CBS CBS Supply Chain & Operations Strategy 1 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which supply chain strategy prioritizes cost efficiency by producing goods based on forecasted demand?
- Pull strategy
- Push strategy (Correct answer)
- Lean strategy
- Agile strategy
Correct answer: Push strategy
A push strategy produces inventory based on demand forecasts, optimizing cost efficiency by manufacturing in advance of actual orders.
Question 2: Just-in-Time (JIT) inventory management aims to:
- Build large safety stocks to prevent stockouts
- Receive goods only as they are needed in production (Correct answer)
- Outsource all warehousing to third parties
- Maximize order batch sizes for volume discounts
Correct answer: Receive goods only as they are needed in production
JIT minimizes inventory holding costs by scheduling deliveries to arrive precisely when needed in the production process.
Question 3: Vertical integration in operations strategy refers to:
- Expanding into new geographic markets
- A company owning multiple stages of its supply chain (Correct answer)
- Partnering with competitors for shared distribution
- Automating all production processes
Correct answer: A company owning multiple stages of its supply chain
Vertical integration occurs when a company controls multiple stages of its supply chain, from raw materials to distribution, reducing dependence on external suppliers.
Question 4: A key performance indicator (KPI) commonly used to measure supply chain efficiency is:
- Employee Net Promoter Score
- Perfect Order Rate (Correct answer)
- Cost per Click
- Market share percentage
Correct answer: Perfect Order Rate
Perfect Order Rate measures the percentage of orders delivered on time, complete, undamaged, and with accurate documentation — a holistic supply chain efficiency metric.
Question 5: Which risk mitigation strategy involves sourcing the same component from multiple suppliers?
- Single sourcing
- Sole sourcing
- Multi-sourcing (Correct answer)
- Nearshoring
Correct answer: Multi-sourcing
Multi-sourcing distributes procurement across multiple suppliers to reduce the risk of supply disruption from any single source.
Question 6: Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) in supply chain decisions includes:
- Only the purchase price of goods
- All costs related to acquiring, using, and disposing of a product or service (Correct answer)
- Only transportation and logistics costs
- Only labor costs in production
Correct answer: All costs related to acquiring, using, and disposing of a product or service
TCO captures all costs across the full lifecycle including purchase price, transportation, holding, maintenance, and disposal costs.
Which supply chain strategy prioritizes cost efficiency by producing goods based on forecasted demand?