Study Notes - Addn
Study Notes - Addn
1) General Management, Marketing, Supply Chain, Economics, Finance & Basic Science Q.
Question tested Answer to retain
No.
2) Entomology / Insect Pest Management
This is limited to the two areas you specified and is designed for repeated revision before the 11 July 55 Manager handling crisis/disruption Disturbance handler
examination. It is based on the uploaded NFL MT Marketing 2021 and 2023 papers. The uploaded papers
57 Which is not inorganic matter? Fat
appear to be coaching-material versions, not official NFL answer keys; a few printed keys conflict with
standard textbook concepts. I have flagged those separately.
58 Ability to exert influence Paper key: Authority; standard: Power
Priority from PYQ pattern
Point at which customer enters supply
60 Order penetration point
Preparation chain
Area 2021 2023
priority
Resource mainly managed by a
61 People
General Management / 18 core questions, plus several agri- manager
Marketing / SCM / Economics 41 core questions context questions testing generic High
/ Finance / Basic Science marketing/SCM concepts Creating a climate conducive to goal
63 Best definition of managing
accomplishment
10 questions
9 direct questions plus 2 insect- Decision-making stage for locating a
Entomology / IPM including apiculture- Very high 64 Intelligence stage
vector questions problem
related knowledge
A. Important PYQ Key Corrections 66 Supply-chain lead time comprises Sourcing + manufacturing + delivery
Memorise the standard concept below. The printed answer in the coaching PDF appears questionable in 68 Single-use plan covering many activities Programme
these cases.
71 Income elasticity of inferior goods Negative
PYQ Printed key Standard concept to use
72 Effective leadership attribute Drive
2021 Q58: “Ability to Power is the capacity/ability to influence others. Authority is
Authority
exert influence” the formal right attached to a position. 73 3PL Third-Party Logistics
Learn the standard SCM concept, not only one-word keys: 90 Product adaptation Standard answer: Customisation / modification
2021 Q118-style supply-
Not applicable integration improves visibility, cost control and coordination,
chain concept New-product acceptance/rejection
but can create IT, data-sharing and centralisation challenges. 95 Awareness, knowledge and evaluation — all
process
For any fresh question, use the standard concept. For a repeated PYQ with identical wording/options,
remember both the printed key and the textbook position. 97 ECR Efficient Consumer Response
PART I — GENERAL MANAGEMENT, MARKETING, SCM, ECONOMICS, FINANCE & BASIC SCIENCE 103 Not a factor of production Customer
Q. Topic Fact to memorise
Question tested Answer to retain
No.
Animal tissue Muscular tissue is an animal tissue
PLC stage where profit rises
110 Growth stage Organic/inorganic matter Fat is organic; magnesium, iron and iodine are inorganic/mineral elements
substantially
Final Tuckman group-development 114 International trade barrier Tariffs and quotas
130 Adjourning
stage
Second consumer decision-making
117 Information search
131 Management Getting things done through people stage
132 First SCM implementation step Planning / scheduling Financial assistance, policy advice/technical support
119 IMF functions
and capacity building
External, material and non-transferable
133 Paper key: Conduct certificate Key consumer-behaviour factor in food
item 122 Price promotions
retail
141 Scope of product planning Wide
127 Furniture store Specialty store
144 Product may be Physical good, service or idea — all
131 Buying milk Routine buying behaviour
149 Situational approach Contingency approach
137 Not a retailer function Paper key: None of these
The above questions are drawn from the 2021 paper’s management, marketing, SCM, economics and
basic-science items. 138 Repo rate Rate at which RBI lends to commercial banks
Additional 2021 basic-science facts worth revising Channel directly selling without
139 Direct marketing
intermediaries
Topic Fact to memorise
140 Not demographic segmentation Culture
Irradiation Cold sterilisation
Retail life-cycle stage with high cost and
Water Essential base for metabolic processes 141 Emerging stage
low sales
Indian rainfall India receives most rainfall from the South-West monsoon
Q. Function Meaning Typical question wording
Question tested Answer to retain
No.
