Business Communication, Accounting, Economics, E-Commerce & KM
DSSSB TGT CS — Section B P1 (Rank 4). Concise MCQ-ready notes.
1. Business Communication
Formal vs Informal
| Aspect | Formal | Informal |
|---|---|---|
| Channel | Reports, memos, letters, official email | Chat, personal talk, grapevine |
| Tone | Structured, polite, documented | Casual, flexible |
| Use | Policy, appraisal, contracts | Quick coordination, morale |
- Downward: boss → subordinate (orders, policies)
- Upward: subordinate → boss (feedback, reports)
- Horizontal / lateral: same level (coordination)
- Diagonal: across levels & departments
- Grapevine: informal network; fast but may distort
Barriers to communication
| Type | Examples |
|---|---|
| Semantic | Ambiguous words, jargon, poor translation |
| Physical | Noise, distance, poor equipment |
| Psychological | Prejudice, emotions, status gap |
| Organizational | Too many levels, unclear roles |
| Cultural / language | Different norms, dialects |
Trap: Encoding = converting idea → message; decoding = interpreting message. Feedback closes the loop.
2. Basic Accounting Terms
| Term | Meaning (exam line) |
|---|---|
| Asset | Resource owned; future economic benefit (cash, stock, building) |
| Liability | Obligation to pay (creditors, loans, outstanding expenses) |
| Capital / Equity | Owner’s claim = Assets − Liabilities |
| Debit (Dr) | Left side of account |
| Credit (Cr) | Right side of account |
| Journal | Book of original entry (chronological) |
| Ledger | Book of final entry (accounts classified) |
| Trial Balance | List of ledger balances to check arithmetic accuracy |
Golden rules (personal / real / nominal)
| Account type | Debit | Credit |
|---|---|---|
| Personal | The receiver | The giver |
| Real | What comes in | What goes out |
| Nominal | Expenses & losses | Incomes & gains |
Equation: Assets = Liabilities + Capital
Trap: Trial balance proves arithmetical accuracy, not that all transactions are correct (omission of a full entry may still balance).
3. Economics Basics
Demand & Supply
- Law of demand: price ↑ → quantity demanded ↓ (ceteris paribus); demand curve slopes down
- Law of supply: price ↑ → quantity supplied ↑; supply curve slopes up
- Equilibrium: demand = supply; surplus / shortage when not equal
- Shift vs movement: price change → movement along curve; income/taste/tech → shift of curve
GDP & related
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| GDP | Market value of final goods & services produced within a country in a period |
| GNP | GDP + net factor income from abroad |
| Nominal GDP | At current prices |
| Real GDP | At constant (base-year) prices — inflation-adjusted |
Inflation (types — brief)
| Type | Idea |
|---|---|
| Demand-pull | Too much demand vs supply |
| Cost-push | Rising input costs (oil, wages) |
| Creeping | Mild, slow rise (~1–3%/yr) |
| Walking / moderate | Noticeable but managed |
| Galloping / hyper | Very high / out of control |
Trap: Deflation = general price fall; disinflation = inflation rate falling but still positive.
4. E-Commerce Models
| Model | Parties | Example idea |
|---|---|---|
| B2B | Business → Business | Supplier portal, wholesale |
| B2C | Business → Consumer | Online retail store |
| C2C | Consumer → Consumer | Auction / classified marketplace |
| B2G / G2B | Business ↔ Government | Tender, e-procurement, tax filing |
| C2B | Consumer → Business | Freelance platforms, reverse auction |
Other keywords: m-commerce (mobile), e-governance, marketplace vs inventory model.
5. E-Payment & EDI
E-payment methods
- Credit / debit cards, net banking, UPI, wallets, NEFT/RTGS/IMPS
- Prepaid (wallet) vs postpaid (credit)
- Security: SSL/TLS, OTP, 3-D Secure, tokenization
EDI (Electronic Data Interchange)
- Structured business documents exchanged computer-to-computer (orders, invoices)
- Reduces paper, errors, processing time
- Standards: EDIFACT, ANSI X12 (names often in MCQs)
- Differs from email: EDI is structured & machine-processable
Trap: EDI ≠ just sending PDF by email.
6. Digital Marketing Basics
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| SEO | Optimize site for organic search ranking |
| SEM / PPC | Paid search ads (pay per click) |
| Content marketing | Useful content to attract & retain |
| Email marketing | Permission-based campaigns |
| Social media marketing | Platforms for brand & engagement |
| Affiliate | Commission for referred sales |
| CTR | Clicks / impressions |
| Conversion | Desired action (sale, signup) |
Funnel (recall): Awareness → Interest → Desire → Action (AIDA)
7. Knowledge Management (KM)
Explicit vs Tacit
| Explicit | Tacit |
|---|---|
| Documented, codified | Personal, experience-based |
| Manuals, databases, SOPs | Skills, intuition, know-how |
| Easy to transfer | Hard to articulate / transfer |
SECI (Nonaka) — often asked: Socialization, Externalization, Combination, Internalization.
KM cycle (typical stages)
- Create / capture
- Store / organize
- Share / transfer
- Apply / use
- Review / update
Tools: intranet, wiki, document management, communities of practice.
8. MIS Link (brief)
- MIS: Management Information System — organized info for planning, control, decision
- Levels: Operational → Tactical → Strategic
- DSS: Decision Support (semi-structured); ESS/EIS: executive; Expert system: knowledge + inference
- KM feeds MIS/DSS with organizational knowledge; MIS provides structured reports from data
9. CRM & ERP Keywords
| Term | Focus |
|---|---|
| CRM | Customer relationships — sales, marketing, service, retention |
| ERP | Integrate enterprise processes (finance, HR, inventory, production) |
| SCM | Supply chain — suppliers to delivery |
| BI | Business Intelligence — analytics & dashboards |
Trap: CRM = customer-facing; ERP = internal process integration (both may share data).
10. Cyber Laws for Business (IT Act basics — India)
- IT Act, 2000 (amended 2008): legal recognition of electronic records & digital signatures
- Section 43: unauthorized access, damage to computer — civil compensation
- Section 66: computer-related offences (with dishonest/fraudulent intent) — criminal
- Section 66A: struck down (Shreya Singhal) — do not treat as valid offence today
- Section 66C / 66D: identity theft / cheating by personation using computer
- Section 67: publishing obscene electronic material
- Section 69: interception/monitoring powers (conditions apply)
- Certifying Authority: issues digital signature certificates
- Cyber Appellate Tribunal / now under tribunal framework — dispute appeal path
Business relevance: e-contracts validity, data security duty, liability for negligence, evidence of electronic records.
Quick traps checklist
- Journal = original entry; Ledger = classified accounts.
- Trial balance ≠ complete correctness.
- GDP = domestic territory; GNP adds NFIA.
- B2C retail; C2C peer marketplace; B2B wholesale/portal.
- EDI is structured interchange, not casual email.
- Explicit = documented; tacit = in people’s heads.
- CRM customers; ERP enterprise resources.
- IT Act gives legal status to e-records & e-signatures.