Group Discussion in Banking

What is Group Discussion?

Group discussion forms the primary stage of contact between the interviewer and interviewee.

In this methodology, the group of candidates(may be in between 6 to 10, depends on the bank) given a topic or a situation, given a few minutes to think about the same, and then asked to discuss among themselves for 15-20 minutes.

What skills are judged in group discussion?

·        Your listening skill.

·        Your attitude and confidence.

·        How you put forward your views.

·        How you behave and interact with group.

·        Your analysis skill and subject knowledge.

·        Your leadership and decision making skills.

·        How good you are at communication with others.

Generally the GD is organized in round fashion that can be shown below:

The 10 things you have to remember while performing in GD:

1) Keep eye contact while speaking:

Do not look at the evaluators only. Keep eye contact with every team member while speaking.

2) Initiate the GD:

Initiating the GD is a big plus. But keep in mind – Initiate the group discussion only when you understood the GD topic clearly and have some topic knowledge. Speaking without proper subject knowledge is bad impression.

3) Allow others to speak:

Do not interrupt anyone in-between while speaking. Even if you don’t agree with his/her thoughts do not snatch their chance to speak. Instead make some notes and clear the points when it’s your turn.

4) Speak clearly:

Speak politely and clearly. Use simple and understandable words while speaking. Don’t be too aggressive if you are disagreeing with someone. Express your feelings calmly and politely.

5) Make sure to bring the discussion on track:

If by any means group is distracting from the topic or goal then simply take initiative to bring the discussion on the track. Make all group members aware that you all need to come to some conclusion at the end of the discussion. So stick to the topic.

6) Positive attitude:

Be confident. Do not try to dominate anyone. Keep positive body language. Show interest in discussion.

7) Speak sensibly:

Do not speak just to increase your speaking time. Don’t worry even if you speak less. Your thoughts should be sensible and relevant instead of irrelevant speech.

8 ) Listen carefully to others:

Speak less and listen more! Pay attention while others are speaking. This will make coherent discussion and you will get involved in the group positively. You will surely make people agree with you.

9) No need to go into much details:

Some basic subject analysis is sufficient. No need to mention exact figures while giving any reference. You have limited time so be precise and convey your thoughts in short and simple language.

10) Formal dressing:

Do not take it casually. No fancy and funny dressing. You should be comfortable while speaking in group. Positive gesture and body language will make your work easy.

Some of the GD topics:

·        Reservation in Education?

·        Effect of cinema on Youth?

·        Is China a threat to the Indian?

·        Is dependence on computers a good thing?

·        Religion should not be mixed with politics?

·        Education in India compared to foreign nations?

·        Is it necessary to have religion caste based census?

·        Position of Women in India compared to other nations?

·        Foreign Television Channels are destroying our culture?

·        Should the public sector be privatized? or Should the private sector be nationalized ?

Computer Awareness Quiz 2010 - III

1.      After a program has shown that it runs and produces results, the next step is to…...?

a) Save   b) Load   c) Exit   d) Test   e) List

2.      A computer that works with discrete quantities is

a) Hybrid  . b) Optical.   c) Digital   d) Analog   e) None

3.      A 32 bit computer word consists of………?

a) 4 bytes   b) 8 bytes   c) 16 bytes   d) 32 bytes   e) None

4.      The process of checking the validity of information held in a transaction file is

a) Verification   b) Test data   c) Validation   d) Updating   e) None

5.      What is a ‘tuple’?

a) Another name for a table in an RDBMS.

b) Another name for the key linking different tables in a database.

c) Initial seed value of a field

d) A row or record in a database table.

e) An attribute attached to a record.

6.      Which of the following is not a web scripting language?

a) ASP   b) DSP   c) JSP    d) PHP   e) HTML

7.      Which one of the following work as both an input and output device?

a) Keyboard   b) QWERTY Keyboard   c) Mouse    d) Scanner   e) Modem

8.      Which of the following companies is also known as ‘Big Blue’

a) Intel   b) IBM   c) Microsoft   d) Adobe System   e) Google

9.      Which of the following is not an operating system for personal computers?

a) Windows XP   b)Windows 7   c) Red Hat Linux   d) Google’s Nexus One   e)Unix

10. A network where all systems have equal status is called:

a) Peer-to-Peer.

b) A Star Network.

c) The Internet.

d) Client-Server.

e) None

11. What is the communications protocol that allows you to connect your computer

to the Internet using a standard telephone line ?

a) HTTP   b) ISDN   c) SLIP   d) TCP/IP   e) None

12. What is the name given to the standard or set of rules that two computers use

to communicate with each other ?

a) Access Control   b) Domain   c) Link   d) Protocol   e) TCP/IP

13. What does SMPS stands for?

a) Switched Mode Power Supply

b) Single Mode Power Supply

c) Simple Mode Power Supply

d) Synchronous Mode Power Supply

e) None

14. When a user turns on a Windows XP system, which program will activate first?

a) Exhaust fan of SMPS will start rotating

b) Windows XP logo screen appear with progress bar

c) Operating System start to load its file in RAM.

