Decision Making – Ashraf has been working at a cybersecurity company
XAT 2021 Exam Paper – Decision Making – Ashraf has been working at a cybersecurity company
Read the following scenario and answer the three questions that follow.
Ashraf has been working at a cybersecurity company called NuTech Pvt. Ltd. for seven years.
Having missed a promotion in the previous appraisal cycle, Ashraf is anxious about it in the
upcoming cycle. Ashraf is aware that the HR head is meeting the top management to discuss
promotions sometime soon. (At NuTech, the HR head recommends names for promotions to
the top management based on inputs from the functional teams.)
On a Friday afternoon, Ashraf receives an email from Sridevi, the HR head. It reads, “Hi, I
need an urgent favour from you; please respond if you are free.” It was the first time that
Sridevi ever contacted him. Surprised, Ashraf immediately replies back saying, “Sure! How
can I help you, Sridevi? Regards, Ashraf.” In a couple of minutes, he receives a reply: “Ashraf,
I am in the middle of an important meeting, but have to urgently send gift vouchers worth
₹50,000 to one of our important clients. If you could, please purchase and send the gift
vouchers to the email address given below, at the earliest.” Ashraf , without any delay, sends
gift vouchers worth ₹50,000 to the given email address.
Q.1 Ashraf feels happy after this brief email interaction with Sridevi.
Which of the following statements, if true, will BEST make Ashraf strongly hopeful
about his imminent promotion?
A. Ashraf’s immediate junior, Shamsher, who worked closely with Sridevi, was
promoted last year.
B. It is for the first time ever that Sridevi directly approached Ashraf to contact a client.
C. Sridevi chose Ashraf over others for help, while in the midst of a meeting with the
top management.
D. Ashraf has heard from his industry friends that HR heads accept favours for
recommending employees’ promotions.
E. Sridevi is known for her elite social circle and extravagant life style
Q.2 Ashraf does not hear anything from Sridevi in the next few days. Anxious, he meets up
with Sridevi and enquires if the gift vouchers were appreciated by the client. This
surprises Sridevi who closely scrutinises Ashraf’s emails and discovers that they
originated from [email protected], instead of [email protected], her official email
ID.
Taken aback, Ashraf requests Sridevi’s help in getting compensated by the company
for his ₹50,000 loss. Sridevi asks Ashraf to justify his compensation demand. Ashraf
gives the following reasons:
1. I erred; however, my financial rectitude is on record.
2. I acted in the greater interest of the company.
3. The spam mail reached my inbox due to the failure of the company’s email filter.
4. A NuTech employee, who was robbed of ₹20,000 of company’s cash, was not
punished.
5. In the past, some of my acquaintances had been similarly duped.
Which of the abovementioned reasons, in a combination, will BEST help Sridevi take
up the issue with the top management?
A. 1, 2, 4
B. 1, 2, 3
C. 2, 3, 4
D. 3, 4, 5
E. 2, 3, 5
Q.3 Sridevi begins to doubt Ashraf’s competencies, given the way he handled the phishing
emails. Thus, she convenes a meeting with the senior leadership to discuss Ashraf’s
role in the company.
In the meeting, she shares the following observations:
1. Ashraf is poor at verbal communication, which is critical at subsequent levels.
2. Ashraf should have been perceptive, even though the company’s email filter failed
him.
3. Ashraf joined the email filter team one month prior to his receiving the phishing
emails.
4. Ashraf rushed to act on Sridevi’s request despite his busy schedule.
5. Ashraf appears to be highly anxious to get promoted.
Which of the above observations, in a combination, if true, shall BEST go against
Ashraf’s chances of getting promoted?
A. 2, 3, 5
B. 1, 3, 5
C. 1, 2, 3
D. 1, 2, 5
E. 2, 3, 4