Latest [Mar 12, 2024] L4M2 Exam Questions – Valid L4M2 Dumps Pdf
L4M2 Practice Test Questions Answers Updated 147 Questions
CIPS L4M2 certification exam is an important test for professionals who want to advance their careers in the field of business analysis. Defining Business Needs certification exam specifically focuses on the crucial skill of defining business needs. It is designed to test the candidate's understanding of the key concepts, techniques, and tools required to effectively identify and articulate business needs in a variety of business contexts.
NEW QUESTION # 50
Due to increasing demand, a local restaurant is requesting its fish vendor to supply larger quantity. The restaurant manager also asks the vendor whether it is possible to reduce the total price by 5%. This is known as...?
- A. New purchase
- B. Straight rebuy
- C. Capital purchase
- D. Modified rebuy
Answer: D
Explanation:
There are three major types of buying situations, which are new purchase, modified rebuy and straight rebuy. Three factors make the buying situations be different from the others, customers may face different problems in these situations.
A new purchase is a situation requiring the purchase of a product for the very first time.
A straight rebuy is when a company places a second order with a supplier that is identical to the first purchase it made.
A modified rebuy is when a company orders again from a supplier, but wants to change some as-pect of the order, such as the quantity, packaging, product features, or delivery times. The scenario above is an example of modified rebuy.
Reference:
- What is a straight rebuy example?
- CIPS study guide page 3-4
NEW QUESTION # 51
When a procurement manager considers a substitution, the number and nature of additional func-tions that substitute provides should be taken into account carefully. Which of the following ratio could help the procurement manager to make the right decision?
- A. Price to book value ratio
- B. Value to price ratio
- C. Price to Earnings ratio
- D. Reserve requirement ratio
Answer: B
Explanation:
One product substitutes for another if it offers buyers an inducement to switch that exceeds the cost or overcomes the resistance to doing so. A substitute offers an inducement to switch if the substitute provides the buyer with more value relative to its price than the product currently being used. There is always some cost of switching to a substitute because of the disruption and potential reconfiguration of buyer activities that must result, however. The threat of a substitute will vary depending on the size of the inducement relative to the required switching costs.
In addition to relative value to price and switching cost, the pattern of substitution is influenced by what I term the buyer's propensity to switch. Faced with equivalent economic inducements for substitution, different buyers will often evaluate substitution differently. The threat of substitution, then, is a function of three factors:
* The relative value/ price of a substitute compared to an industry's product
* The cost of switching to the substitute
* The buyer's propensity to switch
Porter, Michael E.. Competitive Advantage: Creating and Sustaining Superior Performance (p. 278). Free Press. Kindle Edition.
The price-to-book ratio compares a company's market value to its book value. The market value of a company is its share price multiplied by the number of outstanding shares. The book value is the net assets of a company.
The price-to-earnings ratio (P/E ratio) is the ratio for valuing a company that measures its current share price relative to its earnings per share (EPS). The price-to-earnings ratio is also sometimes known as the price multiple or the earnings multiple.
The reserve ratio is the portion of reservable liabilities that commercial banks must hold onto, rather than lend out or invest. This is a requirement determined by the country's central bank, which in the United States is the Federal Reserve. It is also known as the cash reserve ratio.
LO 2, AC 2.2
NEW QUESTION # 52
Which of the following are typical social considerations throughout the contract life cycle? Select the TWO that apply.
- A. Using recycled materials
- B. Health and safety
- C. Managing waste
- D. Minimizing use of non-renewable resources
- E. Support small local businesses
Answer: B,E
Explanation:
The following are typical social criteria in procurement:
* Reducing unemployment
* Preventing the use of child labour
* Preventing discrimination on the grounds of race, religion, disability, sex or sexual orientation
* Encouraging good employment practice
* Reducing local unemployment
* Reducing social exclusion
* Promoting training opportunities for the young or disadvantaged
* Encouraging access to work for people with disabilities
Reference:
LO 3, AC 3.2
NEW QUESTION # 53
Which of the following is a tool to define roles and responsibilities of a project team?
- A. SCAMPER Method
- B. RACI Matrix
- C. STEEPLE Analysis
- D. Monte Carlo model
Answer: B
Explanation:
A responsibility assignment matrix[1] (RAM), also known as RACI matrix[2] (/relsi/) or linear responsibility chart[3] (LRC), describes the participation by various roles in complet-ing tasks or deliverables for a project or business process. RACI is an acronym derived from the four key responsibilities most typically used: responsible, accountable, consulted, and informed.[4] It is used for clarifying and defining roles and responsibilities in cross-functional or departmental projects and processes.[5] There are a number of alternatives to the RACI model.
