MBA EMBA DBA DISTANCE EDUCATION

ANSWER SHEETS

ASSIGNMENT SOLUTIONS

CASE STUDIES

PROJECTS AND THESIS ASSISTANCE

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Hospital Administration

1. Low growth low market share products are termed as___________a. Starsb. Cash cowsc. Dogsd. None

2. To improve organizational performance „Alfred Sloan‟ introduced „3S term‟ as doctrine ofstrategy, structure and?a. Systemb. Solutionc. Shared. None

3. Overburdening may occur due to too many group members seeking out an individual forinformation and assistance, a solution to such problem is_____________a. Linear organizationb. Circular organizationc. Elliptical organizationd. None

4. NHS stands for_________________

5. ICU in medication stands for Internal cure union.(T/F)

6. There are 4 levels of strategic consensus that have been identified among the managers, one levelin which managers are informed about the strategy but they are not willing to act iscalled___________a. Blind devotionb. Informed scepticismc. Weak consensus

d. None

7. OCB stands for Organization citizenship behavior.(T/F)

8. BPR stands business process re enforcement.(T/F)

9. The best way to avoid conflict and there by preserve relationship with in the health careorganization is____________a. Spiral of silenceb. Web of solutionc. Web of solutiond. None

10. IPE stands for inter disciplinary education.(T/F)

Part Two:

1. Discuss the Managerial issues in Disaster Management?2. What do you understand by the Outpatient Department (OPD)?3. Write a short note on Quality Assurance in a Hospital?4. Briefly describe the importance and functions of Housekeeping department in the Hospital?

CASE STUDIES

Caselet 1

CULTURAL BELIEFSAn organization‟s culture can be studied at three levels: artefacts, values and assumptions. Artefactsare the organizational structures that are visible to the members of the organization. Values are thestrategies, goals and philosophies of the organization‟s members. The basic, underlying assumptionsof group members include taken-for-granted beliefs, perceptions, thoughts and feelings. Even thoughcertain basic assumptions are evident, taken for granted and are not normally confronted or debated,the culture of the organization will become evident at the level of observable artefacts and in theshared values, norms and rules of behavior of the organization‟s member. Group norms are sets ofshared values that have been valedated through a consensus process. The social validation of groupnorms arises when certain values are confirmed by the shared experiences of the group and thesenorms are passed onto new members as being the correct way to do things. This mechanism ofembedding and meshing culture is undertaken at an unconscious level in most organizations.

Although culture resides in the minds of the members of the organization, it is transmitted throughvisible expressions, such as formal and informal routines and everyday rituals of existence undertakenby members of the organization. Over time, shared experiences develop into a set of core values thatbecome embedded in individual and organizational philosophy and ideology that ultimately serves toguide action and behavior. This process is an important mechanism in the transmission of sharedprofessional assumptions, values, artefacts and symbols from the master to the student and in thedevelopment of the socialization process that professional clinicians undergo. Therefore, the internalorientation of employees is based primarily on the culture, values, beliefs, ethics and assumptions ofthe organization‟s staff; this is particularly evident amongst health service employees, although theorientation may differ between clinicians and non-clinicians.

1. Why according to you Artefacts are essential for the development of an organization‟s culture?2. Elaborate the cultural beliefs of your company?

Caselet 2

There are many ways of managing change. Few organizational changes are complete failures, andfew are entirely successful. The management of change draws from psychological, behavioral,political, social and culture dimensions, many of which may be conflicting. A realization that changeis the result of competition between driving and restraining forces is evident in much of the literature.Lewin noted some forces drive change whilst others resist change. A change agent is required tofecilitate change, to manage the restraining forces, and to drive change through. The change isrequired to understand change as a phenomenon, identify the key emotional reactions associated withchange, such as resistance, and know how to manage change in a positive manner. Kotter contendsthat both leadership and management skills are required to effectively and positively manage change,particularly in a volatile environment. He further argues that the change process is deductive; it isabout managing complexity and is often undertaken in order to prevent a more chaotic reality thanthat presently in force. If change is approached with a certain level of excitement and enthusiasm, itwill create opportunities that will make patients lives better. However, change is often introduced

without due regard for the realities of individual areas of health care practice. Some managers maynot have an insight into the effect of the change on the lives of individuals or realizations that evenminor change may have unintended consequences for the individual and the organization. Mostresistance to change occurs not because of the proposed change, but as a result of individualperceptions of expected outcomes due to the change and on how this is likely to impact on their lives.Therefore, an accurate assessment of the environment, both internal and external to the organization,is required prior to the change, thus preventing negative consequences for individuals.

