Indian Institute of Management Kashipur

presents

PI-MANAGEMENT
KIT 2023
Preparation Material
What's Inside?

Personal Interview: An Overview 03

Basic Hygiene Questions 05

MBA Related Questions 08

Behavioural & Abstract Questions 09

Questions for Reference 10

Current Affairs 12

Domain Specific Information 13

PERSONAL INTERVIEW : AN OVERVIEW

The purpose of a personal interview is simply for the interviewers to

evaluate and make judgements about various facets of the candidate's
personality. Therefore, it is crucial for a candidate to communicate
their best holistic viewpoint through both verbal and nonverbal means.

Personal Interviews can be further classified into 3 different types:

Structured Interview: Structured interviews are mostly employed
in special skill job interview settings and consist of a pre-
determined series of questions given by the panel.
Unstructured Interview: An unstructured interview is the most
flexible type of interview, with room for spontaneity. In contrast to
a structured interview, the questions and the order in which they
are presented are not set. Instead, the interview proceeds based on
the participant's previous answers. Unstructured interviews are
open-ended.
Behavioural Interview: Behavioral interviewing is a technique used
to question job candidates about their past experiences. It's based
on the premise that past performance is an excellent predictor of
future behaviour. The candidate should be ready for behavioural
and unstructured interview styles when going through the B-
School application process.

Important considerations while preparing for a personal interview:

Communication Skills: In almost every form of an interview,

communication skills are important. The panel can ascertain
whether a candidate can effectively communicate in a variety of
settings and modes with the use of the relevant interview
questions.

3
Elements of Communication
Tone of communication
Volume of speech
Pace of speech
Body language

Content: The foundation of your interview depends on the quality

of the content. It can help one focus on communication skills while
also boosting self-confidence. As a result, creating quality material
is essential. Disclaimer: Please note that while the interview panels
are knowledgeable on a variety of topics, any attempt to falsify the
material may harm your candidature.

Clarity of Thought: Answers about yourself that are consistent and

coherent demonstrate the mental clarity that is necessary for the
corporate environment. Therefore, having a clear idea of your
future and your choices will benefit you in the interview process.

Confidence: The aforementioned parameters are all connected by

this feature. Your confidence will convey to the panel that you are
capable of addressing obstacles in the future by being more
comprehensive, well-prepared, and clear with your opinions. The
success of your interview may be greatly influenced by your ability
to remain composed and confident in your skills.

4
BASIC HYGIENE QUESTIONS

1. Tell me something about yourself.

The panel may ask you this as their very first question to you.
Limit the response to 60–90 seconds.
Structure and precision are important. Include the following:
Basic introduction about yourself
Work Experience (if applicable)
Graduation
Achievements
Hobbies

2. Where are you from? Tell us about that.

Knowledge of geographic information about your own region is
essential like the State Capital, Chief Minister, Historical Monuments,
etc.

3. What are your long-term and short-term goals?

Short-term objectives must be attainable and specific. Your
personality and areas of enthusiasm will probably influence your long-
term ambitions.

4. Tell us something about yourself which is not there in the resume?

·Explore your potential interests in depth.
·You may utilize your passion and the idea you live by as pillars of
support.

5. Which was your favorite subject during graduation?

·Try to bring up the topic that aroused your interest.
·Know a few fundamental concepts in that field.

6. Have you participated in extracurricular activities?

·While addressing this question, make a connection between your
hobbies and accomplishments.
·Describe how these actions affected you personally.

5
7. Share any academic experience which had been proven to be the
most difficult or rewarding?
·Great opportunity to bring up a topic of personal interest in the
conversation.
·To underline it, give instances of the professors, classrooms, projects,
contests, etc.

8. Do you believe that having job experience would be beneficial to

your MBA endeavors?

·Discuss how your personality has changed as a result of your work.

·Examples from your time when you demonstrated your managerial
abilities.
·Describe the type of team player and leader you consider yourself to
be.

9. Why did you leave your job to study again? Do you believe an MBA
is worth the missed opportunity cost?
·Your professional career's vision and mission are being tested here.
·Discuss your future goals and the reasons for your decision to get an
MBA first before your current/past job.
·Use examples to back up your assertions.
·Be careful not to criticize your employer.

10. What one thing, and why, would you like to alter about your work
life?
·Keep your response business-related and avoid being too technical.
·The panel shouldn't be left wondering why you chose to get an MBA at
all.

6
11. Tell us some of your strengths and weaknesses.
Strengths
·Instead of merely listing your abilities, include examples of when you
have used them to achieve success.
·Avoid using conventional virtues like perseverance, cooperation, etc.
·These typical strengths won't cut it for you because the panel is
looking for what makes you different from others.
·Possess at least three personality qualities that you can support with
anecdotes.
·You must use introspection, close friends and family, mentors, and
other resources to identify your abilities.

Weaknesses
·Be careful not to mask your strength as a weakness.
·Be careful not to assert that you are without any weakness.
·It is normal to question yourself about the wisdom of disclosing a flaw
that may cost you a spot in a B-school. Please remember that no one is
perfect and that this is your personality test.
How to structure your answer?
·Name your weakness.
·An instance whereby such flaw produced less-than-ideal outcomes.
·Most Important: Plan for improvement and your strategy for
overcoming the weakness.

12. Who is your role model?

·Name the role model.
·Explain why he/she is your role model.
·Give a few examples of three to four attributes you admire.

13. Do you have any questions for me/us?

You have the opportunity to discuss any queries you may have with
the programme at this time. At least two or three specific questions
should be ready.

7
MBA RELATED QUESTIONS

1. Why MBA?
·An important question that has the potential to make or break the
interview. Prepare for this well.
·Efficiently research various MBA topics.
·Clarity regarding your short-term career objective.
·Mentioning of both short-term and long-term professional objectives
should be coordinated.
Ø Is an MBA the only path to success?
Ø Your professional trajectory may be changed with an MBA, but how?
·Draw attention to any special resources in which you are particularly
interested.

2. There are so many qualified applicants. Why should we admit you?

·Learn how you differ from the competition and what makes you
special.
·The response should be supported by accomplishments and honours.

3. Instances from the past that showcase your management skills.

·Give an example of an issue you've solved utilising managerial
techniques.
·If you have employment experience, describe times when you oversaw
a team or a project.

4. Which specialization are you interested in and why?

·The knowledge of the specialization itself must be included in this
response, which must also be in line with the professional objectives.
·Keep up with developments in your field of interest.

8
BEHAVIOURAL QUESTIONS

The goal of behavioural interview questions is to gain an

understanding of your personality, thought process, and problem-
solving style.

Your responses to these behavioural interview questions might assist

the interviewer determine how you might or might not fit in at the
business school and beyond.

The interviewer wants to know more about you, but you want to
present yourself in the best possible way. Your responses should each
emphasise at least one of the following: self-awareness, growth,
independence, empathy, willingness to assist others, etc.

ABSTRACT QUESTIONS

There are many different questions in this area. Generally speaking,

the purpose of these questions is to assess the candidate's thought
process and level of awareness.

Examples:
What are your thoughts about the colour green?
Do you believe in luck? How would you measure it?
Explain what management is to an eight-year-old.
Would you rather have the ability to fly or be invisible whenever
you want?
Would you rather have an inferiority or superiority complex?
If a lion entered this room at this moment, what would you do?
Coca-Cola or Pepsi? Apple or Microsoft? Nike or Adidas?
What would your biography be called?

