In this thread we will try to discuss various tips and questions for Decision Making. In case you are looking for more, have a look at my course available here:
http://handakafunda.com/xat-decision-making-general-knowledge-mock-test-series/
Given below are a bunch of resources which I guess would be helpful in your Decision Making Preparation.
Paid Resources:
Online Course:
http://handakafunda.com/dm-decision-making-xat-online-coaching-past-papers-free-download/
Get in touch with me (@ravihanda) for more details
Free resources:
Blogposts and Articles:
http://www.pagalguy.com/discussions/mba-prep-articles-16898145/18071624
http://www.pagalguy.com/discussions/mba-prep-articles-16898145/18007661
http://www.pagalguy.com/discussions/mba-in-india-16898143/18065168
http://www.coolavenues.com/mba-in-india/mba-preparation/demystifying-decision-making-section-of-xat
http://www.mbatious.com/prepnote/decision-making-xat-2014
http://www.careeranna.com/prepare-xat-decision-making-makes-breaks-case/
http://www.careeranna.com/decision-making-xat-brought-careeranna-association-disha-publications/
http://www.careeranna.com/decision-making-xat-part-1/
PDFs / Ebooks:
Career Launcher XAT 2008 to 2012 - Questions / Answers / Solutions: http://www.careerlauncher.com/classapart/download/XAT%20Decision%20Making.pdf
Test Funda XAT 2013 - Full Paper - http://testfunda.com/Content/PreviousCATSolutions/Pdfs_2013/XAT/XAT2013_QuestionPaper_with_DetailedS...
Oliveboard - http://www.oliveboard.in/dmresources.php
101 Ethical Dilemmas - I personally vote strongly against it but some people tend to like it. Just google for it and you will get the free PDF.
Videos:
Raju Chaudhury is starting a new venture that deals with mobile phone applications. To hire a group of programmers at the earliest, Raju Chaudhury needs a team of HR professionals. The mobile apps company is doing well at hiring a team of experienced HR professionals and have already put a HR team in place. The HR team is reluctant to hire programmers because they are coming at a cost that is higher than the market standards. When Raju Chaudhury set up an investigating team to probe into the issue, he found that a certain individual in the HR team is influencing others to step back from hiring pricey candidates, though they may be quality ones. What should Raju Chaudhury do in such a case?
Sayan, a recent MBAgraduate with specialization in sales and marketing, applied for the position of sales manager in affirm producing industrial fabrication tools. The management of the company took pride in indispensable feature of the job involved entertaining purchasing agents and that ascertain amount of social drinking was necessary.Sayan assured them that he was a moderate drinker with no moral or religious prejudices against drinking. During the following two years Sayan became successful manager and on two occasions received awards for achieving the highest sales for the quarter. However, he found that he on-discriminatory recruitment policy. In offeringSayan the position, the management made it clear that an in was encountering problem resulting from the necessity of entertaining customers at least two or three times a week. The problem was that he felt that he was becoming an alcoholic, since he had recently been overindulging even when not entertaining customers. The problem became progressively worse until he found himself in a constantly inebriated condition and unable to work without resorting to drinking at work. On reporting about his problem to the management,Sayan was sent at company expense to an alcoholic rehabilitation center, from which he was discharged after six weeks of rest and recuperation. However, within two months of resuming duties,Sayan was arrested in a local pub and charged with drunkenness and assault. The victim of his assault was a customer whom he had taken to the pub to discuss a sale. The management viewed the incident extremely negatively and fired Sayan. Shortly thereafter, a lawyer representing Sayan informed the management that Sayan intended to bring legal action against the company. Sayan felt the company was liable since his ale alcoholism was a result of his employment. He commended that drinking was a requirement of his job, and therefore alcoholism represented an occupational hazard. The management decided to form a committee to discuss the matter and recommend a course of action. The course of action should be such so as to prevent recurrence of such a situation.
Q1.
As the management decides this situation, it also has to appoint a replacement for Sayan. The management is exploring following options so that such a fiasco is not repeated:
A. Do not go to business schools. Hire an experienced sales manager from the market, and attract him or her by offering higher remuneration package.
B. State the requirements of job, including the necessity of social drinking, explicitly in the employment offer letter. A signed copy of the employment offer letter would indicate that the employee has accepted the terms of the employment with complete knowledge of job-details.
C. Social drinking does not imply that a person has to drink excessively. Therefore select only mature persons, those who are high in self-esteem, who do not give in to social pressures and who know how to exert self-control.
D. Provide guidance to all sales managers -both experienced as well as newly appointed-on how to behave during social occasions. This will be helpful to those who are otherwise moderate drinkers, but end up drinking beyond their capacity because of suggestions by peers and friends.
E. Test for the validity of claims of being moderate drinkers during the selection process itself. This will screen out persons who only claim to be drinkers but to obtain the job. From management's point of view, the options in the descending order of ease of implementation would be:
1. A + B, C, D + E
2. C + D, B + E, A + E
3. C + E, B + D, B + E
4. B + E, B + D, A + B
Q2.
Assuming that the management has no constraints in implementing changes in policy, the following possible recommendations can be made confidently about the company's recruitment and selection policy.
A. All that is required to sell the product is toentertain the purchase officers. The company should predominantly be hiring college graduates, that too those who know how to interact socially.
B. The firm would be better-off by hiring sales managers from the market rather than those fresh out of business schools.
C. The firm should have only one sales manager.The sales manager should know about the technical details of the product and its pricing and should have the authority to offer price discounts to clients. At the next level, the firm should have a team of sales representatives, who would be responsible for developing contacts and reporting back to the sales manager for follow-up.
D. The firm should have an intense induction period where the newly appointed employees are trained in managerial aspects of the job and provided training in social skills, including how to manage drinks.
E. People passing out of MBA colleges and without work-experience are as good as high school kids. The firm should avoid them at all costs as they would often end up as a liability to the firm.
The option that makes good business sense and represents the choices for the management in increasing order of alignment with respect to its policy of non-discrimination are:
1. A, B, C, E
2. A, C, B, D
3. A, E, C, D
4. A, C, E, D
5. A, B, E, D
Q3.
From Sayan's perspective, which option allows him to salvage his career prospects?
1. Make an offer to withdraw the case in return for a job back in the company.Thus the company would be saved from any protracted legal battle in the Indian legal system and Sayan would be gainfully employed.
2. Ask for a job in manufacturing since itdoes not involve drinking. He had proved his competence while being a sales manager, and he can prove his competence in manufacturing also.
3. Obtain documentation from the firm that highlights his performance and experience,abstain from legal action against the firm, have a settlement outside the legal system and take a job in a totally different company.
4. Obtain certificates from the company that reflect his performance on the job. Ask for help from the management in getting a job in the sister concern of the firm.
5. Proceed with the court case. There is a possibility of his winning a substantial compensation. After that he can start looking for a new job.
a)1 b)2 c)3 d)4
CAN ANYONE SUGGEST ME A GOOD BOOK FOR XAT?
A deceptively easy one : 😃
When Mr. X visited his manufacturing unit after a gap of a few years, he found that his factory manager had at regular intervals disposed off the scrap and distributed the money among the workers. Mr. X sacked the factory manager and appointed a new one. Because of this action the workers went on strike. What will you do if you were in place of Mr. X?
1)Find out the reasons for the manager €™s misconduct. If they are found to be not in the interests of the company, explain the matter to the workers, and request them not to strike for illegitimate reasons.
2)Explain to the workers that such behaviour will not be tolerated in the company and the manager not reinstated. Promise to increase their pay to make up for the loss they may suffer in future.
3)Explain to the workers that the manager cannot be reinstated. Request them to return to normal work, and they would not be held accountable for the manager €™s conduct.
4)Find out the reasons for the manager €™s misconduct. If the reasons are found to be legitimate in the interests of the workers reinstate the manager on the condition that it will not be repeated.
5)Explain to the workers that legal proceedings would be initiated against the manager. The amounts they have received through unauthorised channels would be recovered from their wages or dues, and request them to return to normal work as the company cannot compromise on its values.
please post your reasons for your ans 😃
You are Deputy general manager of a very reputed power company.Your quality engineer reports you about the poor quality of materials used in the construction of a boiler.He also reports you that both junior engineer and the contractor are equally responsible for the irregularities. But the contractor is of a reputed firm and has good political contacts also the junior engineer had awarded for his excellent work by the Director of the company recently and is the son-in-law of Deputy general manager.Being a Deputy General Manager you ?
