Business Administration

CSS Syllabus Business Administration

I. Management

III. Financial Management

§ An overview of Financial Management

Introduction and significance of financial markets, Differentiation between real assets and financial assets, Types of Financial Markets, Role of capital and money markets in economic development, Organizational goals and shareholder wealth maximization perspective

§ Time Value of Money

Cost of money and the factors effecting the cost, Interest rate fundamentals and determinants of market interest rate, Role of Time value of money in finance, Concept of future value and present value, Making timelines, Annuities, Perpetuities and mixed stream of cash flows, with and without growth, Present value and future value of cash flow streams, Compounding Interest; discrete and continuous, Loan amortization

§ Analysis and Interpretation of Financial Statements

Reading the financial statements, Horizontal and vertical analysis including common size, ratio, comparative and index number trend analysis, Forecasting financials for future decision making, Evaluating credit, management, profitability, risk etc using financial statements

§ Risk, Return and Introduction to Pricing

Measures of Risks and return, Investment return and expected rate of return, Standalone risk: standard deviation and coefficient of variation, Risk aversion and required rate of return, Portfolio risk: Diversifiable vs. Market risk, Security Market Line and CAPM, Calculating WACC, Discounting process for price determination, Relevant risk and return for valuation

§ Cash flow and Budgeting

Significance of budgeting, Making cash budgets, Making financial forecasts, Difference between profit and cash flow, Read and analyze Statement of Cash flow.

§ Capital Budgeting

Significance of Capital budgeting, Cash flow calculations: incremental cash flows, Capital budgeting decision rules: NPV, IRR, MIRR, Return, Finding optimal capital structure, calculating appropriate discount rate, Capital Rationing

IV. Operations and Supply Chain Management

a. Operations Management

§ Operations & Productivity

Operations Management (OM) as one of the Three Core Functions in an Organization. Significance and contributions of OM in the field of management. Future trends in OM and differences between goods and services.

§ Operations Strategy in Global Environment

Developing mission & OM strategies, Critical Success Factors (CSF), Aligning Core
Competencies with CSF

§ Process Strategy

Four Process Strategies, Process Analysis and Design, Process Mapping, Flow
Diagrams, Process Charts, Service process design, Process Re-engineering

§ Capacity Planning

Design & Effective Capacity, Capacity Cushion, Capacity considerations, Managing demand, Capacity Planning, Leading vs Lagging Strategies, Single & Multiple Product Break Even Analysis for Capacity Planning

§ Location Strategies

Factors Affecting Location Decisions, Methods for Evaluating Location Alternatives, Factor Rating Method, Load-Distance Methods, Center of Gravity Method, Service location Strategy

§ Layout Strategies

Types of Layout, Layout Design, Fixed Position Layout, Process- Oriented Layouts, Office Layout, Retail Layout, Assembly Line Balancing

§ Inventory Management

Role of Inventory in Operations, ABC analysis, Record accuracy, Cycle counting, Inventory Models, Fixed Period Systems, Continuous Review Systems, Basic EOQ Inventory Model, Safety Stock, Service Level

b. Supply Chain Management

§ Introduction to supply chain management and logistics management

What is supply chain management and logistics management, Objectives, Importance, Examples of supply chain management and logistics management, Decision phases in supply chains

§ Supply chain performance

Achieving strategic fit, Challenges in achieving strategic fit, Supply chain cost, Supply chain quality, Supply chain lead time

§ Supply chain drivers

Facilities as a driver, Inventory as a driver, Information as a driver, Transportation as a driver, Sourcing as a driver, Pricing as a driver

§ Balancing supply and demand

Bullwhip effect, Demand collaboration, Information sharing in supply chains, accurate response strategy

§ Supply chain coordination

Obstacles in coordination, Vendor managed inventory, Collaborative planning forecasting and replenishment, Managerial levers to achieve coordination

§ IT in supply chain management

Role of IT in supply chain management, Customer relationship management, Supplier relationship management, Risk management in IT, Supply chain IT in practice

V. Marketing

§ Introduction to marketing

§ Developing marketing strategies and plans

§ Scanning the marketing environment

§ Analyzing consumer markets

§ Market segmentation

§ Managing marketing information

§ Branding

§ Product life cycle

§ Pricing

§ Managing distribution channels

§ Integrated marketing communications

SUGGESTED READINGS