POKHARA UNIVERSITY 

Level: Bachelor                               Semester: Spring                         Year: 2020 

Programme: BBA                                                                            Full Marks: 70 

Course: Business Environment in Nepal                                          Pass Marks: 31.5 

                                                                                                          Time: 2 hrs. 

Candidates are required to answer in their own words as far as practicable. The figures in the margin indicate full marks. 

                             Group 'A': Attempt all questions (5×10=50)

1. Outline the major socio cultural changes in Nepal over the recent time period? Why are these changes important to business managers? Explain.

2. Explain the different motives of privatization in Nepal. Why Public enterprises in Nepal are not able to meet their goal as per our expectation? Explain. 

3. Suppose you are a management consultant and one of your foreign Clients is considering to invest in the Hotel industry at Pokhara and what process will you follow under environmental scanning? Explain your advice about what environmental factors he should look out for? 

4. What are the distinctions between SAFTA and SAPTA? What impact do you envisage to Nepal from full-scale implementation of SAFTA in the South Asian region? 

5. Despite the huge possibility of the tourism sector; contribution to GDP is very low in Nepal. Do you see any problems? If yes, give your suggestion to make it more competitive.

                                                                        OR 

Energy sector in Nepal is rich in potential, however we are suffering from the huge energy crisis. Do you see any problem? If yes, explain the reasons for the current energy problems of Nepal.

                      Group 'B': Problem-solving/case studies (1×20=20) 

6. Read the case situation given below and answer the questions that follow:

For the second day in a week, a thick layer of smog enveloped most of places in Nepal at march 2021. Visibility in the valley went down dramatically in the last two days with the Air Quality Index shown by the US Embassy in the capital remaining over 300 which means "hazardous". As a sudden drop in mercury settled down atmospheric pollutants, the Department of Environment requested people not to come out without genuine reasons. Issuing a press statement late on Tuesday afternoon, the department said, "Children, elderly and those with respiratory problems are subjected to severe impact if exposed in the present situation. It is specially requested with them and all to adopt proper precautions against the growing air pollution in the valley while venturing outside. “The department also stated that the air quality in other major cities like Nepalgunj and Biratnagar, Pokhara will be deteriorating and people should be cautious.

The fine particulate matter (PM 2.5) stood at 330.8 micrograms per cubic metre (mg/m3) at around 7:45 PM (Local Time) while the PM10stood at 368.8 micrograms per cubic metre (mg/m3) at the same time as per AQI by the American Embassy in capital Kathmandu. The PM 2.5 levels of more than 150mg/m3 are considered extremely dangerous for human health, and people are recommended to stay indoors. Overall air quality index of the Valley today stood at 437mg/m3 - the worst in the world, according to IQAir, a Swiss air quality technology company.

"I took a ride on a bike from my office to home last evening. I felt that my eyes were burning as I was sitting on the back seat of a motorbike. It seemed as if someone hurled chili powder into my eyes. I wasn't aware of what might have caused it. Later I came to know that pollution in the Capital has increased tremendously. In addition to that, Kathmandu is a valley. As there is no proper sunshine, the dust particles would settle down on the surface with increasing coldness. It results in burning in the eyes and tears rolling down more often," Pushpa Subedi, a resident of Kathmandu, told. In order to address the problem, the government earlier had introduced a provision that allows authorities concerned to declare an air pollution emergency whenever the air quality index goes over 300 (mg/m3). However, none of the concerned authorities has sent out a signal in this regard as the nation is reeling through the COVID-19 pandemic where pollution might worsen complexities among infected ones.

Questions: 

a) What were the reasons for the increasing air pollution level in Nepal? Are business houses responsible? Explain. [6] 

b) What measurement should be taken by the government to control the pollutions level in Nepal. [7] 

c) If you were manager of the company what would be your strategic move to control the pollution? Explain. [7]