9
QUESTIONS FOR REFERENCE

1. Who do you look up to? What impact do they have on you?

2. Please describe the historical significance of the areas where you
have lived for more than a year.
3. Describe yourself in 3 words.
4. What do you believe your biggest obstacle would be if you are being
accepted into our programme?
5. What is the most tiring circumstance you have ever encountered at
work? What were your tactics to overcome it?
6. Tell me about a moment when you needed to modify your work style
to fit in with a co-worker’s, in order to finish a project or accomplish
your goals.
7. What procedures do you use to research a situation before making a
choice? Why?
8. What barriers or challenges have you encountered while expressing
your thoughts to a boss or supervisor?
9. What has been the best decision of your life? How?
10. Describe a circumstance when you saw an opportunity rather than
a possible issue. How did you act? What came out of it? What do you
wish you had done differently, if anything?
11. Give an example of a time when you had to deal with a difficult
person. How did you respond to it?
12. Describe a circumstance in which you had to perform numerous
tasks simultaneously. How did you respond to it? What was the
outcome?
13. How do you set priorities for activities and projects while planning
your time? Give me some instances.

10
14. Give an example of a time when people you were working on a
project with disagreed with your views. How did you act?
15. What was the worst error you ever made while assigning tasks for a
group project?
16. Describe the CSR initiatives in which your company is engaged.
17. What are the choices you've made that you regret? Why?
18. You're working on a project with a short deadline when you
discover that you can't finish your portion since your co-workers and
supervisor can't provide some crucial information. How will you
handle the situation?
19. How, in your opinion, does your academic background relate to the
chosen field of study?
20. Tell us about notable people that make a living off of their hobbies.
21. How will you respond if a hostile individual barges into the room
unexpectedly and starts shouting?
22. On a scale of 1 to 10, rate your own ethical standards. Justify your
response.

11
CURRENT AFFAIRS

Below given are some of the sample topics for which you should be
prepared. There might come a situation where the interviewer could
randomly ask about any of the following topics:

1. Uniform civil code

2. India as the G20 host
3. Inflation and rupee trade with south Asian nations
4. India's testing on the green bond market
5. Citizenship amendment act
6. Current status of Russia Ukraine war
7. 2023 Budget highlights
8. LIC IPO
9. US-China Trade war
10. Startup boom in India and Unicorns
11. FDI in the mining sector
12. Latest Nobel prize laureates
13. Taliban Rule and Women's Education in Afghanistan
14. Tata taking over Air India
15. Population Control Bill
16. Coal Crisis in India
17. Role of India in the Global Climate Crisis
18. Moonlighting in India
19. India Wheat Export Ban
20. Semi-conductor Crisis
21. Demonetization – and its prolonged impact
22. Gig Economy
23. Metaverse
24. Central Vista Redevelopment
25. Role of EV to achieve net zero target by 2070
26. Cloud Computing
27. NBFC Crisis in India
28. Consolidation in Banking Sector
29. India's Ranks on Global Indices
30. E–commerce & its dominance

12
ECONOMICS

The study of the creation, exchange, and consumption of products and

services is the subject matter of economics, a branch of social science.
The study of how people, communities, and countries manage and use
resources is the heart of economics.

Importance of Economics in MBA

Given that the business sector functions in an unpredictable

environment, economic knowledge is particularly useful. Leadership
skills are developed through managerial economics, which is beneficial
for all businesses. It facilitates wise decision-making, which benefits
the business.

Microeconomics: It is a study of how particular businesses,

households, industries, and economic units make economic decisions.
It seeks to ascertain the cost of the manufacturing inputs or the price
of the commodity like personal earnings.

Macroeconomics: It researches how the economy functions as a

whole. It seeks to ascertain the economy's income and employment
levels. For Example: National income, inflation, price levels, etc.
Capitalist Economy: It is an economy in which the market or the
system's private firms decide entirely what to create, how much to
produce, and how much to sell, with the state playing no economic
role. This idea first appeared in Adan Smith's well-known book, Wealth
of Nations (1776).

State Economy: Production, distribution, supply, and pricing decisions

in the economy are made completely by the government.

13
Mixed Economy: It is an economy where certain aspects are governed
by the government and the other aspects are subject to market forces.
Another way to put it is that it combines a state-run economy with a
capitalist one.

National Income: There are four ways to determine a country's

income: GDP, NDP, GNP, and NNP, which is also a topic in "National
Income Accounting."
GDP: The value of all finished products and services produced within a
country's borders in a given year is known as the gross domestic
product (GDP). It is the total of the country's gross domestic product,
private consumption, government spending, and trade balance.
NDP: GDP minus depreciation of the products and services produced
is known as net domestic product (NDP).
GNP: The Gross National Product is the total of a country's internal
revenue plus its external revenue. The economy's quantitative and
qualitative dimensions are both represented by GNP.
NNP: The Net National Product (NNP) is the Gross National Product
(GNP) minus the economy's decline. Inflation is the quantitative
measurement of the rise in the average price of goods and services,
which leads to a decline in the buying power of a unit of money.
Stagflation: When inflation and unemployment are both at greater
levels than would normally be the case, this is known as stagflation.
According to Phillips Curve, it is widely held that there is a trade-off
between inflation and the unemployment rate.
GDP Deflator: It serves as a gauge for how prices behave. The GDP at
current prices to GDP at constant prices ratio is what determines this.
Fiscal Policy: The method through which the government adjusts its
expenditure and taxation in order to control and monitor the country's
economy.

14
Monetary Policy: The course of action used by a nation's central bank
to fulfil its macroeconomic goals in order to maintain price stability,
control the money supply, and control inflation.
CRR: The Cash Reserve Ratio is the required portion of a bank's share
that must be maintained with the Reserve Bank of India in liquid cash
in order to fight inflation and control liquidity.
SLR: The statutory liquidity ratio, which is retained with the RBI as a
portion of a bank's deposits in the form of liquid assets, ensures the
bank's solvency and the flow of money through the economy.
Bank Rate: Commercial banks may borrow money from banks
controlled by the central bank based on monetary policy. The bank
rate refers to the interest rate that the RBI assesses on various kinds of
bank advances and loans.
Repo Rate: The interest rate at which the RBI makes short-term loans
to banks is known as the repo rate. The RBI can control the country's
inflation and liquidity with the use of the repo rate.
Reverse Repo Rate: The rate at which commercial banks lend money
to the RBI is known as the reverse repo rate. Reverse Repo Rate aids in
controlling the economy's money supply.
Direct Tax: The amount of tax that the imposing authority imposes
directly on the income or property of an individual or business.
Because it is founded on the ability-to-pay premise, the entity with
more resources is required to pay a higher tax burden. Income tax,
wealth tax, property tax, corporation tax, and other types of taxes are
examples of direct taxes.

15
Indirect Tax: It is the tax that is collected by a middleman and paid to
the government by the customer who is purchasing the commodity or
service. It is a tax on products and services rather than on the profits,
income, or assets of an individual or business. Value Added Tax,
Customs Duties, and Service Tax are a few examples of indirect taxes.
Goods and Services Tax (GST): It is levied on the supply of goods and
services. GST in India is a comprehensive, multi-stage, destination-
based tax that is levied on every value addition. In India, it has mostly
superseded indirect taxes. Five tax slabs—0%, 5%, 12%, 18%, and 28%—
are set up for the collection of the tax on goods and services.

Questions for reference

Can you comment on this year's budget?
What do you know about the US-China Trade War?
Describe macroeconomics. What makes it unique from
microeconomics?
What does "Utility" mean to you?
What is the law of diminishing marginal utility? Give an example to
illustrate.
Tell me something about GST.
Tell us how the RBI operates and who is its current governor?
What are CRR, Repo, Reverse, and Bank Rates, and how does RBI
employ them?
What do direct taxes and indirect taxes mean?
What do you mean by a budget?
What are the roles of the state and the centre in planning?
What do import and export data mean?
What does Keynesian theory mean?
How does economies of scale work?
What are the core features of Liberalization, Privatization, and
Globalization?
Describe what you mean by a normal goods.

