.ASSIGNMENT TOPICS FOR EXECUTIVE M.B.

A, May, 2012
Final Year
DEMB 11 — BUSINESS POLICY AND STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT
ASSIGNMENT –I

1. (a) Board of directors.

(b) Strategic planning.
(c) Forces of competition.
(d) Strategy evaluation.
(e) Acquisitions.
(f) 7-S framework.
2. Discuss the nature and significance of strategic management.
3. Describe the role of board of directors.
4. Explain the techniques used in environmental analysis.
ASSIGNMENT –II
5. What are the issues involved in the implementation of strategy in finance?
6. State the forces underlying diversification strategy.
7. Explain the barriers faced in the evaluation of strategy.
8. Case study
Chocolate Makers “Hershey’s Ine, USA and ‘Ferrero SpA, Italy are considering a joint
bid to buy out’ Cadbury Plc, which could help the British confectioner tend off a hostile
take over by Kraft. Foods Inc, USA this move is the strongest sign of a possible rwal
bid to Kraft’s $ 16.7 Billion offer which Cadbury rejected and said was “derisory”.
Parallely Ferrero could join financial investors and private equity players considered
friendly to cadbury, for a possible alliance. With this proposal, the advantage for
cadbury shareholders is that they would continue to hold shares in a high growth
confectionery group having UK listing rather than being paid around 50% equity in a
low growth US listed conglomerate having a turn over of $ 11.7 billion a year.
Ferrero, has an annual sale of $ 9.3 billion with 18 factories and 21600 employees
worldwide, it is also known for its Kinder ‘Chocolates and’ ‘Tic-Tac’ candy.
Questions :
(a) Explain ‘intensive’ and ‘integrated growth strategies’ adopted by these
conglomerates.
(b) Explain the five types of competitive advantages pursued by Hershey’s and
Ferrero, while formulating their strategic plans.
(c) Why do companies resort to hostile bidding?
 ASSIGNMENT TOPICS FOR EXECUTIVE M.B.A, May, 2012
Final Year
DEMB12— INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS
ASSIGNMENT –I
1. (a) MNC
(b) Significance of international business.
(c) International accounting.
(d) IMF.
(e) SDRs
(f) Concept of International Trade.
2. What is the significance of international business?
3. State the strategies involved in managing a global firm.
4. Discuss the role of IBRD in the promotion of world trade.
ASSIGNMENT –II
5. Describe the functions of WTO.
6. State the theories related to cross cultural management in international business.
7. What are the advantages of MNCs to host countries?
8. Case Study:
In the last decade, the Indian animation industry witnessed high growth rates largely due to
some inherent strengths and the cost advantage that it offered. The companies were adopting
different business models, and experts believed that many of these companies were moving up
the value chain. However, they felt that the Indian animation industry had a lot of bottlenecks
and that Indian animation companies had some weaknesses as well. In such a scenario, the
Indian animation companies had to make the right strategic moves in order to tap the full
potential of the market.
In November 2008, NASSCOM announced that the Indian animation industry was poised for
significant growth in the coming years. The industry was expected to record US$1163 million
by 2012, as against the projected US$460 million by the end of 2008, reporting a CAGR of 27
percent, according to a report jointly prepared by NASSCOM and Ernst and Young. There were
several movies slated for release in 2009 including big budget movies like "Sultan-The
Warrior", "Coochie Coochie Hota Hai" and a few more.
The entry of big players into the animation industry served to encourage the animation studios
in India, which were hoping to get both investment and more and more original and varied
content that would suit the global audience.
Experts felt that the Indian animation industry had gained significant momentum in the 1990s
and the 2000s. It had witnessed the entry of many new players and many of the companies
were moving up the value chain. These companies were adopting different business models in
their bid to take advantage of the huge scope for growth in the industry (Refer to Exhibit III for
the business models adopted by the Indian players). While the projections for growth were good
and some experts felt that the Indian animation companies had some strengths, others pointed
out to weaknesses which could prevent the companies from tapping the full potential of the
global animation industry. Industry experts pointed out that Indian players still accounted for
only a minuscule share of the global animation industry. Turning Point was in the 1990s that
the Indian animation industry witnessed a boom. Ram Mohan and Sako were determined to
make the animated series based on the Ramayana and so Ram Mohan traveled to Japan to
make it happen.
Indian animation Gains Momentum. the low entry barrier and the lure of easy dollars that
could be earned by providing cut-price work for the animation studios from the West
resulted in several small companies crowding the Indian animation industry. The Indian film
industry, which is the second largest in the world, was not involved in animation in a big way.
It had been using animation to a limited extent in live action movies, mostly in the form of
visual effects. The Indian animation industry had been growing at exceptional rates since the
late 1990s, but experts felt that some serious challenges remained in the way of sustaining
such growth rates. A major challenge for the industry was the skilled manpower crunch. Even
though India had a large English speaking labor force, tere was a dearth of readily employable
skilled animators. Industry experts felt that while the growth of the animation industry in
India had been phenomenal, there was an opportunity for it to grow even more. The low cost of
production was a huge advantage. For instance, the production cost of a half-hour animated
movie in India cost around US$60-70,000 while in the US, it was around US$250,000-300,000,
according to NASSCOM’s analysis.
(a) Explain the favorable Conditions for Indian animation industry.
(b) Discuss the role of human resource in developing international business for Indian
animation industry.