Role distinction[edit]
There is a distinction between a role and individually identified people: a role is a descriptor of an associated set of tasks; may be performed by many people; and one person can perform many roles. For example, an organization may have ten people who can perform the role of project manager, although traditionally each project only has one project manager at any one time; and a person who is able to perform the role of project manager may also be able to perform the role of business analyst and tester.
R = Responsible (also recommender)Those who do the work to complete the task.[6] There is at least one role with a participation type of responsible, although others can be delegated to assist in the work required (see also RASCI below for separately identifying those who participate in a sup-porting role).
A = Accountable (also approver or final approving authority)The one ultimately answerable for the correct and thorough completion of the deliverable or task, the one who ensures the prerequi-sites of the task are met and who delegates the work to those responsible.[6] In other words, an accountable must sign off (approve) work that responsible provides. There must be only one accountable specified for each task or deliverable.[7] C = Consulted (sometimes consultant or counsel)Those whose opinions are sought, typical-ly subject-matter experts; and with whom there is two-way communication.[6] I = Informed (also informee)Those who are kept up-to-date on progress, often only on completion of the task or deliverable; and with whom there is just one-way communication.[6] Very often the role that is accountable for a task or deliverable may also be responsible for com-pleting it (indicated on the matrix by the task or deliverable having a role accountable for it, but no role responsible for its completion, i.e. it is implied). Outside of this exception, it is generally recommended that each role in the project or process for each task receive, at most, just one of the participation types. Where more than one participation type is shown, this generally implies that participation has not yet been fully resolved, which can impede the value of this technique in clarifying the participation of each role on each task.
Reference:
- CIPS study guide page 17
- Responsibility assignment matrix - Wikipedia
LO 1, AC 1.1
NEW QUESTION # 54
Facing fiercer competition at home and abroad, IKEA, the leading furniture retailer, needs to im-prove its competitiveness. In order to do this, IKEA must decrease operating costs and improve quality of current and new retail stores. The company establishes a project team. The job of the team is to collect data on performance from multiple stores in several countries, then select the best performing one. The team will work closely with best performing store and study its processes. After the research, the team will recommend best practices to other retail stores. IKEA management can also apply these practices to new stores in the future. Which of the following correctly describe the process undertaken by IKEA project team?
- A. Internal benchmarking
- B. Internal audit
- C. Site visit
- D. Competitive benchmarking
Answer: A
Explanation:
Basically, IKEA project team is undertaking the following process:
This is a typical benchmarking process. Benchmarking is defined as the process of measuring products, services, and processes against those of organizations known to be leaders in one or more aspects of their operations. Benchmarking provides necessary insights to help you understand how your organization compares with similar organizations, even if they are in a different business or have a different group of customers.
In the scenario, benchmarking process is undertaken within subsidiaries of IKEA, thus it is internal.
Reference:
- CIPS study guide page 49-51
- What is Benchmarking? Technical & Competitive Benchmarking Process | ASQ
- Internal Benchmarking at IKEA
LO 1, AC 1.3
NEW QUESTION # 55
Which of the following factors is most likely to be a barrier to new entrant in agriculture?
- A. Brand recognition
- B. Capital requirement
- C. High margins
- D. Reputation within the industry
Answer: B
Explanation:
Barriers to Entry to Agriculture: If stakeholders are going to address the need for new, conserva-tion-minded farmers, they must understand the barriers these farmers encounter when transitioning into the profession. A review of the literature revealed a number of barriers-most of them structural-to entry to agriculture. While each barrier is distinct, they are all interconnected. Though not an exhaustive list, the following barriers are ones that were most frequently mentioned in the literature:
- Access to Affordable Land
- Startup Capital
- Lack of Agricultural Knowledge and Experience
- Lack of Knowledge about Farm Business Planning
- Discrimination
- Student Loans
- Limited Access to Markets
- Affordable Housing and Affordable Healthcare
...
Source: Exploring the Barriers to Entry to Agriculture: Challenges Facing Beginning Farmers in North Carolina - Kelley Robbins-Thompson Reference:
LO 2, AC 2.2
NEW QUESTION # 56
A drawing is an example of...?
