, where the consumer will have access to the celestial jukebox through any number of devices.’ Equally, an industry commentator explained: ‘[For Nokia] it could be short-term pain for long-term gain. It will steal some of the thunder from the iPhone and tie users into the Nokia service.’ Readers will read this comment with some amazement given the subsequent history of Nokia’s smart phones that is described in Case 9.2.
‘Nokia is going to be an internet company. It is definitely a mobile company and it is making good progress to becoming an internet company as well,’ explained Olli PekkaKollasvuo, Chief Executive of Nokia. There also were hints from commentators that Nokia was likely to make a loss on its new download music service. But the company was determined to ensure that Apple was given real competition in this new and unpredictable market.
IIBM Institute of Business Management
Examination Paper of Strategic Management
Here lay the strategic risk for Apple. Apart from the classy, iconic styles of the iPod and the iPhone, there is nothing that rivals cannot match over time. By 2007, all the major consumer electronics companies – like Sony, Philips and Panasonic – and the mobile phone manufacturers – like Nokia, Samsung and Motorola – were catching up fast with new launches that were just as stylish, cheaper and with more capacity. In addition, Apple’s competitors were reaching agreements with the record companies to provide legal downloads of music from websites.
Apple’s competitive reaction
As a short term measure, Apple hit back by negotiating supply contracts for flash memory for its iPod that were cheaper than its rivals. Moreover, it launched a new model, the iPhone 4 that made further technology advances. Apple was still the market leader and was able to demonstrate major increases in sales and profits from the development of the iPod and iTunes. To follow up this development, Apple launched the Apple Tablet in 2010 – again an element of risk because no one really knew how well such a product would be received or what its function really was. The second generation Apple tablet was then launched in 2011 after the success of the initial model. But there was no denying that the first Apple tablet carried some initial risks for the company.
All during this period, Apple’s strategic difficulty was that other powerful companies had also recognized the importance of innovation and flexibility in the response to the new markets that Apple itself had developed. For example, Nokia itself was arguing that the markets for mobile telephones and recorded music would converge over the next five years. Nokia’s Chief Executive explained that much greater strategic flexibility was needed as a result: ‘Five or ten years ago, you would set your strategy and then start following it. That does not work anymore. Now you have to be alert every day, week and month to renew your strategy.’
If the Nokia view was correct, then the problem for Apple was that it could find its market-leading position in recorded music being overtaken by a more flexible rival – perhaps leading to a repeat of the Apple failure 20 years earlier to win against Microsoft. But at the time of updating this case, that looked unlikely. Apple had at last found the best, if risky, strategy.
Questions
1. using the concepts in this chapter undertake a competitive analysis of both Apple and Nokia – who is stronger? (10)
2. What are the problems with predicting how the market and the competition will change over the next few years? What are the implications for strategy development? (10)
IIBM Institute of Business Management
Examination Paper of Strategic Management
Caselet 2
Mr. Ashwin is the marketing manager of the cosmetics. division of the Medwin Drug Company. The company was well known as a leader in new proprietary drug and toiletry products and had a good record of profitability. The cosmetics division had been especially successful in women’s toiletries and .1/4.-o..,unctitk.:s and in the introduction of new products, It always based its new-product development on market research respect to what Would appeal to women and, after almost invariably test marketing a new product in a few almost invarariably test marketing a new product in selected cities, launched it with a heavy advertising and sales promotion program. It had hoped in this way not only to get a large initial share of the markets but also to become so well entrenched that competitors. who soon copy a successful product would not dislodge it from its market share.
After being cautioned by the president of Medwin Drug about the necessity for watching costs more carefully, the division manager became increasingly concerned with two opposing factors in his marketing strategy: ( 1) test marketing of new products (offering them for sale first in a few test cities with area advertising and sales programs) tended increasingly to give competitors advance information on new products, and certain competitors had been able to copy a product almost as soon as Medwin could offer it nationally and profited thereby from Medwin’s advertising; and (2) national advertising and sales promotion expenses were rising so fast that a single major product failure would have an important impact on division profits, on which his annual bonus was primarily determined. On the one hand, he recognized the wisdom of test marketing, but he disliked the costs and dangers involved. On the other hand, he hardly wished to take an unknown risk of embarking on a national program until a test showed that the product did in fact have a good market demand. Yet, he wondered whether all products should be test marketed.
