XAT 2017 — Decision Making Question 4
Analyse the following caselet and answer the question that follows:
Mrs Biswas was to retire in one year after serving in the construction department of the Gujarat government for more than thirty years. After retirement, she wanted to spend her retired life along with Mr Biswas, a retired school teacher in a small town in Kerala. They had two children, both studying in Bengaluru. The Biswas’ wished to construct a house in Kerala with their life savings.
The couple gathered information about owning a house in Kerala. They had four options:
- Buy a fully furnished house from a big developer.
- Buy a semi-furnished house from big developer and furnish it.
- Get a local unregistered contractor to construct a house and furnish it.
- Mr Biswas with inputs from the family could supervise the construction of a house back in Kerala by employing the best material, engineers, masons and labourers.
Which option would ENSURE the best control of quality of construction for the Biswas’?
Answer & solution
- A
The first option would ensure the best quality.
- B
The second option would ensure the best quality.
- C
The third option would ensure the best quality.
The fourth option would ensure the best quality.
- E
Any of the options will equally ensure the best quality.
In options 1, 2 and 3, the house owner lacks control over the quality of construction. However, in option 4 the owner can monitor discrepancies on an everyday basis and take corrective actions, if required, especially given Mrs. Biswas‘ professional experience. Option 4 is equivalent to continuous monitoring which is superior to one time monitoring in other options.
Hence, the correct answer is option 4.