1. Why there is a need of change?2. With reference to your company, what changes you prefer?

APPLIED THEORY

1. What do you mean by Emergency Department Planning? How would you explain the managerialissues in Emergency department?2. Write a short note on the following terms:1) Central Sterile Supply Department (CSSD)2) Total Quality Management in Health Care3) Medical Audit and its Administration

Principles of Hospital Administration and Planning

1. A method of collaborative work in which visual display of information on flip charts or othermedia to which other group member can use is__________a. Decision matricesb. Multivotingc. Boardingd. Brainstorming

2. A tool for Data collection which summarise perception of a large sample of peopleis___________a. Surveysb. Interviewsc. Check sheetd. Data sheets

3. Members of Inspection control committee_________a. Microbiologist, O.T. incharge, Medical Superintendentb. Representative from Nursing Service, CSSD in charge, Representative from major clinicaldepartmentc. Both (a) & (b)d. None of the above

4. MRD stands for___________a. Medical Records Departmentb. Medicine Records Departmentc. Medicine Release Departmentd. None of the above

5. Format for appraisal in which rank order is establish of employees based on their relativemerit_________a. Forced Distribution Techniqueb. Graphic Rating Scalec. Ranking methodsd. Free Written Ratings

6. Analytical technique in Materials Management in which all items in inventory on the basis ofannual usuage time cost is________a. FSN Analysisb. ABC Analysisc. VED Analysisd. None of the above

7. Planning tool used in Quality Management in which the items are written on individual cards anddisplayed on a flip chart__________a. Relations Diagramb. Process Decision Program chartc. Affinity Diagramd. Activity Network Diagram

8. Method of filing of Medical records in which involves filing of records in exact chronologicalorder according to unit / serial number___________a. Middle Digit filingb. Terminal Digit filingc. Straight Numeric filingd. None of the above

9. Type of hospital in which the number of beds is over 300 beds is known as___________a. Large hospitalb. Medium sized hospitalc. Small hospitald. None of the above

10. Meeting in hospital whose purpose is to pass on information received from agencies is_________a. Informative Meetingb. Consultative Meetingc. Executive Meetingd. None of the above

Part Two:1. What are the factors affecting “Retraining” in a hospital?2. Write a short note on Finance in Hospitals?3. Describe the Negotiating system for Hospitals rates?4. Write down the different members of Appointment committee of the hospital?

CASE STUDIES

Rakesh and Gagan were two brothers who had graduate in Medicine in the year 1979. Bothestablished themselves as successful practitioners. In 1992, they decided to set up their own hospitalas both were familiar with the nitty-gritty of the profession after spending a decade as successfulpractitioners. In the year 1994, the concept was concretized when three floors Arogya Hospital with abed capacity of 60 came into existence at Gwalior. The facilities provided by the hospital werepathology, X-ray, blood bank and ICU. In the year 1998, the number of beds were increased to 100with the addition of a fourth floor. In the year 2005, a fifth floor was added and the hospital startedoffering services like radiology, 3D spiral, C. Tscan, colourdoppler, pathology, blood bank, C.C.U.,O.T., maternity unit, emergency and trauma services, in-patient accommodation, canteen,telecommunication and entertainment.The hospital had 35 nurses and 55 class four employees. The main task of the class fouremployees was to maintain the cleanliness of the hospital. Besides this, they were also entrusted with

