IAS Mains Previous Years Paper : Public Administration (1981)
PAPER - I
1. Answer any Three of the following is not more than 200 words each:
(a) Systems approach to organization has great scope in India now. Do yor agree? Support your points citing examples.
(b) “As the family income increases the proportionate amount of money spent on food decreases...” To what extent professionally managed institutions exploit this theory to their advantage?
(c) Distinguish between market forecasting and sales forecasting.
(d) It is neither Theory X nor Theory Y that we need but some other theory. Comment.
2. When MBO approach gets full acceptance, the Line and Staff conflict will diminish. Explain MBO concepts and Line and Staff functions and by to validate your viewpoints on the above statement.
3. Research studies in behavioral science have identified different styles in management. Explain the effectiveness and limitations of each style. Which leadership style would you prefer and why?
4. (a) Final ranking of the selected candidates for a job by the members of the Selection Committee, namely, X, Y and Z are as follows:
Serial Number of Ranks Awarded by the candidate X Y Z
1 2 1 2
2 5 2 1
3 6 6 3
4 1 3 4
5 4 5 6
6 3 4 5
(i) Determine the correlation coefficient between the ranks given by X and Y; Y and Z; X and Z.
(ii) Comment on the use of correlation coefficient as a measure of agreement between the judges.
(b) Draw a suitable bar diagram to illustrate the following data:
India’s Imports and Exports in Crores of Rupees
Year: 1950-51 1960-61 1970-71 1977-78
Imports: 650.21 1139.69 1634.20 6068.60
Export: 600.24 660.22 1535.16 5375.08
Explain the advantages of presentation through bar charts.
PART—I (Marketing Management)
5. Answer any three of the following is not more than 200 words each:
(a) The ex-factory cost of an electric hot plate is Rs. 450. What should be the selling price to earn 20% profit on sales? Apply the formula to arrive out the answer.
(b) A recently conducted marketing survey revealed that 68% of the consumers of a popular ‘white’ beverage bought only 32% of their production while the remaining 32% of the consumers consumed 68% of the production. Explain the factors responsible for such state of affairs.
(c) Distinguish between market segmentation and product segmentation.
(d) For achieving real ‘quality of life’ and ultimate survival of mankind ‘de-marketing’ and ‘counter-marketing’ strategies have a vital role in the coming years. Comment.
6. (a) Under what circumstances would you prefer price discrimination? Substantiate your points with suitable examples.
(b) You are making and selling stabilizers which are available in the market for prices ranging between Rs. 250 and Rs. 400 per unit. Your production capacity for a given period in 400 numbers. The break-up of production, selling and distribution costs are as follows:
Production costs : Fixed Rs. 20,000 Variable Rs. 150/unit
Selling costs : Fixed Rs. 4,000 Variable Rs. 40/unit
Distribution costs : Quantity Total Costs
For 50 numbers Rs. 5,000
100 numbers Rs. 9,000
150 numbers Rs. 12,000
200 numbers Rs. 14,000
400 numbers Rs. 18,500
The total capacity of the industry is 120% of the estimated demand of which your capacity is 40% of
the estimated demand.
(i) Find the break-even price for 200 and 400 stabilizers.
(ii) Suggest the maximum price that you would quote per unit. Give reasons.
7. (a) Exports or perish’ vs. ‘Export and perish’. Describe the validity or otherwise of each of the slogans cited above.
(b) In your view what types of products India should export and what type of promotional support and incentive the exporters should get from the government.
PART - II (Production and Materials Management)
8. Answer any three of the following is not more than 200 words each:
(a) Increased mechanization is a necessary evil for the economic development of the country. Do you agree? Give reasons.
(b) Value analysis and value engineering are one and the same. Comment.
(c) Distinguish between standardization and variety reduction citing two examples.
(d) Draw one layout each for a ‘continuous process plant’ and ‘batch process plant,’ showing the flows distinctively.
9. (a) Suggest a formula for arriving at Economic Batch Quantity for manufacturing.
(b) The details of a part to be machined. are as follows:
Annual requirements : 2400 pcs
Machine rate : 10 pcs/shift
No. of working days in the year : 300
Cost of machining a component : Rs. 100 per piece
Inventory carrying cost per annum : 12% of value
Setup cost per machine : Rs. 400 per setup
(i) Optimum lot sizes for machining and
(ii) average finished product inventory
10. (a) Differentiate between scheduling and sequencing in production.
(b) A printing press has to prepare four reports. The process involved and the time required per activity are shown below:
Report 1 2 3 4
Printing 8 7 6 12 hours
Binding 3 8 12 7 hours
Determine the optimum job sequencing.
