Hi Puys & Pirls!! With approximately a month left for XAT 2014-15 its time to get cracking with XAT DM about which most of us are in the dark!! Request for discussion on DM Questions from past papers, mocks and plea to seniors and stalwarts to give gyan and help out!! ATB <smiley data-src="/emoji/smiley.png" alt="smiley" title="smiley" class="emoji" data-sigil="lazyload emoji" data-cdn="sm"></smiley>
@pulkit_malik @eshanrock @sav-9 @Preeti_L @aimonlyiim @CbK89 @plant.waters @rafaelnadal @amanbharti @prate3k @harshcat91 @Dark_Passenger @mirnalika ....tag the ppl who u think will contribute!!! 😁
let's rock XAT
Jamshedpur
aa rahe hain hum
😜
here's a quick look at what DM Questions comprise of ....
http://www.careerlauncher.com/classapart/download/XAT%20Decision%20Making.pdf
here's an old post from GP sir....but nonetheless...anything is fine to get things started...
guys till we get some questions accumulated on DM for XAT we can attempt the ones given on this thread....to keep things going!!
http://www.pagalguy.com/discussions/decision-making-for-xat-2015-resources-tips-questions-25112486
This is a continuation of last years thread!! so we have some DM questions already present!!
Also FYI...I know essay writing is not considered for clearing or for getting a call...but doing essay in last few days wud be just added pressure...will post or try to post as many topics on essays as possible...so that we at least have an idea of how we wud react to these rather than being clueless in the last 2 days..
Random link i found 😃 !!! GN guys
Ships are safer in the harbour but aren't meant for the same-XAT 2000 topic. Its a easy topic. But that's when ur not in the exam hall. Input guys!!! How wud u go about writing this topic.
PS among of essay space is small I guess 1 a4 size sheet. So keeping it short and sweet becomes important
Mission XAT starts right now... !!!1
DM ki caselets bhi daalna shuru kar do koi. Will post some caselets in the evening
#XAT 2009 DM
Read the following caselet and choose the best alternative (Questions 1 to 4):
Shekhar, an MBA from Singapore returned to his hometown Jamshedpur. Jamshedpur had a population of 10 lacs with one of the highest per capita income among Indian cities. Shekhar loved music. While listening to his favourite song on "satellite radio", he wondered if he could mix his passion with business. Incidentally, a few weeks later, while browsing the Internet, he came across an advertisement from Music World, which called for expression of interest from potential franchisees. Jamshedpur did not have a single good music outlet, where its residents could buy quality, variety and the latest from the world of music.
Music World wanted the potential franchisees to own minimum 1200 square feet space and invest Rs. 30 lacs. Profits were to be shared in the ratio of 3:7 between Music World and the franchisee. While Shekhar was excited about working with a renowned brand, he was worried if Rs. 30 lacs was too high an amount to shell out. He did not have the entire amount with him and was thinking of borrowing from the bank. He made enquiries with other Music World franchisees located in towns like Patna and Ranchi, as he expected similar footfall in Jamshedpur. A franchisee in Patna had sales revenue varying from 1-2 lac rupees per month with profit margin in the range of 25-30%. Satisfied, Shekhar decided to proceed.
Soon, he was on the lookout for the space. Jamshedpur had three main areas - Bistupur, Sakchi and Sonari. All areas were interconnected by good roads. Bistupur was a business area where most of high end retail formats were located. Most upper middle class and higher class customers shopped there. It was also the education hub of the city. On the other hand, Sakchi was a growing lower middle class business area and Sonari had mostly residential population.
Shekhar was in favour of choosing Bistupur as it was the place where he shopped. However, he soon stumbled across problems. Not only it was difficult to obtain space in Bistupur but property rentals touched 30-40 rupees per square feet per month. Rentals at Sakchi and Sonari were in the range of 15-20 rupees per square feet per month. Also, Shekhar's friend, who stayed in Sakchi, told him that a few branded outlets were opening in Sakchi and it seemed to be the fastest growing market in Jamshedpur, with the highest ratio of teenagers. But, Shekhar was not in favour of Sakchi due to its low image. He expected to target college going crowd in Bistupur.
High real estate prices in Bistupur and his low assessment of Sakchi market created confusion in Shekhar's mind. To give the decision a serious and fresh thought, he decided to hit Jamshedpur-Ranchi highway in his newly acquired car.
1. How best should Shekhar resolve his confusion?
A. By investing in the franchise.
B. Do not invest in the franchise and look for different brand name.
C. Go back to Singapore and start looking for a job.
D. Do a further in-depth study to find the drivers and potential of the business.
E. Approach another music company for setting up a franchise.
2. Suppose sales in Patna and Bistupur are likely to be the same, how many years would it take for Shekhar to recoup the investment (consider zero inflation)?