the task of sponging, bed setting and shifting of the patients. Salary paid to these employees wasbetween Rs. 1200/- to Rs. 1800/- per month. The hospital staff was divided into different classes ofemployees. Class one comprised of MBBS, MD, MS, and Administrative Officers. Class threecomprised of Technicians and Nurses. Class four comprised of Ayabais, Sweepers and Guards.Hospital had 11 full time doctors, out of whom 7 were duty doctors (MBBS), 2 full time MD for ICUand 2 full time in-house surgeons (MS). Besides this, the hospital had 50 visiting doctors whooperated on a turnkey basis. These doctors had their own clinics in different parts of the city and asper requirement, they admitted their patents in the hospital. There was a mutual agreement betweenthe doctors and the hospital that the hospital would charge the patients and out of it the doctors wouldreceive their fees along with a percentage from the hospital share. The patients treated by the hospitalwere patients requiring intensive care and minor illnesses. Out of the cases reported in the hospital,60-75% were maternity and were referred to the hospital by leading gynaecologists of the city, Dr.Savita and Dr. Manorama. To help the doctors in the treatment of patients, work-instructions forResident Doctors, Supervisors, Wardboys / Ayabais and Sweeper boys/ bais were prepared by thenewly appointed Hospital-Administrator Priya. These instructions were prepared in English and werehung on the walls of the enquiry counter. After a span of one month, Priya resigned from the hospitalon account of some personal reasons.By the end of the year 2004, Ritu, a fresh post-graduate in Hospital-Administration fromGwalior, was appointed as an Administrative Officer or take charge of the overall activities of thehospital. Her role was to monitor the activities of employees of class three and four and various otheractivities related to the functioning of the Hospital. The first task before her was to improve thecleanliness of the hospital. She found that the toilets were not cleaned properly and the room hygienewas dismal. She started making regular visits to all the wards and rooms in the hospital to observe andmonitor the employees lacked a human touch. To add to this, the patients also complained that theemployees demanded money for the services. After analyzing the situation, she came to theconclusion that lack of motivation among the class four employees was one of the major factorsresponsible for the pathetic condition prevailing in the hospital. Lack of motivation among the classfour employees was also visible in the form of high employee turnover, work negligence, absenteeismand complaining behaviour. High absenteeism among the class four employees resulted in workoverload for sincere employees, as they were forced to work in the next shift. This was a regularfeature in the hospital as a result of which employees often remained stressed and therefore, lesscommitted towards their work. Although, they were being provided with dinner and snacks at the

expense of the hospital, as a gesture of goodwill for those who worked over time for the hospital. Shealso found that the workers were not reporting for their duty on time, despite their arrival in thehospital on time.The second reason, which she identified for lack of hygienic condition in the hospital was that thevisiting hours for the visitors were not specified, so there was a continuous flow of visitors round theclock, which hampered and affected the cleaning activity of the hospital. It was found that thepatients‟ rooms were always full of visitors who would not mind taking their meals in the room/ward.She felt that there was no solution to visitors‟s problem, as this was an integral part of thepromotional strategy of the management. She also found that the work-instructions given to thehospital-staff was in English language and it was difficult for class four employees to understandthem. Ritu translated all these instructions in Hindi so that class four employees could understand andimplement them.Ritu had the daunting task to reduce the absenteeism and make the employees more committed totheir work and felt that a reward of Rs. 200, if given to an employee who remained present for 31days could perhaps motivate the employee to remain regular at the work place. Further, to motivate toperform, she decided to systematize the performance appraisal system by identifying performers andnon-performers. This being her first job, she was apprehensive about performance appraisal. Theemployees were to be classified into three groups A, B and C, „A‟ was for high performers, „B‟ wasfor average performers and „C‟ was for poor performers. It was decided that the employees in thegrade „A‟ would receive the highest increment followed by „B‟ and „C‟. To make the performanceappraisal objective, she identified various activities on which the employees could be appraised. Tomake the performance appraisal system more objective, a two-tier appraisal system was developed byher. In the first phase, the employees were to be rated regularly on the identified activities by patientsand their attendants. In the second phase, observation of doctors and nurses was to be considered.Although Ritu had full cooperation from the hospital management, yet she was apprehensive aboutthe employee‟ acceptance of the new system. She had to wait and watch.

1. Critically evaluate the factors identified by Ritu for enhancing organizational effectiveness?2. Describe a performance appraisal system that you will recommend to Ritu for evaluating theemployees?