16
HUMAN RESOURCES

The phrase "human resource management" (HRM) refers to formal

procedures created for the management of people within a business.
Staffing, employee pay and benefits, and defining/designing work are
the three main tasks of a human resource manager. HRM's main goal
is to increase an organization's production by enhancing each
employee's effectiveness. Despite the corporate world's rapid speed
of development, it is doubtful that this obligation will alter much.

Roles and responsibilities of an HR Professional

Tying evaluation of performance and remuneration to

competencies.
Acquiring skills that improve performance on both a personal and
organisational level.
Innovating, being more creative, and being more adaptable are all
important for competitiveness.
Implementing fresh strategies for inter-organizational mobility,
career development, succession planning, and work process
design.

Key Performance Indicators (KPI)

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) are a group of quantitative

measurements that an organisation uses to assess how well it and its
workers are performing in achieving its strategic and operational
objectives. KPIs are closely related to the organization's overarching
objectives. An organisation requires a mechanism to track its
progress once it has established its mission, identified all of its
stakeholders, and specified its goals. KPIs are used to monitor or
assess real performance in relation to critical success elements.

17
Concepts related to HR
Management by Objective (MBO): As part of the management by
objectives approach to human management, managers and staff
collaborate to establish, document, and track goals over a
predetermined time frame. Top-down planning and organisational
objectives are transformed into individual goals for each organisational
member. It tries to enhance an organization's performance by
articulating goals that are accepted by both management and staff.
Performance Management: An employee's job goals and overall
contribution to the company are planned, monitored, and reviewed as
part of the performance management process by managers and
workers. Performance management is a continuous process that
involves defining goals, monitoring progress, and giving employees
continual coaching and feedback to make sure they are achieving their
objectives and career goals. Performance management is more than
simply an annual performance review.
360-degree Performance Appraisal: During a 360-degree assessment,
supervisors, co-workers, and subordinates all anonymously appraise
the individual on their performance. The performance review for that
individual will then include this information. The employee's
development plan frequently uses feedback as a benchmark.
Balance Scorecard: The balanced scorecard is a strategic planning and
management tool that is widely used in business and industry,
government, and non-profit organisations to better internal and
external communications and track organisational performance
against strategic objectives.
McKinsey 7S Framework: The concept is founded on the idea that
these seven components must be coordinated and supportive of one
another in order for an organisation to function effectively. In order to
increase performance or to keep alignment (and performance)
throughout other sorts of change, the model may be used to identify
what needs to be realigned.

18
Maslow’s Need Hierarchy Theory

Maslow's hierarchy of needs is a psychological theory of motivation

that includes a five-tier model of human needs that is frequently
represented as levels within a pyramid. According to Maslow, certain
wants are more important than others and individuals are driven to
fulfil them. Physical survival is our most fundamental need, and it will
always drive our conduct in the beginning. What drives us once that
level has been reached is the subsequent level up, and so on. Deficit
requirements and growth needs can be used to categorise this five-
stage model. The highest level is known as growth or being needs (B-
needs), whereas the previous four levels are sometimes referred to as
deficiency needs (D-needs).

Personality

For the majority of us, the notion of personality is simple. It defines

who you are. It includes all of the qualities, features, and peculiarities
that make you unique from other people. The Big Five personality
traits are frequently used by human resources experts to aid with
employee placement.

19
Big Five Model of Personality
The Big Five traits are Openness, Conscientiousness, Extroversion,
Agreeableness, and Neuroticism or OCEAN:
Openness: Being inquisitive, inventive, and having a diverse range
of interests are all characteristics of openness.
Conscientiousness: High conscientiousness individuals are
dependable and punctual. Being systematic, methodical, and
thorough are qualities.
Extraversion: Introverts get their energy from the inside, whilst
extroverts draw it from engaging with others. A few extraverted
characteristics are vivacity, talkativeness, and assertiveness.
Agreeableness: These people are cordial, helpful, and
compassionate. People who are less likeable could seem more
distant.
Neuroticism: Emotional stability is another name for neuroticism.
This dimension has to do with how stable one's emotions are and
how much negativity they include.

Changing trends in HR
Evidence-based HR and HR analytics are becoming more and more
significant as HR and business have gotten more integrated. Without
meticulously analysing HR investments and results, HR objectives and
decisions remain whims rather than facts. Line managers and HR
professionals may more effectively justify, prioritise, and enhance HR
investments with the use of HR analytics. While many HR choices need
intelligence and discretion, better HR metrics aid HR in its progress
towards decision-making rigour and professional credibility.
Big Data & HR Analytics
To evaluate and enhance practises such as talent acquisition,
development, retention, and overall organisational performance, big
data in HR refers to the use of the numerous data sources available to
your organisation, including those not typically thought of in HR;
advanced analytic platforms; cloud-based services; and visualisation
tools.

20
This entails combining and evaluating internal measurements with
external benchmarks, data from social media, and information from
the public sector in order to provide a better-educated response to
the commercial issue that your company is now experiencing. With
the use of these technologies, HR businesses may do analytics and
forecasting to make better decisions with more accuracy, more
effectively gauge efficiency, and pinpoint managerial "blind spots".

Gamification
Gamification is the technique of introducing games to learning and
development settings in order to increase learner engagement and
facilitate learning for participants. The person in this process
competes with other participants or participates alone and, via this
interactive activity, gains knowledge and receives incentives for a job
well done. Gamification in learning is used using quickly expanding
digital game technologies. The advancement of technology in HR has
aided in the adoption of e-learning strategies by many firms, but the
use of gaming is a whole new idea that is still developing.

Sub-Domain of Human Resource

Recruiting & Selection
Recruitment: Locating potential candidates and encouraging them to
seek positions inside the firm. This entails:
Finding the human resources needed to satisfy the staffing
schedule requirements
Using efficient methods to recruit that workforce in sufficient
numbers to enable efficient hiring of a workforce for open
positions.
Recruitment Process:
Identifying the necessity (hiring vs. exit), impending openings, and
the type of personnel required
Establishing the most effective methods for luring qualified
individuals enticing the talent pool

21
Selection: Differentiating amongst applicants is the process of locating
and hiring people who have a higher chance of succeeding in a
position.
Selection Process (Sequential Steps):
1. Preliminary Interview
2. Administering Selection Tests
3. Employment Interview
4. Reference and Background Analysis * (Important, Latest Trend
picking up)
5. Selection Decision
6. Physical Examination
7. Job Offer and Employment Contract

Performance Management System (PMS)

Performance Management System = Performance Appraisal + Feedback
+ Coaching

A performance management system (PMS) is a continuous process for

discovering, evaluating, and improving team and individual
performance as well as coordinating performance with organisational
strategy. Its four pillars are as follows:
Setting clear and measurable goals
Implementing concrete actions
Imposing rigorous consequences
Objectivity

Performance Appraisal
An individual's performance is objectively evaluated using a
performance appraisal (PA) system in comparison to predetermined
criteria. Regular assessments of employee performance are part of
performance appraisals, which are a component of career
development. Employees' successes, corporate citizenship behaviour,
the potential for future progress, skills and shortcomings, and other
factors are also taken into account.