Mr. Ashwin was asked to put this problem to his marketing department subordinates and ask them what should be done. To give the strategy some meaning, he used as a case at point the company’s new hair conditioner which had been developed on the basis of promising, although preliminary, market research. He asked his sales manager whether he thought the product would succeed and what he thought his “best estimate” of sales would be. He also asked his advertising manager to give some cost estimates on launching the product.
Mr. Kiran, division sales manager, thought a while, then said he was convinced that the product was a winner and that his best estimate would be sales of Rs. 5 crores per year for at least five years. Mr. Desai, the advertising manager, said that the company could launch the product for a cost of Rs. 1 crore the first year and some Rs. 25 lakhs per year thereafter. He also pointed out that the test-marketing program would cost Rs. 15 lakhs, of which half would be saved if these test cities were merely a part of a national program, and that the testing program would delay the national program for six months. But he warned Mr. Ashwin that test marketing would save the gamble of so much money on the national promotion program. At this point, Mr. Sachdev, the new marketing research manager, suggested that the group might come to a better decision if they used a proper decision-making technique.
Question:
1. Which decision-making technique can be used in this situation? Why? (20)
IIBM Institute of Business Management
Examination Paper of Strategic Management
Section C: Applied Theory (30 marks)
1. What are the main characteristics of strategic decisions? (15)
2. What specific entrepreneurial aspects include the strategy formation process? (15)
S-2-010619
 This section consists of Applied Theory Questions.
 Answer all the questions.
 Each question carries 15marks.
 Detailed information should form the part of your answer (Word limit 200 to 250 words).
END OF SECTION C
END OF SECTION B

Examination Paper of Production and Operations Management
IIBM Institute of Business Management
IIBM Institute of Business Management
Subject Code-B107 Examination Paper
Production and Operations Management
MM.100
Section A: Objective Type & Short Questions (30 marks)
Part one:
Multiple choice:
I.The purpose of the transportation approach for locational analysis is to minimize (1)
a) Total costs
b) Total shipping costs
c) Total variable costs
d) Total fixed costs
II. Which of the following would not generally be a motive for a firm to hold inventories? To (1)
e) Take advantage of quantity discounts
f) Minimize holding costs
g) Reduce stock out risks
h) Decouple production from distribution
III. Which of the following are assignable cause? (1)
a. Large variations in hardness of material
b. Tool wear
c. Errors in setting
d. All of the above
IV. Like roots of a tree, ________of organization is hidden from direct view.
(1)
a. Goodwill
b. Core competence
c. Higher management
d. Capital investment
 This section consists of multiple choices and Short Notes type questions.
 Answer all the questions.
 Part one questions carry 1 mark each & Part two questions carry 5 marks each.
Examination Paper of Production and Operations Management
IIBM Institute of Business Management
V.Inadequate production capacity ultimately leads to (1)
a. Poor quality
b. Poor Customer Service
c. Poor inventory control
d. All of the above
VI. Limitations of Traditional cost accounting are (1) a. Assumes factory as an isolated entity b. It measures only the cost of producing c. Both (A) and (B) d. None of the above
VII. Business is rated on which dimensions
(1)
a. Market attractiveness
b. Business strength
c. Both (A) and (B)
d. None of the above
VIII. How does ‘structure’ reduce external uncertainty arising out of human behavior (1)
a. Research and planning
b. Forecasting
c. Both (A) and (B)
d. None of the above
IX. Objective of Work Study is to improve _______ (1)
a. Cycle time
b. Productivity
c. Production
d. All of the above
X. Which of the following are activities of corrective maintenance? (1)
a. Overhauling
b. Emergency repairs
c. Modifications and improvements
d. All of the above
Part Two:
1. What are the dimensions of quality? (5)
2. What is Quality? (5)
3. What is Materials Planning? (5)
4. Need for Inventory Management – Why do Companies hold inventories? (5)
Section B: Caselets (40 marks)
END OF SECTION A
 This section consists of Caselets.
