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June, 2011

Ms- 63 : Product Management

SECTION – A

1.  (a)   Briefly explain the concept of Product. Life Cycle (PLC). Do all products go through the classical belt shaped PLC ? Discuss giving suitable examples.

(b) What, in your view, is the PLC stage in respect of the following products in Indian market ? Based on your answer, suggest appropriate promotion and distribution strategies for them:

(i)  LCD Televisions

(ii)  Broadband services of Internet service provides.

2 (a)  What is a product ? faking the example of a consumer durable- of your choice, explain the anatomy of the product i.e. the core benefits, tangible specifications and augmented features.

(b)  Explain the various interpretations of the term 'new product'. Discuss the different pricing strategies available to a product manager for a new product.

3.  (a) Taking the example of a packaged fruit juice, explain the alternative bases available to the marketers for its positioning.

(b) Briefly explain the functions performed by packaging, Taking a FMCG (like biscuits, breakfast cereals, tomato sauce) of your choice, discuss what changes would you recommend and why in the packaging and labelling of the chosen product.

4.  Write short notes on any three of the following

(a)  Sources of new product ideas

(b)  Sales forecasting methods

(c)  Organising for new product development

(d)  Concurrent engineering

(e)  BCG Matrix

SECTION – B

Read the case given below and answer the questions given at the end of the case

HEARTS ON FIRE : BRANDING OF DIAMONDS

I1ow can a gem company convince customers that its diamonds are a cut above the rest ? Increasingly the answer is branding. People are often very particular about the brands of shampoo or soap they buy but when they shop for a diamond, they probably don't have a specific brand in mind. Although an individual may have done some homework regarding the " Four Cs" of diamond value (Carat weight, colour, clarity and cut), she is unlikely to walk into a jewelry store and ask for a diamond by name - unless she wants a Hearts on Fire. Surat - based diamonds wholesaler Hearts on Fire, has put major marketing power behind its Hearts on Fire brand name diamond. Complete with a logo and marketing plan, The Hearts on Fire diamond is cut and designed to give the extra sparkle that inspired the brand's slogan : "The difference is perfection. It's a difference you can see." The owner of Hearts on Fire, went into the diamond wholesaling business in 1980 but it wasn't until 20 years later that he decided to boost his profit margin by creating a branded diamond backed by a full - fledged marketing campaign.

Questions :

(a)  Why would a customer have an interest in a branded diamond ?

(b)  Evaluate the phrase " Hearts on Fire " as a brand name.

(c)  Suggest a marketing programme to build brand equity for Hearts on Fire diamonds. 

December, 2011

Ms-63  :  Product Management

SECTION  -  A

1.  (a)  Explain the term 'product line', giving suitable examples. Discuss the factors that make companies pursue product line extensions.

(b)  Taking a fast moving consumer good of your choice, discuss the distribution and promotion strategies that you would suggest for the different stages of its product life cycle.

2(a)  Describe the various functions performed by packaging in marketing of consumer goods, giving suitable examples.

(b)  How would you use the technique of Benefit-Structure Analysis to generate new product ideas ? Explain taking the example of a household cleansing agent.

3. (a)  Taking the example of a washing powder or a toilet soap explain how perceptual mapping can be used for product positioning ?

(b) Briefly explain any two types of display matrices used for product portfolio analysis.

Discuss the utility of display matrices for a product manager.

4. Write short notes on  any three  of the following :

(a) Product Management Decisions

(b) Product Prototypes

(c) New product development at corporate level

(d) Penetration and Skimming pricing strategies

(e) Types of new products

SECTION – B

5.   Read the case given below and answer the questions given at the end of the case.

Homemade Icecream Ltd Homemade Icecream Ltd, manufacturer of ice-cream and frozen yoghurt was founded in 1995. It soon became popular with its innovative flavours, made from fresh milk and cream. The company currently distributes ice-cream, frozen yoghurt and novelty products nationwide, in super-markets, grocery stores, franchised Homemade scoop shops, restaurants and other venues. Homemade's product strategy is to

differentiate its super premium brand from other ice-cream brands. The brand image reflects high quality, uniqueness, and a bit of amusement. For example, ' Chubby Hubby ' has Chunks of chocolate-covered peanut-butter-filled crisp biscuits in a rich Vanilla malt ice-cream. Other names in the company's line of ice-cream include Totally Nuts, Chunky Monkey, Super Fudge Chunk. The new product development and flavour naming process are a top priority at Homemade.

