UPSC Mains 2021 Management Optional Paper II questions

28 questions from the Civil Services (Main) Examination 2021. Official UPSC paper (PDF) · All Management Optional PYQs

1. The mean annual income of workers in a company is 5,000 with a standard deviation of =,200. It is suspected that local workers have higher than the average income. A sample of 44 local workers is drawn and their sample mean income is found to be ₹ 5,500. Can it be said that local workers have significantly higher income than the total population?

2. What Supply Chain Management (SCM) strategies were adopted by leading e-commerce companies such as Amazon and Flipkart during the lockdown period caused by the Corona Pandemic?

3. How can information system bring competitive advantage to business organisations by supporting managerial decision-making?

4. An engineering firm has determined that for a particular part, the cost of purchase is = 350 per order and = 22 per part. Its inventory carrying cost is 5% of the average inventory. The firm currently purchases = 2,20,000 worth of this part every year. (i) Determine the Economic Order Quantity (EOQ). 5 (ii) What is the optimum number of days supply per optimum order?

5. What is Fisher's ideal index? Why is it called ideal? Describe the steps involved in the computation of Fisher's ideal index number. 34245 AREAS UNDER THE STANDARD NORMAL DISTRIBUTION The entries in this table are the probabilities that a standard normal variate is between 0 and Z (the shaded area)

6. 'A' can hit a target 4 times in 5 shots, 'B' 3 times in 4 shots and 'C' twice in 3 shots. Calculate the probability: (A) 'A', 'B', 'C' all may hit the target. 2 (B) 'B' and 'C' may hit the target, but 'A' may not hit it. 2 (C) 'C' and 'A' may hit the target, but 'B' may not hit it. 2 (ii) A decision problem has been expressed in the following payoff table: Which alternative will be selected if the following criterion is used? (A) Maximax criterion 3 (B) Maximin criterion 3 (C) Hurwicz's criterion 3 (Assume degree of optimism is 0-7)

7. "Decision Support System (DSS) and Management Information System (MIS) are very helpful for managers in taking decisions." Comment and support your answer. 5 (ii) How can DSS be differentiated from MIS? 5 (iii) What are the components of DSS? 5 (iv) What are the similarities and dissimilarities between data-driven and document-driven DSS?

   5 marks

8. A firm is considering replacement of an equipment, whose first cost is ₹ 4,000 and the scrap value is negligible at the end of any year. Based on experience, it was found that the maintenance cost is zero during the first year and it is =,000 for the second year. It increases by = 300 every year thereafter. (A) When should the equipment be replaced if the interest rate is 0% (zero percent)? & (B) When should the equipment be replaced if the interest rate is 2%? 5 (ii) "Inventory Control is a rational process in which decision-making is often done irrationally." Explain.

9. What is e-business architecture? Which technological innovations have had a major impact on it? & (ii) Describe the four pillars of e-governance and the various types of interactions performed in e-governance. 5 (iii) Discuss the Indian Government's efforts and actions towards implementing e-governance.

   5 marks

10. Solve the following Linear Programming Problem by Graphical Method: 409 Minimize cost: subject to: X, + 52 = 000 x, < 300 52 = 50 X4,X_q20 (ii) A certain drug is claimed to be effective in curing cold. In an experiment on 500 persons suffering from cold, half of them were given the drug and the other half were given the sugar pills. Patients' reactions to the treatment are recorded in the following table: Treatment Helped Harmed No Effect On the basis of the above data, can it be concluded that there is a significant difference in the effect of drug and sugar pills? 29 CRITICAL VALUES OF CHI-SQUARE (x?) f(x?) Ve Vn».

11. Apply the concept of "Decay Curve of New Product Ideas" to an innovative product like 'e-Bike'. 5 (i) A manufacturing company always uses a sample size of 0. Data for the past 0 samples are as follows: Number of Total Units Defective Units Sampled The system is believed to be operating under normal conditions. (A) Construct a control chart with control limits such that measurements for 95% of the units under normal conditions would fall within the control limits. 5 (B) Suppose the number of units defective in the next 5 samples are; 3, 4, 2, 0 and 7. Demonstrate graphically whether the process is under control or not.