Comparing actual results with targets and taking Standards, deviations, corrective
Controlling
Person-to-person retailer–customer corrective action action
143 Direct selling
interaction
Involved in all management
Coordination Integrating all activities towards common goals
Price stability, growth, employment, credit regulation functions
144 Objectives of monetary policy
etc.
One-line memory: Coordination is the thread that connects all management functions.
These are the principal generic management, marketing, finance and SCM questions in the 2023 paper.
2. Mintzberg managerial roles
2023 questions presented in agri-business language but testing general concepts
Role category Roles to remember
Do not ignore these merely because they contain “Agribusiness” in the wording.
Interpersonal Figurehead, Leader, Liaison
Q.
Generic concept Answer
No. Informational Monitor, Disseminator, Spokesperson
Function Meaning Typical question wording Intelligence Identify and define the problem
Planning Deciding objectives and future course of action First step in management / SCM Design Develop possible alternatives
Groupthink Excessive conformity leads to poor, biased or defective decisions Product mix Total set of product lines offered by a company
Tuckman stages Forming → Storming → Norming → Performing → Adjourning 2. Product Life Cycle
Effective leader trait asked in 2021 Drive Introduction Low Nil/low/loss Awareness and trial
6. Organisation structures Growth Rising fast Improves substantially Distribution expansion and differentiation
Structure Core feature Maturity High/stable High but pressured Defend market share
Functional Departments based on functions: finance, HR, marketing, operations Decline Falling Falls Harvest, reposition or withdraw
Divisional Based on product, geography or customer group PYQ answer: Profit rises substantially during the Growth stage.
Matrix Dual reporting; combines functional and project/product structure 3. New Product Development
A4. Marketing — What you must know Second step Information search
A product can be a good, service or idea that satisfies a need. Impulse buying Unplanned purchase; milkshake was the 2023 example
Concept What to remember Price promotions Strong driver of food-retail consumer behaviour
Product Broad scope: product line, quality, design, brand, packaging, positioning, modification 5. Classification of consumer goods
planning and deletion
Type Characteristics Example
Standardisation Same product/marketing approach across markets
Convenience
Adaptation Product modification/customisation to suit local market conditions Frequent purchase, minimal effort Milk, soap, bread
goods
Branding Creating a unique identity to distinguish the product Shopping goods Compared on price, quality and style Clothing, appliances
Demographic segmentation Age, gender, income, occupation, education, family size SCM integration Improved visibility, inventory control, cost reduction and customer service
Specialty store Narrow product line with deep assortment Question cue Likely answer
Retail life-cycle emerging stage Higher expenses and lower sales Sourcing + production + delivery time Supply-chain lead time
Direct selling Person-to-person seller–customer interaction Outside party handles logistics 3PL
Direct marketing Seller reaches buyer directly, without conventional intermediaries One truck collecting from many suppliers Milk run
Political, economic, social, technological, legal, demographic and natural First SCM activity Planning/scheduling
Macro environment
forces
Mapping activities that add/no value Supply-chain mapping
International product Influenced by politics, demographics, income, culture, law and
planning competition Farm-to-processing-to-consumer Value chain
Tariff Tax imposed on imported goods Main sales/distribution challenge Supply-chain optimisation
UNCTAD United Nations Conference on Trade and Development A6. Economics and finance — What you must know
1. Basic microeconomics
A5. Supply Chain Management — What you must know Topic Formula / fact
Supply chain Flow of materials, information and money from supplier to customer Factors of production Land, labour, capital and entrepreneur/organisation
Supply-chain lead time Time from sourcing through manufacturing and delivery Not factor of production Customer
Order penetration point Point where a specific customer order enters the supply chain Savings Income − Consumption
3PL Third-Party Logistics provider Income elasticity % change in quantity demanded / % change in income
One vehicle collects from multiple suppliers and delivers in a consolidated Inferior good Negative income elasticity
Milk run
route
Normal good Positive income elasticity
Topic Formula / fact Question area Correct fact
Necessity Income elasticity between 0 and 1 Fat Organic matter, not inorganic matter
Luxury good Income elasticity greater than 1 Magnesium, iron, iodine Mineral/inorganic elements
2. Market structures Animal tissues Epithelial, connective, muscular and nervous tissues
Perfect competition Many Nil Water Essential medium/base for metabolic activities
Monopolistic competition Many High differentiation South-West monsoon Main contributor to Indian rainfall
PYQ answer: Highest product differentiation among usual options → Monopolistic competition. A8. Expected practice questions — General section
3. Repo rate and monetary policy These are predicted from recurring PYQ concepts, not from any leak or inside information.
