3rd Semester

Birla Institute of Technology & Science, Pilani
Distance Learning Programmes Division

Second Semester 2006-2007
Mid-Semester Test
(EC-1 Regular)
Course No. : QMJ ZC411

Course Title : MARKETING
Nature of Exam : Closed Book
Weightage : 40% No. of Pages =1
Duration : 2 Hours No. of Questions = 4
Date of Exam : 03/02/2007 (FN)
Note:
1. Please follow all the Instructions to Candidates given on the cover page of the answer book.
2. All parts of a question should be answered consecutively. Each answer should start from a fresh page.
3. Mobile phones and computers of any kind should not be brought inside the examination hall.
4. Use of any unfair means will result in severe disciplinary action.
Q.1. In the light of the changing business environment describe the characteristics
of new economy and how marketing as a function has changed in its role and
scope? Highlight the competencies required by today’s marketers in order to be
successful. (5 + 5 =
10)
Q.2. Describe the five stage model of the Buying Decision Process giving a suitable
example. (5 + 5 =
10
Q.3. What do you understand from Segmentation, Targeting and Positioning (STP)
strategies? Discuss the challenges in designing marketing mix strategies for a
small sized car priced at Rs.1 Lac for the Indian market. (5 + 5 =
10)
Q.4. Shaadi.com has been wondering how to bring back customers to its website.
This is because once the objective of the customer to find a match has been
achieved, and the customer has no reason to return. The advertising revenues
of Shaadi.com are linked to a number of customers the site is able to retain.
What marketing concept and strategy should the company apply in order to
solve the above issue?
(10)
Comprehensive Examination (EC-2 Regular)
Course No. : QMJ ZC411

Course Title : MARKETING
Nature of Exam : Open Book
Note:
Q.1 Procter & Gamble and HLL are highly competitive companies in the shampoo market. Both the
companies have brands for various segments, It may be worthwhile to mention that HLL has
created and nurtured Sunsilk and Clinic brands for more than two decades in the Indian market. P
& G's Pantene, HLL's Organics and Colgate Palmolive's Optima got into the market almost the
same period of time. Pantene and Optima were priced around Rs. 72 for 180 ml (some months after
the launch) while Organics was priced at around Rs. 65.15 for 180 ml. The three brands were also
available in sachets. They were positioned with ''hair care/nourishing" propositions.
Comment on the pricing approach of the three brands mentioned above. [10]
Q.2 (a) Discuss the four distinct stages in product life cycle. [5]
Q.2 (b) Identify at what stages of their respective PLCs are the following products in the Indian market
and accordingly suggest suitable strategies for these products
(i) Mobile Phones (ii) Fashion fabrics
[5]
Q.3 Discuss the major objectives of Sales Promotion. As a marketer of a leading consumer durable
company, when do your consider it an appropriate time to organize such promotions and why?
Personal Selling and Advertising are the two major vehicles of communication for marketing
industrial products. Discuss with a suitable example of your choice. [5 + 5 = 10]
Q.4 (a) ACC is a well-known brand in the category of cements. It has a large distribution network of
around 7000 stockiests and 120 C & F agents. In 1995, the company's market share declined to
15% from the earlier 30%. About three years back the brand opened its first company owned
retail outlet called 'ACC Ki Duniya" (World of ACC). The outlet reassures the customer about
the genuine material and encourages interaction. This type of outlet is also likely to enhance
the company's image.
Comment on the pros and cons of an outlet of this kind. Would such outlets alone enhance
sales. Explain.
[5]
Q.4 (b) A restaurant in your city wants to ascertain the image it has in the minds of its patrons.
Construct a five point scale to measure the perceived image of the restaurant, using Likart
Scale and Semantic Differential Scale. Make sure that the five items under each format
correspond to the same five dimensions. [5]
Q.5 A leading chocolate company has developed strategies for growth. It planned for the following
strategies:
1. Promote chocolates as gifts for festivals.
2. Promote the product for use by adults and not just children
3. Develop a market for chocolates in semi-urban and rural areas
4. Develop a chocolate with caramel and wafers as a snack food for children
5. Develop a chocolate flavored health drink to be promoted through doctors.
Plot these strategy plans in the product-market expansion grid.
[10]
Q.6 Marketing social issues is more challenging than product/ service marketing. Explain with the help
of an example. [10]
**********

Mid-Semester Test
(EC-1 Regular)
Course No. : QMJ ZG523

Course Title : PROJECT MANAGEMENT
Date of Exam : 03/02/2007 (AN)
Note:
Q.1. Project management has also been called ‘risk management.’ Discuss whether this is an
appropriate description of the field or not , giving reasons and examples for your
arguments. (8)
Q.2. What do you understand by ‘program management?‘ Is program management the same as
project management or are they different? Discuss fully giving examples the use of both
the phrases in various contexts. (8)
Q.3. How does a project manager arrive at a suitable technical configuration for his project?
Discuss all aspects giving suitable examples. (8)
Q.4. Develop a budgeting procedure for a contractor who works on small housing projects.
(8)
Q.5 (a) Explain ‘accounting rate of return‘ with a suitable example.