(a)Will reassess the report and give a notice to the junior engineer and contractor both.
(b)Will suspend the junior engineer and file a complaint against him and reconcile with contractor as it will affect the work.
(c)Will discuss with the son-in-law and contractor about the report and suggest them not to pander in such activities.
(d)Will suspend the junior engineer and cancel all contracts with the contractor.At the same time try to snoop the case.Wait for higher authority to look into the matter.
Augustine Mahiga, the U.N. Special Representative for Somalia, is a troubled man. The United Nations
declared another three regions in Somalia in famine. Augustine is aware that the international humanitarian
response to the crisis has been inadequate and the prevalence of acute malnutrition and rates of mortality
have surpassed the famine thresholds. According to the United Nations, famine is defined as when acute
malnutrition exceeds 30 per cent and when the death rate exceeds two per 10,000 a day.
The U.N.'s food arm, the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), said famine is likely to spread across
all regions of Somalia's south in the next four to six weeks, with famine conditions likely to last for the next
five months. A humanitarian emergency exists across all other regions of southern Somalia.
Aid efforts have been hampered in the south as elements of al-Shabaab, the Islamist insurgents, have
refused access to western relief agencies. Throughout Somalia, 3.7 million people are in crisis, with 3.2
million people in need of immediate, lifesaving assistance, 2.8 million of whom are in the south.
The U.N.'s famine early warning system network said that the current humanitarian response remains
inadequate, due in part to ongoing access restrictions and difficulties in scaling up emergency assistance
programmes, as well as funding gaps. Augustine appealed to all Somalis, both inside and outside the
country, to work together to support the peace process and alleviate the plight of those suffering from
famine.
It can be assumed that the main reason for the current humanitarian response to remain inadequate
is:
(prev ques deleted, ques edited)
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 nonavailability of Limo in the India. Ginger's dealers were worried about loss of business from the customers who might switch to other cars.
Mr. Murugan from Chennai experienced the comfort of Limo during his visit to China. He was willing to deposit an approximate price of Limo tobuy 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 byGinger 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.
(3 SET QUES)
For right or wrong reasons, Company XYZ always made the headlines in the financial dailies and business magazines during the late 1990s. The company was headed by the 60 year old managing director Mr. Preston. He waspopularly known as a 'turnaround specialist' and had successfully turned around many sick companies within theXYZ group. By the end of financial year 1999, XYZ managed to report rising profits for four consecutive yearsafter incurring its first ever loss of Rs 420 million in 1995. However, by the third quarter ended September 30,2000, Preston was a worried man.XYZ was once again on the downward path. The company's nine months net profits of Rs 105.5 million in 2000was substantially lower than the Rs 209.8 million recorded in 1999. Its staff costs of Rs 1.29 million (23% of netsales) was also higher as compared to Rs 1.18 million incurred in the previous year. In September 2000, XYZ washeading towards a major labour dispute as XYZ Mazdoor Union had requested the West Bengal government tointervene in what it considered to be a major downsizing exercise.The company provided employment to over 15,000 people in its manufacturing and sales operations throughoutIndia. However, throughout its history, XYZ was plagued by perennial labor problems with frequent strikes andlockouts at its manufacturing facilities. The company incurred huge employee expenses (22% of net sales in 1999).A Competitor was far more cost-effective with salaries of its 5,000 strong workforce comprising just 5% of itsturnover. When the company was in the red in 1995 for the first time, XYZ restructured the entire board and sentin a team headed by Preston. Soon after he stepped in several changes were made in the management.Indians, who held key positions in top management, were replaced with expatriates and Preston took over asmanaging director. They made several key changes, including a complete overhaul of the company's operationsand key departments.Within two months of Preston taking over, XYZ decided to sell its headquarter building in Calcutta forRs 195 million, in a bid to stem losses. The company shifted wholesale, planning & distribution, and the commercialdepartment to XYZnagar, despite opposition from the trade unions. The management team implemented a massive revamping exercise in which more than 250 managers and their juniors were asked to quit.
answer the following 3 questions:
Q1.)
“Profits may return, but honor is difficult to regain.” was a line constantly repeated as trade union members in all locations of XYZ threatened to go on strike. What was the best course of action for Preston?