PART — III (Financial Management)
11. Answer any three of the following in not more than 200 words each:
(a) Explain ‘performance budgeting’ and its role in management control.
(b) What is meant by ‘acid test ratio’? Prove its importance by quoting situations. Explain the limitations in the use of ratios.
(c) Describe leasing and subcontracting and point out their advantages in thhe present-dày Indian context.
(d) ‘Social objectives’ seem to be a cover for the bungling of finance management. Comment.
12. (a) Sources of long-term finance are many. Explain the advantages and disadvantages of each source.
(b) A member of a leading hotel group issued to the public 7,50,000 on 13.5% compounded halfyearly secured convertible cumulative debentures or Rs. 100 each for cash at par. Explain the salient features of this issue.
13. (a) Explain the determinants of working capital.
(b) In the light of the information given below compute the requirements of working capital for a new unit proposing to manufacture a milk-cooker of one standard size to begin with.
Estimated annual production : 1,00,000 numbers.
Estimated cost per cooker : Raw materials Rs. 120
Wages Rs. 40
Overhead Rs. 20
Depreciation of fixed assets Rs. 20
Proposed selling price : Rs. 240 per cooker.
Raw materials are procured on cash. Minimum stock level of rew materials is fixed at 3 months
requirements. Sales realization is on an average 3 months after production.
PART—IV (Personnel Management)
14. Answer any three of the following in not more than 200 words each:
(a) How would you go about planning the man power requirements of a fast expanding company in consumer? goods mdustry employing one thousand persons which include one hundred and twenty in the supervisory and executive level?
(b) Government’s tripartite machinery is effective. Comment
(c) Employee morale in the organized sector in India is low now. Do you agree? Give reasons.
(d) Describe the factors which influence discipline in industry. Suggest alternate approaches to solve the problem of indiscipline.
15. (a) Personnel selection policy should provide for effective techniques for diagnosing thhe strengths and weakness of the candidates. Explain each technique.
(b) Prepare an interview rating sheet for the selection of management trainees for a large public sector undertaking. Assign weight age to each trait you look for in the candidates.
16. (a) Name the authorities constituted under the Industrial Disputes Act, 1947 and explain their functions.
(b) List the authorized deductions from wages under the Payment of Wages Act, 1936.
PAPER - II
1. Comment on any three of the following in not more than 200 words each:
(a) “Public Administration is not an end in itself but merely a tool of government and servant of the community.”
(b) The character of business is molded by its objectives, its technology and its human and financial resources.
(c) “Administration is the marshall of techniques and the lieutenant of policy.”
(d) “Individuals jn groups respond better to motivation attempts.
2. (a) Discuss the importance of ‘organization structure’ in managing an organization. What factors would you bear in mind while designing the organization structure of a company? Explain with an example.
(b) Comment : “Organization change and development have become imperative in yiew of dynamics of external environmental conditions and internal tensions and strains.”
3. (a) Discuss : “Decision making is one of the principal. duties of an administrator,” How can he use delegation and exception principle, so that decisions may be more effective?
(b) “The outcome of an organization in the final analysis depends on the quality of leadership and management of different levels.” Comment.
4. (a) Comment : “It is not the change, technological or social, but the interest, short-term or longterm, which generates resistance in an organization.” Suggest human and structural approaches for overcoming the resistance for the desired growth of the organization.
(b) What are essential ingredients of the system of ‘Management by objectives’? How would you make MBO operational in a personnel department? Give one example.
5. Comment on any three of the following in not more than 200 words each.
(a) “Public Administration has to be sensitive and responsive to people’s needs as they are its consumers.”
(b) “Radical change is inevitable in judicial system as people in general are fast losing confidence in the institution.”
(c) Should Civil Servants be allowed any participation politics?
(d) Role of financial institutions for social justice and economic growth.
6. (a) Discuss the nature of Federal Government and the conditions for its successful working.
(b) “Bureaucracy thrives under the cloke of ministerial responsibility in a parliamentary democracy.” Examine the role of Civil Service in the light of this statement.
7. (a) “Personnel Administration has too much feudalistic heritage, too much intellectual orientation, too little administrative action and human relations orientation and is too defensive of the rights of existing staff.” Examine the role of Public Service Commissions with regard to above statement
(b) ‘In-built delays in Public Administration result in corruption and frustration for common people.” Comment
8. (a) “Business management is guided by specific but socially narrow tests of resource efficiency which can be confined to the firm in question. The equivalent tests for government must refer ultimately to the welfare of the whole society. Examine the difference between private undertakings and public undertakings in the light of this statement.
(b) Comment: “local self-government is the foundation of democracy.”