Q.5 (b) Consider a project whose data is given below :
Year Book value of Profit after tax,

investment, Rs Rs
1 90,000 20,000
2 80,000 22,000
3 70,000 24,000
4 60,000 26,000
5 50,000 28,000
Calculate the accounting rate of return for this project. Is the project good for investment?
(2 + 4 + 2 = 8)


Course Title : PROJECT MANAGEMENT
Note:
Q.1 Using the following information for a project, develop the optimal time-cost solution.
Indirect project costs are Rs 50,000 per day :
Activity Preceeding Normal time Crash time Cost per day

activities days days to crash, Rs
A - 6 6 -
B A 10 8 25,000
C - 5 4 15,000
D C 4 1 35,000
E D 9 7 30,000
F B,E 2 1 40,000
[12]
Q.2 The following table contains information related to a research project:

Activity a c d b e f i m g h k
Predecessor - a c a - e b,d f,i - g h
Time (days) 5 8 2 7 3 6 10 8 1 2 17
(i) Draw an AON network for the project. [6]

(ii) Draw an AOA diagram for the network. [6]
Q.3 (a) What factors make a project high-risk? Explain with examples. [6]
Q.3 (b) The expected cash inflows from a project and the associated risk probabilities are as
under :
Expected cash inflows Rs 20,000 30,000 40,000 10,000

Risk % 70 60 90 80
If the project sponsor will like to go ahead with the project if a minimum of Rs 20,000 of cash
inflow is expected, what is the overall chances of his being successful with his investment in
this project? [6]
QMJ ZG523 (EC-2 REGULAR) SECOND SEMESTER 2006-2007
PAGE 2
Q.4 Five projects A, B, C, D, and E are being evaluated by a firm for identifying the optimum
combination of projects for investing the available funds. A sum of Rs 55,00,000 is readily
available for investment and Rs 45,00,000 will be available after one year. All the five
projects have an implementation period of 2 years each. The estimated cash outflows for
the five projects during the 2 years of implementation and the anticipated NPV of all the
five projects are as given below :
Project First yr cash outflow Second yr cash NPV (Rs in lacs)

(Rs in lacs) outflow (Rs in lacs)
A 15 12 65
B 25 20 69
C 20 20 60
D 30 15 60
E 40 30 200
How do you go about choosing the optimum project combination using NPV as the criterion in
this case ? [12]
Q.5 You are required to deliver a one-hour lecture to the newly appointed trainees in the
Projects Department of your company on “Project Management Techniques.” Prepare a
comprehensive lecture. [12]
********

Mid-Semester Test
(EC-1 Regular)

Course Title : STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT & BUSINESS POLICY
Note:
19. All answers should be analytical, precise yet complete. Verbose, rambling answers will get no credit.
20. Support all your answers with lucid arguments, illustrations and examples wherever applicable.
21. Present your answers in a coherent set of lucid, serially numbered points.
Q.1. Elucidate the vital factors you would consider to identify a company’s strategy. (10)
Q.2. “The managerial process of crafting and executing a company’s strategy consists of five
interrelated and integrated tasks.” Explain them. (10)
Q.3. Describe the most common driving forces for crafting and executing strategy. (10)
Q.4. Specify and describe the five competitive strategy approaches propagated by Porter. (10)
***********


Course Title : STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT & BUSINESS POLICY
Note:
26. All answers should be analytical, precise and complete.
27. Support all answers with appropriate examples and illustrations.
Q.1. “Strategy formulation and implementation, to be effective, should invariably be
democratic”-- Discuss. [12]
Q.2. How do cultural forces influence the strategic performance? Explain with illustrations.
[12]
Q.3. How does Corporate-level strategy differ from International level strategy? Illustrate. [12]
Q.4. Why do corporates diversify? “Diversify or perish” is the ethos of modern business –
Defend your answer. [12]
Q.5. Describe the role of “inherent strength” of the business as the core competence. How do
external forces play an important role in the process of regenerating competence? [12]
********

First Semester 2006-2007
Mid-Semester Test
(EC-1 Regular)