Case STUDY 2

The management of a hospital, faced with a resource crunch embarked on a cost containmentprogramme. Instructions were issued to various clinical, supportive and utility services to identify theareas where cost containment could be effectively implemented without compromising with thepatient care facilities.The hospital had both the centralized and the decentralised purchasing system. The officer-inchargeof the Emergency Department of the hospital, Dr. Systematic was a qualified and trainedhospital administrator. He systematically commenced analysis of the various activities and proceduresin vogue in the Emergency Department.Dr. Systematic found out that the Emergency Department in addition to the glass syringespurchased 9000 disposable syringes per annum. The interval of ordering was 30 days. The cost ofeach disposable was Rs. 20/-. The ordering cost per order was Rs. 15/- and the carrying cost were15% of the average inventory per year. He calculated the Economic Order Quantity, lot size ofinventory per month, storage cost and other inventory related costs and analysed the optimum intervalof ordering. He forwarded these results along with the other cost containment measures of theEmergency Department to the hospital management. The recommendations of Dr. Systematic wereimplemented and used as a model for other departments of the hospital. Dr. Systematic for effectiveanalysis and appraisal was honoured with the Doctor of the year award by the Hospital Management.

1. What are the assumptions made by Dr. Systematic for their inventory model?2. Do you recommend any further suggestion for inventory costs in a hospital?

Applied Theory 

1. Write in brief about structure and function of Hospital organization?2. Write down the following terms:1) Labour Relation System.2) Organization of Hospital Workers.

Information Technology & Management

1. It means data that have been processed in a form that is meaningful and useful to the user.a. Datab. Informationc. Systemd. None of the above

2. BCR stands for____________a. Bar code readerb. Basic code readerc. Business code readerd. None of the above

3. Which of the following comes under output devices?a. Printerb. Speakerc. Both (a) & (b)d. None

4. A trackball is a stationary device related to the_______a. Keyboardb. Joystickc. Moused. All of the above

5. ___________is a volatile memory and everything disappears if power goes off or is turned offabruptly in the middle of work.a. RAMb. ROMc. CDROMd. None of the above

6. IC stands for____________a. Integrated Circuitb. Information Circuitc. Interrelated Circuitd. None of the above

7. DSS stands for____________a. Decision Support Systemb. Direction Support Systemc. Both (a) & (b)d. None of the above

8. How many characters uses the MICR system?a. 15 charactersb. 18 characters

c. 24 charactersd. 14 characters

9. One Megabyte contains:a. 1000 KBb. 1000 Bytesc. 1000 MBd. None of the above

10. The smallest element of data is called_______a. Byteb. Bitc. Giga byted. None of the above

Part Two:1. Write a note on „Cache Memory‟.2. List the different types of information systems.3. Write a short note on „Value Chain Analysis‟4. Discuss peer- to - peer model in distributed computing system.

CASE STUDY

It began as a trading site for nerds, the newly jobless, home-bound housewives, and bored retirees tosell subprime goods: collectibles and attic trash. But eBay (www.ebay.com) quickly grew into ateeming marketplace of 30 million, with its own laws and norms, such as a feedback system inwhich buyers and sellers rate each other on each transaction. When that wasn‟t quite enough, eBayformed its own police force to patrol the listings for fraud and kick out offenders. The company evenhas something akin to a bank: Its Paypal payment-processing unit allows buyers to make electronicpayments to eBay sellers who can‟t afford a merchant credit card account. “eBay is creating asecond, virtual economy,” says W. Brian Arthur, an economist at think tank Santa Fe Institute. “It‟sopening up a whole new medium of exchange.” eBay‟s powerful vortex is drawing diverseproducts and players into its profitable economy, driving its sellers into the heart of traditionalretailing, a $2 trillion market. Among eBay‟s 12 million daily listings are products from giants suchas Sears Roebuck, Home Depot, Walt Disney, and even IBM. More than a quarter of the offeringsare listed at fixed prices. The result, says Bernard H. Tenenbaum, president of a retail buyout firm, is“They„re coming right for the mainstream of the retail business.” So what started out as a pureconsumer auction market-place is now also becoming a big time business-to-consumer and evenbusiness-to-business bazaar that is earning record profits for eBay‟s stockholders. And as the eBayeconomy expands, CEO Meg Whitman and her team may find that managing it could get a lot

