Deck 17: Information Technology in a Supply Chain

Question 1

Information is the supply chain driver that serves as the glue allowing the other three drivers to work together to create an integrated,coordinated supply chain.

Answer 1

True

Question 2

Functional performance is important to customers because it provides them with capabilities to create a competitive advantage.

Answer 2

True

Question 3

Companies should use IT systems to make decisions,because the software available today can make many supply chain decisions for management.

Answer 3

False

Question 4

Often companies will have large amounts of data that are not helpful with decision making.

Question 5

When forecasting demand,ISCM interaction with SRM is essential as the SRM applications have the most data and insight on customer behavior.

Question 6

The unsuccessful categories of software will be those focused on the supply chain macro processes.

Question 7

The ISCM processes should have strong integration with the SRM macro process,because supply planning,fulfillment,and field service are all dependent on suppliers and therefore the SRM processes.

Question 8

Every industry has the same key success factors.

Question 9

Information must be 100 percent correct in order to make good decisions.

Question 10

Weakness in the CRM process results in demand being lost and a poor customer experience because orders are not processed and executed effectively.

Question 11

Information is crucial to the performance of a supply chain because it provides the basis upon which supply chain managers make decisions.

Question 12

Information makes the supply chain visible to a manager so that he can make decisions to improve the supply chain's performance.

Question 13

To increase the supply chain surplus (and therefore their firm's own profitability)most effectively,firms must focus primarily on improving internal processes.

Question 14

Some of the worst IT disasters are due to the fact that companies try to implement IT systems in a wide variety of processes at the same time.

Question 15

This broadening of scope across which companies make decisions emphasizes the importance of including processes all along the supply chain when making decisions.

Question 16

The goal of the CRM macro process is to negotiate an effective contract that establishes parameters for a supplier in a way that best meets enterprise needs.

Question 17

The driver of IT in the supply chain has increasingly been the enterprise software developed to enable processes both within and across companies.

Question 18

Firms that work well with implementation partners and build up large groups of customers trained on their solutions have built a highly defensible position.

Question 19

To make good decisions,a manager needs to have accurate information regardless of how long it takes to acquire it.

Question 20

CRM processes are crucial to the supply chain because of the lack of interaction between an enterprise and its customers.

Question 21

Weakness in the CRM process results in

A) orders that are not processed and executed effectively.
B) demand being lost.
C) a poor customer experience.
D) all of the above

Question 22

To be accurate,information must

A) give the true picture of the state of the supply chain.
B) be 100 percent correct.
C) paint a picture of reality that is at least directionally correct.
D) A and C only

Question 23

Information is a key ingredient

A) at each stage of the supply chain.
B) within each phase of supply chain decision making.
C) only at each stage of the supply chain.
D) A and B only

Question 24

Which of the following is a key process under CRM?

A) Strategic Planning
B) Fulfillment
C) Field Service
D) Order Management

Question 25

Processes that focus on downstream interactions between the enterprise and its customers are included in

A) Customer Relationship Management (CRM).
B) Internal Supply Chain Management (ISCM).
C) Supplier Relationship Management (SRM).
D) Transaction Management Foundation (TMF).

Question 26

Which of the following is not one of the supply chain macro processes?

A) Customer Relationship Management (CRM)
B) Internal Supply Chain Management (ISCM)
C) Supplier Relationship Management (SRM)
D) Transaction Management Foundation (TMF)

Question 27

To be accessible in a timely manner,information must be

A) out of date.
B) current.
C) easily accessible.
D) B and C only

Question 28

The goal of the CRM macro process is to

A) negotiate an effective contract that best meets enterprise needs.
B) improve the design of products.
C) fulfill demand generated by ISCM processes.
D) generate customer demand and facilitate transmission and tracking of orders.

Question 29

Processes that focus on internal operations within the enterprise are considered

A) Customer Relationship Management (CRM).
B) Internal Supply Chain Management (ISCM).
C) Supplier Relationship Management (SRM).
D) Transaction Management Foundation (TMF).

Question 30

Which of the following is not a characteristic information must have to be useful when making supply chain decisions?

A) Information must be accurate.
B) Information must be accessible in a timely manner.
C) Information must be interesting.
D) Information must be of the right kind.

Question 31

Software that provides the foundation upon which the macro processes rest through basic ERP systems,infrastructure software,and integration software is

A) Customer Relationship Management (CRM).
B) Internal Supply Chain Management (ISCM).
C) Supplier Relationship Management (SRM).
D) Transaction Management Foundation (TMF).

Question 32

Information technology (IT)consists of the tools

A) used to gain awareness of information.
B) to analyze information.
C) to act on information to improve the performance of the supply chain.
D) B and C only

Question 33

The emergence of supply chain management has broadened the scope across which companies make decisions to

A) the supplier.
B) the enterprise.
C) the entire supply chain.
D) the customer.

Question 34

Information is

A) the supply chain driver that serves as the glue allowing the other three drivers to work together to create an integrated, coordinated supply chain.
B) crucial to supply chain performance.
C) the key to the success of a supply chain.
D) all of the above

Question 35

Which of the following is not a factor determining the success of software firms focused on a macro process?

