Management 2021 Paper II 50 marks Compulsory Elucidate

Q5

(a) "The Government of India has been making efforts to remove the regional imbalances in development by providing incentives for setting up industries in rural areas." Elucidate. (10 marks) (b) (i) Describe the different levels of regional economic integration. (5 marks) (ii) What are the pros and cons of 'BREXIT'? (5 marks) (c) "A vision is too abstract to be of any practical value." Do you agree with the statement? Justify your answer with a suitable example. Explain how objectives form hierarchy. (10 marks) (d) (i) Elucidate the factors that influence country competitiveness. (5 marks) (ii) Explain the factors that a company should evaluate to assess 'ease of doing business in India'. (5 marks) (e) How does BCG Matrix help in portfolio planning? What are the advantages and limitations of such a portfolio analysis? (10 marks)

हिंदी में प्रश्न पढ़ें

(a) "भारत सरकार विकास में क्षेत्रीय असंतुलन को हटाने के लिए ग्रामीण क्षेत्रों में उद्योग स्थापित करने के लिए प्रोत्साहन दे रही है।" व्याख्या कीजिए। (10 अंक) (b) (i) क्षेत्रीय आर्थिक एकीकरण के विभिन्न स्तरों का वर्णन कीजिए। (5 अंक) (ii) 'ब्रेक्सिट' के पक्ष एवं विपक्ष क्या हैं ? (5 अंक) (c) "एक दृष्टि (विजन) जो कि बहुत अमूर्त (एब्स्ट्रैक्ट) है उसका कोई प्रायोगिक मूल्य नहीं होता।" क्या आप इस कथन से सहमत हैं ? एक उपयुक्त उदाहरण से अपने उत्तर का औचित्य सिद्ध कीजिए। समझाइए कि कैसे उद्देश्य पदानुक्रम का निर्माण करते हैं। (10 अंक) (d) (i) उन घटकों की व्याख्या कीजिए जो देश प्रतिस्पर्धात्मकता को प्रभावित करते हैं। (5 अंक) (ii) उन घटकों को समझाइए जिनका एक कंपनी को 'भारत में व्यवसाय करने में आसानी' का आकलन करने हेतु मूल्यांकन करना चाहिए। (5 अंक) (e) पोर्टफोलियो नियोजन में 'बी.सी.जी. मैट्रिक्स' कैसे सहायता करता है ? ऐसे पोर्टफोलियो विश्लेषण के क्या लाभ एवं सीमाएं हैं ? (10 अंक)

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Directive word: Elucidate

This question asks you to elucidate. The directive word signals the depth of analysis expected, the structure of your answer, and the weight of evidence you must bring.

See our UPSC directive words guide for a full breakdown of how to respond to each command word.

How this answer will be evaluated

Approach

The directive 'elucidate' demands clear, comprehensive explanation with supporting evidence. Structure: brief introduction on strategic management and business environment → Part (a): Government incentives for rural industrialization (20%, ~200 words) → Part (b): Regional economic integration levels and BREXIT analysis (20%, ~200 words) → Part (c): Vision-objectives debate with hierarchy explanation (20%, ~200 words) → Part (d): Country competitiveness factors and ease of doing business in India (20%, ~200 words) → Part (e): BCG Matrix application, advantages and limitations (20%, ~200 words) → integrated conclusion. Allocate time proportionally to marks; use contemporary Indian examples throughout.

Key points expected

  • Part (a): Government incentives for rural industrialization – ASPIRE, SFURTI, Cluster Development Programme, tax holidays, infrastructure subsidies; critique effectiveness in reducing regional imbalances
  • Part (b)(i): Five levels of regional economic integration – Free Trade Area, Customs Union, Common Market, Economic Union, Political Union with clear distinctions
  • Part (b)(ii): BREXIT analysis – sovereignty, immigration control, trade autonomy vs. economic disruption, financial services relocation, Northern Ireland protocol issues
  • Part (c): Vision-objectives debate – Tata Group's 'Leadership in Life' vision or ISRO's Mars mission as counter-examples; objectives hierarchy from corporate to operational levels
  • Part (d)(i): Porter's Diamond Model or WEF GCI factors for country competitiveness – factor conditions, demand conditions, related industries, firm strategy
  • Part (d)(ii): Ease of Doing Business in India – GST, Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code, labour reforms, single-window clearance, World Bank ranking improvement
  • Part (e): BCG Matrix – Stars, Cash Cows, Question Marks, Dogs; resource allocation logic; Reliance or ITC portfolio examples; limitations in dynamic markets
  • Synthesis: Interconnection between macro environment (government policy, regional integration) and micro strategic tools (BCG, vision-objectives framework)

Evaluation rubric

DimensionWeightMax marksExcellentAveragePoor
Concept correctness20%10Precise definitions across all parts: correctly identifies all five levels of regional integration, accurately explains BCG quadrants with correct axes (market growth rate vs. relative market share), properly distinguishes vision from mission, and correctly applies Porter's competitiveness factors or WEF indicesGenerally correct definitions with minor errors; conflates customs union with common market, mislabels BCG axes, or provides superficial treatment of competitiveness factorsFundamental conceptual errors: confuses vision with objectives, misidentifies integration levels, incorrectly plots BCG matrix, or demonstrates ignorance of ease of doing business parameters
Framework citation20%10Explicitly cites Porter's Diamond Model for (d)(i), WEF Global Competitiveness Index, Henderson's BCG Matrix with original 1970 reference, and Drucker's MBO/objectives hierarchy; links frameworks to analytical conclusionsMentions frameworks without proper attribution or elaboration; uses BCG descriptively without explaining its prescriptive value for resource allocationNo framework citation; purely descriptive answer without theoretical anchoring; or misattributes frameworks (e.g., attributing BCG to Porter)
Case / Indian example20%10Rich Indian examples: for (a) cites Odisha's Kalinganagar industrial cluster or Baddi-Barotiwala-Nalagarh pharmaceutical hub; for (c) uses Tata's vision or ISRO's Chandrayaan; for (e) analyzes ITC's FMCG portfolio or Reliance's Jio as Star-to-Cash Cow transition; for (d)(ii) references India's jump to 63rd in Doing Business 2020Generic or outdated Indian examples; mentions Make in India without specifics, or uses hypothetical rather than actual company portfoliosNo Indian examples; relies entirely on foreign cases (Apple, Amazon) where Indian context is required; or factually incorrect examples
Multi-perspective analysis20%10Balances multiple viewpoints: for (c) presents both 'vision as abstract' critique and counter-arguments with synthesis; for BREXIT covers economic, political, social dimensions; for BCG acknowledges contextual limitations; integrates macro policy (a) with micro strategy (e)One-sided analysis; accepts vision critique without rebuttal, or presents BREXIT only from UK perspective ignoring EU viewpoint; limited integration between partsSingle perspective throughout; no acknowledgment of complexity; treats all government incentives as uniformly successful or BCG as universally applicable
Conclusion & recommendation20%10Synthesizes across all six sub-parts: connects government rural incentives to ease of doing business reforms, links regional integration trends to BCG's geographic portfolio implications, and offers actionable recommendations for Indian firms navigating this strategic environmentPart-wise summary without synthesis; generic conclusion on importance of strategic management; no clear recommendationsMissing conclusion; or abrupt ending; or introduces new concepts in conclusion; no attempt to integrate the multi-part structure

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