 Answer all the questions.
 Each Caselet carries 20marks.
 Detailed information should form the part of your answer (Word limit 150 to 200 words).
IIBM Institute of Business Management
Examination Paper of Production and Operations Management
Caselet 1
The pizza business did well and by 1965, Thomas was able to open two more stores in the town -Pizza King and Pizza from the Prop. Within a year, Varti opened a pizza store in a neighborhood town with the same name, DomiNick’s Pizza. Thomas decided to change the name of his first store, DomiNick’s Pizza, and one of his employees suggested the name Domino’s Pizza(Domino’s). The advantage of this name Thomas felt was that it would be listed after DomiNick in the directory. Domino’s philosophy rested on two principles – limited menu and delivering hot and fresh pizzas within half-an-hour. In 1967, it opened the first franchise store in Ypsilanti, and in 1968, a franchise store in Burlington, Vermont. However, the company ran into problems when its headquarters (the first store) and commissary were destroyed by fire. In the early 1970s, the company faced problems again when it was sued by Amstar, the parent company of Domino Sugar for trademark infringement. Thomas started looking for a new name and came up with Red Domino’s and Pizza’s Dispatch. However, there wasn’t any need for it because Domino’s won the lawsuit in 1980.In 1982, Domino’s Pizza established Domino’s Pizza International (DPI) that was made responsible for opening Domino’s stores internationally. The first store was opened in Winnipeg, Canada. Within a year, DPI spread to more than 50 countries and in 1983, it inaugurated its1000th store. Around the same time, new pizza chains like Pizza Hut and Little Caesar established themselves in the USA. Domino’s Pizza faced intense competition because it had not changed its menu of traditional hand-tossed pizza. The other pizza chains offered low-priced breadsticks, salads and other fast food apart from pizzas. Domino’s faced tough competition from Pizza Hut in the home delivery segment also. Little Caesar was eating into Domino’s market share with its innovative marketing strategies. By 1989, Domino’s sales had reduced significantly and cash flows were affected due to the acquisition of assets. In 1993, Thomas took measures to expand Domino’s product line, in an attempt to revive the company and tackle competition. The company introduced pan pizza and bread sticks in the USA. In late 1993, Domino’s introduced the Ultimate Deep Dish Pizza and Crunchy Thin Crust Pizza. In 1994, it rolled out another non-pizza dish – Buffalo wings. Though Domino’s did not experiment with its menu for many years, the company adopted innovative ways in managing a pizza store. Thomas gave about 90% of the franchisee agreements in the USA to people who had worked as drivers with Domino’s. The company gave ownership to qualified people, after they had successfully managed a pizza store for a year and had completed a training course. Domino’s also gave franchises to candidates recommended by existing franchisees. Outside the USA, most of Domino’s stores were franchise-owned. Domino’s was also credited for many innovations in the pizza industry and setting standards for other pizza companies. It has developed dough trays, corrugated pizza boxes, insulated bags for delivering pizzas, and conveyor ovens.
In 1993, Domino’s withdrew the guarantee of delivering pizzas within 30-minutes of order andstarted emphasizing on Total Satisfaction Guarantee (TSG) which read: “If for any reason, you are dissatisfied with your Domino’s Pizza dining experience, we will re-make your pizza or refund your money.” Domino’s entered India in 1996 through a franchise agreement with VamBhartia Corp in Delhi. With the overwhelming success of the first outlet, the company opened another outlet in Delhi. By 2000, Domino’s had outlets in all major cities in India. When
IIBM Institute of Business Management
Examination Paper of Production and Operations Management
Domino’s entered India, the concept of home delivery was still in its nascent stages. It existed only in some major cities and was restricted to delivery by the friendly neighborhood fast food outlets. Eating out at ‘branded’ restaurants was more common. To penetrate the Indian market, Domino’s introduced an integrated home delivery system from a network of company outlets within 30 minutes of the order. Goutham Advani (Advani), Chief of Marketing, Domino’s Pizza India, said, “What really worked its way into the Indian mind set was the promised 30-minute delivery.” Domino’s also offered compensation: Rs.30/- off the price tag if there was a delay in delivery. For the first 4 years in India, Domino’s concentrated on its ‘Delivery’ strategy.