A. Less than five years.
B. Less than seven years.
C. Less than eight years.
D. Less than nine years.
E. Maybe never.
3. What could be the most likely reason for Shekhar's bias in favour of Bistupur?
A. Presence of college going crowd, as he felt they were the customers for the latest music.
B. Crowded (hoi polloi) image of Sakchi.
C. It was difficult for Shekhar to associate non-Bistupur areas with good quality products.
D. Higher rentals in Bistupur.
E. Patronage of Bistupur shops by executives and their families.
4. Which one of the following is the most important decision criterion in such a business situation?
A. Financial capability of entrepreneur.
B. Changes in music industry.
C. Future market growth.
D. Profitability of business in first couple of years.
E. Real estate prices.
I think we should also discuss essay topics
guys kisi ko SP Jain ke form discuss karna ??
symbiosis institute of international business
kasa college ha guys ... please lemme know
want to study international business
**http://myims.imsindia.com/myims/images/pdf/XAT-Actual%20paper-2014.pdf
Please post OA..its 2014paper ...I will search for OA too !! **
Read the following caselet and choose the best alternative for the questions 44 through 46 that follow.
Ajay was thinking deeply about a problem that his organization, a business consulting company, faced. Globalization had affected his company like many other companies. Despite the downturn, the current revenues remained healthy. However, Ajay knew it was inevitable that the company could not do business the same way. The complexity of managing the business had increased with time. Consultants were under pressure to deliver good and innovative solutions. The organization had consultants from different age groups having a g6od mix of domain and industry expertise. It was a flat organization with three levels. The biggest challenge for Ajay was to have consultants with latest knowledge who would also earn revenues. Getting additional business was a challenge as all the consultants were busy and it was very difficult to hire new consultants.
44. Some of the consultants were adept at applying old solutions to new problems. Ajay was not very sure if this would work for long. Some of the clients had complained about the performance of old and reputed consultants. Ajay was mulling over the following five solutions to tackle this problem.
1. Decrease time spent on client interaction and increase time spent for generating solutions.
2. Increase support staff to help consultants to remain updated.
3. Decrease the number of simultaneous projects handled by consultants.
4. Make it compulsory for consultants to work on inter-industry and inter-domain problems.
5. Recruit more consultants,
Which of the following would be the best sequence of decisions taken by Ajay (starting from immediate to distant)?
A. 3, 2, 1,5,4
B. 4,3,2, 1,5
C. 5, 4, 3, 2, 1
D. 2, 4, 5, 1,3
E. 1,5,4, 3,2
45. After Ajay implemented some of the steps mentioned above, consultants wanted to renegotiate their contract with the organization. It seems that the organization had never mentioned that consultants have to work across industries and domains. Some of the old consultants were reluctant to change their ways, while many of the younger consultants were willing to follow Ajay's advice. Which of the following.decision can be taken by Ajay to handle this situation?
A. Retrench old consultants and recruit young consultants.
B. Pressurize non-conformists by giving preferential treatment to the conformists,
C. Negotiate with the old consultants and communicate that the new rules would apply to the new consultants only.
D. Do nothing and wait for a right solution to emerge, as with time resistance would die down.
E. Discuss the issue in an open house and let solutions emerge democratically.
46. Ajay was to retire in five years and he wanted to leave behind a legacy. Order the following activities, from the most important to the least important, that Ajay should undertake, in next five year:
1. Do nothing.
2. Set a future direction for the organization in these challenging times.
3. Benchmark performance with respect to the best consulting company in industry.
4. Empower senior consultants and at the same time seek opinion of all others for handling future challenges.
5. Infuse fresh thinking by hiring outsiders.
Choose the best option from the following sequences
A. 1,2,3,4
B. 2,3,4,5
C. 3,4,2,1
D. 2,5,3,1
E. 2,5,4,3
XAT 2012::
Due to increased competition, Ginger Automobiles, the Indian subsidiary of Pepper Automobile Company (PAC) reported lower sales and profits. PAC expects its new model Limo, developed especially for value conscious customers of India and China, would revive its fortunes. In order to prevent customers from buying competing products, PAC announced the launch of Limo six months before schedule. Due to unrest in its Indian supplier's plant, deliveries of essential components for its main plant was hampered, and hence it decided to launch Limo in China only as per the original plan. Within a short span of time, Limo captured 30% market share in China, which was 200% higher than expected. Indian customers who had looked forward to purchasing Limo were becoming increasingly unhappy to the non-availability of Limo in the India. Ginger's dealers were worried about loss of business from the customers who might switch to other cars.
A.
Statement I: In the Chinese market, Baft, and Hebe, are competing models in Limo' s target market. Due to increase in sales of Limo by 200%, Baft and Hebe saw their market share decline by 10%.
Statement II: Baft and Hebe were not desired by the customers due to their new features. Which of the following conclusions can be most justifiably made?
A. I alone B. II alone C. Either I or II D. Neither I nor II E. I and II together
2.
Unhappy customers will not only leave the company, but also spread negative publicity about the company. The best way, among the options below, to deal with customers is:
A. suggest to customers to wait.
B. suggest to customers to consider purchasing any of the other PAC's models available in showrooms, with a substantial discount along with gifts.
C. suggest to PAC to treat Indian and Chinese markets equally.
D. promise the top management of PAC higher sales/profit from Indian market compared to Chinese market. E. suggest to the top management of PAC to manufacture essential components in either India or China.