22
Compensation & Benefits
For the employees, this task includes developing and executing
compensation rules.
• Payroll Administration
• Performance Appraisals
• Rewards & Recognition
• Provide Wage Comparisons
• Group Health, Dental & Vision Insurance
• Life & Disability Insurance
• Accident, Sickness & Cancer Insurance
• Flexible Spending Accounts
• Retirement Plan Administration
• Employee / Employer Relations
• Intermediary between Parties
• Open-door Policy for Employee Questions & Concerns
• Strict Privacy Policy on Employee Records, Exit Interviews

Learning and Development

The employee's performance shortfall, which is calculated as follows,
determines the necessity for Training and Development
Training & Development Need = Standard Performance –Actual
Performance
Training: The process of imparting certain abilities is referred to as
training. It is assumed that an employee who is taking training has
some formal education. Any training programme must include
education in order to be comprehensive. So, we may claim that
operators are granted training.
Development: Development refers to the educational possibilities
created to support workers' personal development. Development is
not only focused on developing skills. Instead, it offers basic
information and attitudes that will be valuable to employers in more
senior roles. Developmental efforts frequently depend on individual
desire and determination. Activities for development, such as those
provided through management development programmes, are often
optional.

23
Employee Engagement
The level of a worker's involvement and commitment to their company
and its principles is measured by their level of employee engagement.
An employee who is actively involved is well-informed about the
regular operations of the company, collaborates with peers to enhance
personal performance, and works to advance the company. It is a
positive outlook that the staff members have for their company.

Health & Safety

In order to ensure that workers are protected from workplace
dangers, safety must presuppose the absence of accidents. Along with
being required by law, providing employees with safety includes a
moral component. Every day, thousands of workers experience
accidents that may leave them totally, temporarily, or permanently
disabled. Laws specify occupational health and safety requirements as
well as the consequences of non-compliance. An employer must take
steps to prevent an employee from being incapacitated or dying as a
result of an accident. A person cannot be restored to health via
monetary compensation.

Industry Relations
The management of relationships between employees and employers
(management) and the function of regulatory systems in settling any
disputes are the subjects of industry relations (IR). In IR, there are
interests from employers, workers, unions, governments, and the
judiciary. Due to its close ties to productivity, ethical considerations,
and legal compliance, IR takes its relevance.
Strategic Planning
By providing competent, dedicated human resources that support
organisational strategic goals, HRM helps strategic management be
effective.

24
Questions for reference
1. How, in your opinion, does your academic background relate to the
HR industry?
2. What are the three HR characteristics that you value?
3. What do you think about job cuts as a human resource professional?
4. What do you dislike the most about the human resources industry?
5. Have you ever managed a project team? Have you ever dealt with
team dysfunction?
6. Have you managed or led a group of individuals from diverse
backgrounds? If so, could you tell us about your experience?
7. How are groups and teams different from one another? Are you
willing to work with others?
8. For you, what does self-actualization mean?
9. Could you briefly describe the type of HR environment you would
like to work in?

25
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY & ANALYTICS

Information technology is the creation, processing, storing, protecting,

and exchanging of all types of electronic data via the use of computers,
storage, networking, and other physical devices.

Analytics
Analytics is the act of identifying, analyzing and expressing important
patterns in data that aid in the making of worthwhile decisions.
Data may help organizations increase their bottom lines, better
understand their customers, and optimize their advertising campaigns
and content actualization.
Types of data analytics
Descriptive Analytics
Diagnostic Analytics
Predictive Analytics
Prescriptive Analytics

26
Uses of Data Analytics
Improved decision making: Businesses may utilize the data
analytics insights to guide their decisions and produce better
results. A lot of assumptions involved in producing goods,
determining what content to provide, and organizing marketing
strategies is eliminated by using data analytics.
More effective marketing: In order to optimize the results of your
efforts, you may make adjustments using the information provided
by data analytics.
Better customer service: Data analytics provide you a deeper
understanding of your clients, enabling you to better meet their
demands through more individualized service and foster stronger
bonds with them.
More efficient operations: You may improve your bottom line,
optimize your operations, and save money by using data analytics.
You waste less time developing content and advertising that don't
align with your audience's interests when you have a better
knowledge of what they want.

Business Analytics
Business analytics is a collection of automated data analysis
techniques, programs, and services that aid in decision-making and
future planning by assisting you in understanding what is occurring in
your company and why.

Business intelligence (BI) and big data analytics are frequently used in
conjunction with the phrase "Business Analytics."
Business analytics helps you to:
Make decisions with more confidence and speed
Reduce expenses and accelerate the pace
Recognize and adapt to the unpredicted developments

27
Cloud Computing
In order to provide quicker innovation, adaptable resources, and scale
economies, cloud computing is the supply of computer services via the
Internet (Cloud), including servers, storage, databases, networking,
software and analytics.
Utilizing the cloud enables you to grow as your company's demands
evolve, operate your infrastructure more effectively, and save
operational expenses.
Cloud computing improves speed, efficiency, and performance while
lowering the cost of purchasing and maintaining the infrastructure
(including hardware and software). It has greater dependability and
security, which in turn promotes scalability.

Types of Clouds

Public Clouds: These are controlled and run by a third-party cloud

service provider, which offers online access to their servers and
storage.
Private Clouds: These are managed and owned by one company or
group of companies. A company's on-site datacenter may serve as
a physical home for private clouds.
Hybrid Clouds: Public and private clouds that have been joined by
technology that enables data and applications to be exchanged
across them are known as hybrid clouds. Hybrid cloud increases
your business' flexibility, offers additional deployment alternatives
and aids in improving the current infrastructure of security and
compliance.

28
Types of Cloud Services
·Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS)
·Platform as a Service (PaaS)
·Software as a Service (SaaS)

Big Data
Big Data is a body of information that is enormous in volume and is
always expanding rapidly. None of the conventional data
management technologies can store or analyze this data effectively
due to its bulk and complexity.
Types of Big Data
Structured: Structured data is any data that can be processed,
retrieved, and stored in a set manner.
Unstructured: Unstructured data is any data that does not have a
pre-defined data model.

29
 Semi-Structured: This is one of the categories of big data that
includes both unstructured and structured data forms.

Characteristics of Big Data

Big Data consists of mainly 6Vs

Artificial Intelligence
Building intelligent machines that can carry out activities that
traditionally require human intellect is the focus of the broad field of
artificial intelligence in computer science.
It is possible to create intelligent software and systems by first
researching how the human brain works, as well as how people learn,
make decisions and collaborate while attempting to solve a problem.

Types of Artificial Intelligence

Reactive Machines
Limited Memory
Theory of Mind
Self-Awareness

30
Some of the uses of artificial intelligence in the current world

1. E-commerce: With the help of AI, customers can now find related
goods based on brand, size, color, or even form. Every year, AI's visual
abilities get better. The program may effectively help the consumer
discover the item they want by first gathering visual signals from the
submitted images.

2. Chatbots: Using regular messaging tools and voice-activated

interfaces, chatbots provide sophisticated and adaptable analytics
through chats on mobile devices. As a result, the pace of data
collection for all business users is significantly accelerated.

Machine Learning
A data analysis technique called machine learning automates the
creation of analytical models. It is a subfield of artificial intelligence
founded on the notion that machines are capable of learning from
data, seeing patterns, and making judgements with little assistance
from humans.

There are four types of machine learning algorithms:

Supervised
Semi-supervised
Unsupervised
Reinforcement

31
Augmented Reality
"An improved version of reality made by the use of technology to put
digital information on a picture of something" is the definition of
augmented reality. Apps for tablets and smartphones employ
augmented reality. Apps that employ augmented reality (AR) overlay
text and/or pictures on top of the real-world view that is displayed to
you via your phone's camera. AR may be used in apps for
entertainment (like the game Pokémon GO) or information (like the
app Layar).