Domino’s Logistics Model
Analysts felt that Domino’s took a cue from McDonald’s supply chain model. However, they opined that the level of complexity in McDonald’s system in India was not as high as that of Domino’s. Commented Bhatia ,”McDonald’s operations are not as spread out as ours. They are in four cities while we are in 16.Centralizing wouldn’t work on such a geographical scale”. The logistics model adopted by Domino’s offered some obvious benefits including lower transportation costs, cheaper procurement and economies of scale. Domino’s had already cut out the duplication in procurement and processing of raw materials across each of the three commissaries. The old model of self-contained commissaries had another disadvantage: adding new outlets did not translate into greater economies of scale. Bhatia planned to extend the model to other parts of the country as well. The commissary was to be located near the largest market in that region. Bhatia said, “Our roll-out began only after we mapped out our procurement strategy.” Based on the agricultural map of India, Domino’s looked McDonald’s had one of the best logistics models in India. To maintain consistency and quality of its products, McDonald’s shipped all the raw materials lettuce, patties et al to a cold storage close to the main market. Based on a daily demand schedule that was prepared a day in advance, the required amount of raw material was transported to individual outlets to get the best product at the lowest cost.
Thus, tomatoes would come from Bhubaneswar, spices from the south, baby corn from Nepal (where it’s 40% cheaper than in India) and vegetables from Sri Lanka. Similarly, Domino’s India planned to extend its operations to Nepal, Sri Lanka and Dhaka. The company planned to establish a commissary in Sri Lanka. Domino’s also identified specialty crops in each region. The commissary in that region was entrusted with the task of processing that specialty crop. For instance, the commissary for the eastern region in Kolkata was responsible for buying tomatoes, processing them and then sending them to all the other commissaries. Similarly, the northern commissary had to deliver pizza bases. This way, Domino’s minimized duplication as well as the dangers of perish ability. Once the new model was formalized, Bhatia planned to use Domino’s 25 refrigerated trucks to transport products for other companies on the same route. For instance, if an operator in Kochi(Kerala) needed to transport specialty cheese, he could use the Domino’s fleet to transport his products. Said Bhatia, “Not too many people have refrigerated trucks in the country. And we can offer them quality service because we will be giving them standards we use for ourselves.” Company sources said that enquiries from clients for such transport facilities had started coming in. Bhatia said he was in the process of selecting a person to head the logistics operation, which would be spun off as a separate profit centre. Bhatia seemed confident that the profit centre had the potential to bring in Rs 10 by 2006. However, he said the profit center would not be allowed to impede the growth of the pizza
IIBM Institute of Business Management
Examination Paper of Production and Operations Management
business, Domino’s core operation. Only those deliveries that did not delay or deroute the truck would be considered
Questions
1. Describe about the Article for Logistics and Operations Management Domino’s Pizza’s Process Technology (20)
Caselet 2
ABC Ltd. is the country’s largest manufacturer of spun yarn with well-established market. ABC Ltd. has good reputation for quality and service. Their marketing department identified that the potential for global market is expanding rapidly and hence the company undertook exercise for expansion of the capacity for export market. The company formed team of Marketing and Materials department to study the global logistics possibilities. After extensive study, the team came up with a report on global logistics and submitted that global logistics is essentially same as domestic due to following similarities: • The conceptual logistics framework of linking supply sources, plants, warehouses and customers is the same. • Both systems involve managing the movement and storage of products. • Information is critical to effective provision of customer service, management of inventory, vendor product and cost control. • The functional processes of inventory management, warehousing, order processing, carrier selection, procurement, and vendor payment are required for both. • Economic and safety regulations exist for transportation. The company had very economical and reliable transportation system in existence. For exports as well they decided to evaluate capabilities of their existing transporter and