A) Functional performance
B) Color and images on working screens
C) Integration with other macro processes
D) Strength of the software firm's ecosystem

Question 36

To be of the right kind,information needs to be

A) useful.
B) irrelevant.
C) meaningless.
D) B and C only

Question 37

The ability to integrate is important to a customer because

A) applications that are easy to integrate are generally easier to get implemented and produce value.
B) applications that integrate across macro processes will be able to provide the benefits of making decisions for the extended supply chain.
C) firms that do not have integrated solutions in all three macro processes have a competitive advantage.
D) both A and B

Question 38

Information Technology (IT)

A) consists of the hardware and software throughout a supply chain that gather, analyze, and act on information.
B) serves as the eyes and ears (and sometimes a portion of the brain) of management in a supply chain.
C) can have a significant impact on a firm's performance.
D) all of the above

Question 39

The successful categories of software in the evolution taking place in enterprise software will be

A) those focused on the supply chain macro processes.
B) those not focused on the supply chain macro processes.
C) those focused on basic functions.
D) both A and C

Question 40

Processes that focus on upstream interactions between the enterprise and its suppliers are part of

A) Customer Relationship Management (CRM).
B) Internal Supply Chain Management (ISCM).
C) Supplier Relationship Management (SRM).
D) Transaction Management Foundation (TMF).

Question 41

Which of the following is not a major SRM process?

A) Supply Planning
B) Buy
C) Design Collaboration
D) Source

Question 42

Select an IT system that addresses the company's key success factors because

A) every industry has the same key success factors.
B) IT systems need to give a company an advantage in the areas most crucial to the success of the business.
C) these elements do not determine whether or not a company is going to be successful.
D) A and B only

Question 43

Key decisions include location and capacity planning of facilities.Which process of the ICSM would this describe?

A) Demand planning
B) Strategic planning
C) Supply planning
D) Fulfillment

Question 44

The textbook defines three macro supply chain processes.Which of the following is not one of these?

A) Customer relationship management
B) External supply chain management
C) Internal supply chain management
D) Supplier relationship management

Question 45

The ________ process links each order to a specific supply source and means of transportation.

A) Demand planning
B) Field service
C) Supply planning
D) Fulfillment

Question 46

The CRM processes are crucial to the supply chain because

A) all demand, and therefore revenue, ultimately arises from the customer.
B) CRM processes (and also CRM software) must be integrated with internal operations to optimize performance.
C) customer-focused units should be working independently from internal operations.
D) A and B only

Question 47

Which of the following is not a key process under ISCM?

A) Strategic Planning
B) Fulfillment
C) Supply Collaboration
D) Demand Planning

Question 48

Which of the following is not true concerning information supporting supply chain decisions?

A) Information must be accurate
B) Information must be accessible in a timely fashion
C) Information must be of the right kind
D) Information needs to be kept confidential

Question 49

There are 4 major SRM processes.Which of the following is not one of these?

A) Sell
B) Negotiate
C) Source
D) Buy

Question 50

Which of the following is a key process under ISCM?

A) Design Collaboration
B) Negotiate
C) Supply Collaboration
D) Supply Planning

Question 51

Use IT systems to support decision making,not to make decisions because

A) the software available today can make many supply chain decisions for management.
B) companies need to maintain the amount of managerial effort they spend on supply chain issues.
C) management needs to be able to make adjustments in the supply chain because the competitive and customer landscape changes.
D) B and C only

Question 52

Internal supply chain management is focused on operations internal to the enterprise.Which of the following would not fall into this category?

A) Supply planning
B) Customer support
C) Fulfillment
D) Field service

Question 53

Which of the following is a major SRM process?

A) Strategic Planning
B) Order Management
C) Design Collaboration
D) Supply Planning

Question 54

Align the level of sophistication with the need for sophistication because

A) there is a trade-off between the ease of implementing a system and the system's level of complexity.
B) erring on the less sophisticated side leaves the firm with a competitive weakness.
C) trying to be too sophisticated leads to a higher possibility of the entire system failing.
D) all of the above

Question 55

Information on product margins,prices,quality,delivery lead times,and so on,are all important in making sourcing decisions.Which supply chain driver is relevant here?

A) Transportation
B) Facilities
C) Sourcing
D) Inventory

Question 56

Which of the following is not a key process under CRM?

A) Market
B) Demand Planning
C) Order Management
D) Sell

Question 57

The key processes under CRM are

A) production.
B) sales.
C) marketing.
D) order management.

Question 58

Take incremental steps and measure value because

A) some of the worst IT disasters are due to the fact that companies try to implement IT systems in a wide variety of processes at the same time.
B) companies should not take a big picture perspective.
C) the big picture perspective should be implemented in digestible pieces.
D) A and C only

Question 59

The ISCM processes should have strong integration with the SRM macro process because

A) SRM applications have the most data and insight on customer behavior to be used in forecasting.
B) supply planning, fulfillment, and field service are all dependent on suppliers.
C) order management must integrate closely with fulfillment and be an input for effective demand planning.
D) A and B only

Question 60

Companies need to think about the future because

A) trends in a company's industry regarding insignificant characteristics could become crucial in the future.
B) managers need to explore how flexible the systems will be when changes are required in the future.
C) IT systems often last for many more years than originally planned.
D) all of the above

Question 61

Explain the role of information in the supply chain.

Question 62

Explain the role of information technology in the supply chain.

Question 63

Which of the following is not listed as an important trend that will affect IT in the supply chain?

A) Improved speed of hardware and software
B) Growth as software as a service
C) Increased availability of real-time data
D) Increased use of mobile technology

Question 64

Discuss how the three supply chain macro processes interface in order to be successful.

Question 65

Explain the characteristics information must have to be useful for decision making in a supply chain.

Question 66

In the textbook,Gartner listed the top five ERP software vendors in 2010.Which of the following is not one of these?

A) SAP
B) Microsoft
C) Peoplesoft
D) Oracle