Questions  :

(a) Does Homemade use an individual or a family branding strategy ? What are the relative advantages and disadvantages of the two strategies ?

(b) What are the characteristics of a good brand name ? How do you rate Homemade flavour names based on these criteria ?

(c) Homemade plans to introduce a sugar free, low fat ice-cream targetted at calorie-conscious customers. How should it go about test marketing the same ? Suggest a suitable brand name for the new product. 

December 2012

Ms-63 : Product Management

SECTION-A

1.  (a)  Discuss the various pricing methods available to marketers to price the products giving suitable examples.

(b)  What Pricing strategy would you recommend to introduce a range of fruit juices in the market for a firm having twin objectives of creating mass awareness and sales ? Discuss.

2.  (a)  What are the dimensions of Brand Image ? What are the inputs, outcome and Assessment Criterion of Brand Building exercise ? Explain.

(b)  What are the various tools available for positioning decision-making ? Taking the example of any  FMCG  product of your choice, explain how perceptual map can be used for positioning the product.

3.  (a)  As a part of Economic Analysis of New Product ideas/concept what methods are used to forecast sales. Discuss.

(b)  What is the purpose of doing Break-even Analysis in economic analysis and how it is

calculated ? Discuss in brief.

4.  Write short notes on any three of the following :

(a)  Various Product Management Decisions.

(b)  Marketing implications and strategies of PLC stages.

(c)  I mportance of Packaging in Marketing.

(d)  Organisation structures suggested for New Product Development

(e)  Industrial  Designing in Product Development.

SECTION-B

5. Read the case study and answer the questions given at the end of the case.

Position Application A new product development team at Colgate-Palmolive is developing a new fairness cream for men. The team conducted the market research and found that Indian prefer flavoured cream with a lighter menthol in it to give a soothing effect. The Colgate-Palmolive team, as a result, began developing a product for this niche.

The new product has to compete with the established players in the market. As a positioning manager responsible for the success of this product, decide upon the positioning strategies and answer the following questions :

(a)  Suggest an appropriate positioning strategy for the fairness cream to be introduced.

(b)  What appropriate Brand Name would you suggest and why ?

(c)  How do you feel that the three concepts of: Positioning, product differentiation and

Market Segmentation have to be related to each other ? Explain. 

June, 2013

Ms-63 : Product Management

SECTION-A

1. Distinguish between the following giving suitable examples :

(a) Convenience and shopping products

(b) Product Line and Product Mix

(c) Tangible specifications and Augmented features of a product

(d) Skimming Pricing and Penetration Pricing

2. (a) How would marketing strategies vary across different stages of Product Life Cycle ?

Explain giving suitable examples.

(b) "Though so many managers have been swept into product-line extension mania, many of them are also discovering that the problems and risks associated with extension proliferation are formidable". Discuss the statement.

3. (a) What is the rationale for test marketing ? Discuss the situations where you think test marketing is not desirable.

(b) Discuss the relative advantages and disadvantages of setting responsibility of developing new products at the corporate level.

4. Write short notes on any three of the following :

(a) BCG Matrix

(b) Concurrent Engineering

(c) Concept Testing

(d) Brand Equity Measurements

(e) Market Potential and Market Demand

SECTION-B

5. A company manufacturing biscuits now plans to launch a new range of biscuits targetted at health and calorie conscious customers as well as diabetics. The company intends to produce these biscuits with multigrains and lower sugar as well as calorie content. It is planned to offer the biscuits in different flavours like apple, orange, vanila etc. to cater to the different tastes of the customers. The company now has to decide upon the different aspects of the new launch like the ingredients, flavours, branding, packaging and labelling of the product.

Questions :

(a) Suggest some methods for generating ideas regarding the product attributes of the proposed range of biscuits.

(b) Identify the characteristics of a good brand name and suggest a suitable brand name for the new offerings.