entrusted them with the job of transport till port. For customs formalities they engaged a good CHA after proper cost evaluation and entered into contract for freight with shipping company agent. The response for company’s export was very good and the company could get as many as 15 customers within first two months and reached to a level of USD 250,000 per month by the end of first half of the year. Based on this response the export volumes were expected to grow to a level of USD 400,000 per month by the end of the year. When the review was made at the end of the year, company found that export volumes had in fact come down to the level of USD 120,000 which was much lower than it had reached in the first half of the year. The managing committee had an emergency meeting to discuss this and the export manager was entrusted with the task of identifying the reasons for this decline. Mr. Ganesh decided to visit the customers for getting the first hand information. When he discussed the matter with the customers, the feedback on the quality and price were good but the customers were very upset on the logistic services due to delayed shipments, frequent changes in shipping schedules, improper documentation, improper identifications, package sizes, losses due to transit damages etc. After coming back, the export manager checked the dispatch schedules and found that production and ex-works schedules were all proper. Then he studied the logistics systems and found that the logistics cost was very high and all the logistics people were demotivated due to the overwork and were complaining of total lack of co-ordination and the system had become totally disorganized.
Questions
1. Explain the problems experienced by ABC Ltd. What is the main cause of these problems? (20)
END OF SECTION B
IIBM Institute of Business Management
Examination Paper of Production and Operations Management
Section C: Applied Theory (30 marks)
1. The Advantages & Disadvantages of Economic Order Quantity (EOQ)? (15)
2. Distinguish between just-in-time and just-in-case as stock management systems?(15)
S-2-010619
 This section consists of Applied Theory Questions.
 Answer all the questions.
 Each question carries 15marks.
 Detailed information should form the part of your answer (Word limit 200 to 250 words).
END OF SECTION C

Examination Paper of Management Information Systems
IIBM Institute of Business Management
IIBM Institute of Business Management
SubjectCode-B110
Examination Paper
Management Information Systems
MM.100
Section A: Objective Type & Short Questions (30 marks)
Part one:
Multiple choice:
I.A person machine-system and a highly integrated grouping of information-processing functions designed to provide management with a comprehensive picture of specific operation is called (1)
a) DSSB
b) MISC
c) IISD
II. Which one of the following is not an important characteristic of useful and effective information? (1)
a) Accuracy
b) Timelines
c) Completeness
d) Economy
d) All of the above
III. The most important reason for failure of MIS is (1)
a) Use of improper tools for design
b) Noninvolvement of end-user
c) Improper specification
d) None of the above
IV. Top level Managers use (1)
a) Strategic information
b) Tactical information
c) Operational information
d) None of these
V.System is an important factor of MIS. There are various types of systems. Which one of the following is not a system? (1)
a) Physical system
b) Integrated system
c) Open system
d) Open system
VI. Which one of the following is not an approach for development of MIS? (1) a) Hierarchical approach b) Integrative approach c) Modular approach d) Elective approach
 This section consists of multiple choices and Short Notes type questions.
 Answer all the questions.
 Part one questions carry 1 mark each & Part two questions carry 5 marks each.
Examination Paper of Management Information Systems
IIBM Institute of Business Management
VII. Management is linked to information by (1)
a. Decisions
b. Data
c. Both [A] And [B]
d. None Of The Above
VIII. Which pattern reflects a pure executive form of management?
(1)
a. Functional
b. Line
c. Line and Staff
d. Committee
IX. The term financial engineering is related to (1)
a) Cost of production
b) Financial restructuring
c) Product planning
d) Capital issue
X. The goal of financial management is to (1)
a) Maximize the wealth of preference share holders
b) Maximize the wealth of debenture holders
c) Maximize the wealth of equity share holders
d) All of the above
Part Two:
1. What is purpose of information system from a business perspective? (5)
2. What are Enterprise System? How do they benefit businesses? (5)
3. Differentiate DSS from MIS. (5)
4. What do you mean by Data visualizations? (5)
Section B: Caselets (40 marks)
END OF SECTION A
 This section consists of Caselets.
