XAT 2022 Question Paper | XAT BDM

XAT Bussiness Decision Making | XAT 2022 Question Paper

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Read the following scenario and answer the THREE questions that follow.

A2Z is a state-funded leading engineering college in the country, renowned for its teaching and placements. Now, A2Z aspires to be a global leader in research as well. A2Z has, therefore, decided to push for better quality research from its newly recruited faculty members. In the past, a few faculty members were confirmed because of their exceptional teaching feedback even though their research output was below par. Currently, the Dean, in consultation with the academic council, has included the quality of research as a mandatory requirement along with teaching excellence for the confirmation of the newly recruited faculty members. (The academic council comprises of the senior faculty members from different departments.)
Initially, newly recruited faculty members are put on a probation for three years. Either they are confirmed or their probation is extended or their services are terminated, based on teaching and research contributions. Once confirmed, their job is secure along with other additional perquisites.
Aparna joined the social sciences department of A2Z two years back. She is amongst the many faculty members, recruited after the new norms for confirmation were introduced. She completed her doctorate from a reputed university in the USA, with a significant research contribution. However, after joining A2Z, Aparna got deeply involved in social outreach as COVID-19 was spreading. Though her social outreach has given her immense satisfaction, she has nothing to show against research contributions; further, it has impacted her teaching effectiveness. Her confirmation is due in a year.

XAT 2022 Question Paper - BDM

The Dean, during the annual appraisal of Aparna, realizes that her research contribution needs considerable investment of time and efforts. He is concerned that her performance could set a wrong precedent for the new faculty recruits. The dean wants to communicate to the new faculty recruits that research contribution is critical.

Which of the following actions will BEST help the Dean in achieving the objective, while being fair to Aparna?
1. Appreciate Aparna's social outreach, but advise her to focus on research and teaching contributions as they are essential for confirmation
2. Extend Aparna's probation period by an additional year, while reminding her about the research and teaching contributions needed for confirmation
3. Suggest Aparna to start looking for a new job in the time available to her
4. Exhort Aparna to suspend her social outreach activities till the end of her probation, and to focus on research and teaching instead
5. Increase her teaching and research requirements, while extending her probation period by two years
Choice A
XAT 2022 Question Paper - BDM

One year on, Aparna continues with her social work. Gradually, she gets closer to the end of her probation and she has not much to show against her teaching and research contributions. However, her social work has been widely appreciated by the local media. The Chief Minister of the state wants Aparna to take a larger role in social outreach and assist the government.

The Dean is afraid that not confirming Aparna might prompt her to leave the institution, sending a wrong signal to the outside world. However, he also wants to send a message to the newly joined faculty members that teaching and research contributions are essential for confirmation.

Which of the following actions by the Dean is the MOST sustainable given the circumstances?
1. Confirm Aparna, but freeze her increments and promotions until her research contributions are as per the expected standards
2. Offer to create a non-teaching position of outreach officer for Aparna, but terminate her from the teaching position
3. Offer Aparna a five-year contractual position after which she has to leave irrespective of her contributions
4. Extend Aparna's probation by three years, and tell her that she would have to leave if her research and teaching do not improve in that period
5. Declare that Aparna's extraordinary achievement deserves to be treated exceptionally, and confirm her
Choice D
XAT 2022 Question Paper - BDM

A few months later, Aparna, during an interview with the local media, inadvertently expresses her fear that she might be let go by A2Z because she has not met its teaching and research requirements. Consequently, the academic council urges the Dean to review the faculty confirmation policy.
The Dean, however, believes that any change in the policy will be a setback to the institute's aspirations of becoming a global leader in research.

Which of the following actions by the Dean will be the MOST appropriate, given the circumstances?
1. Convey to Aparna that the institute is eager to retain her; however, emphasize that she should focus on research to get confirmed
2. Tell Aparna that she is being let go for insulting the college on a public platform
3. Give an interview to a local newspaper and share Aparna's lack of research and poor teaching feedback
4. Confirm Aparna, but ask her to issue a public statement, acknowledging the importance A2Z gives to research contributions
5. Confirm Aparna, but make it clear that her future promotions will be tied to her research contribution and teaching feedback
Choice A

Read the following scenario and answer the THREE questions that follow.