(c) Suggest an appropriate positioning strategy.

(d) Discuss the significance of packaging and labelling decisions in the marketing of these new products.

December, 2009

Ms-62 : Sales Management

SECTION – A

1(a) Explain the interdependence of sales and distribution management in an FMCG company.

(b) Explain the various steps involved in personal selling process taking the example of diesel generating sets for industrial applications.

2(a) Explain the importance of non – verbal communication in selling process.

(b) Discuss the most commonly used methods of imparting training to the sales force in an organisation.

3. (a) What are the major objectives of territory planning ? Briefly explain the various approaches to territory design.

(b) Discuss the various types of compensation plans for the sales force. What are the factors influencing the design of compensation schemes ?

4. Write short notes on any three of the following :

(a) Application of computers in sales management.

(b) Types of sales organisation structures.

(c) Recruitment sources.

(d) Types of Retail Displays.

(e) Sales management Audit.

SECTION – B

5. Read the case given below and answer the questions given at the end.

Western Oil India, is a regional producer of oil products located in Gujarat state selling gasoline, fuel oil and related products under the Swift brand. Total sales during 2007-2008 were in excess of Rs.100 crores. The company's sales organization comprises of full-line sales personnel who sold in two states of western India. The full-line sales people sold to oil wholesalers, distributors, commercial users and domestic fuel oil consumers. The sales force was responsible for developing all new accounts. The sales personnel were evaluated according to a single criterion, sales volume. District sales managers determined each salesperson's volume from the weekly sales reports. Each report showed the previous week's sales, both in amount and percentage of total purchases by name of account. The district managers summarized the sales reports into monthly and annual summary sales reports. The amount and percentage of gain or loss was shown on both the monthly and annual reports. In addition, each salesperson's sales volume performance was compared with that of other sales personnel in the district and region. Finally, each salesperson's sales volume was compared with his output the previous year and the trend of this sales volume was shown over the past several years. Mr. Kumar, had recently been promoted from manager to vice-president of sales. When he was a manager, he had believed that the method of evaluating sales performance based

solely on sales volume was an inaccurate appraisal of a person's effectiveness. He felt it

was especially unfair to the salespeople who spent a portion of their time assisting dealers with problems such as special promotions, inventory control, merchandising and administration activities that had no direct effect on sales. He also believed that evaluation based on sales volume alone ignored some fairly wide differences in the sales potential of individual territories. As a result of the deficiencies he saw, Mr. Kumar suggested that the present method of personnel evaluation should be supplemented by a merit-rating plan. This plan would incorporate such factors as work habits; effectiveness in merchandising work, cooperation with management, dealers and other sales personnel

and difference in territory potential. The managers would rate the salespeople semiannually, then Mr. Kumar would review the ratings. The numerical scores assigned to each performance factor (which had not yet been determined) would be totaled to yield a merits score for each salesperson. Finally, managers would discuss this appraisal with each salesperson, counselling on strengths and weaknesses and making suggestions for improvement. And before  the plan was put into operation, each manager would explain the new evaluation method to the salespeople in the district. Reaction to Mr. Kumar's proposal was mixed and was strongly opposed to the idea and opined that the new method of evaluation was too complex in nature and also time consuming for the manager. It was also felt that the sales personnel would be unhappy with an evaluation system that was based on so many subjective factors. The argument that salespeople would feel that ratings were based on personal favouritism and other non-objective factors over which they had on control.

Questions

(a) Is the Western Oil company's present method for evaluating sales personnel performance adequate and fair ? Explain.

(b) How can Mr. Kumar answer other manager's objections. Substantiate.

June, 2010

Ms-62 : Sales Management

SECTION – A

1(a) Explain the key decision areas in the sales management which are particularly relevant to strategy formulation.

(b) Explain the importance of oral and non - verbal communication in an attempt to convert a suspect into a prospect.

2(a) What is the advise to firms which generally adopt a policy of hiring only experienced salespersons and preferably who have had experience of selling allied and competitive products ? List out the merits and demerits of such an approach.

(b) What are the basic components of a compensation package ? Explain briefly the factors influencing the design of compensation schemes.