(DEMB
2 12)
 ASSIGNMENT TOPICS FOR EXECUTIVE M.B.A, May, 2012
Final Year

DEMB 13— MANAGEMENT INFORMATION SYSTEMS

ASSIGNMENT –I
1. (a) Define MIS.
(b) Hardware.
(c) Data base.
(d) Transaction processing system.
(e) Marketing information system.
(f) Normalisation.
2. Discuss the role of MIS in decision making in management.
3. Information is wealth comment.
4. Explain the steps involved in system development life cycle.
ASSIGNMENT –II
5. State the contribution of strategic information system in decision making.
6. Bring out need for functional information system for an organiation.
7. What are the recent trends in IT?
8. Case study :
Korean car manufacturer Kia Motors started selling in the North American market,
promising high-quality vehicles at prices well below the competition. In 1994, Kia sold
12,000 cars, and by 2004, Kia had sold 270,000 cars. From a marketing end standpoint, Kia
has been a phenomenal success. But until 2002 Kia ranked at the bottom of J. D. Power
and Associates’ annual initial-quality survey of new vehicle owners. In 1997 when the
average North American car had 1.1 defects per vehicle, Kia had 2.75. In 2002 Kia had
improved to 2.12 defects per vehicle, but the industry average was 1.33. Kia had a long way
to go, and it was affecting its ability to sell cars, retain customers, and keep operational
costs down.
Like all manufacturers of vehicles sold in North America, Kia had to create a system by
December 1, 2003 to report any defects, accidents, or injuries involving its vehicles to the
U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).
Kia Motors uses a manufacturing and production system to help in identifying sources of
defects in their automobiles. Kia uses the information from the system to improve its
production processes to eliminate or reduce defects. Improving vehicle quality lowers Kia’s
costs for warranty repairs while increasing customer satisfaction.
(a) Why was it so difficult for Kia to identify sources of defects in the cars it produced?
(b) What was the business impact of Kia not having an information system to track
defects?
(c) What management, organization and technology issues did Kia have to address when
it adopted its new quality control system?

(DEMB
2 13)
 ASSIGNMENT TOPICS FOR EXECUTIVE M.B.A, May, 2012
Final Year
GROUP A – MARKETING

DEMB A1 — SALES AND ADVERTISING MANAGEMENT

ASSIGNMENT –I

1. (a) Sales manager.