Course Title : SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT
Note:
Q.1. Explain the push/pull and cycle view of the processes within a supply chain. [6]
Q.2. List and explain the three basic steps for achieving strategic fit. [7]
Q.3. Explain the role of each of the major drivers of supply chain performance in the
competitive strategy. [5]
Q.4. Explain the measures of customer service that are influenced by the structure of
the distribution network. [5]
Q.5. Describe the four phases in the framework for network design decisions. [7]
Q.6. Discuss the ideas that managers should consider to make better supply chain
network design decisions under uncertainty. [5]
Q.7. What is the role of forecasting in Supply Chain? Also explain the characteristics of
forecasting. [5]
**********

First Semester 2006-2007

Course Title : SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT
Note:
Q.1. How do trade promotions and price fluctuations impact coordination in the supply chain?
What pricing and promotion policies can facilitate coordination?
[7]
Q.2. Discuss why the high tech industry has been the leader in adopting supply chain IT
systems? [7]
Q.3. Amazon.com sells books, music, electronic, software, toys and home improvement
products online. In which product category does e-business offer the greatest advantage
compared to a retail store? In which product category does e-business offer the smallest
advantage compared to a retail store? Justify your answer.
[8]
Q.4. The Gap has started selling through its on-line channel along with its retail stores.
Management has to decide which products to carry at the retail stores and which products
to carry at a central warehouse to be sold only via the on-line channel. The Gap currently
has 900 retail stores in United States. Weekly demand for large khaki pants at each store is
normally distributed with a mean of 800 and a standard deviation of 100. Each pair of
pants costs $30. Weekly demand for purple cashmere sweaters at each store is normally
distributed with a mean of 50 and a standard deviation of 50. Each sweater cost $100. The
Gap has a holding cost of 25 percent. The Gap manages all inventories using a continuous
review policy and the supply lead-time for both products is four weeks. The targeted cycle
service level is 95 percent. How much reduction in holding cost per unit sold can The Gap
expect on moving each of the two products from the stores to the on-line channel? Which
of the two products should the Gap carry at the stores and which at the central warehouse
for the on-line channel? Why? Assume demand from one week to the next to be
independent. [9]
Q.5. The consumption of coal in power plant in California is at the rate of 100,000 lbs for each
day. The coal comes from Wyoming. Coal costs $0.02 per lb. Holding costs at the Power
Plant are 30%. Transportation choices available are as follows:
Train Truck
Lead time = 20 days Lead time = 5days
Carload = 100,000 lbs at $ 5,00 Small TL (40,000) for $2,200
Full train (40 cars) at $15,000 per train Large TL (60,000) for $2,800
Safety inventory of coal is kept at twice the consumption during lead-time of supply.
What transport choice do you recommend?
[9]
Q6 Weekly demand for palms at B&M is normally distributed with a mean of 3,500 and a
standard deviation of 500. The replenishment lead time is two weeks. Assume that the
demand is independent from one week to the next. Evaluate the fill rate resulting from the
policy of ordering 10,000 palms when there are 7,000 palms in inventory. The value of F
(1.414) is 0.92. [6]
Q.7 (a) What is Implied Demand Uncertainty? Discuss the levels of Implied Demand
Uncertainty with example.
[6]
Q.7 (b) Give the arguments to support the statement that “Wal-Mart has used each supply
chain driver to achieve strategic fit between competitive strategy and supply chain
strategy.” [8]
*******

3rd Semester

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3rd Semester

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Birla Institute of Technology & Science, Pilani

Distance Learning Programmes Division

Course No. : QMJ ZC411

Course No. : QMJ ZC411

Birla Institute of Technology & Science, Pilani

Course No. : QMJ ZG523

Q.5 (a) Explain ‘accounting rate of return‘ with a suitable example.

Year Book value of Profit after tax,

Birla Institute of Technology & Science, Pilani

Comprehensive Examination (EC-2 Regular)

Course No. : QMJ ZG523

Activity Preceeding Normal time Crash time Cost per day

Q.2 The following table contains information related to a research project:

(i) Draw an AON network for the project. [6]

Expected cash inflows Rs 20,000 30,000 40,000 10,000

Project First yr cash outflow Second yr cash NPV (Rs in lacs)

Birla Institute of Technology & Science, Pilani

Course No. : QMJ ZG611

Birla Institute of Technology & Science, Pilani

Comprehensive Examination (EC-2 Regular)

Course No. : QMJ ZG611

Birla Institute of Technology & Science, Pilani

Course No. : QMJ ZG621

Birla Institute of Technology & Science, Pilani

Course No. : QMJ ZG621

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