Dileep Dosan sells dosas in front of an upscale hospital at a city in Punjab. He only sells two varieties of dosas: plain for ₹25 and masala for ₹40.
His dosa stall is popular amongst the hospital staff members, who mostly hail from South India and form his core clientele. They frequent his stall during office hours as they find his dosas to be reasonably priced. Though the hospital staff members can visit the upscale food court on the top floor of the hospital, they prefer his stall for breakfast and lunch, and even for occasional evening snacks. His daily sale volume varies between 300 and 400 dosas, in which the demand for masala dosas is around 50-60%.

XAT 2022 Question Paper - BDM

One day, Dileep, while walking through the hospital food court, sees a vacant spot. He wonders if he can shift his stall to that spot.

Which of the following information will dissuade him the MOST from shifting his stall to the food court?
1. On enquiry, he learnt that the cheapest dish in the food court is priced at ₹200.
2. The food court has no other stall selling dosas.
3. The food court closes by 10:30 pm, though his current stall is open till midnight.
4. All the restaurants in the food court, except the fast-food stalls, sell North Indian meal during lunch time.
5. The food court sees a daily footfall of about 5000 people.
Choice A
XAT 2022 Question Paper - BDM

Dileep shifts his stall to the hospital food court. He prices his plain dosa at ₹40 and masala dosa at ₹60. However, two months on, he is serving only about 150 dosas per day. The clientele is mostly the same hospital staff members, who had been his customers before he moved to the food court.

Which of the following actions will BEST help Dileep in increasing his sales?
1. Add more varieties of dosas at higher price points, and reduce plain and masala dosa prices to ₹25 and ₹40 respectively
2. Introduce a South Indian meal, exclusively for the hospital staff members at a discounted rate of ₹40 per plate
3. Introduce a North Indian meal, and give a discount of 20% to the hospital staff members
4. Increase prices of all the food items by 50% and introduce a new Shezwan dosa at ₹200 a plate
5. Reduce price by 20% for hospital staff, and increase the price by 50% for others
Choice A
XAT 2022 Question Paper - BDM

On the first anniversary of his stall at the food court, Dileep reviews his customer base. Almost all of his customers are the hospital staff members. Though he wishes to serve the general visitors at the hospital, they avoid his stall. On enquiring, he discovers that visitors generally avoid his stall because it is majorly frequented by the hospital staff members, giving it a feel of a staff canteen.
Dileep realizes his best efforts have not given him any extra sales and the visitors can potentially increase his revenue by a considerable amount.

Which of the following options can BEST help Dileep in discouraging hospital staff members from visiting his stall while increasing his overall revenue?
1. Provide a discount to those hospital staff members who order on phone, and deliver food in their staffroom
2. Appeal to the hospital management to give a space in the staffroom where an exclusive dosa counter can be set up by Dileep
3. Introduce a massive discount on price for the next two months to increase the footfall
4. Charge the hospital staff members a premium to offset the losses due to their presence
5. Request the hospital management to prohibit hospital staff from entering the food court
Choice A

Read the following scenario and answer the THREE questions that follow.

Future Leaders is one of the most prestigious private schools in a small town, next to an industrial hub. Most of its students come from affluent families, but there are some who belong to middle-income and lower middle-income families as well. The school charges an annual fee of ₹2 lakhs, inclusive of all charges, payable at the beginning of the academic year. Roughly 20% of the fees collected goes into paying the salaries of the teachers, another 30% for the upkeep of the school, and roughly 20% for miscellaneous expenses in running day-to-day businesses like supply, cleaning etc. The remaining goes into an exigency corpus.
This year, like the rest of the country, the town has been hit by the coronavirus pandemic. The classes have been shifted online. The local authorities have mandated that all schools have to reduce their fees by 20%. Further, parents should be given extended time to pay the fees if they are in financial distress. Six months into the academic year, only 40% of the parents have paid even the reduced annual fees.

