IAS Mains Management 2007
Paper I

Time Allowed: Three Hours Maximum Marks: 300

Candidates should attempt Questions 1 and 5 which are compulsory, and any THREE of the remaining questions selecting at least ONE question from each Section.
Section A

Write analytical notes on any three of the following in not more than 200 words each. Substantiate your answers, wherever possible, with real life situations/hypothetical illustrations: (20 × 3 60)

Management Techniques and Management Fads

Business Portfolio Analysis

High Performance Leadership

Inventory Control Techniques

State the general principles of management given by Henri Fayol. Are these principles still relevant in modern organisations? Also state the features of Taylors research that are relevant to modern manufacturing industries

Define Group. Point out its characteristics. Explain five stages of group development. Does this development process make sense when applied to groups to which you have belonged

Define the dual of a linear programming problem. State the functional properties of duality. Explain the advantages. Three food products are available at costs of Rs. 10, Rs. 36 and Rs. 24 per unit respectively. They contain 000, 000 and 000 calories per unit, respectively and 200, 900 and 500 protein units per unit, respectively. It is required to find the minimum-cost diet containing at least 20, 000 calories and 000 units of protein. Formulate and solve the given problem as a LP problem. Write the dual and use it to check the optimal solution of the given problem

Section B

Write short notes on any three of the following in about 200 words each: (20 × 3 60)

Budgetary Control and Monitoring System

Juste-in-Time Approach

Value Chain Analysis versus Traditional Management Accounting

Impact of the policy of Liberalisation

Discuss the various methods of forecasting. What are the precautions that you would like to take to ensure that the forecast is realistically achievable? What approach would you like to recommend for resource allocation to support the activities to achieve the performance target

Identify the circumstances in which you suggest replacement of traditional overhead distribution system by the activity based costing. Explain why this system of costing is called activity based. Discuss the functions of cost drivers with illustrative examples

Write in details the circumstances that led to the origin of economic planning in India. What was the rationale for the heavy industr3lisation strategy adopted during the early years of planning in India? What were the reasons that led to a change in the strategy