Q&A Hero

Q: The two prominent supply chain management frameworks are the Supply Chain Operations Reference (SCOR) model and the Process Classification Framework (PCF).

Q: Supply chain management requires companies to adopt an enterprise-to-enterprise point of view.

Q: Customers are not included as a component of supply chains.

Q: Supply chains are a new concept in the sense that they were first identified in the 1970s and 1980s.

Q: The supply chain concept originated in the logistics literature.

Q: Research on underperforming supply chains suggests that logistics can be crucial to achieving desired levels of supply chain performance.

Q: There are three primary methods that organizations can pursue when attempting to integrate their supply chains. Which of the following is not one of them? a. informal agreements b. formal contracts c. vertical integration d. intensive distribution

Q: Which concept refers to where one organization owns multiple participants in the supply chain? a. supply chain management b. vertical integration c. horizontal integration d. intensive distribution

Q: Which of the following is not a name/term for a long-term mutually beneficial supply chain agreement? a. partnerships b. third-party arrangements c. coopetition d. contract logistics e. all of the above are names for a long-term mutually beneficial supply chain agreement

Q: Which of the following is not a routine occurrence in global supply chains? a. documentation errors b. incomplete shipments c. routing errors d. packaging errors e. all of the above are routine occurrences

Q: ____ refers to "how we do things around here" and reflects an organization's vision, values, and strategic plans. a. supply chain management b. organizational behavior c. a mission statement d. corporate culture

Q: Which of the following is not a barrier to supply chain management? a. regulatory and political considerations b. lack of top management commitment c. reluctance to share, or use, relevant data d. incompatible corporate cultures e. all of the above are barriers

Q: In a (n) ____ approach, all relevant software applications are provided by a single vendor. a. single integrator b. captive customer c. customer centric d. information outsourcing

Q: ____ combines technology with manual employee effort to identify trends, perform comparisons, and highlight opportunities in supply chain processes, even when large amounts of data are involved. a. data mining b. supply chain analytics c. benchmarking d. environmental scanning

Q: Which of the following is false? a. top management commitment is essential if supply chain efforts are to have any chance of success b. some companies are uncomfortable with the concept of customer power in supply chains c. senior management commitment to supply chain management occurs in one of every two organizations d. some companies are hesitant to enter into long-term relationships because such relationships might be perceived as limiting a company's operational flexibility e. all of the above are true

Q: What is a fourth-party logistics provider? a. a company that ensures that various third-party logistics companies are working toward the relevant supply chain goals and objectives b. a third-party logistics provider that has achieved ISO 9000 certification c. a logistics intermediary that specializes in one logistics activity such as warehousing or transportation d. a third-party logistics provider that has been in existence for at least 25 years

Q: Which of the following statements is true? a. third-party logistics companies demand only a few activities from third-party logistics providers b. the decision to use third-party logistics can only be strategic in nature c. third-party logistics is synonymous with fourth-party logistics d. a common cause of third-party logistics failure is unreasonable and unrealistic expectations e. all of the above are false

Q: The general idea behind ____ is that one company allows a specialist company to provide it with one or more logistics functions. a. supply chain management b. multichannel marketing c. third-party logistics d. cross-organizational collaboration

Q: Two key factors, ____ and ____, have sparked much of the technological change affecting supply chains. a. electronic data interchange; enterprise resource planning b. computing power; Internet c. Internet, electronic data interchange d. computing power; enterprise resource planning

Q: According to the text, ____has been at the center of the changes taking place that affect the supply chain. a. economic malaise b. logistics c. customer power d. technology

Q: Which of the following are not an attribute of supply chain partnerships? a. mutual trust b. increased willingness to share information c. buying decisions based on value as opposed to cost or price d. compatible goals e. all of the above are attributes of supply chain partnerships

Q: Tailored business relationships between two supply chain members refer to: a. supply chain partnership b. supply chain management c. coopetition d. tailored logistics

Q: ____ collaborations offer the best opportunity for improving supply chain performance. a. transactional b. tactical information sharing c. strategic d. operational

Q: Supply chain collaboration can be classified as transactional, strategic, or ____ in nature. a. operational b. superorganizational c. managerial d. tactical information sharing

Q: Cooperative supply chain relationships developed to enhance the overall business performance of both parties is a definition of: a. third-party logistics b. supply chain collaboration c. dovetailing d. relationship marketing

Q: Which of the following is not an attribute of relational exchanges? a. trust b. commitment c. dependence d. joint investment e. all of the above are attributes of relational exchanges

Q: Which of the following is not a way to reduce inventory levels? a. smaller, more frequent orders b. use of premium transportation c. supply-push replenishment d. elimination of slower-moving products e. all of the above are ways to reduce inventory levels

Q: What concept refers to the variability in demand orders among supply chain participants? a. min-max fluctuation b. the bullwhip effect c. order fluctuation d. the boomerang effect

Q: ____ refers to focusing part of one's supply chain on a timely response to fluctuating customer orders and/or product variety and another part of the supply chain on leveling out the planning requirements to smooth production output. a. supply chain management b. flexibility c. responsiveness d. leagility

Q: What is a perfect order? a. simultaneous achievement of relevant customer metrics b. an order that arrives on time c. an order that arrives undamaged d. an order that is easy for the receiver to fill

Q: Which of the following is not a potential outcome from a supply chain's failure to be fast and agile? a. dissatisfied customers b. reduced profitability c. decreased market share d. lower stock price e. all of the above are potential outcomes

Q: An organization's ability to respond to changes in demand with respect to volume and variety refers to ____. a. responsiveness b. leanness c. agility d. relevancy