tougher, especially because eBay‟s millions of passionate and clamorous users demand a voice in allmajor decisions. This process is clear in one of eBay‟s most cherished institutions: the voice of theCustomer program. Every couple of months, the executives of eBay bring in as many as a dozensellers and buyers, especially its high selling “Power Sellers,” to ask them questions about how theywork and what else eBay needs to do. And at least twice a week, it holds hour-long teleconferencesto poll users on almost every new feature or policy, no matter how small. The result is that usersfeel like owners, and they take the initiative to expand the eBay economy – often beyondmanagement‟s wildest dreams. Stung by an aerospace down-turn, for instance, machine-tool shopReliable Tools Inc., tried listing a few items on eBay in late 1998. Some were huge, hulking chunksof metal, such as a $7,000 2,300-pound milling machine. Yet they sold like ice cream in August.Since then, says Reliable‟s auction manager, Richard Smith, the company‟s eBay business has“turned into a monster.” Now the Irwindale (California) shop‟s $1 million in monthly eBay salesconstitutes 75% of its overall business. Pioneers such as Reliable promoted eBay to set up anindustrial products marketplace in January that‟s on track to top $500 million in gross sales thisyear.Then there is eBay Motors. When eBay manager Simon Rothman first recognized a market forcars on cars on eBay in early 1999, he quickly realized that such high-ticket items would require adifferent strategy than simply opening a new category. To jump-start its supply of cars andcustomers, eBay immediately bought a collector-car auction company, Kruse International, for $150million in stock, and later did a deal to include listings from online classifieds site, AutoTrader.com.Rothman also arranged insurance and warranty plans, an escrow service, and shipping andinspection services.This approach worked wonder. Sales of cars and car parts, at a $5 billion-plusannual clip, are eBay's single largest market. That has catapulted eBay in front of No. 1 U.S. autodealer AutoNation in number of used cars sold. About half of the sellers are brick-and-mortar dealerswho now have a much larger audience than their local area. “eBay is by far one of my better sourcesfor buyers,” says Bradley Bonifacius, Internet sales director at Dean Stallings Ford in Oak Ridge,Tennessee. And for now, the big corporations, which still account for under 5 percent of eBay‟sgross sales, seem to be bringing in more customers then they steal. Motorola Inc., for example,helped kick off a new wholesale business for eBay last year, selling excess and returned cell phonesin large lots. Thanks to the initiative of established companies such as Motorola, eBay‟s wholesalebusiness jumped ninefold, to $23 million, in the first quarter.As businesses on eBay grow larger,they spur the creation of even more businesses. A new army of merchants, for example, is making abusiness out of selling on eBay for other people. From almost none a couple of years ago, these

socalled Trading Assistants now number nearly 23,000. This kind of organic growth makes itexceedingly though to predict how far the eBay economy can go. Whitman professes not to know.“We don‟t actually control this,” she admits. “We are not building this company by ourselves. Wehave a unique partner – million of people.”

Questions:

1. Why has eBay become such a successful and diverse online marketplace? Visit the eBay websiteto help you answer, and check out their many trading categories, specialty sites, internationalsites, and other features.2. Why do you think eBay has become the largest online/offline seller of used cars, and the largestonline seller of certain other products, like computers and photographic equipment?

Caselet 2

It‟s no secret that somewhere in a back room in the typical Fortune 500 company, there‟s a team ofanalytical wizards running sophisticated data mining queries that mine for gems such as data aboutabout the company‟s best customers – those top 20 percent of clients that produce 80 percent of thecompany‟s profits. These jewels can be a business‟s most valuable intellectual property, whichmakes them very valuable to competitors. What‟s to prevent that data set from walking out the dooror falling into the wrong hands? Sometimes, not much. Many companies lack the internal controls toprevent that information from leaking. The problem is that such data is as hard to protect as it is tofind. Owens & Minor Inc. (www.ownes-minor.com), a $4 billion medical supplies distributor,counts some of the nation‟s largest health care organizations among its customers. In late 1996, itstarted mining data internally using business intelligence software from Business Objects SA. “Fromthe beginning, we were aware of security issues around this strategic information about ouroperations,” says Don Stoller, senior director of information systems at Owens & Minor. “Forexample, a sales executive in Dallas should only have access to analyses from his region.” It isalways possible that someone who has legitimate access will abuse that trust, but companies canminimize that potential by strictly limiting access to only those who need it. thus, Owens & Minoruses role-level security functions that clearly define who has access to which data. “This meant wehad to build a separate security table in our Oracle database,” says Stoller. A few years later, whenthe company wanted to open its systems to suppliers and customers, security became even moreimportant. In 1998, Owens & Minor moved quickly to take advantage of Web-intelligence