(b) Sales territory.
(c) Sales audit.
(d) Promotion mix.
(e) Advertising agency.
(f) Sales control research.
2. Elucidate the scope and significance of sales management.
3. Salesman are born but not made. Comment.
4. How does sales budget act as an instrument of planning and control of sales?
ASSIGNMENT –II

5. What are the sources of recruitment of salesman?

6. State the considerations in the selection of media.
7. How do you measure the effectiveness of advertising?
8. Case study
X company a manufacturer of Electronic goods has organised a meeting of its top Executives
to discuss the sales strategies for the next financial year. After some deliberations the
marketing manager has said that ‘‘the cost of a full-page advertisement in one issue of
business journal is more than the cost of employing two sales people for a full year’’, and
urged the management of the company to eliminate a few of these advertisements and
instead, to hire a few more sales people. He believes that one good sales person working for
an entire year can sell more than one advertisement in one issue of business journal.
Assume that you are one among the participants in the discussion and how would you
respond to the views of marketing manager?
 ASSIGNMENT TOPICS FOR EXECUTIVE M.B.A, May, 2012
Final Year
GROUP A – MARKETING
DEMBA 2— SERVICES MARKETING AND CRM

ASSIGNMENT –I
1. (a) Nature of services.
(b) Service strategy.
(c) Classification of services
(d) Concept of CRM.
(e) E – CRM.
(f) Logistic services.

2. What are the challenges faced by service business?

3. Critically examine customers relationship management cycle.

4. State the market potential of CRM in India.

ASSIGNMENT –II

5. Design financial service product with factors of cost, risk and time.

6. Enumerate the issues in the quality of services.

7. State the factors that influence the consumer behaviour in services.

8. Case study.
Few would disagree that paying to free-fall a hundred feet from a cliff bridge, or other tall structure could be a risky venture.
The venture of course is bungee jumping. Adapted from ancient cliff-diving rituals, bungee jumping was popularized in the late
1980's by daredevil New Zealanders. Of the four pre-purchase components discussed in this chapter, the sport vividly illustrates
the last (but note the least) of these components: risk – namely, physical risk.
How many people would be willing to hurl themselves from great heights with only beefed-up rubber bands connected to their
ankles to halt the fall? For about $ 60 (which includes a commemorative T-shirt), quite a few, as A.J. Hackett, founder of A.J.
Hackett Bungry the world’s largest bungee jumping corporation, will tell you. Hackett first launched A.J. Hackett Bungy by
plummeting 327 feet from Paris Eiffel Tower in 1987. The leap demonstrated the safety of his specially designed bungee
equipment, attracted worldwide attention and five years subsequent to the jump, spawned over $ 7.5 million in annual sales for
his corporation. The company now employs over 100 people and has operations in Australia, New Zealand, Bali, France and the
United States.
The sport of bungee jumping has taken on new dimensions, too, since Hackett first took the plunge. Today, thrill-seekers can
choose to bungee from helicopters, leap in tandem with other jumpers, or fly like Superman by being catapulted from the ground
into mid-air. One couple even choose to take their wedding vows while bungee jumping. To reduce the uncertainty and
consequent risks potential bungee consumers face, A.J. Hackett Bungy emphasizes instruction and adheres to strict safety
standards. Since the company was founded, over 500,000 customers have taken the plunge and no accidents have occurred, say
company officials. When properly managed, says Henry van Asch, a managing director and confounder of the company, bungee
jumping "is such a good product that most people go away feeling elated with what they’ve done and can’t wait to tell other
about it." Although the company advertises in the adventure travel media, its main promotion comes through word-of-mouth
says van Asch.
Questions for discussion:
(a) Examine he perceived utility of a bungee-jump purchase. Under what circumstances might such a purchase fulfil a
functional, social, emotional, epistemic, or conditional value? Develop a marketing plan to appeal to the values that
impact the purchase decision.
(b) "I can say I’ve done it, and that means I don’t have to do it again," commented one bungee jumper after he took the
flying leap. Does this statement refute the notion that a satisfied customer will be a repeat customer? List various
service industries that do not rely on repeat patronage.
(c) What additional strategies might A.J. Hackett Bungy employ to reduce pre-purchase risk certification branding? money-
back guarantees?
(d) Examine how the components of the service encounter, such as the service environment and service personnel, might
either positively or negatively affect jumpers’ perceptions of their bungee purchases.
 ASSIGNMENT TOPICS FOR EXECUTIVE M.B.A, May, 2012
Final Year
GROUP A – MARKETING

