Instructions

Read the following case-let and choose the best alternative for the questions 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 good 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.

Question 1

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)?

Solution

Statement 1 as the course of action is out of the question. Therefore, 1 is the course of action which need not be taken immediately. Therefore, options A and E are eliminated. Given that Ajay wants to make situations better, statement 3 should be one of his initial course of actions. Therefore, option D is eliminated. Among the remaining options, option B is the appropriate one.
The answer is option B.

Question 2

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?

Solution

Among the given approaches, only option E is the appropriate one. Only option E is a step to find the solution for the concerns raised by old consultants.

The answer is option E.

Question 3

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

Solution

Doing nothing will not progress the organization. Therefore, (1) is ruled out. It is important to set a direction for the organization in this challenging time. Therefore, (2) is the most important step followed by (3) and (4). In view of necessity of ideas, it is important to hire new consultants. Hence, the order is 2, 3, 4, and 5.

The answer is option B.

Instructions

Read the following case - let and answer the questions that follow

Intercontinental Business Manufacturing (IBM) was doing a roaring business. Demand of the products was high and supply of raw - material was abundant. IBM was manufacturing three different products. Some customers bought two types of products and some bought only one. The three products were “quickie - quick”, “run - of - the - mill”, and “maxi - max”. Customers were not complaining loudly. Ram, the product manager, was confused! Demand for “quickie - quick “was increasing .Raw material suppliers wanted to supply lower quality at cheaper price. It was profitable for the company to increase production .Quality department was not happy with the product. Ram met Rahim, the CEO, who, as always, wanted higher profits. He said that IBM will set up a committee for improving the quality.

Question 4

What must not be done by Ram?

Solution

Since there is good demand for quickie-quick it is essential that the quality is maintained to ensure the demand doesn't fall. Therefore, options B and C can be done. Options D and E may reduce the sales for some period but it is good keeping the market in view. Only producing quickie-quick products not concerning about the quality is not a good idea. Therefore, the answer is option A.

Question 5

Rahim set up a “brand” committee comprising of a few selected managers, headed by Robert. The
committee proposed that IBM should continue to manufacture the three differently branded products. It also proposed to recruit a new brand manager for improving brand image of the products. It agreed with Rahim that the company should increase the price. Rocket Singh, head of sales, was confused because he realized that customers were miffed with “run - of - the - mill” and “maxi - max”.
What should Rocket Singh do?

Solution

Options A and B doesn't address the dissatisfaction of customers. Options C and D also doesn't help in finding the reason for customer's dissatisfaction. The answer is option E.

Question 6

Some of the managers in production department were discussing the problems faced in shipping
products in time. They complained that they had to undertake responsibility of creating financial and marketing plans in addition to responsibility of production planning. At the same time, finance
and marketing managers were to be involved in preparing production plans. It was expected that
this will reduce customer complaints. It was rumored that these changes were initiated by the managers educated in the U.S.
Which of the following is the best possible course of action available to the affected managers?

Solution

In the given context, we can infer that no rights violated in any manner. Therefore, options A, B and D are incorrect. Going to US for further education is irrelevant in the given context. Creating a forum for discussion may resolve the issues. The answer is option C.