XAT 2022 Question Paper - BDM

Ajay Biswas, the rector of the school, is alarmed by the shortfall in fee payments and wants to find the best solution to manage the situation. He does not want to trouble parents who might be genuinely in financial distress, but feels that there may be a possibility that many parents are taking advantage of the situation.

Which of the following actions by the school will BEST make financially capable parents pay the fees?
1. Share through local newspapers that the school is facing financial crunch and may have to close down if parents don't pay fees
2. Call parents every three days, requesting them to pay the fees and help their school out
3. Give a 10% bonus marks to all those students who have paid the fees
4. Offer 10% and 5% discounts to parents paying fees within the next one week and two weeks respectively
5. Ask parents to submit a proof of financial distress within two weeks, failing which can bar their wards from attending classes
Choice E
XAT 2022 Question Paper - BDM

The board of trustees of the school is concerned about the current financial situation and has called Biswas for a meeting. The trustees have thought of the following actions, as listed below, to improve the school finances immediately:

P. Appeal to the local industrialists to donate to the school
Q. Withhold 20% of teachers' salary till the situation improves
R. Ask parents to pay up within a week or show a proof of financial distress
S. Stop online classes for a week to signal the desperate financial crunch
T. Start an extra section in every class and offer admission to whoever is willing to pay fees

Biswas is tasked to find the most feasible way of alleviating the financial crunch immediately.

Which of the following combinations of the above listed actions, in a DECREASING order of preference, will BEST help Biswas in achieving his goal?
1. QRSPT
2. RSQTP
3. PSTRQ
4. PRSQT
5. TSRPQ
Choice A
XAT 2022 Question Paper - BDM

Teachers of Future Leaders contribute to its stellar reputation. Moreover, they assist the school in arriving at several critical decisions. Biswas resents their involvement in school matters as he has to listen to their collective voice rather than the other way around.
Biswas feels that the current situation offers him an opportunity to get back at the teachers. He wants to discuss the possibility of reducing teachers' salaries by 20% with the board of trustees.

Which of the following, if true, will BEST enable Biswas to present his case for reducing teachers' salaries?
1. 30% of the most experienced teachers may resign if there is a pay cut
2. Teachers' salaries are a significant part of the school's operating cost
3. Most of the teachers are alumni of the school, and hence, should be asked to give back to the school through a pay cut
4. Future Leaders pays higher salaries to its teachers in comparison to the other schools in the city.
5. Two other well-known private schools in the city, struggling to survive, have resorted to a pay cut
Choice E

Read the following scenario and answer the THREE questions that follow.

Raghubir, a reputed doctor, practices medicine in a tier-three city. He owns an imported SUV which he bought 10 years ago, using his hard- earned savings of nearly 5 years. Initially, he used to take it for long rides, but for the last 6-7 years, he only commutes to his clinic, a 10-minute drive from his home.
The SUV has been his proud possession but it demands high maintenance. Also, the diesel-guzzling SUV does not comply with the new emission norms being introduced in the tier-one and tier-two cities. Of late, a few newspapers reported that the new emission norms may be introduced in tier-three cities as well. This news has worried Raghubir.

XAT 2022 Question Paper - BDM

Raghubir is afraid that once the new emission norms are rolled out, he might not be able to use his SUV anymore.

Which of the following options will BEST put Raghubir at ease with using his SUV for some more time?
1. His mechanic assures him that the new norms will not be introduced anytime soon
2. As a sought-after doctor, all the law enforcement officials are his patients
3. His city has many other SUVs which are as old as his
4. His lawyer friends in his city recently bought non-compliant SUVs from tier-two cities
5. Non-compliant SUVs are still plying in tier-two cities
Choice D
XAT 2022 Question Paper - BDM

Anya, Raghubir's daughter, works in a metro city. She is concerned about private transport emissions and is unhappy with her father's diesel-guzzling SUV. Though she wants her father to be more environmentally responsible, she is aware that any drastic suggestion might attract strong resistance. Hence, she wants a solution, acceptable to Raghubir, that gently dissuades him from using his SUV on a daily basis.