Q: Contemporary supply chains are increasingly required to be fast and ____. a. lean b. agile c. interactive d. relevant

Q: The current Global Supply Chain Forum (GSCF) model identifies ____ key processes associated with supply chain management. a. five b. six c. seven d. eight

Q: Which of the following is not one of the processes in the Supply Chain Operations Reference (SCOR) model? a. source b. plan c. make d. enable e. all of the above are processes in the SCOR Model

Q: Which organizational function is not a focus of the Supply Chain Operations Reference (SCOR) model? a. marketing b. logistics c. operations d. procurement e. all of the above are a focus in the SCOR Model

Q: The two most prominent supply chain management process frameworks are the Supply Chain Operations Reference (SCOR) Model and the ____. a. Supply Chain Efficiency (SCE) Model b. Process Classification Framework (PCF) c. Global Supply Chain Forum (GSCF) Model d. Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals (CSCMP) Model

Q: Although nearly any organization can be part of a supply chain, supply chain management requires ____. a. the involvement of third-party logistics companies b. the participation of world-class organizations c. at least one organization to be a multinational company d. companies to adopt an enterprise-to-enterprise point of view

Q: What concept can be viewed as a combination of processes, functions, activities, relationships, and pathways along which products, services, information, and financial transactions move in and between enterprises from original producer to ultimate end user or consumer? a. logistics b. supply chain c. marketing channel d. interorganizational coordination

Q: The supply chain management concept originated in what discipline? a. marketing b. operations c. logistics d. production

Q: An underperforming supply chain is defined as one that exhibits poor service, unproductive assets, or ____. a. high variable operating costs b. outdated information technology c. poor communication d. too many organizations (companies)

Q: Discuss the three primary methods that organizations can use to integrate their supply chains.

Q: What is the difference between a 3PL and a 4PL/LLP?

Q: What are some reasons that third-party logistics arrangements aren"t always successful?

Q: Discuss the strategic and tactical considerations that can drive a company to use the services of a 3PL.

Q: Why is supply chain integration so difficult in global supply chains?

Q: Do you think corporate cultures are relevant for supply chain management? Why or why not?

Q: Discuss the best of breed and single integrator approaches.

Q: Some companies are hesitant to use frequent shopper cards because the data provided could violate the customer's privacy. Do you agree or disagree? Why?

Q: Why is top management commitment necessary for successful supply chain management?

Q: How might regulatory and political conditions act as barriers to supply chain management?

Q: Discuss the impact of the Internet on supply chain management.

Q: This chapter suggests that technology has been at the center of changes taking place that affect the supply chain. Do you agree or disagree? Why?

Q: Do you agree that supply chain collaboration can be classified as transactional, tactical information sharing, or strategic in nature? Why?

Q: What is the difference between relational and transactional exchanges? Which is more relevant for supply chain management? Why?

Q: Discuss some of the ways that inventory can be reduced in the supply chain.

Q: Much of the situation described in the case seems to revolve around the personality of T.D. Bigelow. How should he be treated? Why?

Q: (This is a continuation of Question 6.) Assume, instead, that you are the union shop steward. Develop and present your argument that the free lunches represent a long-standing employee benefit enjoyed by the distribution center's employees, and that management's attempt to stop them is a breach of an unwritten contract and will be resisted.

Q: Assume that Fosdick decides that the practice of free lunches from the open cases of goods must be stopped. Develop and present arguments he should give in a meeting with a union shop steward.

Q: What longer-range steps can Fosdick take to reduce the distribution center's high rate of shrinkage?

Q: What longer-range steps should Fosdick take to improve the Providence distribution center's productivity?

Q: What longer-range steps should Fosdick take to control the operations of the Providence distribution center?

Q: What controls, of the types discussed in this chapter, might have been used by Red Spot Markets to reduce or eliminate the problems discussed in the case?

Q: How should Fosdick respond to the immediate situation?

Q: System complexity centers on the implications associated with the increasing number of products that most companies continue to face in an effort to differentiate themselves with their customers.

Q: Network complexity refers to the growing number of nodes and the associated changes to the links in logistics systems.

Q: Reverse logistics can be four to five times more expensive than forward logistics.

Q: Transportation accounts for about one-half of all petroleum consumption in the United States.

Q: Roof color is often overlooked as an area for warehousing energy control.

Q: Warehousing and packaging are the two areas in logistics systems where the most energy costs occur.

Q: Potential logistics social responsibility dimensions include the environment, diversity, safety, and philanthropy, among others.

Q: Logistics does not have an inherent connection to sustainability.

Q: One of the most effective methods of protecting goods from theft or pilferage is to keep them moving through the system.

Q: Experts recommend that the best pilferage policy should be based on zero tolerance.

Q: The Importer Security Filing (ISF) rule requires carriers to file 10 pieces of information and importers to file two pieces of information.

Q: Companies that participate in the Customs Trade Partnership Against Terrorism are exempt from all import tariffs and all import quotas.

Q: Customs and Border Protection is responsible for securing U.S. borders to protect the American people and the U.S. economy.

Q: The Transportation Worker Identification Credential (TWIC) uses biometric data to exclude certain workers from secure areas at ports and terminals.

Q: From a logistical perspective, the Transportation Security Administration and the Department of Transportation are two of the most important government entities that were incorporated into the Department of Homeland Security.

Q: Terrorism can be viewed as an illegal use of or threat of force or violence made by a group or an individual against a person, a company, or somebody's property with a goal of menacing the target, often grounded in politics or ideology.