softwarefrom Business Objects that‟s designed to Web-enable business intelligence systems. The result wasWisdom, an extranet Web portal that lets Owens & Minor‟s suppliers and customers access theirown transactional data and generate sophisticated analyses and reports from it.“It business-tobusinesstransactions, security is key,” says Stoller. “We had to make absolutely sure that Jhonson &Jhonson, for example, could not see any 3M‟s information. This meant we had to set up specificcustomer and supplier security tables, and we had to maintain new, secured database views using theOracle DBMS and Business Objects.”Wisdom was such a success that Owens & Minor decided togo into the intelligence business with the launch of wisdom2 in the spring of 2000. “We capture dataout of a hospital‟s materials management system and load it into our data warehouse,” Stollerexplains. A hospital can then make full use of its business-intelligence software to mine and analyzepurchasing data. Owens & Minor receives a licensing and maintenance fee for the services.Layers ofsecurity and encryption require a considerable amount of overhead data for systems administration.Both Stoller and Michael Rasmussen, an analyst at Giga Information Group, say that‟s the mainreason security concerns about business intelligence are often swept under the carpet. The issues ofauthentication (identifying the user) and authorization (what things the user is allowed to do) mustbe addressed, usually across different applications, Rasmussen says, adding, “Systemsadministration can be a real nightmare.”“We are going through some of this,” says David Merager,director of Web services and corporate applications at Vivendi Universal Games Inc.(www.vugames.com). “Our business intelligence needs more security attention.” Businessintelligence reports come from two systems: an Oracle-based for budgets on a Microsoft SQL Serverdatabase. The heart of the business intelligence system consists of Microsoft‟s OLAP applicationand software from Comshare Inc. that provides the Web-based front end for the analytics. “Ourbudget teams use these reports to do real-time analyses,” says Merager. Rodger Sayles, managerof data warehousing at Vivendi Universal, says one way to secure such a system is to assign roles toall users within the Microsoft application. Roles determine precisely what a user is allowed to seeand do and are usually managed within a directory. If your computing architecture is amenable to asingle, centralized directory that supports roles, this may be an attractive solution. “The problem isthat once you have over 40 distinct roles, you run into performance issues, and we have identifiedabout 70 user roles,” Sayles explains. He says there‟s way around this difficulty. “I think we aregoing to use a combination of Web portals and user roles. A user would sign on through a

particularWeb portal, which would effectively place the user in a role category. This reduces the overheadburden on the application,” says Sayles.

Questions:

1. Why have developments in IT helped to increase the value of the data resources of manycompanies?2. How can companies use IT to meet the challenges of data resources security?

APPLIED THEORY

1. Explain distributed systems. What are the advantages and disadvantages of distributed systems?2. What do you mean by database? List the different types of database model.

                             

Database Management Systems

Multiple choices:1. A collection of related sets of data items along with necessary data/ information associated withit.a. Datab. Informationc. Processd. Database

2. ___________connects computers which are very remotely placed.a. Local Area Networkb. Wide Area Networkc. Both (a) & (b)d. None

3. A column in a table is called__________a. Fieldb. Recordc. Tupled. Link

4. DDL stands for ___________a. Data Definition Languageb. Data Decision Language

c. Database Definition Languaged. None

5. SQL stands for ___________a. Structured Query Languageb. Statement Query Languagec. Strict Query languaged. None

Part Two:

1. List the different types of DBMS.2. Differentiate between „DBMS‟ and „RDBMS‟.3. What do you mean by „Data Dictionary‟?4. Differentiate between discretionary access control and mandatory access control.