Virtual Reality
"The use of computer technology to create a simulated world" is the
definition of virtual reality. When you watch VR, the world you are
seeing in front of you is radically different. An animated scene or a
genuine location that has been shot and added to a virtual reality app
are examples of artificial virtual reality. You can move around and see
in all directions using virtual reality, including up, down, sideways, and
behind you, just as if you were physically there.

Blockchain
Blockchain is a decentralized, unchangeable database that makes it
easier to track assets and record transactions in a corporate network.
Blockchain's Core Components
Immutable records
Distributed ledger technology
Smart contracts
How Blockchain works
Each time a transaction takes place, a "block" of data is logged
Each block is connected to the ones before and after it
Transactions are blocked together in an irreversible chain: a
blockchain

32
Bitcoin
Without a single administration or central bank, the peer-to-peer
bitcoin network allow users to send money directly to one another
using bitcoin, which is a decentralized digital currency.

Key Points
·Since its release in 2009, Bitcoin has amassed the biggest market
capitalization of any cryptocurrency.
·Bitcoin is created, circulated, and traded through the use of a
decentralized ledger system called Blockchain; which has no physical
existence

Questions for reference

1. Can you mention one of the recent cyberattacks that more severely
impacted IT firms?
2. What do you mean by Management Information System (MIS)?
3. Can you describe a few uses of artificial intelligence in the field of
health?
4. What are your thoughts on businesses that rely heavily on cutting-
edge technology like blockchain, artificial intelligence and machine
learning?
5. What differentiates analytics from analysis?
6. Why can't someone enroll in a Data Analytics course instead of
starting an MBA program at an IIM?
7. What are the current information technology trends?
8. What does the word "technology management" mean to you?
9. Your thoughts on industry 4.0?
10. What distinguishes business analytics from data analytics?
11. How do data profiling and data mining vary from one another?
12. List out some of the finest data analysis tools available.
13. What is meant by "Data Cleansing"? What are the best techniques
for doing this?
14. What crucial duties fall under the purview of a data analyst?
15. What are the essential qualifications to become a data analyst?

33
FINANCE

Finance is the science of managing money, i.e., how institutions

generate and manage their wealth. A degree in finance prepares
future professionals to guide corporations through uncertainties,
short-term and long-term planning. Finance majors in various
business firms to evaluate their market position, profitability and
economic policies that have implications for their businesses. Not
only has finance continued to be a core area, but its significance as a
part of the MBA program has also been growing over the years.
Moreover, it’s not purely the financial service sector that employs
MBA graduates well- versed in finance but organizations outside of
the sector also require leaders with in-depth financial know-how,
and as the global economy evolves, this need is growing more than
ever.
Majoring in Finance involves learning about commercial and
investment banking, forecasting, budgeting, asset and liability
management, stocks, bonds, how markets function, portfolio
management, risk management, etc. Hence it would allow entering
into numerous career paths.

Career Prospects
Consumer Banking, Investment Banking, Institutional Finance,
Merchant Banking, Corporate Finance, International Finance, etc.
Three Main Financial Statements
1. Income Statement
2. Balance Sheet
3. Statement of Cash Flows/Cash Flow Statement
The Income Statement shows a company’s revenues, costs, and
expenses, which together yield the net income. The Balance Sheet
shows a company’s assets, liabilities, and equity. It can be viewed as a
statement of sources and usage of funds. The Cash Flow Statement
provides information about the cash flows associated with the
period’s operations and also about the entity’s investing and
financing activities during the period.

34
Components of Income Statement
The first line of the Income Statement represents revenue or sales.
From that, you subtract the cost of goods sold, which leaves the gross
margin. Subtracting operating expenses from gross margin gives you
operating income. From operating income, you subtract interest
expense and any other expenses (or add other income), such as tax
payments or interest earnings, and what’s left is net income.

EBITDA is Earnings before Interest, Taxes, Depreciation, and

Amortization. Bankruptcy occurs when a company can’t make its
interest or debt payments. Since EBITDA is Earnings BEFORE Interest,
if a required interest payment exceeds a company’s EBITDA, and if
they have insufficient cash on hand, they would soon default on their
debt and could eventually go bankrupt.

35
Components of Balance Sheet

It consists of 2 parts namely:

1. Assets
2. Equity and Liability

Assets: They are economic resources that are controlled by an entity

and whose cost at the time of acquisition could be objectively
measured. It constitutes Non-Current and Current Assets.
Equity and Liability: Equity shows the amount the owners have
invested in the entity. Liability is an obligation to transfer an asset or
provide services to outside parties arising from the events that have
already happened. It constitutes Equities, Non-current and Current
Liabilities.

Components of Cash Flow Statement

The three components of the Cash Flows Statement are Cash from
Operations, Cash from Investing, and Cash from Financing.

36
 Cash from Operations – Cash generated or lost through normal
operations, sales, and changes in working capital (more detail on
working capital is given below).
Cash from Investing – Cash generated or spent on investing
activities; may include, for example, capital expenditures (use of
cash) or asset sales (source of cash). This section will also show
investments in the financial markets and operating subsidiaries.
Cash from Financing – Cash generated or spent on financing the
business; may include proceeds from debt or equity issuance
(source of cash) or cost of debt or equity repurchase (use of cash).

The Link between the Balance Sheet and the Financial Statement
The main link between the two statements is that profits generated in
the Income Statement get added to shareholder’s equity on the
Balance Sheet as Retained Earnings. Also, debt on the Balance Sheet is
used to calculate interest expense in the Income Statement.

37
The Link between the Balance Sheet and Statement of Cash Flows
The Statement of Cash Flows starts with the beginning cash balance,
which comes from the Balance Sheet. Also, Cash from Operations is
derived using the changes in Balance Sheet accounts (such as
Accounts Payable, Accounts Receivable, etc.). The net increase in cash
flow for the prior year goes back onto the next year’s Balance Sheet
choosing one Financial Statement to evaluate the Financial State of a
Company.

You would want to see the Cash Flow Statement so you could see the
actual liquidity position of the business and how much cash it is using
and generating. The Income Statement can be misleading due to any
number of non-cash expenses that may not truly be affecting the
overall business. Also, the Balance Sheet alone just shows a snapshot of
the company at one point in time, without showing how operations are
performed. But whether a company has a healthy cash balance and
generates significant cash flow indicates whether it is probably
financially stable, and this is what the cash flow Statement would
show.

Goodwill and its effect on Net Income

Goodwill is an intangible asset included on a company’s Balance Sheet.
Goodwill may include things like intellectual property rights, brand
names, or customer relations. Goodwill is acquired when purchasing a
firm if the acquirer pays more than the book value of its assets. When
something occurs to diminish the value of intangible assets, goodwill
must be “written down” in a process much like that for depreciation.
Goodwill is subtracted as a non-cash expense and therefore reduces
net income.

The Company raised its Stock Price

Any positive news about the company can potentially raise the stock
prices. If the company repurchases stock, it lowers the shares
outstanding and raises the EPS, which would raise the stock price.

38
Cash-Based Accounting v/s Accrual Accounting
With cash-based accounting, a company won’t recognize expenses or
revenues until the cash is disbursed or collected. With accrual
accounting, a company will recognize expenses and revenues when
has entered into a transaction or agreement that will require it to pay
or be paid, even if cash won’t change hands until sometime in the
future. Most companies use accrual accounting since credit cards are
so prevalent.