- A. Technical specifications
- B. Statements of work
- C. Output specifications
- D. Outcome specifications
Answer: A
Explanation:
A technical specification details the standards that a product or service must meet. Drawings (often called engineering drawings or technical drawings) are complementary to technical specifications Reference:
LO 3, AC 3.1
NEW QUESTION # 57
Which of the following is an useful tool for value engineering?
- A. Star-burst method
- B. SAMOA
- C. Kraljic Portfolio Matrix
- D. Kano model
Answer: D
Explanation:
Value Engineering (VE) is concerned with new products. It is applied during product development. The focus is on reducing costs, improving function or both, by way of teamwork-based product evaluation and analysis. This takes place before any capital is invested in tooling, plant or equipment.
This is very significant, because according to many reports, up to 80% of a product's costs (throughout the rest of its life-cycle), are locked in at the design development stage. This is under-standable when you consider the design of any product determines many factors, such as tooling, plant and equipment, labour and skills, training costs, materials, shipping, installation, maintenance, as well as decommissioning and recycle costs.
The Kano model is a theory for product development and customer satisfaction developed in the 1980s by Professor Noriaki Kano, which classifies customer preferences into five categories. Both Kano model and Value Engineering aims at optimising new product, so they can be combined to-gether. CIPS L4M2 study guide consider Kano model is a tool of Value Engineering
Example of Kano model (source: Wikipedia)
Reference:
LO 3, AC 3.4
NEW QUESTION # 58
When should procurement professional tolerate a risk?
- A. When the risk imposes an existential threat
- B. When the risk breaks the relationship with the strategic supplier
- C. When the risk causes some trivial annoyance
- D. When the risk may disrupt the production
Answer: C
Explanation:
Risk control is the process by which an organization reduces the likelihood of a risk event occurring or mitigates the effects that risk should it occur. Our preferred way to determine your risk control strategy is to use the four T's Process:
Transferring Risk can be achieved through the use of various forms of insurance, or the payment to third parties who are prepared to take the risk on behalf of the organization Tolerating Risk is where no action is taken to mitigate or reduce a risk. This may be because the cost of instituting risk reduction or mitigation activity is not cost-effective or the risks of impact are at so low that they are deemed acceptable to the business (such as some trivial annoyance). Even when these risks are tolerated they should be monitored because future changes may make it no longer tolerable.
Treating Risk is a method of controlling risk through actions that reduce the likelihood of the risk occurring or minimize its impact prior to its occurrence. Also, there are contingent measures that can be developed to reduce the impact of an event once it has occurred.
Terminating Risk is the simplest and most often ignored method of dealing with risk. It is the ap-proach that should be most favored where possible and simply involves risk elimination. This can be done by altering an inherently risky process or practice to remove the risk. The same can be used when reviewing practices and processes in all areas of the business.
If an item presents a risk and can be changed or removed without it materially affecting the busi-ness, then removing the risk should be the first option considered; rather than attempting the treat, tolerate or transfer it.
Reference:
LO 3, AC 3.3
NEW QUESTION # 59
Which of the following are the focuses of ISO 14001:2015?
- A. 1. Life cycle
2. Process
3. Capacity
4. Information security
2 and 4 only - B. 3 and 4 only
- C. 1 and 2 only
- D. 2 and 3 only
Answer: C
Explanation:
ISO 14001:2015 specifies the requirements for an environmental management system that an or-ganization can use to enhance its environmental performance. ISO 14001:2015 is intended for use by an organization seeking to manage its environmental responsibilities in a systematic manner that contributes to the environmental pillar of sustainability.
ISO 14001:2015 helps an organization achieve the intended outcomes of its environmental man-agement system, which provide value for the environment, the organization itself and interested parties. Consistent with the organization's environmental policy, the intended outcomes of an environmental management system include:
* enhancement of environmental performance;
* fulfilment of compliance obligations;
* achievement of environmental objectives.
ISO 14001:2015 is applicable to any organization, regardless of size, type and nature, and applies to the environmental aspects of its activities, products and services that the organization determines it can either control or influence considering a life cycle perspective. ISO 14001:2015 does not state specific environmental performance criteria.
ISO 14001:2015 can be used in whole or in part to systematically improve environmental manage-ment. Claims of conformity to ISO 14001:2015, however, are not acceptable unless all its require-ments are incorporated into an organization's environmental management system and fulfilled without exclusion.