d) Desktop screen appear with mouse pointer

e) BIOS the in-charge of system start executing

15. In Windows Explorer, when a user press Alt key and Double-click a file/folder

simultaneously, what will happen?

a) Selected file/folder will open in new window

b) Selected file/folder will open in same window

c) Selected file/folder will move to recycle bin

d) Properties dialog box of Selected file/folder will open

e) None

16. Which of the following is not true?

a) TCP is a connection-oriented protocol

b) 48 is an Octal Number

c) FTP stands for File Transfer Protocol

d) A file having extension PNG is a graphic file

e) C++ is a computer programming language

17. In MS-Excel, what is the keyboard shortcut to complete a cell entry and move up in the selection?

a) Ctrl + TAB

b) Shift + TAB

c) Alt + ENTER

d) Shift + ENTER

e) None

18. What is the file extension used for Microsoft Word document templates?

a) .dot   b) .wdt   c) .txt   d) .exe   e) .doc

19. Which Access component is best for data presentation?

a) Table    b) Form    c) Report    d) Query    e) None

20. What would you see while spell checking the phrase “My father was write”?

a) The word “write” is misspelled.

b) A red line appears under “write”

c) A green line appears under “write”

d) The word “father” is misspelled.

e) No errors.

Note: Submitted by Narendra.

Marketing Aptitude Quiz 2010 - III

1.      Marketing is not required for one of the following products ________?

a)Corporate Loans    b)Export Business     c)Import Business    d)Credit Card Business  e)none

2.      A ‘Buyers’ Market’ means _______?

a)buyers are also sellers

b)sellers are also buyers

c)there are no sellers

d)demand exceeds supply

e)supply exceeds demand

3.      Market share analysis helps the track _________?

a)Share price movements     b)percentage share of business    c)pricing strategy for share values    d)All of these   e)none 

4.      Diversification means __________?

a)marketing in different countries    

b)marketing diverse companies   

c)making new, diverse products  

d)marketing by diverse sales team   

e)none

5.      Study of marketing environment means ______________?

a)study of company’s markets, customers and competitors

b)study of economic environment

c)study of current trends

d)All of these

e)none

6.      A Market plan includes __________?

a)market objectives     b)market research     c)pricing strategy     d)situation analysis    e)All of these

7.      Customization is useful for ______?

a)motivating the sales force     b)to add variety in marketing    c)value added service    d)pleasing target customers    e)none

8.      Telemarketing campaigns are resorted to ________?

a)avoid cold calls     b)avoid buyer resistance    c)avoid seller inhibitions    d)reaching a wider audience    e)All the above

9.      Customer Retention means ___________?

a) retaining the customers at the Bank for the full day

b)quick disposal

c)customers dealing with the same bank for long time

d)better standards

e)All the above

10. The Traditional Marketing style involves __________?

a)Telemarketing     b)Direct Marketing    c)Indirect Marketing    d)Digital Marketing    e)All the above

11.  Which is the technique used for effective marketing planning?

a)psychological tools for marketing

b)goal oriented

c)marketing research

d)physical distribution

e)All the above

12.  ‘Niche’ Market means __________?

a) a free market    b)a social market     c)equity market     d)capital market    e)a specified market for the target group

13. Internal Marketing means _________?

a) Selling to oneself    b) Selling to the employees    c) Selling of samples    d) Selling to foreign markets    e)none

14. Marketing in Banks is required for _________?

a)Getting new customers

b)Retaining existing customers

c)Lending

d)Accepting of deposits

e)All of these

15. Advertisements are required for __________?

a)Boosting the production levels

b)Motivating the employees

c)Boosting the sales

d)All of these

e)none

16. A Call means ___________?

a)calling on friends     b)calling on bank employees     c)calling on prospective customers     d)calling on insurance employees    e)none

17. For effective selling, salesman should be which of the following ______?

a)pushy     b)aggressive     c)timid     d)calmness     e)talkative

18. Customer Loyalty means _________?

a)shifting of customers from one bank to another

b)customers banking with one bank exclusively

c)customers returning lost items

d)customers giving gifts to banks

e)none of these

19. Rural Marketing involves ________?

a)selling to farmers and agriculturalists

b)selling to rural households

c)selling to rural industries

d)All the above

e)none

20. Which is the Four C’s of marketing?

a)customer, cost, communication, convenience

b)corporate, cost, communication, convenience

c)consumer, cost, communication, convenience

d)competition, cost, communication, convenience

e)none

Note:

4 P’s vs 4 C’s vs 4V’s:

i)Product                  vs.       Consumer                 vs.       Validity

ii)Price                     vs.       Cost                          vs.       Value

iii)Promotion           vs.       Communication       vs.       Vogue

iv)Place                     vs.       Convenience            vs.       Venue

4 A’s of marketing:

i)Availability

ii)Affordability

iii)Acceptability

iv)Awareness

4 E’s of Marketing:

i)Experience(Product incase of 4 P’s)

ii)Everyplace(Place)

iii)Exchange(Price)

iv)Evangelism(Promotion)

4 R’s of Marketing:

i)Relationships

ii)Retention

iii)Results

iv)Rewards

4 M’s of marketing:

i)Measurement

ii)Media

iii)Market

iv)Message

Marketing Concepts for Bank Exams - 2010

Abbreviations that may be asked in Marketing Aptitude:

·        HNI – High Networth Individual.