Financial Market and Investment Fundamentals

Financial Market
They are institutional arrangements by which savings generated in an
economy are channelized into avenues of investment by industry.
Classification of the Financial Market:
It can be segregated into 2 parts:
Money Market: It deals in financial instruments whose maturity
period is less than 1 year. It helps in raising short-term funds and
temporary deployments of excess funds for earning a return.
Capital Market: It allows long-term trading of debt and equity. It
consists of financial institutions, banks, corporate entities, and
foreign investors. Instruments involved are debt, equity, bonds, etc.
It is divided into 2 parts:
Primary Market: The primary market is the market where a new
stock or bond is sold the first time it comes to market.
Secondary Market: The secondary market is where the security
will trade after its initial public offering (BSE, NSE, Nasdaq)

Initial Public Offering

IPO is the acronym for Initial Public Offering. It is the first time a
privately-held company sells shares of stock to the public market.
Usually, a company goes public to raise capital for growing the
business or to allow the original owners and investors to cash out
some of their investment.

39
Repurchase is also seen as a positive signal in the market. A company
could announce operational efficiencies or other cost cuts, or a change
to its organizational structure such as consolidations. It could
announce an accretive merger or acquisition that would increase
earnings per share. Any of these occurrences would most likely raise
the company’s stock price.
Mutual Fund
A mutual fund is an investment vehicle made up of a pool of money
collected from many investors to invest in securities such as stocks,
bonds, money market instruments and other assets. Mutual funds are
operated by professional money managers, who allocate the fund’s
investments and attempt to produce capital gains and/or income for
the fund's investors. A mutual fund's portfolio is structured and
maintained to match the investment objectives stated in its prospectus
Beta
Beta is the value that represents a stock’s volatility concerning overall
market volatility.
Market Risk Premium
The market risk premium is the excess return that investors require
for choosing to purchase stocks over “risk-free” securities. It is
calculated as the average return on the market (normally the S&P 500,
typically around 10-12%) minus the risk-free rate (current yield on a
10-year Treasury).
Private Equity
The simplest definition of private equity is the shares representing
ownership of or an interest in an entity – that is not publicly listed or
traded. A source of investment capital, private equity derives from
high-net-worth individuals and firms that purchase shares of private
companies or acquire control of public companies with plans to make
them private, eventually delisting them from public stock exchanges.

40
Most of the private equity industry is made up of large institutional
investors, such as pension funds, and large private equity firms funded
by a group of accredited investors.

Arbitrage
Arbitrage occurs when an investor buys and sells related assets
simultaneously to take advantage of temporary price differences.
Because of the technology now employed in the markets, the only
people who can truly take advantage of arbitrage opportunities are
traders with sophisticated software since price inefficiencies often
close in a matter of seconds

Diversification
Diversification is creating a portfolio of different types of investments.
It means investing in stocks, bonds, alternative investments, etc. It also
means investing in different industries. If investors are properly
diversified, they can essentially eliminate all unsystematic risk from
their portfolios, meaning that they can limit the risk associated with
individual stocks so that their portfolios will be affected only by factors
affecting the entire market.

Venture Capital
According to the National Venture Capital Association (NVCA),
venture capital firms “invest mostly in young, private companies that
have great promise for innovation and growth.” Some VC firms invest
in traditional fields such as financial services, consumer goods,
manufacturing, health care services, and business services and
products.

Questions for reference

What are the different capital budgeting techniques?
Tell us about NPV and IRR.
Which approach NPV or IRR is preferable when making an
investment decision?

41
What exactly do you mean by the financial statements? What are
its types? How are they related to one another? Explain how
prepaid costs are handled in each financial statement.
What is a company's market capitalization? Is it the same as the
business's net worth?
What are the three things you would look for in a company's
financial records if you were considering investing in its stocks?
What significance do the various financial statements have? Which
do you think is most significant, and why?
How will you choose which project to finance?
What distinguishes financial leverage from operating leverage?
How do depreciation and amortization differ from one another?

42
MARKETING

Marketing is about identifying and meeting human and social needs. In

simple terms, it is about meeting needs profitably.

Marketing and Sales

Marketing and sales are used very generically sometimes even
interchangeably. However, veteran marketers find them to be two
different aspects when looked at a fine level. Before we look at the
differences, the formal definition of marketing is as per The American
Marketing Association: The activity, set of institutions, and processes
for creating, communicating, delivering, and exchanging offerings that
have value for customers, clients, partners, and society at large. As
Peter Drucker said, “The aim of Marketing is to make Selling
superfluous”. The main idea behind marketing is to create interest in
any given product/service, which in turn creates leads or prospects.
Marketing activities include:
Consumer research to identify the needs of the customers
Product development – designing innovative products to meet
existing or latest needs
Advertising the products to raise awareness and build the brand
Pricing products and services to maximize long-term revenue

On the other hand, Sales activities are:

Focused on converting prospects to actual paying customers
Involves direct interaction with the prospects
Synonymous with having a short-term perspective

Marketing thus tends to focus on the general population (or, in any

case, a large set of people) whereas sales tend to focus on individuals
or a small group of prospects.

43
 The selling concept takes an inside-out perspective. It starts with a
factory, focuses on the company’s existing products, and calls for
heavy selling and promoting to produce profitable sales. The
marketing concept takes an outside-in perspective. It starts with a
well-defined market, focuses on customer needs, coordinates all the
activities that will affect customers, and produces profits by creating
customer satisfaction.

Segmentation, Targeting and Positioning

Before we talk about the technical aspects of STP, which is
Segmentation, Targeting and Positioning, try to think of any product,
say, shoes; what product brand first comes to your mind? It could be
Nike, Adidas, Bata, Lotto, and Kalenji to name a few. Now think about
where you see the advertisements of the product that you just thought
about and what kind of people apart from you generally choose that
product

Segmentation
With the above example, it becomes quite easy to visualize the three
concepts. The process of defining and subdividing a large homogenous
market into clearly identifiable segments having similar needs wants,
or demand characteristics. Its objective is to design a marketing mix
that precisely matches the expectations of customers in the targeted
segment.

Few companies are big enough to supply the needs of an entire

market; most companies, however, must break down the total demand
into segments and choose those segments which the company is best
equipped to handle. The basis of segmentation can be:

a) Geography: Dividing markets into units such as nations, regions,

counties, cities or neighborhoods.

44
b) Demographic: Dividing target market as per variables like age, family
size, gender, income, and occupation.
c) Behavior: Dividing a market into groups on the basis of knowledge,
attitude or response towards a product.
d) Psychographic: Dividing a market into groups as per personality
traits, lifestyle, values

Targeting
With the above example, it becomes quite easy to visualize the three
concepts. The process of defining and subdividing a large homogenous
market into clearly identifiable segments having similar needs wants,
or demand characteristics. Its objective is to design a marketing mix
that precisely matches the expectations of customers in the targeted
segment. It is the act of choosing whether to consider or not to
consider the above-segmented groups in order to cater to them with
the intended product/service. Bases for Targeting:
1. Market size – Sustainability
2. Expected growth - Future potential
3. Competitive position - Attractiveness
4. Cost of reaching the segment - Accessibility
5. Compatibility with the organization's objectives & resources

Positioning
Positioning defines where your product (item or service) stands in
relation to others offering similar products and services in the
marketplace as well as the mind of the consumer. Good positioning
makes a product unique and makes the users consider using it as a
distinct benefit to them.

45
A good position gives the product a USP (Unique selling proposition).
In a marketplace cluttered with lots of products and brands offering
similar benefits, good positioning makes a brand or product stand out
from the rest, confers it the ability to charge a higher price and stave
off competition from the others

Marketing Mix
The marketing mix refers to the set of actions, or tactics, that a
company uses to promote its brand or product in the market. The 7Ps
that make up a typical marketing mix are - Price, Product, Promotion,
Place, People, Process and Physical Evidence.