12. How does the balancing line reduce the cost of idleness? Describe the steps involved in solving a line balancing problem. 5 (ii) W.E. Deming said, "85% of poor quality can be attributed to management". Discuss this statement in the context of World Class Manufacturing Systems. 5 (iii) What role is played by Green belts, Black belts and Master Black belts for managing 'Six-Sigma' quality in a Software Development Company? 5 (iv) Fora project, the following information is given: tivit Expected Activity shina Completion Time Bo 8 |. 6 |. 9 (A) Draw the network diagram. 3 (B) Find the critical path.

13. Twelve salesmen are ranked for efficiency and their length of service. Find the rank correlation coefficient.

14. Why is ERP important to a company? 4 Gi) Explain the economic aspects of ERP implementation and the hidden cost therein. 5 (i) Discuss in detail any three ERP implementation strategies.

15. "The Government of India has been making efforts to remove the regional imbalances in development by providing incentives for setting up industries in rural areas." Elucidate.

16. Describe the different levels of regional economic integration. 5 (ii) What are the pros and cons of 'BREXIT'?

    5 marks

17. "A vision is too abstract to be of any practical value." Do you agree with the statement? Justify your answer with a suitable example. Explain how objectives form hierarchy.

18. Elucidate the factors that influence country competitiveness. 5 (ii) Explain the factors that a company should evaluate to assess 'ease of doing business in India'.

    5 marks

19. How does BCG Matrix help in portfolio planning? What are the advantages and limitations of such a portfolio analysis?

20. What is the rationale behind liberalization strategies adopted by the New Industrial Policy? 6 (i) "The term 'globalisation' assumes increasing importance in today's techno-economic parlance." Explain this statement in the context of the Indian economy. 7 Gi) Discuss the various initiatives undertaken by the Indian Chamber of Commerce (ICC) to promote both national and international trade.

21. Describe the four cultural predispositions that MNCs are likely to adopt towards managing employees in global context. 5 (ii) How does Hofstede's model on cultural dimensions equip international managers with an understanding of cultures across countries?

22. Identify the linkages between primary and secondary activities of Porter's value-chain model. § Gi) How is value-chain analysis conducted? Explain with the help of an example. 5 Gii) "Strategy follows structure, structure supports strategy." Critically analyse this statement.

    5 marks

23. "Generic strategies help a firm to gain and sustain competitive advantage over its rivals." Elaborate this statement by giving suitable examples for each type of generic strategy. 8 (ii) Explain the growth strategies of expansion, integration and diversification by citing suitable examples. Under which conditions are these strategies most suitable for adoption?

24. A number of Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs) are managed and controlled by the government. Justify the State participation in business by citing suitable examples from these PSUs. Do you think that the government's decision to monetize some of these PSUs is justified? Give reasons to support your answer.

25. Explain the various financing techniques employed in foreign trade. 5 (ii) What are the main features of the following documents? 79 (A) Letter of Credit (B) Bill of Lading (C) Commercial Invoice (D) Consular Invoice (E) Insurance Certificate

26. What are the similarities and dissimilarities between domestic operations management and_international operations management? 6 (i) Explain the various strategic issues involved in international operations management. 29 (iii) Describe the various issues involved in global organizational design.

    5 marks

27. Why are mergers and acquisitions (M&As) gaining popularity among Indian corporates? 5 (ii) it possible to take over a target company in a hostile manner? Justify your answer. 6 (iii) Despite comprehensive strategic planning, many M&As do not yield the desired results. Discuss the possible reasons for the same, citing suitable examples.

    5 marks

28. "The past decades have witnessed a number of scandals and shareholder disputes, all of which indicate lacunae, if not lapses, in governance." In the light of this statement, discuss the role of Indian corporate governance framework in responding to these challenges. 8 (ii) "While the Public Distribution System (PDS) forms a cornerstone of government food and nutrition policy, India continues to be home to a large population of hungry and malnourished people." Critically analyze this statement by focussing on the functioning and efficiency of the PDS in achieving food and nutritional security in India.