In conclusion, ISO 14001:2015 focuses on: management system (including roles, leadership and processes) and the life cycle of product or service. Life cycle is defined as "consecutive and inter-linked stages of a product (or service) system, from raw material acquisition or generation from natural resources to final disposal. [...] The life cycle stages include acquisition of raw materials, design, production, transportation/ delivery, use, end-of-life treatment and final disposal." The answer is process and life cycle.
Reference:
- ISO 14001:2015 Environmental management systems - Requirements with guidance for use LO 3, AC 3.1
NEW QUESTION # 60
When preparing through-life specification, which of the following requirements should procure-ment team define besides the physical asset? Select TWO that apply.
- A. Customer service
- B. Objectives
- C. Logistics and installation
- D. Market analysis
- E. Available substitute
Answer: A,C
Explanation:
Through-life Management involves the life-cycle management of the products, services and activities required to deliver a fully integrated capability to the customer, while reducing the cost of ownership for the customer.
Source: Andrew Graves
With through-life management, buyer not only cares about the physical asset but also other factors like customer services and maintenance.
Reference:
LO 3, AC 3.2
NEW QUESTION # 61
Due to the growth of consumer electronics market, semiconductor industry develops exponentially. However, the industry is dominated by a dozens of manufacturer. Chipset need to be built in factories with highly controlled environments. New chip factories cost billions of dollars and can take two years to build. Right now, factories are running at full capacity, which produce almost perfect yields, meaning basic chipset can be made for less than a dollar and more advanced versions for not much more. What are the barriers to new entrants in the semiconductor industry?
1. Poor industry growth
2. High set-up costs
3. Economies of scale
4. Low switching costs
- A. 2 and 3 only
- B. 2 and 4 only
- C. 3 and 4 only
- D. 1 and 4 only
Answer: A
Explanation:
Barriers to entry is an economics and business term describing factors that can prevent or impede newcomers into a market or industry sector, and so limit competition. The most obvious barriers to entry are high start-up costs and regulatory hurdles which include the need for new companies to obtain licenses or regulatory clearance before operation. Also, industries heavily regulated by the government are usually the most difficult to penetrate. Other forms of barrier to entry that prevent new competitors from easily entering a business sector include special tax benefits to existing firms, patent protections, strong brand identity, customer loyalty, and high customer switching costs.
In the scenario, the new factory for chipset manufacturing costs billions of dollars, which indicates high set-up costs. Also, the incumbent manufacturers have reached economies of scale, allowing them to produce the components at optimal price.
The above descriptions are compiled from recent reports on current chip shortage (2021).
Reference:
- Barriers to Entry Definition (investopedia.com)
- CIPS study guide page 96-97
LO 2, AC 2.2
NEW QUESTION # 62
What is the purpose of sending value engineering analysis to external suppliers?
- A. To analyse the supply market
- B. To standardise production processed
- C. To improve early supplier involvement
- D. To improve the existing products
Answer: C
Explanation:
Value engineering is often applied to new products or services. Early supplier involvement (ESI) is the involvement of a supplier in the product development process from a very stage in order to use the supplier's experience and expertise. ESI can bring cost reduction opportunities, process improvements, supply chain improvements and reduce supply risk. Both processes focus on development of new product or service. They tend to work the best if they are used together.
LO 3, AC 3.1 & AC 3.4
NEW QUESTION # 63
Which of the following are considered as direct costs in a construction company? Select TWO op-tions
- A. Advertising and marketing communication
- B. Raw materials
- C. An employee is hired to work on a project, either exclusively or for an assigned number of hours
- D. The materials and supplies needed for the company's day-to-day operations.
- E. Clerical assistants who maintain the office
Answer: B,C
Explanation:
Direct costs are directly associated with the production of a good or service. In this question, 'An employee is hired to work on a project, either exclusively or for an assigned number of hours' and 'Raw materials' are directly related to producing the product.
Indirect costs are the general costs of the organisation - these costs cannot easily be attributed to specific products or services (also known as overheads). 'The materials and supplies needed for the company's day-to-day operations' or 'Clerical assistants who maintain the office' or 'Advertising and marketing communication' is example of indirect cost.
Reference:
LO 1, AC 1.2
NEW QUESTION # 64
Sealines Inc is developing its fleet of cargo ships. The company is planning to build a new ship powered by natural gas. Brian, the procurement manager at Sealines, suggests the project team to develop a through-life specification before engaging with the supplier. Is this a correct approach?