Caselet 1

Database management system is the complex software which is aimed at the management of theinformation stored in the database effectively. A high-quality management system helps organize,manipulate, transform, store, retrieve and create data professionally. It is important that the wholeinformation kept in the database could be accessible, manageable, and easy for manipulation. Asuccessful DBMS should possess a strict logical structure, which enables everyone to find the requireddata easily. The high-quality management system gives the opportunity for the user to change therequired information without any harm to the whole application. Database management systems areextremely important today, because the humanity lives in the age of information and the wholeinformation is kept in databases which require professional skilful management and flexibility.Every organization, private and public, connected with business or not possesses the necessaryinformation which is essential for its proper functioning. The information is supposed to be stored insecurity and only the employees of an organization can have access to it. The idea of a good databasemanagement system is to make the work of an organization easier, faster and of higher quality,because the easier and the faster the access to the data is, the faster the work will be. Moreover, if theinformation becomes out-of-date, the experts can modify it and introduce the necessary changes tomake it valid.1. What are the roles of a database in present scenario?

Caselet 2

The most dramatic advance of the past decade in software technology has been the development ofdatabase management systems (DBMS). There is little question about the potential of these systemsfor enhancing system support to managers and users while reducing design, structuring, andmaintenance problems. Database systems also provide a way of improving information systemflexibility by decoupling user-oriented data structures from physical storage methods. In spite of thevast potential of database management systems, the information systems community has not reactedwith the total enthusiasm that might have been expected. Significant resistance has been encounteredin some organizations, both from users, systems managers, and programming staff members. Althoughthe literature on the features of database systems is substantial, there is little discussion of resistanceproblems encountered during the actual implementation and use of these systems in organizations. Thepurpose of this panel is to examine issues related to resistance toward DBMS in organizations. Thepanel members, each of whom is experienced in this area, will examine a number of organizational,technical, and application issues pertinent to the problem of resistance. The discussion will focus onwhy this resistance has occurred and how, if at all possible, it could have been avoided. Bothbehavioral and technical issues will be examined. This session should be of interest to both thepractitioner and theorist alike. Database management systems are collectively the most significantsoftware product advance in the last decade. There is little question about the potential of thesesystems for improving data management in organizations. Yet not all persons show a level ofenthusiasm for these systems that their capabilities would merit. Users and systems persons alike havebeen known to resist acquisition and/or introduction of database management systems, sometimesstrongly. In the discussion that follows, the problem of resistance as it applies to database managementsystems is introduced. The intent is to raise issues for research and investigation rather than to provideconcrete answers to problems.

1. Discuss various anomalies in databases. How would you improve data management inorganizations?

APPLIED THEORY

1. What do you understand by relational data model? Explain relational constraints and relationaldatabase schemas2. What are the similarities and dissimilarities in the software development life cycle and database

development life cycle?

                       

International Business Management

Multiple choices: 1. What is the series consideration for strategy implementation?a. Strategic orientationb. Locationc. Dimensionsd. Both (a) & (b)

2. The major activity in global marketing is:a. Pricing policiesb. Product linesc. Market assessmentd. All of the above

3. The third „P‟ in the international marketing mix is:a. Productb. Pricec. Promotiond. Place

4. The European Economic Community was established in____________a. 1958

b. 1975c. 1967d. 1957

5. Environment Protection Act on______________a. 1986b. 1967c. 1990d. None of the above

6. People‟s attitude toward time depend on:a. Languageb. Relationshipc. Cultured. All of the above

7. Culture necessitates adaption of :a. Productb. Pricec. Promotiond. Place

8. The legal term for brand is:a. Symbolb. Namec. Trade markd. All of the above

9. FDI flows are often a reflection of rivalry among firms in____________a. Global marketb. Indian marketc. International marketd. None of the above

10. ISO certification is:a. Expensive processb. Elaborate processc. Evaluative Processd. Both (a) & (b)

Part Two:1. What do understand by „Inward-oriented Policies‟?2. What is „Factor Endowments Theory‟?

