| 1. | (a) | In each of the cases/statements given below, one out of four is correct. Indicate the correct answer | 1x10 | |
| | | (i) | The Strategy of the Tata Group in India could be viewed as a good example of | (A) | Conglomerate Diversification | | (B) | Concentric Diversification | | (C) | Cost Leadership | | (D) | Market Development |
| | (0) |
| | | (ii) | Motorola learning lessons from Domino's Pizza and Federal Express, to improve the speed of delivery for its Cellular Phones, come under | (A) | Strategic Benchmarking | | (B) | Functional Benchmarking | | (C) | Process Benchmarking | | (D) | Internal Benchmarking |
| | (0) |
| | | (iii) | A strategy of anti–takeover under which the target company agrees to buy the shares acquired by the bidder at a premium in exchange for the bidder’s promise to refrain from the hostile takeover is known as | (A) | Poison Pill | | (B) | White Square | | (C) | Green Mail | | (D) | Pac–man defense |
| | (0) |
| | | (iv) | Value Engineering Job-Plan consists of the following: | (A) | General Phase, Information Phase, Function Phase | | (B) | Creation Phase, Evaluation Phase, Investigation Phase | | (C) | Recommendation Phase, Implementation Phase | | (D) | All of the above |
| | (0) |
| | | (v) | Contribution of Management Accountant to sustain Kaizen Strategy is | (A) | To be part of cross-functional teams to identify assumptions and Critical Success Factors which need revision | | (B) | To be part of cross-functional teams to identify critical business process which need specific attention for modification and improvement | | (C) | Both (A) and (B) | | (D) | None of the above |
| | (0) |
| | | (vi) | NREGS according to Indian Government stands for | (A) | National Rural Energy Guarantee Scheme | | (B) | National Reconstruction Execution Gains Scheme | | (C) | National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme | | (D) | National Rural Executive Grievance Scheme |
| | (0) |
| | | (vii) | Brand names such as Coca–Cola, Sony, McDonald’s and Nike are a source of Competitive Advantage as | (A) | They are owned by Global firms | | (B) | They are more than 50 years old | | (C) | They are well–managed brands | | (D) | They are highly innovative firms |
| | (0) |
| | | (viii) | Judy Strauss and Raymond Frost's e-marketing model defines e-business as | (A) | EB = EC + SCM + ERP | | (B) | EB = EC + BI + CRM | | (C) | EB = EC + BI + CRM + SCM + ERP | | (D) | EB = CRM + SCM + ERP Note: EB is Electronic Business, EC is Electronic Commerce, SCM is Supply Chain Management, ERP is Enterprice Resource Planning, BI is Business Intelligence, CRM is Customer Relationship Management. |
| | (0) |
| | | (ix) | Nine–cell GE Matrix is the same as the | (A) | BCG Matrix | | (B) | Directional Policy Matrix | | (C) | PIMS Matrix | | (D) | 3x3 Competitive Positioning Matrix |
| | (0) |
| | | (x) | Introduction of 'NANO' by Tata Motors could be viewed as a good example of | (A) | Price Leadership | | (B) | Cost Leadership | | (C) | Product Leadership | | (D) | Technology Leadership |
| | (0) |
| | (b) | State whether the following statements based on the quoted terms are “True” or “False” with justifications for your answer. If any statement is “False”, you are required to give the correct terms duly quoted. No credit will be given for any answer without justifications. | 1x5 | |
| | | (i) | ‘Stars’ are the products in a high–growth market but where they have a low–market share. | | (0) |
| | | (ii) | The Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) concept introduces automation in areas, where the human intervention may not be so efficient but more costly. | | (0) |
| | | (iii) | The information technology revolution, which has engulfed the entire world, is also termed as ‘the second wave’. | | (0) |
| | | (iv) | National Rain–fed Area Authority has been created in November, 2006 to support upgradation and management of dry land and rain–fed agriculture. | | (0) |
| | | (v) | The efficiency and effectiveness in business activities through online and real time decision making leads to cost control benefits. | | (0) |
| | (c) | Define the following terms (in not more than two sentences): | 1x5 | |
| | | (i) | Kaizen Costing | | (0) |
| | | (ii) | Bulk Breaking | | (0) |
| | | (iii) | National Development Council (NDC) | | (0) |
| | | (iv) | Value Engineering | | (0) |
| | | (v) | Econometric Model. | | (0) |
| 2. | (a) | “The continuing commitment by business is to behave ethically and contribute to economic–development while improving the quality of life of the workforce and their families as well as of the local community and society at large.” Discuss. | 10 | (0) |
| | (b) | It has been argued that products have Life Cycles whereas Brands do not.
Required: | (i) | Discuss the validity of the above argument. |
| (ii) | Explain the role of brands in the construction of barriers to entry. |
| 5+5 | (0) |
| 3. | (a) | “In the context of business strategies, the Management Accountant plays the rule of a change agent.” – Elucidate the statement bringing out the Management Accountant’s contribution at each stage of strategy building exercise in an organization. | 10 | (0) |
| | (b) | To get a bird’s – eye view of an organization’s operations is the purpose of the VALUE CHAIN model of corporate activities, developed by Michael Porter, of the way in which firms organize and perform activities. – Explain those corporate activities and their relationships between them. | 5+5 | (0) |
| 4. | (a) | What are the different policies taken by the Government of India to improve the productivity and competitiveness of the Indian Economy? | 10 | (0) |
| | (b) | What are the Phases of a Value Engineering Job Plan? Discuss in brief. | 3+7 | (0) |