A. Ignore the trade union members as there was no legally binding agreement between the company and the union.
B. Withdraw his decision to shift specific departments to XYZnagar and call back the employees who were asked to quit.
C. Enter into negotiations with the trade union members and draw up a long-term bipartite agreement with them.
D. Enter into a discussion with the trade union members and agree to take back workers if they provide a guarantee on performance.
E. Enter into a discussion with the trade union members and work on convincing them of the validity of your decision. (3 Marks)
@ravihanda @Smoke.7ore puys.. pls look into this..and give reasons
Vivekananda Memorial Elocution Competition (VMEC) in Viswavijay Public School (VPS) has a history of forty years. Apart from the founder €™s day and annual day celebrations, it is the most important event of the school.In recent times, due to the increased popularity of reality shows on television channels, and for various other reasons, the elocution competition lost its appeal. Interest of both students and parents has been eroding over a period of time. To ensure sufficient audience, Mr. Ivan, Head of English Department, introduced choral recitation for junior section as a part of elocution competition. Three classes, each consisting of forty students, get short-listed for the final performance of choral singing on the day of VMEC. Most of the parents and family members of these students attend the function to encourage them. This initiative increased the number of people attending the elocution competition.Some teachers are unhappy with the emphasis given on the elocution competition, since they are expected to be present at the school on the day of competition, which normally happens on a weekend to accommodate the working parents. The teachers were not granted leave on the day of VMEC and they used to be unhappy regarding this aspect.
Q
Ms Shabina, the principal of VPS, is aware that some of her teachers are unhappy. She wants to be seen as fair and just. Which option is the best one that she should exercise?
A.introduce separate music and dance competitions in same format as the elocution competition.
B.appropriately compensate those teachers who volunteer to come for the extra day
C.appoint a committee of teachers, parents and management representatives to come up with possible suggestions within a deadline.
D.appoint a committee of teachers to come up with possible suggestions, and ensure that majority of committee members are staunch supporters of the current practices.
E.exercise the authority of the principal because she wants to retain all traditions.
Pls share ur views : source- past xat
Saral Co. is operating in seven north-eastern states of the country. The organization has a history of participative decision making, wherein people deliberate openly about pros and cons of every important decision, and a broad consensus is taken before taking the final decision. In Saral Co. every employee gets a salary proportional to the sales achieved. A new General Manager (GM) joined during the beginning of this month and challenged the organization's sole focus on sales to determine salaries. He urged the top management to include two more additional parameters in determining the salaries of the employees, viz. collection of information about competitors and the quality of relationship with the retailers.
Q.
Manohar, the highest earning employee for the last three years, vehemently opposes the GM's proposal. Which of the following could be most likely reason for him to oppose the proposal?
A.He considers the proposal as a serious threat to his favourable position in Saral Co.
B.He is not interested in collecting the information regarding competitors.
C.No clarity regarding the relative importance of the three parameters.
D.He is not interested in maintaining quality relationship with retailers.
E.He may need to work harder to earn the highest salary.
which book will b best for
decision making and general knowledge for xat 2014..??????
Puy log...pls keep this thread buzzing with ques...pls post ques that you find in mocks, past xat etc...
pls give reasoning for ur choice..
You are the District Magistrate of an economically backward area and your primary responsibility is tomaintain law and order and to ensure regional development. You find that your predecessor, in order topromote development, has installed a complex economic strategy and control structure for monitoring various development projects. This structure has earned him a lot of praise from his superiors.
However, you have realized that the model is very complex and most of your subordinates, who implement things on the ground, do not understand the model at all. What would you do?
(a) come up with your own strategy of project monitoring which is independent of the previous strategy
(b) try to implement the strategy of your predecessor strictly as the model has received a lot of praise
(c) try to clarify the monitoring model to your subordinates so that they can understand the various nuances
(d) devise some ways to resolve the complexity of the project-monitoring model without diluting the core spirit of it
Linda receives another email, from an employee, that is excerpted, “How do I deal with my boss who
won't leave me alone? I have filed complaints with her boss, yet she refuses to change. She doesn't
think that I will quit, but what if I threaten to? I know that I'm valuable and she would get in a lot of
trouble if I did quit since her boss is aware of her “problems.” Should I threaten to leave? She always
micromanages everything and it is getting too much for me to handle.”