3. Explain the term „Totalitarianism‟.4. Write about „Persistent Dumping‟.

CASELET 1

THE EU’S LAGGING COMPETITIVENESSIn a report produced for the European Commission, published in November 1998, it was argued thatthe EU lags behind the USA and Japan on most measures of international competitiveness. Grossdomestic product per capita, sometimes used as an indicator of international competitiveness at thecountry level, was 33 per cent lower in the EU as a whole than in the USA and 13 per cent lowerthan in Japan. The EU‟s poor record in creating employment was singled out for particular criticism.As this appeared to apply across the board in most industrial sectors, it suggested that the EU‟s poorperformance related to the business environment in general and, in particular, to the inflexibility ofEurope‟s labour markets for goods and services. A shortage of risk capital for advancedtechnological development and high cost and inefficiency of Europe‟s financial services were alsohighlighted by the report. For one reason or another, European industries generally lag behind intechnology industries. If measured by the number of inventions patented in at least two countries, theUSA is well ahead of most European countries, as well as Japan. Despite these shortcomings, thereport‟s authors focus attention on flexible markets, market liberalisation, and the creation of acompetitive business environment rather than on targeted intervention by the EU or nationalauthorities.

Questions:1. Is gross domestic product per capita a useful indicator of International competitiveness in the EU?2. Is it fair to point the blame for the EU‟s poor international competitiveness at inflexible labourmarkets, regulated goods and services markets, and a general lack of competition? Whatalternative explanations might be suggested?

Caselet 2PERUPeru is located on the west coast of South America. It is the third largest nation of the continent

(afterBrazil and Argentina), and covers almost 500,000 square miles (about 14 per cent of the size of theUnited States). The land has enormous contrasts, with a desert (drier than the Sahara), the toweringsnow-capped Andes mountains, sparkling grass-covered plateaus, and thick rain forests. Peru hasapproximately 27 million people, of which about 20 per cent live in Lima, the capital. More Indians(one half of the population) live in Peru than in any other country in the western hemisphere. Theancestors of Peru‟s Indians were the famous Incas, who built a great empire. The rest of thepopulation is mixed and a small percentage is white. The economy depends heavily on agriculture,fishing, mining, and services. GDP is approximately $115 billion and per capita income in recentyears has been around $4,300. In recent years the economy has gained some relative strength andmultinationals are now beginning to consider investing in the country. One of these potentialinvestors is a large New York based that is considering a $25 million loan to the owner of a Peruvianfishing fleet. The owner wants to refurbish the fleet and add one more ship. During the 1970s, thePeruvian government nationalised a number of industries and factories and began running them forthe profit of the state. In most cases, these state-run ventures became disasters. In the late 1970s, thefishing fleet owner was given back his ships and are getting old and he needs an influx of capital tomake repairs and add new technology. As he explained it to the NEW YORK banker: “fishing is nolonger just un art. There is a great deal of technology involved. And to keep costs low and becompetitive on the world market , you have to have the latest equipment for both locating as wellas catching and then loading and unloading the fish.”Having reviewed the fleet owner‟ operation, thelarge multinational bank believes that the loan is justified. The financial institution is concerned ,however , that the Peruvian government might step in during the next couple of years and againtake over the business . If this were to happen, it might take an additional decade, for the loan to berepaid. If the government were to allow the fleet owner to operate the fleet the way he has over thelast decade, the loan could be rapid within seven years. Right now, the bank is deciding on thespecific terms of the agreement. Once these have been worked out , either a loan officer will flydown to lima and close the deal or the owner will be asked to come to NEW YORK for the

signing.Whichever approach is used, the bank realize that final adjustments in the agreement will haveto be made on the spot. Therefore, if the bank sends a representative to Lima, the individual will haveto the authority to commit the bank to specific terms. These final matters should be worked out withinthe next ten days.

Questions:1. What are some current issues Facing Peru? What is the climate for doing business in Peru today?2. Would the bank be better off negotiating the loan in New York or in Lima? Why?

APPLIED THEORY

1. Imagine that you are the director of a major international lending institution supported by fundsfrom member countries. What one area in newly industrialized and developing economics wouldbe your priority for receiving development aid? Do you suspect that any member country will bepolitically opposed to aid in this area? Why or Why not?

2. The principle problem in analysing different forms of export financing is the distribution of risksbetween the exporter and the importer. Analyse the following export financing instruments in thisrespect:(a) Letter of Credit(b) Cash in advance(c) Draft(d) Consignment(e) Open Account