 Answer all the questions.
 Each Caselet carries 20marks.
 Detailed information should form the part of your answer (Word limit 150 to 200 words).
IIBM Institute of Business Management
Examination Paper of Management Information System
Caselet -1
A waiter takes an order at a table, and then enters it online via one of the six terminals located in the restaurant dining room. The order is routed to a printer in the appropriate preparation area: the cold item printer if it is a salad, the hot-item printer if it is a hot sandwich or the bar printer if it is a drink. A customer’s meal check-listing (bill) the items ordered and the respective prices are automatically generated. This ordering system eliminates the old three-carbon-copy guest check system as well as any problems caused by a waiter’s handwriting. When the kitchen runs out of a food item, the cooks send out an ‘out of stock’ message, which will be displayed on the dining room terminals when waiters try to order that item. This gives the waiters faster feedback, enabling them to give better service to the customers. Other system features aid management in the planning and control of their restaurant business. The system provides up-to-the-minute information on the food items ordered and breaks out percentages showing sales of each item versus total sales. This helps management plan menus according to customers’ tastes. The system also compares the weekly sales totals versus food costs, allowing planning for tighter cost controls. In addition, whenever an order is voided, the reasons for the void are keyed in. This may help later in management decisions, especially if the voids consistently related to food or service. Acceptance of the system by the users is exceptionally high since the waiters and waitresses were involved in the selection and design process. All potential users were asked to give their impressions and ideas about the various systems available before one was chosen.
Questions
1. What would make the system a more complete MIS rather than just doing transaction processing? (10)
2. Explain the probable effects that making the system more formal would have on the customers and the management? (10)
Caselet 2
The Company is considered to be a leader in the design and production of industrial and commercial air-conditioning equipment. While most of the products were standard items, a considerable number involving large sales volume were specially designed for installation in big office buildings and factories. Besides being an innovator in product design and having an exceptionally good customer service department, the company is well known for its high-quality products and its ability to satisfy the customer requirements promptly.
Because of its rapid growth, the company had to be careful with its cash requirements, especially for accounts receivable and for inventories. For many years, the company had kept inventories under close control at a level equal to 1.7 times the monthly sales, or a turnover of nearly 6 times per year. But, all of a sudden, inventories soared to triple monthly sales, and the company found itself with Rs.30 crores of inventories above a normal level. Calculating a cost of carrying inventory at 30 percent of the value of
IIBM Institute of Business Management
Examination Paper of Management Information System
inventories (including the cost of money, storage and handling, and obsolescence), it was estimated that this excess inventory was costing the company Rs.9 crores per year in profits before taxes. In addition, it forced the to call on its bank for more loans than had company been expected.
Mr. Dcepak Mehra, president of Connair, was understandably worried and incensed when this matter came to his attention. He was told that the primary reasons for this rise in inventory were excessive buying of raw materials in advance because of anticipated shortages and the failure of a new computer software, with the result the people in the production and purchasing departments were not having complete information as to what was happening to inventory for several months.
Mr. Mehra, taking the stand that no company should let something like this surplus inventory occur without advance notice and that no manager can be expected to control a business on the basis of history, instructed his vice-president for finance to come up with a program to get better control of inventories in the future.
Questions for Discussion:
1. What do you find wrong with Connair’s controls? (10)
2. Are there any other techniques or approaches to control that you would suggest? (10)
Section C: Applied Theory (30 marks)
1. List and describe the information systems serving each of the major functional areas of business? (15)
2. What are the characteristics of MIS? How MIS do differs from TPS? (15)
S-2-010619
 This section consists of Applied Theory Questions.
 Answer all the questions.
 Each question carries 15marks.
 Detailed information should form the part of your answer (Word limit 200 to 250 words).
END OF SECTION C
END OF SECTION B