Which one of these options would help identify the main problem that Linda faces in the given
caselet?
Typical HR dilemma.. @ravihanda ,puys.. pls do share ur views on this ques.
Manisha is a 21-year-old MBA summer intern who has just been caught stealing Rs.1000 from the petty cash fund in your office. This was because she wanted to party over the weekend and her internship cheque was expected to be credited in her bank account on Monday, after which she intended to put the money back in the petty cash fund. The Company has a strict policy that says that anyone who steals will be dismissed. Manisha's mother works in another department in the Company for the past 15 years and she has come to see you, in person, to beg you not to €œruin Manisha's life €?. She also points out that she has seen many other employees take incidental office supplies like pencils and notepads home.
Q.)Which of the following is going to be your decision?
1) Rs 1000 will be deducted from Manisha's dues, and she will be dismissed from the job.
2) Manisha will be dismissed from the job and Rs. 1000 will be recovered from her mother's salary.
3) Manisha will be excused but with a strict warning that in future such behavior will lead to dismissal.
4) Manisha will be suspended for 2 days and a notice will be circulated explaining the company policy to all the employees.
5) Pending an investigation Manisha and her mother will be asked to give the details of all petty thefts in the company.
please post your reasons for your ans
You are Deputy general manager of a very reputed power company.Your quality engineer reports you about the poor quality of materials used in the construction of a boiler.He also reports you that both junior engineer and the contractor are equally responsible for the irregularities. But the contractor is of a reputed firm and has good political contacts also the junior engineer had awarded for his excellent work by the Director of the company recently and is the son-in-law of Deputy general manager.Being a Deputy General Manager you ?
(a)Will reassess the report and give a notice to the junior engineer and contractor both.
(b)Will suspend the junior engineer and file a complaint against him and reconcile with contractor as it will affect the work.
(c)Will discuss with the son-in-law and contractor about the report and suggest them not to pander in such activities.
(d)Will suspend the junior engineer and cancel all contracts with the contractor.At the same time try to snoop the case.Wait for higher authority to look into the matter.
0 answers 2) b
—
@ravihanda -sir in this case how to believe that
quality engineer is speaking the truth or he is accurate in pinpointing that it is the junior engineer and contractor only who are responsible
Mr. Ankur Bhatia is the newly appointed manager of the outbound calls division in a call centre. As part of
fitting in, Ankur has tried to get to know each of his employees, their backgrounds, goals and aspirations.
The team has been very impressed with his concern to know more about them; a big contrast to their
previous manager. Ankur also uses a lot of humour to lighten work pressures and to bring in more enthusiasm
on the job. However, sometimes he oversteps the line – jokes about mean or sarcastic comments of
customers, about particular communities and castes, and about physical appearance or personal information.
A few offended team members have complained to HR and two have even asked to be transferred from
the department.
13. As Ankur's boss what will you advise him if he plans a long stint in the department?
A. Pay attention to your team members' mood and their background before making any jokes.
B. Stop cracking jokes with your team members; they are your subordinates and you need to be
formal with them.
C. Apologise to all the team members and tell them you will not crack any more jokes with them.
D. Ask him to start all his jokes with a disclaimer, “I don't mean to offend anyone. But …”
E. Limit your quota of jokes to one or two a day so that there are fewer chances of offending
anyone.
On a Monday morning, Linda, a Human Resources manager in an IT firm receive an email from a distraught
employee of the software products division. An excerpt from the email, “ My boss is a poor manager. She
talks about her employees, never nicely, to anyone who will listen. She doesn't support her employees and
will leave them out to dry if anyone questions anything she has done. She's just plain irritating. I have had
many bosses and she is just about the worst one I've worked for. Any suggestions?”
7. What do you think is the best course of action for Linda?
A. Ignore the mail as it was obviously written during a weak moment. Things will work out on their
own.
B. Speak to the employee's boss and inform her that you have received a formal complaint from her
team member.
C. Speak to the employee and investigate the matter before you take a decision to escalate the
matter.
D. Speak to the employee and to other members of the team and investigate before you take
action.
E. Introduce 360 degree feedback in the organisation