3. (a) Critically evaluate the significance of monitoring and controlling the firms sales force in the light of the enterprise's sales objectives.

(b) What is sales organisation ? Describe the process of designing a sales organisation.

4. Write short notes on any three of the following :

(a) Situations conducive for personal selling

(b) Steps in negotiation

(c) Components of Sales reports

(d) Improving Territory Productivity

(e) Meaning and Importance of Sales Quota.

SECTION – B

5. Read the case given below and answer the questions given at the end.

You are the Sales Manager for a Western India Company, and you just received a memo from the company President indicating that the firm will soon be switching all sales and marketing activities through the use of personal computers/Lap Tops. Although the sales people have been doing a good job manually for years, you feel that the majority will welcome this new shift. However, you do have a few veteran sales people who may resist changing over to the computer based system and wish not to upset or alienate these individuals. They are extremely important to your sales force and often act as "mentors" to the newer sales people in the company.

Questions :

(a) As a sales manager, what steps you would consider to handle this situation while keeping sales force morale high ?

(b) Discuss how computerisation in sales function can be used as a distinct competitive advantage.

June, 2011

Ms-62 : Sales Management

SECTION – A

1.  (a) What are the situations conducive for personal selling ? Explain using suitable examples.

(b) How would the Sales Process differ in the following situation ?

(i)  A private sector bank representative selling services to the Senior Manager of an MNC.

(ii)  A Sales executive selling water purifiers to working women.

2.  (a) What are the basic purposes fulfilled by a sales organisations ? Outline the steps

involved in developing a sales organisation.

(b) What are the attributes of a good Sales Quota Plan ?

3.  (a) What are the Major objectives of conducting training for sales force ? Suggest and explain suitable training programme for fresh engineering graduates who would be taking up independent selling assignment for Industrial Products.

(b) Discuss the important criteria for recruitment of Sales staff.

4.  Write short notes on any three of the following.

(a)  Determination of the size of sales force.

(b)  AIDAS Theory.

(c)  Presentation skills

(d)  Motivation of sales force.

(e)  Sales report.

SECTION – B

5. As a Sales Manager, you have been assigned the responsibility of designing a vast sales network for a new brand of Fresh Lime Juice (with minimal Preservatives) planned to be launched next summer. The company wishes to confine the launch to all metros, and major cities in India. The main focus is on Retail malls, large sized grocers and general merchants. While other stores are 2" priority. The firm is targetting around 20,000 out lets to be serviced within the first 6 weeks, of its launch. The advertising campaign is expected to create awareness about the new brand by the 3" 1  week of the launch. The product has a shelf life of 3 months from the date of manufacture and will be manufactured from Uttaranchal.

Questions

(a)  What additional information would you need to develop an effective sales plan ?

(b)  What factors will you consider in developing the sales force ?

(c)  How would you measure the effectiveness of the sales force in this case ? 

December, 2011

Ms-62 : Sales Management

SECTION – A

1. (a)  Discuss the qualities of a good salesperson citing suitable examples. Explain how

would you convert a suspect into a prospect ?

(b)  Explain the stages involved in the  execution of a sales order.

2. Why are sales territories required ? Discuss the various stages to Scientific territory planning and suggest what type of territory planning is appropriate in the following cases  :

(a)  A company selling bulk drugs to large pharma companies.

(b) A company selling food supplements.

(c) A company selling holiday packages.

3. (a)  What are the different components of a suitable compensation plan for salesmen ?

Suggest a suitable compensation plan for a salesman selling encylopedias.

(b)  Discuss the Key steps in preparation of a Sales Budget.

4. Write short notes on any  three  of the following :

(a) Setting sales objectives

(b) Non - verbal communication

(c) Principles of negotiation

(d) Learning style.

(e) Contents of sales reports.

SECTION – B

5.  Read the case given below and answer the questions at the end of the case :

"To say that I am exceedingly upset by what I  witnessed in one of our dealer's offices, the other day would be a gross understatement. I saw one of our sales representatives trying to sell to a dealer and he did not know what he was talking about. He could not answer some of the simplest questions of the dealer about our product and kept saying that he would find out the answer from the head office. Needless to say he didn't make the sale," opined Mr. Khurana, President of the Innova Computer Company. Mr. Roy, the newly hired sales manager for the company, decided to take note of this and asked "Is this representative of the entire sales force or an isolated case ?" "Mr. Roy that's what I am paying you to find out and do something about." Said Mr. khurana As Roy, walked back to his new office to deal with a multitude of other sales operation problems, he saw his task unfolding as two major activities.