Which of the following actions by Anya will BEST dissuade Raghubir from using his SUV on a daily basis?
1. Take away Raghubir's SUV to the metro city and gift him a new SUV
2. Gift Raghubir a small petrol car and convince him to sell his SUV
3. Request Raghubir to use public transport for his daily commute, and use the SUV sparingly
4. Ask his mechanic to explore if the SUV can be retrofitted with a CNG kit
5. Ask Raghubir's secretary to ferry him to the clinic daily in her car, except for the weekends
Choice E
XAT 2022 Question Paper - BDM

The new emission norms are about to get implemented in tier-three cities, and Raghubir's city will follow suit shortly. Hence, Raghubir starts exploring options of buying an electric vehicle (EV). He lists the following factors that will guide him on buying an electric car:
P. EVs within Raghubir's budget can cover his daily commute, but not the long rides.
Q. A new electric SUV in the market, within his budget, nearly has the same look and feel of his present SUV.
R. EVs cannot be driven beyond a speed of 70 kmph.
S. New charging stations on the main highway, connecting his city to the closest metro city, may come up in another year.
T. The only shop, selling EVs in his city, is ready to trade in Raghubir's SUV at a reasonable price.

The above listed factors have been arranged in a DECREASING order of influence in the options given below.

Which of the following options will BEST help Raghubir buy an electric vehicle immediately?
1. QTPSR
2. TQRPS
3. QRTPS
4. SPTQR
5. TQRSP
Choice A

Read the following scenario and answer the THREE questions that follow.

Korkai is a serene village, nestled in a small island, separated from the mainland by a strait - the world forgot to name. Its inhabitants are mostly fishermen; a few are cattle-grazers too. A boat ride across the strait is the only mode of transport to the mainland.
Budugu, the boatman, ferries people, cattle, and bicycles across the strait in his boat for a living. The remoteness and the lack of connection to the mainland has served him well. He has a family of five. His two daughters are away studying in a city college and dream of corporate jobs in the cities. His ailing mother and wife complete his family.
Budugu sent his daughters to study in the city as there is only one school in Korkai, run by an NGO. The NGO prepares the village kids for higher studies. For those who cannot go to cities, the NGO teaches them about the virtues of the local way of life.
Budugu is a member of the village Panchayat that runs the village administration. At Korkai, hardly anyone remembers the local MLA or MP. Interestingly, the local MLA visited last week, and informed the islanders of major changes planned for the region: urgent construction of a bridge connecting the island to the mainland, and real estate development. She announced that the island will become a well-known eco-tourism destination in the state. She stressed that the local livelihood, dependent on fortunes at the sea, might enjoy the certainty in minimum wages, meted out by the eco-resort owners. Nevertheless, some villagers fear that the bridge will irreversibly change their lives and livelihoods.

XAT 2022 Question Paper - BDM

Budugu fears that the proposed bridge will leave him jobless, and is determined to do something about it. He wants to gather effective support in order to get the construction of the proposed bridge delayed.

Which of the following will be the MOST feasible option for Budugu to gather effective support?
1. Partner with the local NGO and campaign that the developments will ruin the local way of life
2. Get a resolution passed by the Panchayat that the bridge will ruin the local way of life
3. Suspend his boat services till the villagers start supporting his cause
4. Inform the environmental experts in the nearby cities that the strait is home to rare fish, frogs and turtles
5. Form a boat rowers' association and sit on a hunger strike to protest the proposed bridge
Choice B
XAT 2022 Question Paper - BDM

The local MLA is worried about the resistance to the project. This project, like her other successful projects in nearby villages, was supposed to garner a significant amount of funding. Moreover, it would make her the face of development in the state; perhaps, even would land her a ministerial berth. However, Budugu's activism has cast the project in a bad light among the popular minds. The MLA wants to protect her pro-development image.