DEMBA 3— RURAL AND RETAIL MARKETING

ASSIGNMENT –I

1. (a) Scattered markets.

(b) Adopter groups.
(c) Buyer behaviour.
(d) Behavioural dimensions.
(e) Formal media.
(f) Product development.
2. Discuss the infrastructure required for rural marketing.
3. How are products distributed in rural markets?
4. Describe the nature and significance of rural marketing.
ASSIGNMENT –II
5. What are the factors that influence rural consumer behaviour?
6. Elucidate the factors that influence the pricing decisions in rural marketing.
7. Enumerate the scope of rural marketing research.
8. Case study :
Mr. Harish panjwani was a refugee when he started his small grocery business about 40 years back.
Initially he hawked his goods door to door and soon developed a sizeable number of study customers.
This was largely due to his sober temperament, reliable dealing and his amiable nature. His extrovert
nature helped him develop many Friends and well wishers.
Over a period of time, Mr. Panjwani became a socially prominent person with good acquaintances
from many walks of life. He expanded the range of his business activities and he now owns several
shops dealing in consumer durables, dairy products and also has a general, store, besides a large
medical shop. Having a conservative frame of mind, he feels emotionally attached to his original
grocery business and continues to operate it with enthusiasm. His business place has ever come to be
associated with a meeting venue for people of his generation. His Children are grown up and elder
one, Rajesh has just returned from abroad after completing his management education there.
Ambitious by nature, Rajesh would like to expand his business fast. He feels that he needs to be
‘professional’ in his approach. In his option, his father's way of dealing with people is outdated. Many
a time, he feels irritated when his father’s Old friends drop in at the shops and spend time talking
with him. Rajesh feels that this type of casual come together is a waste of time. He would prefer to be
more ‘business’ like. He would like to deal with them as customers only, serving them with precision
and in a methodical manner. He expects that his customers should appreciate this ‘modern’ way of
doing business. He has, however, broached his inner feelings only in an indirect way to his father, and
he found that his father believes in maintaining close personal links with his customers. Some of the
customers have, anyhow, started noticing the change in the way in which Rajesh deals with them.
They feel that the Old ‘warmth’ of their relationship with the ‘senior Panjwani is somehow missing
and they are now less welcome at the shops.
(a) What do you think is the contribution of personal relationship in such a business?
(b) Do you agree with the approach adopted by Rajesh? Do you have any suggestion to make?
 ASSIGNMENT TOPICS FOR EXECUTIVE M.B.A, May, 2012
Final Year
GROUP A – MARKETING

DEMBA 4— CONSUMER BEHAVIOUR AND MARKETING RESEARCH

ASSIGNMENT –I

1. (a) Concept of consumer.

