CLAT 2021 English Language: Over time, we’ve witnessed the highs and lows of countless projects, businesses, scientific endeavors, and even wars. The ongoing debate asks: Which holds more weight, planning and strategy, or execution?
Some leaders argue that thorough planning brings clarity to objectives, setting timelines and budgets. Haphazard planning, they say, blurs project aims, leading to budget collapses and time mismanagement. Teams may toil tirelessly, but poor planning often results in dissatisfied customers or project collapses. As Benjamin Franklin noted, “Failing to plan is planning to fail.”
Entrepreneurs place faith in strategies to boost production speed, quality, and consumer satisfaction. Without strategies to handle unexpected events, entire projects may grind to a halt, they caution.
Many world-class airports, bridges, and astronomical missions result from careful planning and excellent strategies. Yet, some architects and entrepreneurs dive straight into execution, believing that suitable strategies emerge during the process. Steve Jobs emphasizes, “To me, ideas are worth nothing unless executed. They are just a multiplier. Execution is worth millions.”
Bill Gates views unhappy customers as the greatest source of learning. Fixed plans may crumble in the face of fickle consumers and market trends. It’s the need-based, flexible, and innovative strategies that endure these vacillating desires and trends.
Reflecting on the 1985 New Coke debacle, where meticulous planning and testing on two lakh consumers still led to a massive financial loss, it’s clear that a balance of pragmatic planning, effective strategies, and efficient execution is crucial. Successful execution isn’t a smooth journey; it may involve tweaking or even abandoning the original plan.
Drawing inspiration from nature, one might see plans and strategies as seeds, execution as nourishment, and the consumer as capricious weather. The road to success is winding and bumpy, requiring adaptability and occasional redesigning.
Questions
The passage can be best termed as
(A) Expository
(B) Descriptive
(C) Abstract
(D) Narrative
CORRECT OPTION: A
From the failure of New Coke, the company learnt that
(A) Tested and tried strategies are essential for success.
(B) Surveys and data calibration are a sheer waste of time.
(C) Consumers change brand preferences too frequently.
(D) Changes in consumers’ habits should not be taken for granted.
CORRECT OPTION: D
For the accomplishment of a project, Steve Jobs
(A) Propagates an approach that is similar to Benjamin Franklin’s.
(B) Suggests an approach that is different from Benjamin Franklin’s.
(C) Believes that the main control is in the hands of consumers.
(D) None of the above.
CORRECT OPTION: B
The ______ in ‘consumer is the capricious weather’ refers to the ______ demands of the customers.
(A) Onomatopoeia ……….. stagnant
(B) Simile …………. unpredictable
(C) Metaphor……….. wavering
(D) Anaphora………oscillating
CORRECT OPTION: C
The author’s main purpose is to
(A) Suggest that people succeed only when they have great strategies.
(B) Highlight the fact that execution is as indispensable as planning and strategy.
(C) Illustrate the impact of poor planning and weak strategy.
(D) Highlight the hurdles that come in the way of execution.
CORRECT OPTION: B
Read Also: Set 1 for CLAT 2022 Logical Reasoning Section Past Year Questions