Which of the following is the BEST course of action for the MLA?
1. Invite the village Panchayat for a discussion on a possible compromise solution
2. Publicise widely that the project will improve the socio-economic condition of the island
3. Appoint a task force to find alternative land nearby for the project
4. Discredit Budugu in a public meeting by announcing that he is putting his interests over and above the village development
5. Create a fishermen and boat rowers' cooperative in the island and donate generously to it
Choice B
XAT 2022 Question Paper - BDM

As the project gets delayed, Budugu becomes a well-known social activist with a lot of followers. When Pragati, his elder daughter, finishes her education and starts looking for employment, a few known corporates refuse her a job because of her father's 'anti-development' stand.

Which of the following options BEST communicates to the corporates that Pragati has an identity of her own?
1. Go all out on social media to explain how her father's activism is misconstrued by certain corporates
2. Stop using her last name in her job applications
3. Showcase on social media the accolades and awards she received in her college
4. Discuss in a social media post why she supports the proposed development in her island village
5. Start a blog and update it regularly with views on current affairs
Choice C

Read the following scenario and answer the THREE questions that follow.

Fundamental Research in Science for Corporate Applications (FuRSCA) is an R&D unit of a Public Sector Undertaking (PSU). FuRSCA's employees are research scientists who assist the Public Sector Undertaking through their R&D. Given the far-reaching implications of its research, FuRSCA was established as a separate entity near the factory of the PSU.
FuRSCA has three levels of hierarchy viz.: junior, senior and chief scientists and all of them reside on the campus. Hence, every scientist, regardless of hierarchy, resides in a house that is similar in all aspects. Though the scientists are entitled to a house rent allowance (HRA), given the distance of FuRSCA from the city, housing them on the campus makes sense.
The new recruits are provided a transit accommodation in the institute's studio apartments, until vacant houses are available. For these recruits, a queue has been created on the basis of their date of joining and not on hierarchy, with the most recent recruit going to the last in the queue. Execution of this policy is the responsibility of the FuRSCA Chief Administrative Officer (CAO), who reports to the Director of FuRSCA.

XAT 2022 Question Paper - BDM

Harsh Kohli resides in house no. 324. Since long, Harsh wants to move from a 3 series house to a 2 series house because his mother-in-law, a chief scientist, lives alone in house no. 225. A few years back, Harsh formally requested the CAO to allow him to move to a 2 series house whenever available. Recently, when house no. 224 becomes vacant, Harsh appeals to the CAO for that house, citing his earlier request. Currently, there are five scientists waiting in the queue and Sauf Tangud is on the top of the queue.

From the following options, choose the BEST action to be taken by the CAO without violating the existing housing policy.
1. Allot house no. 224 to Sauf, asking Harsh to negotiate a possible swap with Sauf
2. Create a separate queue for extant residents and give them the first right to refuse
3. Ask Harsh to join the queue because scientists in the queue should be given priority
4. Ask Harsh to move to the house no. 224 immediately, and allocate Harsh's house to Sauf
5. Ignore Harsh's request since it violates the housing policy
Choice D
XAT 2022 Question Paper - BDM

Rawng Regrud joins FuRSCA recently and is placed third in the housing queue. He has been temporarily housed in a studio apartment. Given that the studio apartment is too small, he requests his sister to take care of their ailing parents while he awaits a regular house allotment. As months pass, his sister finds it difficult to accommodate her parents along with her in-laws. She requests Rawng to accommodate them with his family. Since he is third in the queue, he may not get a house allotted in the near future. He approaches the CAO with a request to be moved up the queue on humanitarian grounds.