Repo rate Rate at which RBI lends money to commercial banks against securities Which managerial role deals with sudden crisis,
1 Disturbance handler
strike or conflict?
Reverse repo
Rate at which RBI borrows money from commercial banks
rate Which role decides allocation of manpower and
2 Resource allocator
budget?
Monetary policy RBI’s policy to regulate money supply, credit and interest rates
Which decision-making stage identifies the
3 Intelligence stage
Price stability, economic growth, employment support, credit control, exchange- problem?
Major objectives
rate/BOP stability
4 Which Tuckman stage comes after norming? Performing
4. IMF versus World Bank
5 What is the danger of groupthink? Biased/defective decision-making
Institution Core function
6 Which structure has dual reporting relationships? Matrix structure
Balance-of-payments support, macroeconomic surveillance, technical assistance,
IMF
capacity development Product modification for local preferences is
7 Adaptation/customisation
called?
World Bank /
Development and reconstruction finance
IBRD Which PLC stage generally shows rapid profit
8 Growth
improvement?
Exam trap: Reconstruction loans are conventionally associated with the World Bank, not IMF.
Which stage evaluates commercial viability of a
5. ROI 9 Business analysis
product idea?
[
\text{ROI} = \frac{\text{Net Profit}}{\text{Investment}} \times 100 Which goods are bought frequently with little
10 Convenience goods
] search?
Higher ROI generally indicates better profitability relative to investment. What is the second stage of consumer buying
11 Information search
decision process?
What is the total time from sourcing to final 53 Trade name of imidacloprid Confidor
13 Supply-chain lead time
delivery?
54 Vector of okra yellow-vein mosaic Whitefly
14 What does ECR stand for? Efficient Consumer Response
55 Animal-origin insecticide Cartap hydrochloride
A single truck collecting from many suppliers is
15 Milk run 56 Plant source of azadirachtin Neem
called?
16 Price theory belongs to which branch? Microeconomics 57 “National pest” as per paper White grub
17 What is income elasticity of an inferior good? Negative 59 Rice stem borer lays eggs on Leaf
What is the rate at which RBI lends to commercial 60 Trichogramma acts as Egg parasitoid
18 Repo rate
banks?
66 Vector of Katte disease of cardamom Banana aphid
United Nations Conference on Trade and
19 What is the full form of UNCTAD? 67 Vector of rice tungro disease Green leafhopper
Development
Q. No. Question tested Answer Body divisions Head, thorax and abdomen
54 NPV stands for Nuclear Polyhedrosis Virus Legs Three pairs, attached to thorax
75 Complete metamorphosis occurs in Endopterygota Wings Usually two pairs, though some insects have one pair or none
77 Drones in one honeybee hive About 200–300 Respiration Tracheal system through spiracles
79 Most effective pesticides Paper key: all listed groups Eyes Compound eyes; may also have simple eyes/ocelli
117 Termites are very active during Paper key: day and night Study of insects Entomology
2. Metamorphosis
121 Insecticides kill Harmful insects
Type Development stages Examples
129 Study of insects Entomology
Complete metamorphosis / Holometabolous / Egg → Larva → Pupa →
145 Sweet-potato aphid mainly attacks Leaves Butterfly, moth, beetle, fly, bee
Endopterygota Adult
148 Red cotton-bug nymphs also damage Okra
Incomplete metamorphosis / Hemimetabolous / Grasshopper, bug, cockroach,
Egg → Nymph → Adult
B2. All 2023 entomology/IPM PYQs: Questions and answers Exopterygota termite
Q. No. Question tested Answer No metamorphosis / Ametabolous Egg → Young → Adult Silverfish-type examples
51 Organ secreting juvenile hormone Corpora allata PYQ rule: Complete metamorphosis = Endopterygota.
Corpora allata Secretes juvenile hormone; maintains immature characteristics Fungicide Agent used against fungi
Prothoracic glands Secrete ecdysone/moulting hormone Pesticide Broad term covering insecticides, herbicides, fungicides, rodenticides etc.