- A. Yes, decommissioning and disposal costs will not be accounted in this approach
- B. No, the company just needs to select the lowest bidder
- C. Yes, this approach will lower the total cost of ownership
- D. No, a ship is used only once, through-life management is unnecessary
Answer: C
Explanation:
Through-life management is a approach applied to capital asset. According to Ward and Graves, Through-life Management involves the life-cycle management of the products, services and activities required to deliver a fully integrated capability to the customer, while reducing the cost of ownership for the customer. According to CIPS study guide, through-life management comprises of 6 parts:
1. Design
2. Manufacture
3. Installation
4. In-service support
5. Decommission and disposal
6. Customer support
In this scenario, the company is planning to procure a ship, which is a capital asset. Through life management is a good approach. Sealines can start with developing through-life specification. This approach may have several benefits:
- It lowers the costs over the whole life of the asset
- It lowers the risks as there is a single company accountable for costs and service over the life of the asset
- A closer match between the asset delivered and the users' needs
- Development of capability over the life of the asset as the supplier continues to get experience of the users' needs and can adapt services to meet them.
Reference:
- CIPS study guide page 130-131;
- Through-life management: The provision of total customer solutions in the aerospace industry, by Yvonne Ward and Andrew Graves LO 3, AC 3.2
NEW QUESTION # 65
Which of the following is the purpose of benchmarking?
- A. To resist continuous improvement
- B. To coerce all suppliers to sacrifice their profit
- C. To copy other organisation's intellectual properties, processes and practices
- D. To identify and adapt the best practices to improve organisation's performance
Answer: D
Explanation:
According to US Department of the Navy, Benchmarking is a strategic and analytic process of continuously measuring an organisation's products, services, and practices against a recognised leader in the studied area.
Successful benchmarking will help you:
- Find who does the process best and close the gap
- Recognise the leading organisations in a process or activity
- Create performance standards derived from an analysis of the best in business
- Ensure that comparisons are relevant
- Measure your performance, your processes, and your strategies against best in business
- Measure business processes
- Assess performance over time
- Accelerate continuous process improvement (CPI)
- Establish more credible goals for CPI
- Establish actionable objectives
- Discover and clarify new goals
- Establish customer expectations of business standards set by the best suppliers in industry
- Help your organisation achieve breakthrough improvements
- Create a sense of urgency for change
- Increase customer satisfaction
- Become direction setting
- Provide a positive, proactive structured process
Benchmarking does not:
- Copy the other's processes
- Steal other business confidentiality
- Stop. Benchmarking is a continuous process.
Reference:
- CIPS study guide page 49-51
- The Department of the Navy Benchmarking Handbook
LO 1, AC 1.3
NEW QUESTION # 66
In 2016, ANA Airlines had to cancel some of its flight. The airline said it had discovered the cracks to the jet engine turbine blades. What should ANA procurement team do next to solve this problem?
- A. Collect data to identify the root cause
- B. Generate options addressing the issue
- C. Assess the risks
- D. Define the ideal solution
- E. Analyse the situation and draw conclusion
Answer: A
Explanation:
Cracks on the jet engine is a closed-end problem. A typical problem solving process has 8 steps:
Step 1: Define the Problem
- What is the problem?
- How did you discover the problem?
- When did the problem start and how long has this problem been going on?
- Is there enough data available to contain the problem and prevent it from getting passed to the next process step? If yes, contain the problem.
Step 2: Clarify the Problem
- What data is available or needed to help clarify, or fully understand the problem?
- Is it a top priority to resolve the problem at this point in time?
- Are additional resources required to clarify the problem? If yes, elevate the problem to your leader to help locate the right resources and form a team.
- Consider a Lean Event (Do-it, Burst, RPI, Project).
- Ensure the problem is contained and does not get passed to the next process step.
Step 3: Define the Goals
- What is your end goal or desired future state?
- What will you accomplish if you fix this problem?
- What is the desired timeline for solving this problem?
Step 4: Identify Root Cause of the Problem
- Identify possible causes of the problem.
- Prioritize possible root causes of the problem.
- What information or data is there to validate the root cause?
Step 5: Develop Action Plan
- Generate a list of actions required to address the root cause and prevent problem from getting to others.
- Assign an owner and timeline to each action.
- Status actions to ensure completion.
Step 6: Execute Action Plan
- Implement action plan to address the root cause.
- Verify actions are completed.