Which of the following responses by the CAO shall be perceived as the MOST appropriate by all the stakeholders?
1. Ask Rawng to negotiate and arrive at a consensus with the two scientists ahead in the queue which the CAO shall implement
2. Inform Rawng that nothing can be done since violation of rules will set a wrong precedence
3. Facilitate Rawng in getting a house in the city, along with a free commutation for the first three months
4. Ask Rawng to meet with the director of FuRSCA and present his case to get an exception
5. Move Rawng to the top of the queue, and make a rule that scientists with ailing parents shall be given preference
Choice C
XAT 2022 Question Paper - BDM

Of late, the CAO has received several requests from the residents of 3 series houses to move to other series houses. The CAO is aware that this is largely because of their own noisy factory nearby. Due to limited housing available on the campus, he must do something before the problem worsens. He wants to find a solution that makes the lives of 3 series residents more comfortable.

Which of the following actions can BEST help the CAO in achieving his goal?
1. Install expensive sound proof windows in the 3 series quarters
2. Provide 3 series residents with a hardship allowance of 15% of basic salary
3. Appeal to the top management to make the factory work for only five days a week
4. Offer a higher HRA to 3 series residents, nudging them to move to the city
5. Introduce a policy of accelerated promotion for junior scientists living in 3 series quarters
Choice A

Read the following scenario and answer the THREE questions that follow.

Sundaresan was a professor of Corporate Responsibility at a premium management institution. As a requirement of his course, students had to synthesize sustainability challenges, faced by thermal power companies and submit an assignment on them. Though it was an individual assignment, some students sought permission from Sundaresan to work on the assignment as a team. Sundaresan knew that collaboration fosters peer learning, and therefore, allowed them to work in teams. However, he mandated that a team should not exceed three members. While 15 students elected to work individually, other 15 formed teams of three each, and another 10 formed teams of two members each.

XAT 2022 Question Paper - BDM

As assignment deadline came closer, Sundaresan was approached by Abbas Warram, who chose to work in a team of three members. He informed Sundaresan that Venkamma, his team member, distressed by the death of her grandmother, could not work on her bit of the assignment. Abbas requested for a deadline extension so that she could finish her part of the assignment. By then, many students who were working alone had already submitted their assignments.

Which of the following actions by Sundaresan is the MOST appropriate, given the circumstances?
1. Give the students a deadline extension, but add an extra assignment for the team as a new requirement
2. Disband the team and ask each student to work individually
3. Warn Abbas that such issues should not be flagged to the professor and should be handled within the team
4. Give extra time to Venkamma to work individually and ask the other two to stick to the original deadline as a team
5. Extend the deadline for the team while imposing a one-grade penalty for the deadline extension
Choice C
XAT 2022 Question Paper - BDM

When Sundaresan was about to grade the assignments, he received a request from the class representative regarding the students who worked individually. The request was to give those students additional marks because they handled the entire workload. This would improve their course grade significantly.

Which of the following is the MOST appropriate action by Sundaresan to mark the assignments?
1. Divide the total marks awarded to a team by the number of team members
2. Reduce marks for those who worked in teams by 10%
3. Treat both individual work and team work equally
4. Give 10% extra marks to all those who worked individually
5. Convert the assignment into a non-graded assignment because both the individuals and the teams worked on the same assignment
Choice C
XAT 2022 Question Paper - BDM

Sundaresan was going through the submitted assignments. Team 9, with three members, had impressive exhibits and charts. Later, he discovered that Team 13, with three members, also had the same exhibits and charts. He realized that one of the teams had copied from the other. Hence, he informed both the teams that he would award an F-grade (fail grade) to both the teams for copying.
Later that evening, Aashi from Team 9 called and admitted to sharing exhibits and charts with Aanvi of Team13. Further, she mentioned that Aanvi could not put enough efforts since she lost significant amount of time due to COVID-19. Therefore, Aanvi requested for help. However, Aanvi assured Aashi that she would not reproduce the shared content. Aashi requested Sundaresan to punish her and Aanvi and spare others as they were not involved.

Which of the following actions by Sundaresan is the MOST appropriate?
1. Punish both the teams by giving F-grades
2. Award an F-grade to both Aashi and Aanvi, and spare others
3. Ask both the teams to work on an extra assignment to avoid an F-grade.
4. Punish Aanvi with an F-grade and spare others
5. Spare both the teams as such a confession is rare
Choice A