XAT 2020 — Decision Making Question 2
Read the following paragraph carefully and answer the question that follows:
Vindhya, Shabnam and Amala are interning at a software organization as part of the requirement of their B-school curriculum.
The organization has allotted each of them a project based on their area of specialization. In the first meeting with the HR head, they are informed of a PPO possibility (pre-placement offer, i.e., an offer to join the company after their MBA), based on their performance. All of them are eager to convert their internship into a job offer.
Each of them is assigned a mentor who evaluates the intern's performance along with the HR head.
In the second week of her eight-week internship, Amala realizes that the project requires inputs from subjects she studied in her third trimester. However, during the third trimester, Amala was significantly distracted by an inter-college sports meet, affecting her grasp of the subjects.
Which of the following is the MOST appropriate way forward for Amala?
Answer & solution
- A
Amala should realize that she may not get a PPO and so focus on networking with the experienced talent in the organization.
- B
Amala, after studying the organization for a week, should design her own project and pitch it to her mentor.
- C
Amala should request her mentor to allocate a different project because of her limited familiarity with the inputs required.
- D
Amala should seek Shabnam’s help who performed well in the third trimester.
Amala should disclose to the mentor her limited understanding of the required inputs and seek his suggestions.
Option 1 is incorrect as networking may help her get a job, but will not help her in completing the project, which is the basis for the PPO. Option B can also be eliminated as designing her own project will take a lot of her time and there is no guarantee that it will be accepted by her mentor. If in case the project designed by her is rejected by her mentor, then she will still be left with the problem of completing her project. If Amala asks her mentor to allocate a different project, it will imply that she cannot cope with things that she is not comfortable or familiar with. This will bring down her performance. Thus option 3 can be eliminated. Between options 4 and 5, the latter is a better choice as it will let her mentor know her limitations and he can be in a better position than Shabnam to help her complete the project.
Hence, option (e).