Step 7: Evaluate the Results
- Monitor and Collect Data.
- Did you meet your goals defined in step 3? If not, repeate th 8-Step Process.
- Were there any unforeseen consequences?
- If problem is resolved, remove activities that were added previously to contain the problem.
Step 8: Continuously Improve
- Look for additional opportunities to implement solution.
- Ensure problem will not come back and communicate lessons learned.
- If needed, repeat the 8-Step Problem Solving Process to drive further improvements.
ANA has already known what is going on, the next step they should adopt is collecting more infor-mation on the problem. If the airline is hurry to the solution, it may choose 'Generate options ad-dressing the issue'. The crack on turbine blade can be welded, or the airline replaces a new blade. However, jumping to solution without knowing the root cause does not completely solve the prob-lem. The root cause is unaddressed, then it may occur in the future. Therefore, the airline should still collect information to find the root cause, then remove it.
Reference:
LO 1, AC 1.1
NEW QUESTION # 67
A procurement manager includes provision on recovery from natural disaster into a through-life specification. Some suppliers suppose that provision is unnecessary. Is procurement manager's action justified?
- A. No, because with current technology, natural disaster can't disrupt supply chain.
- B. Yes, because the regulations require contract to have recovery provision
- C. Yes, because natural disaster may cause risks in organisation's supply chain
- D. No, because this provision will incur unnecessary cost to supplier
Answer: C
Explanation:
Risks like natural disasters - fire, flood, or weather-related event, and cyber-attacks can disrupt the supply chain seriously. Threats and disruptions mean a loss of revenue and higher costs, which leads to a drop in profitability. And businesses can't rely on insurance alone because it doesn't cover all the costs and the customers who move to the competition. Risks must be identified early and supplier should have a plan that ensures continuous operations during disasters.
There are several steps many companies must follow to develop a solid business continuity plan. They include:
- Business Impact Analysis: Here, the business will identify functions and related resources that are time-sensitive. (More on this below.)
- Recovery: In this portion, the business must identify and implement steps to recover critical business functions.
- Organization: A continuity team must be created. This team will devise a plan to manage the disruption.
- Training: The continuity team must be trained and tested. Members of the team should also complete exercises that go over the plan and strategies.
Reference:
LO 3, AC 3.2
NEW QUESTION # 68
In Kano model, which of the following types of requirement should be excluded from the product or service?
- A. Reverse requirements
- B. Performance requirements
- C. Must-be requirements
- D. Attractive requirements
Answer: A
Explanation:
Kano model of excitement and basic quality (Kano et al, 1984; Berger et al, 1993; Matzler et al, 1996) brings a different perspective for the analysis of improvement opportunities in products and services because it takes in consideration the asymmetrical and non-linear relationship between performance and satisfaction. The Kano model classifies customers requirements in three categories (figure 3):
a) Basic Requirements (or Must-be requirement). The basic requirements fulfill the basic func-tions of a product. If they are not present or their performance is insufficient, customers will be extremely dissatisfied. On the other hand, if they are present or have sufficient performance, they don't bring satisfaction. Customers see them as prerequisites. For instance, for luxury automobiles, "air bags" are considered basic. A customer won't feel satisfied if the automobile has "air bag", however he/she will not buy it if "air bag" is not present.
b) Performance Requirements (or One-dimensional requirements). As for these requirements, satisfaction is proportional to the performance level - the higher the performance, the higher the customer's satisfaction will be and vice-versa. Gas consumption in automobiles is an example of these requirements. Usually customers explicitly demand performance requirements.
c) Excitement Requirements (or Attractive requirements). These requirements are key to cus-tomer satisfaction. If they are present or have sufficient performance, they will bring superior satisfaction. On the other hand, if they are not present or their performance is insufficient, customers will not get dissatisfied. For instance, a surprise gift at the end of a dinner in a restaurant will certainly bring satisfaction, but it will not cause dissatisfaction if not offered. These requirements are not demanded nor expected by customers.
Two other types of requirements may be identified in the Kano model: neutral and reverse ones. Neutral requirements do not bring either satisfaction or dissatisfaction. Reverse require-ments bring more satisfaction if absent than if present.
Reference:
- Integrating Kano model and QFD for Designing New Products
- CIPS study guide page 171-172
NEW QUESTION # 69
Which of the following methods will enable a company to eliminate waste, lost time and lost material from its processes?