Stores and releases neurosecretory hormones; associated with brain Bio-pesticide Derived from microorganisms, plants or naturally occurring substances
Corpora cardiaca
hormone regulation
Trap: Pendimethalin is a pre-emergence herbicide, not an insecticide.
Juvenile hormone high Larval/nymphal characteristics continue
B4. Bio-pesticides, biological control and insecticides White grub “National pest” as per 2023 paper
1. Biological-control agents Rice stem borer Lays eggs on leaves; causes dead heart/white ear symptoms
Trichogramma spp. Egg parasitoid Red cotton bug Nymphs also damage okra
Bacillus thuringiensis / Bacterial bio-pesticide; toxin damages gut/digestive system of susceptible Whitefly Vector of okra yellow-vein mosaic disease
Bt larvae
Banana aphid Vector of Katte disease of cardamom
NPV Nuclear Polyhedrosis Virus; viral bio-pesticide
Green leafhopper Vector of rice tungro disease
Azadirachtin Neem-derived botanical insecticide
Termite Damages crops/wood; 2021 paper key says active day and night
Botanical insecticide source; acts as antifeedant/growth regulator in many
Neem
pests Honeybee drone Male bee; source paper states about 200–300 drones per hive
Imidacloprid Neonicotinoid insecticide; paper asks trade name Confidor Okra Yellow vein mosaic Whitefly
Cartap hydrochloride Animal-origin insecticide; associated with nereistoxin origin Cardamom Katte disease Banana aphid
Bt Mainly used against larval stages of susceptible insect pests Memorise these three together. This is an easy recurring MCQ area.
NPV Viral bio-control agent, mainly useful against certain caterpillar pests
B6. Integrated Pest Management: Essential exam notes
3. Important distinction
Definition
Term Meaning
Integrated Pest Management (IPM) is the use of compatible cultural, mechanical, biological,
Insecticide Chemical/biological agent used against insects behavioural and chemical measures to keep pest population below economically damaging levels.
Cultural control Crop rotation, timely sowing, resistant varieties, field sanitation 2 Insect body is divided into which three parts? Head, thorax and abdomen
Mechanical/physical control Hand picking, traps, light traps, pheromone traps, barriers 3 Which gland secretes juvenile hormone? Corpora allata
Biological control Trichogramma, Bt, NPV, predators and parasitoids Which gland is associated with moulting
4 Prothoracic glands
hormone/ecdysone?
Botanical control Neem, azadirachtin
Complete metamorphosis includes which
Chemical control Need-based use of selective insecticides 5 Egg, larva, pupa and adult
stages?
B7. Mouthparts: likely MCQ area 11 Azadirachtin is obtained from which plant? Neem
1 Insects have how many pairs of legs? Three pairs Final Revision Sheet: Memorise These First
2. Intelligence stage = identifies problem. 13. Whitefly = vector of okra yellow-vein mosaic.
3. Tuckman = Forming → Storming → Norming → Performing → Adjourning. 14. Banana aphid = vector of cardamom Katte disease.
4. Groupthink = biased/poor decision. 15. Green leafhopper = vector of rice tungro disease.
5. Matrix = advanced/hybrid organisation structure. 16. White grub = “national pest” as per 2023 paper.
7. PLC profit rises in growth stage. 18. Red cotton-bug nymph damages okra.
8. NPD: Idea → Screening → Concept → Strategy → Business analysis → Development → Test 19. ETL comes before EIL.
marketing → Commercialisation.
20. IPM = cultural + mechanical + biological + chemical control in an integrated manner.
9. Convenience goods = frequent, low-effort purchases.
Entomology / IPM
8. Imidacloprid = Confidor.