Product: A product is an item that is built or produced to satisfy the

needs of a certain group of people. The product can be intangible or
tangible as it can be in the form of services or goods. You must ensure
to have the right type of product that is in demand for your market.
Therefore, during the product development phase, the marketer must
do extensive research on the life cycle of the product that they are
creating.
Price: It talks about the pricing model that you use in order to reach
customer expectations. The right pricing ensures proper extraction of
consumer surplus while driving profits to the company.
Place: The product that has been decided above should be available
from where your target consumer finds it easiest to shop. This may be
High Street, Mail Order or the more current option via e-commerce or
an e-tail.

Promotion: Advertising, PR, Sales, Promotion, Personal Selling and, in

more recent times, social media are all key communication tools for an
organization. These tools should be used to put across the
organization’s message to the correct audience.
People: This aspect investigates the people that are required to
perform and deliver value to the customers. It can be used to identify
skill gaps and develop knowledge development programs.

46
Process: This includes the delivery of your service in front of the
customer. It basically talks about the ‘ease of doing business’ and
repeatedly delivering the same standard of service.
Physical Evidence: Almost all services include some physical elements
even if the bulk of what the consumer is paying for is intangible. It
refers to everything the customer sees when interacting with a
business. This includes the physical environment where you provide
the product or service, layout or interior designing, packaging and
branding.

Consumer v/s Customer

The terms "consumer" and "customer" are often used interchangeably,
but a consumer and customer are not always the same entity.
Consumers use products while customers buy them. In general, your
marketing efforts should be geared toward the consumer, rather than
the customer. For example, suppose you own a small business that
manufactures and distributes children's games or toys. While the
children are the actual users, or consumers, of your product, they are
not your customers. Instead, the customers are the parents of the
children who actually purchase your products for them. Consumers
are just one subgroup of customers. Consider this example with a
Philips mixer. If a restaurant buys a Philips mixer grinder (blender) for
making juice to serve its patrons, then the restaurant is just a customer
and NOT a consumer. However, if you go and buy a Philips mixer
grinder to make juice for your children at home, you are a consumer.

Brand and Branding

A brand can be defined as a set of tangible and intangible attributes
designed to create awareness and identity and to build the reputation
of a product, service, person, place, or organization. The holistic
perspective of branding as a long-term strategy includes a wide set of
activities ranging from product innovation to marketing
communications.

47
The objective of a branding strategy is to create brands that are
differentiated from the competition, thereby reducing the number of
substitutes in the marketplace. When high brand equity is achieved
through brand differentiation, the price elasticity of demand becomes
low, allowing the company to increase the price and improve
profitability

Brand Equity
Brand Equity is the value premium that a company realizes from a
product with a recognizable name as compared to its generic
equivalent. Companies can create brand equity for their products by
making them memorable, easily recognizable and superior in quality
and reliability. Mass marketing campaigns can also help to create
brand equity. The additional money that consumers are willing to
spend to buy Coca-Cola rather than the store brand of the drink is an
example of brand equity. Brand equity is the set of assets and liabilities
associated with a brand, such as the positive image of Coca-Cola in
terms of a recreational beverage, or its negative image in terms of
health and the consumption of sugar.

Brand Positioning
Brand positioning refers to the target consumer’s reason to buy your
brand in preference to others. It focuses on all points of contact with
the consumer. Brand positioning must answer the following questions:
Is it unique/distinctive vs. competitors?
Is it significant and encouraging to the niche market?
Is it appropriate for all major geographic markets and businesses?
Is the proposition validated with unique, appropriate and original
products?
Is it sustainable - can it be delivered constantly across all points of
contact with the consumer?
Is it helpful for an organization to achieve its financial goals? Is it
able to support and boost the organization?

48
 In order to create a distinctive place in the market, a niche market
must be carefully chosen, and a differential advantage should be
created in their mind. Brand positioning is a medium through
which an organization can portray to its customers what it wants
to achieve for them and what it wants to mean to them.
Brand positioning forms customers’ views and opinions. It is the
single feature that sets your service apart from your competitors.
For instance, Kingfisher stands for youth and excitement. It
represents the brand in full flight

Questions for reference

What do you consider to be the three most important
qualifications for a marketing career?
What distinguishes a customer from a consumer?
Describe what you mean by a target market.
When compared to a long sales cycle, how would you handle a
short sales cycle differently?
Can you give an example of a time when you had to put a new
procedure or system in place?
How will you introduce someone to a novel technological
advancement? cite an instance.
What do you think branding and brand management are?
How will you determine the cost of a window cleaning business
exists?
How are businesses being shaped by social media marketing?
What does the marketing term AIDA mean?

49
CONSULTING AND STRATEGY

Consulting and strategic management is the continuous planning,

monitoring, analysis and assessment of all that is necessary for an
organization to meet its goals and objectives. Fast-paced innovation,
emerging technologies and customer expectations force organizations
to think and make decisions strategically to remain successful.

The strategic management process helps company leaders assess their

company's present situation, chalk out strategies, deploy them and
analyse the effectiveness of the implemented strategies. The strategic
management process involves analysing cross-functional business
decisions prior to implementing them. Strategic management typically
involves:
Analysing internal and external strengths and weaknesses.
Formulating action plans.
Executing action plans.
Evaluating to what degree action plans have been successful and
making changes when desired results are not being produced.

Strategy Tools
Business experts and consultants around the world have a number of
tools and frameworks that they rely on to analyze a company’s
performance. Here are a few of them that might come in handy during
your selection process.

SWOT Analysis
SWOT Analysis is a useful technique for understanding your Strengths
and Weaknesses, and for identifying both the Opportunities, open to
you and the Threats you face. Used in a business context, a SWOT
Analysis helps you carve a sustainable niche in your market. Used in a
personal context, it helps you develop your career in a way that takes
the best advantage of your talents, abilities, and opportunities

50
Developed by Albert S Humphrey in the 1960s, SWOT Analysis is as
useful now as it was then. You can use it in two ways – as a simple
icebreaker helping people get together to "kick-off" strategy
formulation, or in a more sophisticated way as a serious strategy tool.

Identify Core Strengths - It provides a clear view of your core

competencies and allows you to build on them to meet your
business objectives.
Identify Weaknesses - Recognizing your company's weaknesses is
one of the first steps to improve your business. It reveals your
weaknesses and provides a chance to reverse them.
Explore Opportunities - It helps you to explore the opportunities
that lie ahead. Using this, you can draft your strategic growth plans
based on your strengths and weaknesses.
Recognise Potential Threats - It helps you analyse possible threats
to your business, and you can subsequently make necessary
changes to the business policies and necessary actions.
Additionally, it facilitates making supplementary or alternative
plans, contingency plans, and so on.

51
PESTEL Analysis
A PESTEL analysis is a framework or tool used by marketers to analyse
and monitor the macro-environmental (external marketing
environment) factors that have an impact on an organisation. The
result of which is used to identify threats and weaknesses which is
used in the SWOT Analysis.

Political: They are all about how and to what degree a government
intervenes in the economy.
Economic: This is all about how an organisation does business and
how profitable they are.
Social: This includes all the impact of sociocultural factors
population growth, and age distribution.
Technological: This is about the new ways of producing, and
distributing goods and services with target markets.
Environmental: This is about factors such as scarcity of raw
materials, and pollution targets that a company must deal with.
Legal: This includes health and safety, equal opportunities,
advertising standards and other rules and regulations

52
BCG Matrix

This quadrant matrix, developed by the Boston Consulting Group

(BCG) in the early 1960s, is a tool that companies use to assess the
relative strength of product lines within their portfolios
The Growth rate is determined by reference to market research, or it
can be estimated. “Competitive position” includes an assessment of the
firm’s overall market penetration and profitability compared to the
other players in that market. Products are then positioned in the four
cells as shown in the following figure.