(b) Reference group.
(c) Consumer satisfaction.
(d) Primary data.
(e) Identifying research problem.
(f) Learning.
2. Why is it necessary to study consumer behaviour?
3. Discuss the steps involved in consumer research process.
4. How do you assess the influence of family on consumer behaviour?
ASSIGNMENT –II
5. What is the influence of persnality on consumer behaviour?
6. Critically examine Schiffman and Kanuk’s model of consumer decision making.
7. State the sources of consumer dissatisfaction.
8. Case study
Although most of you probably did not grow up with plastic slipcovers over the living room
couch and/or the dining room chairs, many Americans did. Plastic slipcovers, which first
appeared in Chicago in the mid-1950s and spread quickly to New York, are designed to
protect the fabric of a chair or sofa while still permitting consumers to see the cloth and its
design. With plastic slipcovers, someone’s head leaning of back of fabric chair will not stain
the fabric, nor will the colour of someone’s new jeans come off on the couch. And although
many people who grew up with plastic slipcovers in their homes like to make fun of this fact.
These individuals were glad that the couch or chair had plastic slipcovers when they, in their
youth, spilled milk or soda on the furniture.
Over the years, plastic slipcovers have undergone a number of product improvements. The
use on thinner-plastic has made the material more supple, cloth bindings have been replaced
with clear bindings and nylon thread has been substituted for cotton thread.
Question :
Which social class or classes, would you expect to be the primary purchasers of plastic
slipcovers?
 ASSIGNMENT TOPICS FOR EXECUTIVE M.B.A, May, 2012
Final Year
GROUP A – MARKETING

DEMBA 5— GLOBAL MARKETING

ASSIGNMENT –I

1. (a) Concept of international marketing.

(b) Monetary environment.
(c) F TZs.
(d) Sales policy.
(e) Market entry strategy.
(f) International advertising.
2. Discuss the nature and scope of international marketing.
3. Explain the institutions involved in international marketing.
4. State the factors considered in the selection of international promotion strategy.
ASSIGNMENT –II
5. Describe the Export – import policy of India.
6. How are products priced in international marketing?
7. Enumerate the design of products for international market.
8. Case study (Compulsory)
Texas-based Granada Corporation helps ranchers around the world improve the quality of their cattle
through semen collection, artificial insemination, and embryo transfers, in which cattle embryos from
superior animals are implanted in surrogate cows. Granada is also one of a growing number of firms
conducting research in embryo cloning—the multiple replication of a fertilized embryo to produce
genetically identical offspring—and gene-transfer technologies.
Much of the company’s marketing effort focuses on educating ranchers about embryo transfer
technology and its benefits. In 1990, Granada and magazine publisher Hoistein-Friesian World Inc.
(HFW) joined forces in an industry awareness program called “A Clone, Just for You.” The program’s
primary objective was to emphasize the safe, timely, and cost-effective characteristics associated with
utilizing commercial cloning in dairy herd management. Initial advertising included news releases,
displays at conventions, and sales promotions, such as contests giving away free products and dollars-
off coupons toward the purchase of embryo technology.
This type of marketing expertise has enabled Granada to bypass overseas sales agents and go directly
to ranchers in its international marketing activities. Sometimes the ranchers approach Granada first.
Because of this direct customer contact, the company makes sure its employees have, in addition to
their technical expertise, well-developed interpersonal skills that are effective across a multitude of
cultures.
Most of the foreign customers who are interested in the high-technology service offered by Granada
can afford it and can arrange to pay in American dollars. Many ranchers arrange payment through
letters of credit at an American bank. Thus Granada is somewhat insulated against fluctuating
exchange rates and the economic woes of other nations.
The company does have to worry about customs regulations regarding the transfer of technology and
the sale of services across international boundaries, however. In addition, some foreign governments
have tried to obtain the technology for themselves. The issues associated with the transfer of science
and technology across national boundaries and the international protection of proprietary
products and processes promise to be at the forefront of international trade negotiations in
the future.
With the apparent end of the Cold War and the political restructuring of Europe, bioscience
technology will become an important element of foreign policy, just as military strength was a few
short years ago. As with all companies engaged in international trade, Granada must be very careful
to obey all laws and regulations and yet ensure that it receives all payment that it deserves for its
services without unnecessarily “giving away” its unique products and ideas. All of this can be
especially difficult when dealing across national boundaries.
Questions
(a) What are the international environmental concerns in Granada’s marketing?
(b) What is the potential for marketing mix standardization at Granada?
(c) What are alternative ways Granada can gain new international markets?

(DEMBA
2 5)