- A. Lean principles
- B. Tendering process for routine items
- C. Over specification
- D. Agile principles
Answer: A
Explanation:
Lean design is about maximising the value that a customer receives and at the same time minimis-ing waste in delivering that value.
For an organisation to be 'lean' it must have had all non-essential resources removed (ie. anything that does not add value, see below). This is efficient and cost effective, in that the value/supply chain can theoretically do exactly what is needed of it and no more, but requires sound forecasting and planning of demand and supply. It is most suitable for industries with stable product specifications, long lead times and few impulse purchases.
Organisations which are 'agile' react as quickly as is practicable to provide a cost effective response to customer demand. This is based on flexibility in design, supply, production and distribution. It is most appropriate for products such as fast fashion and foodstuffs which must be on display and available when wanted by the customer.
Reference:
- CIPS study guide page 153-156
- Agile Supply (cips.org)
LO 3, AC 3.3
NEW QUESTION # 70
Warwickshire Ambulance Service (WAS) is an NHS Trust. It operates throughout Warwickshire and the neighbouring areas. It has three core areas of activity, namely the provision of Emergency Ambulance Services, routine Patient Transport Services, and Logistic Medical Services. The agency is working towards higher service level through benchmarking. Which of the following is the benefit of benchmarking to WAS?
- A. It will help WAS create performance standards derived from an analysis of the best in business
- B. It will help WAS analyse the competitors in the industry
- C. Benchmarking is a panacea for all WAS's problems
- D. It helps WAS identify better ways to deliver service through a cookbook process
Answer: A
Explanation:
Benchmarking is 'the pursuit by organisations of enhanced performance by learning from the suc-cessful practices of others. Benchmarking is a continuous activity; key internal processes are adjusted, performance is monitored, new comparisons are made with the current best performers and further changes are explored. Where information about these key processes is obtained through a co-operative partnership with specific organisations (rather than via a third party such as an independently-maintained database), there is an expectation of mutual benefit over a period of time.
Reference:
- The Department of Navy Benchmarking Handbook: A system view
- CIPS study guide page 49-51
LO 1, AC 1.3
NEW QUESTION # 71
Builder Inc is a rapidly expanding business in construction sector. Due to an increase in projects, it cannot manage the flow of materials by Excel spreadsheets but by more dedicated software. Who would be a key internal stakeholder in defining software compatibility with company's current system?
- A. Procurement team
- B. IT team
- C. Finance team
- D. Executive team
Answer: B
Explanation:
Internal stakeholders may contribute to defining needs and drafting the specification by using their technical expertise. In this scenario, IT team may consult procurement team on the technical specification of the software, including compatibility with company's current IT system.
Reference:
LO 3, AC 3.4
NEW QUESTION # 72
A procurement team is categorising their purchased items into four quadrants of Kraljic's supply chain portfolio matrix. They realise that there are some low-value items which come from very few suppliers in the market. The organisation is critically dependent on these suppliers. The team plans to reduce the dependence by finding alternative sources. Is this a right course of action?
- A. No, there is no way to escape this dependency
- B. Yes, this action will dramatically increase the supplier's bargaining power
- C. No, the organisation should run competitive biddings to exploit the competition
- D. Yes, the organisation needs to reduce the supply risks
Answer: D
Explanation:
According to Kraljic portfolio matrix, the low-value items with high supply risk are bottleneck items.
The purchasing strategy that is commonly recommended for these products is primarily based on acceptance of the dependence and reduction of the negative effects of the unfavourable position. An alternative strategy suggested by purchasing practitioners is to find other suppliers and move towards the non-critical quadrant.
- Accept dependence, reduce negative consequences: The main focus of this strategy is to assure supply, if necessary even at additional cost. Examples of this strategy are keeping extra stocks of the materials concerned or developing consigned stock agreements with suppliers. By performing a risk analysis firms can identify the most important bottleneck products and consider the implications. A possible action for dealing with unexpected bad dependence positions for certain products is to employ contingency planning.
- Reduce dependence and risk, find other solutions: This strategy is geared towards reducing the dependence on the supplier. The most common way to achieve this is to broaden the specifications of the product or to search for new suppliers.
The procurement team in the scenario has selected reducing dependency by finding alternatives. This is a right strategy for bottleneck item.
Reference:
- CIPS study guide page 82-84
- Purchasing strategies in the Kraljic matrix-A power and dependence perspective, Marjolein C.J. Caniels, Cees J. Gelderman LO 2, AC 2.1
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