1. Cash Cows: Large Market Share in a mature industry. Requires little

investment.
2. Star: Larger Market Share in a growing industry. May require
investment to maintain the lead.
3. Question Marks: Small Market Share in a growing market. Requires
focus and resources.
4. Dog: Small Market Share in a mature industry. Little prospect for
gain.

53
Porter’s Five Forces Model
The average profitability in an Industry is determined not only by the
intensity of rivalry among competitors but also on the various other
forces that compete for a share of the profits. The five forces that drive
the competition for profits in an industry are:

1. Rivalry among Existing Competitors: Intense competition leads to

reduced profit potential for companies in the same industry
2. Threat of New Entrants: An industry with strong entry barriers
is an attractive feature for any company, this allows them to charge
higher prices for the services offered and negotiate terms in their
favour.
3. Threat of Substitutes: Availability of substitute products will limit
your ability to raise prices
4. Bargaining power of Suppliers: Powerful suppliers can demand
premium prices and limit your profit
5. Bargaining power of Buyers: Powerful buyers have a significant
impact on prices

54
Questions for reference
1. What motivates your desire to pursue consulting?
2. What characteristics make an excellent consultant?
3. Describe SWOT analysis.
4. How many hospitals are there in India?
5. How do you determine whether the business solutions you provide
are effective?
6. Compare the strategic management approach to the general
management method and discuss the differences in importance.
7. Do outsiders provide a novel strategic viewpoint?
8. Describe Value Proposition
9. What exactly is a blue ocean strategy?
10. What aspects need to be taken into account if you want to open a
new CCD store on campus?

55
OPERATION AND SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT

Operations management is an area of management that is concerned

with designing, redesigning, and controlling the process of production
of goods and services that provide value addition to the customer. The
goal of operations management is to maximize the efficiency of the
production of goods and services that effectively fulfill the customer
needs.
Several operating decisions must be made that have both long and
short-term impact on the organization’s ability to produce goods and
services. If the organization has made good operating decisions in
designing and executing its transformation system to meet the needs
of the customers, its prospects for long-term survival are greatly
enhanced. For example: If an organization makes furniture, some of
the operations management decisions involve the following:
1. Purchasing wood and fabric,
2. Hiring and training workers,
3. Location and layout of the furniture factory,
4. Purchase cutting tools and other fabrication equipment

f the organization makes good operations decisions, it will be able to

produce affordable furniture with greater production efficiency and
reduce defects in manufacturing. Thereby reducing the cost of
furniture and leading to greater profits for the organization.
Operations management requires making strategic and tactical
decisions.
Here we look at some key operations management decisions and
associated key terminology:

Capacity planning — The process of determining the production

capacity needed by an organization to meet changing demands for its
products. Different types of capacity exist.

56
For example Design capacity is the maximum amount of work that an
organization is capable of completing in a given period; effective
capacity is the maximum amount of work that an organization is
capable of completing in a given period due to constraints such as
quality problems, delays, and material management.
Efficiency — Performing activities at the lowest possible cost.
Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) — Large, sophisticated software
systems used for identifying and planning the enterprise-wide
resources needed to coordinate all activities involved in the
production and delivering products.
Forecasting — The process of predicting future events, including
product demand.
Just-In-Time — A philosophy designed to achieve high-volume
production through the elimination of waste and continuous
improvement. It is an inventory optimization method where every
batch of items arrives “just in time” to fulfil the needs of the next stage,
which could be either a shipment or a production cycle.
Lean Systems — Sometimes synonymous with just-in-time, it is a
philosophy that takes a total system approach to create efficient
operations through the elimination of waste.

Location Analysis — Identifying the best location for the facilities of

production.
Mass Customization — The ability of a firm to highly customize its
goods and services at high volumes through its operations
management function

57
Operations Management (OM) — The business function that refers to
the transformation process of converting raw materials into finished
goods and services. OM used to be called production and operations
management (P&OM). As the field evolved from being primarily tactical
(e.g., making inventory and scheduling decisions) to being strategic,
the term moved to focus on the broad notion of operations rather than
mere production.

Product Design — The process of deciding on the unique and specific

features of a product.
Process Selection — Process selection typically goes hand in hand with
product design, as we need to create a process that gives rise to the
product design desired. An excellent product design is worthless if a
process for its creation cannot be developed.

Total quality management (TQM) — A philosophy that seeks to

improve quality by eliminating the causes of product defects and by
making quality standards, the responsibility of every individual in the
organization. Practiced by some companies in the 1980s, TQM became
pervasive in the 1990s and is an area of operations management that
no competitive company has been able to ignore.
Value-added — A term used to describe the net increase created
during the transformation of inputs into outputs. The OM function
seeks to create value added in the transformation process.
1. Quality management — The process used to ensure the quality of a
product, including measuring quality and identifying quality issues.
2. Reengineering — The process of redesigning a company’s processes
to increase its production efficiency, improve quality, and reduce
costs. In many companies, things are done in a certain way that has
been passed down over the years. Operations management is a key
player in a company’s reengineering efforts.

58
Supply Chain Management
The management of the flow of goods and services involves the
movement and storage of raw materials, work-in-process inventory,
and finished goods from point of origin to point of consumption.
1. Logistics: The time-related positioning of resources to meet user
requirements.
2. Consignment: This term has more than one meaning, most often it
means the act of placing your goods in the care of a third-party
warehouse owner (known as the consignee) who maintains them for a
fee. In addition to storing the goods, the consignee may sell or ship
them to customers on your behalf for a fee.
3. Inventory: A term used to describe all the goods and materials held
by an organization for future sale or use a list of items held in stock.
4. FIFO: First in, first out is a method of cost lot tracking where items
are valued and sold in the order they were purchased.
5. Landed Cost: The total cost of ownership of an item. This includes
the cost price, shipping charges, custom duties, taxes, and any other
charges that were borne by the buyer.
6. LIFO: Last in, first out is a method of cost lot tracking where your
most recent purchases are sold first. It works exactly opposite to FIFO.
7. Bill of Material: A listing of components, parts, and other items
needed to manufacture a product, showing the quantity of each
required to produce each end item.
8. Demand-Driven Supply Chains: This is where a supply system is in
direct response to a single point of demand.
9. Transit Time: The time taken to move goods physically between
different locations in a supply chain or laterally to another facility.
10. Turn Around Time (TAT): The total time taken to repair a
component at the repair location, including waiting time but excluding
the transit time.

59
11. Reverse Logistics: The requirement to plan the flow of surplus or
unwanted material or equipment back through the supply chain after
meeting customer demand.

Questions for reference

1. How may JIT implementation benefit a company?
2. What effects does the Bull Whip effect have?
3. What distinguishes supply chain management from logistics?
4. What exactly is quality control? What are the methods of quality
control?
5. Can you share your knowledge of Six Sigma with us?
6. What are the various production strategies?
7. Can you provide instances of various manufacturing techniques in
real-world settings?
8. What impact did the pandemic have on global supply chains?
9. How will SCM support the switch to electric vehicles?
10. How does the supply chain of an online retailer look?

ALL THE BEST

• While you may not be questioned on all the above-mentioned areas,

it is always better to be prepared for them.
• We do understand that a lot of time and effort has to be invested but
the opportunity to be a part of the IIM community is once in a lifetime
opportunity for learning, self-discovery and growth.
• All through this, we are here for any help that you may require in
your endeavours towards your quest for a seat at one of India’s
premier B-Schools.

60
We wish all the candidates

Best of Luck!

In case of any queries reach out to us on