IAS Mains Previous Years Paper : Public Administration (1980)

PAPER - I
SECTION A
1. “Administrative ability required of a leader in public administration or industrial administration may be the same. But managerial ability in industry’ or business includes (a) a “commercial or business” mind and (b) “some take in business.” Discuss the validity of or otherwise the statement in Indian context.

2. (a) “Executive effectiveness increases with delegation.” Critically evaluate this concept. (b) Cite two situations where centralization would be more effective than decentralization.

3. (a) Explain the processes of intra-group behaviour and inter-group relations in an organization.
(b) In what way the knowledge of the processes of group behaviour wood help a manager? Give reasons.

4. (a) “Man is a non-linear machine; a machine that is programmed with a tape, one cannot find anywhere; a machine that continually changes its programming without any prior warning; a machine that may try to out guess one in one’s attempts to find out what makes the machine tick.” — Comment.

5. (a) Clarify a linear programming model and try to identify the limitations of linear programming.

(b) A platoon commander has been given instructions to protect a small village from the frequent attacks of guerillas that operate from the jungles surrounding the village. The commander has two heavy tanks and five light tanks under his control. The number of men required to operate each heavy and light tanks is four and two respectively. There are twelve men who are trained in operating both types of tanks. No doubt, the fire power of the heavy tanks is three times that of the light one. The commander feels that the light tanks would be more effective in thick jungles. He is waiting for your advice as LP expert. With the help of graphical LP model determine the number of tanks of each type to be put into operation to obtain the maximum fire power.

6. Project the relative advantages of “discounted-cash-flow” and “pay-off-period” techniques employed in capital budgeting.

SECTION B
Answer only ONE question each from any two parts of Section B.

PART I (Marketing Management)
7. “Marketing concept changes in line with the stage of development of an industry of economy, but the concept at a given stage of development is the same in any industry or economy.” Comment.

8. “Price decisions are often guided by cost and demand considerations, but prices, are not normally decided by these factors.” In the light of the above statement explain the three approaches to pricing a product or service.

PART II (Production and Materials Management)
9. (a) As a purchasing manager of a large sized undertaking what considerations will you weight to decide if E.O.Q. should be used for placing orders or periodic ordering should be followed? Does E.O.Q. need no revision?

(b) Purchase manager of a big undertaking was often blamed for shortage of supply of one or the other item. Both the production manager and sales manager often accounted for the poor performance by saying that supplies were not available on time. So the purchase manager solved the problem finally and was feeling happy that he had procured enough of all materials so as to last for two years. What would you have done if you were the purchase manager?

10. (a) Distinguish between PERT and CPM?
(b) The estimate of a project to be completed at the shortest possible time is required urgently.
Make use of the following information and answer the questions given below:
Activity Preceding
Activity
Normal time (days)
Crash time (days)
Normal cost Rs. (‘000)
Crash cost Rs. (‘000)

A-B - 20 16 9,000 11,000
A-C - 25 25 1,900 1,9000
B-C A-B 10 7 4,500 7,300
B-D A-B 12 8 4,000 7,000
D-D A-C, B-C 5 2 4,400 7,500
D-E B-D, C-D 10 6 4,500 9,000

(i) Draw the activity network for the project.
(ii) Find the total float and free float for each activity.
(iii) Crash the activity step-by-step untill the shortest duration is reached.

PART III (Financial Management)
11. During the past few months a large number of public, private and joint sector undertakings in India have launched comaigns for rising “fixed deposits” from the public shareholders and employees. To what extent these establishments are going to be benefited by this strategy? If the present inflationary trends get reversed in two to three years time, what would be its effect on the policy of raising fixed deposits at such rates as is being done now?

12. (a) The financial rations derived from the accounts of a company for the financial year 1979-80 and the standard ratios adopted by the company are as follows:
Ratios Actual Standard
Current ratio 4 2
Liquidity ratio 2 1
Proprietory ratio 0.5 0.7
Debtor’s velocity 70 days 90 days
Stock velocity 8 12
Net Profit/Sales 7% 10%
Net worth/turnover 10 14
Creditors’ velocity 30 days 45 days
Gross Profit ratio 20% 20%
Comment on the performance of the company.

(b) How would you go about fixing standard ratios? What precautions would you take for minimizing errors in standard fixing? Give reasons.

PART IV (Personnel Managemnt)
13. (a) One of the achievements of trade union activities in industry in India is te increasing role they have played increasing the management to evolve and publish clear personnel policies, Enumerate the points covered in a well-developed personnel policy.

(b) Excessive involvement of trade unions in the development and implementation of personnel politicizes of an organization is causing considerable harm to the society, consumers and organization. Comment.

14. “Bonus means deferred wages.” Do you agree? Describe the salient features of the Bonus Act. “The Bonus Act is a bane for some and benefactor for others.” Give your points of view.

PAPER - II
SECTION A
1. (a) “Public Administration performs a dual role administrative process e.g. (a) it provides an informed professional input for the formulation of the policy and (b) it helps in implementing and evaluating the policy.” Critically examine the statement.

(b) “Resistance to change is a big hurdle in bringing about changes in an organization so as to make it ‘more effective.” Explain the statement and describe now structural and human approaches can be instrumental in overcoming the resistance and bringing about the required change in the organization

2. (a) Critically examine the process of managerial planning in a large-sized organization and describe the major environmental factors which affect that process in the organization.
(b) Comment: “Information is blood for the organization.”

3. (a) Critically examine the “Span of Control” concept in Administration and show its relationship to the number of levels of authority. Also discuss in brief its limitations in practice.

(b) “Delegation is the corner-stone of sound administration.” Do you agree? Substantiate your views citing examples.

4. (a) Decision making is “conscious choice among several available alternative”. Discuss.
(b) Comment: “Government must be both competent and compassionate at the same time.”

5. (a) How does budgetary control act as an instrument of co-ordination.
(b) What is “Work Study”? Describe its role in improving administration

SECTION B
6. Critically analyze the following statements:
(a) “Administration means to serves people and nothing should be allowed to take precedence over this fundamental concern.”
(b) “Financial Administration is a vital institution for economic and social change in a poor country.”

7 (a) Discuss the special problems of public enterprises in India from the view point of general administration, and accountability.
(b) Analyze the relationship between the Centre and States in India. Does it call for any .change? Why?

8. State the role of local self government iii a parliamentary democracy. Do you think that local self government institutions constitute the foundation of democracy?

9. (a) Comment: “The problem of citizen’s grievances is not so much of wrong decision as of administrative delays and official unresponsiveness.”
(b) What do you understand by the morale of the civil service? What are the factors which influence it?

10. Write critical notes on any two of the following:
(1) Relationship between political- and permanent executives.
(2) People’s participation in Public Administration.
(3) Administrative reforms.
(4) Headquarters and field relationship.