E. suggest to the top management of PAC to manufacture essential components in either India or China.
3.
Mr. Murugan from Chennai experienced the comfort of Limo during his visit to China. He was willing to deposit an approximate price of Limo to buy the first available unit from Mr. Ahmed, a dealer in Chennai, known for fair dealing. Ginger Automobile is yet to announce the actual price, and the process for allocation of the vehicles. In order to maximise his cash flow, Mr. Ahmed should
A. collect the amount from Mr. Murugan. Later when the delivery is delayed, blame it on PAC's problems.
B. collect 50% as advance and the remaining 50% after the confirmation of launch date by Ginger Automobiles.
C. collect the amount Mr. Murugan is willing to deposit after clarifying that delivery is subject to the company policy.
D. not collect the amount, but suggest to Mr. Murugan to write to Ginger Automobiles.
E. collect the amount and transfer it to the account of Ginger Automobiles, instead of keeping it in his personal account.
@sav-9 @Highway66 @eshanrock @darchangel @SJ411
Bhola, an avid nature lover, wanted to be an entrepreneur. He dreamt of establishing a chain of huts in Chatpur region to cater to tourists, who came attracted by the beauty and splendour of the Himalayas. However, he was appalled by current degradation of the Himalayan environment. He remembered the early times when everything was so green, clean and peaceful. Now, greenery was replaced by buildings. Peace was shattered by honking of vehicles and flocking of tourists, and cleanliness was replaced by heaps of plastics. Bhola had a strong sense of right and wrong. On speaking to few locals about the issue, he realized that the locals were aware of these issues. However, they pointed out the benefits of development: Pucca houses for locals, higher disposable income and with that, ability to send their children to better schools and colleges, better road connectivity, and access to latest technology in agriculture. Most locals wanted the development to continue. Saddened by the lack of support from the locals, Bhola took up the issue with the government. He met the chief minister of the state to find out if government could regul ate the devel opment al acti vi ti es to prevent environmental degradation. However, the chief minister told Bhola that such and action would slow down the economic progress. That also meant loss of substantial tax revenues for the government. Bhola needed to resolve the dilemma. Bhola always wanted to be an entrepreneur, who could contribute to the society and earn money as well. However, his business would also be responsible for destroying the environment. If he did not set up his business, he would not be able to earn money and contribute to the society. After mulling over the issues, he went to his mentor "Guruji". Guruji realized that it was really a difficult puzzle: if one saves the environment, there seems to be no development and if the people and the government sought development, the environment and hence future of this planet and human beings was at stake. After careful thought, he felt that dilemma could be resolved. He fixed up a meeting with Bhola to answer Bhola's queries.
19. Should Bhola still think of doing business?
A. Yes, where there is a will, there is a way.
B. No, saving the Earth for our children is more important than earning money.
C. Yes, Bhola should do business while ensuring no environmental damage is done.
D. Yes, but only if the government puts strict environmental regulations in place.
E. Bhola should stop thinking about such a
dilemma.
20. Bhola wanted to advise the government about the new tourism policy. Bhola had developed a few alternatives as given below. Choose the best alternative.
A. Stop environmental degradation by stopping the developmental activities.
B. Forget about the environment; think about the peopl e as they are t he vote banks f or politicians to come back to power.
C. Suggest that the government should try to promot e eco-t ouri sm, whi ch woul d be controlled and regulated by the government, as the government could think about welfare of majority of stakeholders.
D. Suggest that the government should promote eco-tourism with public-private partnership with the involvement of NGOs, So that there are checks and balances for inefficiencies and promotion for synergetic efforts between the government and private entrepreneurs.
E. Involvement of impartial entities like NGO who would provide a fair assessment of the policies.
21. Bhola wished he was heading the government. He had listed down five concrete measures he would take if he were to head the government. Choose the best alternative.
A. Charge environmental cess from all businesses operating out of Himalayas.
B. Charge cess from anyone who pollutes the environment, it be citizens or industries and reward t hose who have contributed to afforestation the most.
C. All profit making organizations have to take responsibility of afforestation proportionate to their profitability.
D. Think about maximizing the revenues and forget about the environment. E. Institute a Green Valley Reward, which would be given to businesses highly active in afforestation efforts.
22. Visualising he was heading the state government, Bhola thought of a likely problematic situation. Five years have passed. In these five years, Bhola has initiated a lot of pro-environment steps, including making people aware of the fact that it was this pristine environment which brought in tourists in the first place. Now he faced state elections. The opposition accused him of stopping development and causing unemployment under the guise of environment protection. If Bhola were to consider this accusation as a short-term battle, which option would Guruji suggest to Bhola to score a quick win?
A. Accuse the opposition of having vested interests as the opposition leaders were denied licences for opening new hotels.
B. Point out the improvement in environment since the implementation of pro-environment policies.
C. Compare the unemployment levels since the implementation of the pro-environment polices and if they are less, accuse the opposition of making baseless charges.
D. Point out that this government had initiated a regular cleaning-up drive and the opposition did not consider the data regarding the people who were employed in that drive.
E. Call the charges as baseless accusations being used to malign the good work he had done. (2010)