(a) To determine how much the present sales force really knew about the computer products and how they are used.

(b) To develop an effective programme to equip the sales force with the required product

knowledge.

On reaching his desk, Roy, called his assistant Vinod. Vinod had been with the company since its inception eight years ago. Vinod started as a part time worker, while he studied for his graduation, and when he graduated, joined the company full time. He was a little frustrated that he hadn't been promoted to Sales Manager When Roy was brought in from outside by Mr. Khurana. Roy asked Vinod, "I've just been in a meeting with Mr. Khurana and he has rather firm conviction that the product knowledge of our representatives isn't what it should be. He wants us to do something about it. How do you feel about this ?"

"Oh, don't pay too much attention to the old man. He's been on that trip ever since he started the company. As far as he is concerned, no sales representative ever knows enough about the product or knows enough about the customer's problems. It doesn't make any difference to him that we are selling fairly well and sometimes exceeding quotas. In his eyes, that's just because the product is so good. He thinks he is the only one in the company who really knows about the product. It doesn't matter what you do, he'll still be saying the same things to you, every time he sees one of the representatives making a presentation," replied Vinod. Roy thanked Vinod for his opinions but couldn't help wondering whether he could afford to ignore Mr. Khurana's comments.

Questions  :

(a) How can Roy determine how much the sales representatives know about the product and its applications ?

(b) How should he plan to develop the desired degree of expertise among sales people ? 

December 2012

Ms-62 : Sales Management

SECTION-A

1.  Briefly explain the personal selling process. Discuss the importance of 'Sales Resistance' in the selling process. How do sales persons cope up with the same ? Support your answer by citing example of a consumer durable good.

2.  Define negotiation. Explain the steps involved in the negotiation process by taking example of an industrial good. Briefly explain the various negotiation strategies involved.

3.  What are the basic objectives of a good sales force monitoring system? List and briefly explain the parameters used to monitor salesforce of a company selling FMCG products.

4.  Write short notes on any three of the following :

(a)  Principles of effective presentations.

(b)  Centralization versus Decentralization in sales organizations.

(c)  I mportance of sales quotas.

(d)  Interdependence of sales and distribution.

(e)  Qualities of good Sales personnel.

SECTION-B

5. You have been retained as a consultant to develop sales training programme to improve productivity of middle-level sales managers of a company manufacturing personal-care products like shampoos, creams and moisturizers etc. Describe the key features of the training programme devised by you. 

December, 2009

Ms-58 : Management of R&D and Innovation

1(a) How does one identify a business strategy that is appropriate to your competencies ? How do you ensure that competitive advantage can be obtained through technological innovation ?

(b) Discuss the linkage between R&D, innovation and economic development. What have the experiences of USA and Japan to do with them ?

2(a) What are the essential requirements of design ? Examine the relationship between design, innovation and market.

(b) What could be the possible barriers to creativity in an organisation ? Discuss and explain how these barriers could be overcome.

3 (a) Elaborate your understanding about integration of R&D with business strategy.

(b) Discuss the various types of approaches used for R&D budgeting.

4(a) Discuss the different types of partnerships for innovations and R&D.

(b) What are performance skills of R&D manager ? How are these skills related to his/her tasks and functions ?

5(a) What do you understand by a team role ? Is it possible to differentiate team members in order of importance ?

(b) What do you understand by an organization structure ? How important is the coupling and coordination system in an R&D organisation ?

6(a) What are the different types of R&D projects ? Explain the concept of project life cycle with an example.

(b) Discuss the various criteria for measuring the output of R&D projects.

7. (a) Discuss the rationale of co-operation between industry, institution and Government. Make comparative assessment of situation in India, Japan and USA.

(b) Define consultant and consultancy services. How technical consultants can facilitate the process of R&D and innovation ? Discuss.