This test is marked out of 50 and lasts for one hour and 30 minutes.

Please allocate time according to the marks available and attempt all sections. Good luck! Analytical skills (10 Marks) Read the article below and answer the questions based on your understanding of the contents in the passage. Answers should be derived from information available in the text only. The adoption rates of surgical drapes and gowns vary significantly among member states of the European Union due to different concerns about infection control, product usage tradition, natural resources, cost and environmental concerns. While the demand for surgical drapes and gowns remains relatively stable, the dynamics between the disposable and reusable segments is a key influence in the industry. Increasing awareness on the need for better infection control - particularly with respect to human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) and hepatitis B has drawn attention toward providing improved bacterial barriers. Due to their protecting properties, surgical drapes and gowns are now considered to be medical devices that have to comply with the Medical Devices Directive (MDD) specifications. This has given non-woven technology a boost. Non-woven fabrics have excellent liquid resistance, tensile strength and hydrophobic/hydrophilic properties and are, therefore, highly suitable for surgical drapes and gowns. In the meantime, the use of traditional cotton and cotton-polyester mixed textiles has been decreasing since these fabrics fail to meet the requirements of the new standards. The choice, then, has been reduced to single-use products and 'high-tech' reusable products for most healthcare purchasers. However, studies show that the microbial penetration resistance of single-use drapes and gowns is much superior to that of reusable drapes and gowns - both traditional and 'high-tech'. Another factor in the reusable/disposable dynamics is pricing. Reusable drapes and gowns have a relatively higher initial cost but can be used between 50 and 100 times. Still, they involve other overhead and logistics costs such as sterilization and laundering. Thus, when total costs are considered, the disposable products tend to prove less expensive than the reusable alternatives. Overall, there has undoubtedly been a general trend in developed countries toward disposable products for the remarkable balance of safety and comfort they offer. Participants in the disposable surgical drapes and gowns market need to focus on enduser education to benefit from this trend. Providing clear product and cost benefits to all end users from the surgeons and staff to the infection control personnel and the purchase or procurement departments is necessary to accelerate demand.

Maintaining good customer relations and, perhaps, partnering with custom prepared trays (CPT) companies are likely to provide a steady base against the threat of the growing CPT market. Viable mergers and acquisitions can also be vital to market share growth. The major focus for companies manufacturing and marketing disposable surgical drapes and gowns should be to achieve long-term contracts with large institutions. Along with specialization and core competency, this would help create a strong brand name, which could potentially prevent the users reverting to reusable products. The highly fragmented European market also calls for a strong supply chain management to help obtain regional coverage. Low levels of penetration in the European disposable drapes and gowns market have been attracting foreign companies. Domestic participants must, therefore, move quickly to take advantage of their expertise in the regional regulations, languages, buying culture and proximity of production site to grow through geographic expansion.

Questions: 1. In terms of competitive landscape how would you rate this market (Please tick or highlight? Monopoly market Dominated by few leading regional companies Several players competing for its share of the market (x) 1. List the target group for end-user education in this market? The surgeons, staff to the infection control personnel and the purchase or procurement departments, all can be considered as the end users and hence as target group for end user education. 2. What are the major factors impacting the gowns and drapes market? Major factors are: infection control, product usage tradition, natural resources, cost and environmental concerns. 3. What strategies should regional or domestic participants in this market do to ensure they have an edge over international competition? The strategies domestic participants can adopt are as:

1. Focus on end-user education 2. Creating awareness and effective marketing in local languages so that they can reach masses. 3. Provide clear product and cost benefits to all end users to accelerate demand 4. Maintain good customer relations, and partner with custom prepared trays (CPT) companies 5. Achieve long-term contracts with large institutions 6. Use of mergers and acquisitions to expand.

4. Which among the two groups of products disposable and re-usable gowns and drapes - are considered cost effective and why? Considering the total cost, the disposable products tend to prove less expensive as compared to re-usable products because they involve other overhead and logistics costs such as sterilization and laundering which increase effective cost compared to the benefits offered by the re-usable products.

Aptitude test (10 Marks) 1) The average age of the first seven people to arrive at Nikhils birthday is 21. When Vijay (29) arrived, the mean age is increased to 22. Marry (also 29) arrived next. The tenth and last person to arrive at Nikhil's party is Nikhil himself, and the mean age increased to 30 years. How old is Nikhil on his birthday? Ans:

2 A student appeared in 3 papers of Maths, English and Hindi. The maximum marks of the three papers are in the ratio of 3: 2: 5 and total of 3 papers is 500. Umesh obtained 50% in Math, 68% in English, and 73% overall. What is the percentage of Marks he scored in Hindi?

Ans:

3) A certain number of boys can finish a piece of work in 10 days. If however there were 10 boys less it will take 10 days more for the work to be finished. How many boys were there originally? Ans:

4) How many litres of 30% alcohol solution and how many of 60% alcohol solution must be mixed to produce 18 litres of 50% solution? Ans:

English Test (10 Marks) Place a cross next to the word in the list which best fills the gap 1. Investors ____ at the electronic billboard where bright green letters and numbers flow by on a black background. a. gaze b. gazing c. gazes 2. While certain tasks can be somewhat ___ nevertheless the genuine exchange of information can occur. a. concocted b. conceived c. contrive d. conceded 3. The wine ___ was located in a cool corner of an underground section of the house. a.cellar b. seller 4. He gave us no indication ____ his whereabouts a. as of b. so as to c. as to d. as from 5. A bull market is characterized by ____ prices a. rising b. rose c. raising Written Skills (10 Marks) Please write a short essay on the following subject. The writing should be in full sentences and in your best English. The three main threats that are currently facing the world economy are Answer: