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CIPS Procurement and Supply in Practice (L4M8) Free Practice Test

Question 1
How can procurement professionals select suppliers?
Correct Answer:
During the sourcing stage of the procurement cycle, the procurement professional needs to identify and select suppliers to fulfill the business needs. Supplier selection involves evaluating suppliers against predetermine criteria to assess their suitability in working with the buying organization. Suppliers can be evaluated according to Carter's 10Cs which are as follows: (1) Competency (2) capacity (3) consistency (4) control (5) cost (6) commitment (7) cash (8) Clean (9) culture (10) communication.
Procurement professionals can decide to evaluate and select suppliers based on the overall strategy and the business objectives. After that, it most suitable suppliers receive the documentation (Invitation to tender/ request for quotation).
Question 2
What matrix helps to define how to manage stakeholders?
Correct Answer:
Stakeholders are individuals or organizations who are directly affected by a decision for example, community, shareholders, employees, suppliers, distributors, customers etc. stakeholders can be internal (employers, staffs), connected (such as suppliers, shareholders, financers and customers) external (Government, pressure groups, and community).
The matrix that helps define how to manage stakeholders is mendelow's stakeholders manage-ment matrix.
This matrix is based on the theory that the level of management stakeholders require depends on the level of their power and interest within the project or organization The matrix groups stakeholders in to four quadrants according to their power and interest and ad-vice how to manage them.
1) Low power - Low interest (minimum effort)
2) Low power - High interest (keep inform)
3) High power - Low interest (keep satisfied)
4) High power - high interest (manage closely)
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Question 3
Which products or services should not be considered for outsourcing, according to Carter's out-sourcing matrix
Correct Answer:
Carters outsource matrix is a useful tool that procurement professionals uses to decide which products or services has a high or low contribution to the organization operation performance and its strategic importance.
The matrix segments products/services into four quadrants. These are Eliminate, outsource, strategic alliance and retain.
According to Carters outsource matrix, all product/services that has a high strategic importance should not be outsourced. They should rather be retained in house or carefully chose suitable sup-pliers and go into strategic alliance.
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Question 4
What is the method of monitoring suppliers?
Correct Answer:
When a contract has been awarded, either is to meet tangible needs or intangible needs, contractors or suppliers should be managed to ensure that they are meeting up with fulfilling their contractual agreement. To establish this, there are methods of managing contracts and suppliers.
Service level agreement (SLA) clauses: is placed in contract to ensures that supplier meets the expected and agreed level of service Key performance indicator (KPI): are used to manage contracts that fulfill tangible needs, the KPIs are set performance thresholds that are used to monitor supplier's performance.
Management by objectives (MBO): is the process of defining objective that are strategic to the organization relating them to the vision and mission and communicating them to the supplier through the contract and ensuring that this objective is met during contract performance.
Reviews: Regular supplier reviews are good practices, for it gives the buyer opportunity to give feedback on performance.
Continuous Improvement: Contracts and suppliers can be monitored through how they are chang-ing for better incrementally as they are fulfilling the schedule. There must be a set down system to timely improve on the process, people and continuously reduce waste.
Training: It is essential that training, are provided to come up on areas supplier is lacking.
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Question 5
Explain the difference between bonded and forced labor.
Correct Answer:
Bonded labour and forced labour are among the five types of modern slavery which is against ethical and responsible sourcing.
Bonded labour also known as debt bondage, this is an individual's promise to provide services through exploitation as repayment, or part of them, of a debt or other obligation whereas forced labour is work that people are forced to do with the heat of punishment if it is not carried out.
(Correct)
Question 6
Which products or services should not be considered for outsourcing, according to Carter's out-sourcing matrix
Correct Answer:
Carters outsource matrix is a useful tool that procurement professionals uses to decide which products or services has a high or low contribution to the organization operation performance and its strategic importance.
The matrix segments products/services into four quadrants. These are Eliminate, outsource, strategic alliance and retain.
According to Carters outsource matrix, all product/services that has a high strategic importance should not be outsourced. They should rather be retained in house or carefully chose suitable sup-pliers and go into strategic alliance.
Question 7
When benchmarking what other factors, apart from price should be considered to find the total cost of acquisition?
Correct Answer:
When evaluating potential suppliers, procurement professionals can carry out benchmarking. Benchmarking is the process of comparing a function, a process performance with another which is best in-class.
Other factors, apart from price that can be considered to find the total cost of acquisition include the product or service quality, lead time, supplier culture, its environmental awareness and sustainability.
Case study:
Tetsuya Tada, Chief engineer of the Toyata Supra Sports car has revealed how the process of benchmarking contributed to the car's design.
Tada has worked by comparing the Supra to other cars. For example, it has been intentionally designed with a shorter wheelbase, than the Toyata 86 to make it more suitable for track racing. Furthermore, Tada has benchmarked the Supra against competition by suggesting that drivers will find the car's performance comparable with that of Posche's Cayman sports car.
Tada's knowledge of the features belonging to different sports cars in his industry shows how benchmarking can be used by companies to successfully differentiate their products and remain competitive through awareness of their competitor's activities.
Question 8
What are the four methods that can be used to try to resolve dispute?
Correct Answer:
Conflict or dispute is the final area a procurement professional considers when creating terms for a contract with a supplier. If conflict or dispute arises, there must be a process put in place in the contract to try to resolve it and these includes; a) Negotiation, b) mediation, c) arbitration and d) litigation.
Negotiation is usually carried out between senior people within organization that are in conflict, if they cannot reach an agreement through negotiation, mediation is the next stage, mediation is when a third party tries to help find a resolution among the parties in dispute. If mediation fails arbitration can start, arbitration involve independent professionals (arbitrators) working with all the party to try to reach an agreement. Parties do not have a formal or legal obligation to follow the arbitrator's recommendation. Arbitration is expensive. If arbitration fails to resolve the conflict, the final stage is litigation, litigation takes time and money, and most people avoid it. It is a legal process where a court decides on the outcome of the dispute. The judge's ruling is final.
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