·        EOQ – Economic Order quality.

·        FDR – Fixed Deposit Receipts.

·        CNP – Cardholder Not Present.

·        PIN – Personal Identification Number.

·        SEO – Search Engine Optimization.

·        CRM – Customer Relationship Management.

·        BPO – Business Process Outsourcing.

·        VAT – Value Added Tax.

·        IDRA – Industries Development and Regulation Act.

·        MR – Marginal Revenue.

·        PAN – Permanent Account Number.

·        BEP – Break Even Point.

·        NPA – Non Performing Assets.

·        ATM – Automated Teller Machine.

·        ROA – Return on Assets.

·        M & A – Mergers & Acquisitions.

·        SEBI – Securities Exchange Board of India.

·        GDP – Gross Domestic Product.

·        IPO – Initial Public Offering.

What is Viral Marketing?

Marketing by the word of the mouth, having a high pass-rate from person to person is called Viral marketing.  Creating a 'buzz' in the industry is an example of viral marketing.

What is Bench Marketing?

A comparison of the business processes with competitors and improving prevailing ones is called bench marketing.

What is Drip Marketing?

The method of sending promotional items to clients is called Drip marketing.

What is Guerilla Marketing?

Unconventional marketing intended to get maximum results from minimal resources is nothing but Guerilla Marketing.

What is Social Media Marketing?

Social media marketing is marketing using online communities, social networks, blog marketing and more.

What is Direct Marketing?

Direct Marketing is a form of advertising that directly reaches to the customers on a personal basis (like phone calls, private mailings, etc) rather than traditional channel of advertising (like TV, Newspapers, etc).

Types of Direct marketing:

There are many types of direct marketing, only some important types are listed below and these are the most form of direct marketing.

i)Direct Mail Marketing: Advertising material sent directly to home and business addresses. This is the most common form of direct marketing.

ii)Telemarketing: It is the second most common form of direct marketing, in which marketers contact consumers by phone.

ii)Email Marketing: This type of marketing targets customers through their email accounts.

What is Indirect Marketing?

Indirect Marketing is the distribution of a particular product through a channel that includes one or more resellers.

Difference b/w Direct and Indirect Marketing:

Direct marketing is basically advertising your own products or services.

In the same way you might advertise for someone else is called Indirect marketing, is an increasingly popular way of doing business.

What is Internet Marketing?

Internet marketing is the marketing of products or services over the Internet.

Internet Marketing is also known as i-marketing, web-marketing, online-marketing, Search Engine Marketing (SEM) or e-Marketing.

What is Digital Marketing?

Digital Marketing is the practice of promoting products and services using all forms of digital advertising. It includes Television, Radio, Internet, mobile and any other form of digital media.

Marketing Mix:

The Marketing Mix model (also known as the 4 P's) can be used by marketers as a tool to assist in defining the marketing strategy. The idea was that if you could identify the right combination of these elements, your marketing would succeed. E. Jerome McCarthy introduced the 4 P's of Marketing as a way to describe the mix of factors required to successfully market a product.

The 4 P’s are:

·        Product

·        Price

·        Promotion

·        Place (distribution)

The 5 P’s of marketing is 4 P’s + People/Packaging/Process/etc.

The 7 P’s of marketing consists of:

·        Product

·        Price

·        Place

·        Promotion

·        People

·        Process

·        Physical evidence.

The first 4 P's are considered the basis of any marketing process. The last 3 P's are a recent addition to the entire marketing process.

What is SWOT Analysis?

SWOT stands for Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats. SWOT analysis is a tool for auditing an organization and its environment. It is the first stage of planning and helps marketers to focus on key issues. Strengths and weaknesses are internal factors. Opportunities and threats are external factors.

What is Customer Relationship Management (CRM)?

Customer Relationship Management concerns the relationship between the organization and its customers. It is a process or methodology used to learn more about customers' needs and behaviors in order to develop stronger relationships with them.

What are the Three Levels of a Product?

·        Core Product

·        Actual Product

·        Augmented Product

What is Market Research?

Market research is any organized effort to gather information about markets or customers. Market research is for discovering what people want, need, or believe. It can also involve discovering how they act. Once that research is completed, it can be used to determine how to market your product.

What is Market Information?

To know the prices of the different commodities in the market, as well as the supply and demand situation.

What is Market Segmentation?

The division of a market into different homogeneous groups of consumers is known as market segmentation. The purpose for segmenting a market is to allow your marketing program to focus on the subset of prospects that are "most likely" to purchase your offering. If done properly this will help to insure the highest return for your marketing expenditures.

What is Branding?

The essence of a product, its quality and competitiveness displayed in the form of letters, symbols and colours is known as branding.

What is Marketing?

The process of planning and executing the concepts, pricing, promotion and distribution of ideas/goods/services to satisfy individual's/organizational goals is called marketing.