Question 1

Supply chain executives should possess all of the following competencies, except for:

Accepted Answer

A)   Ability to communicate information to others.
B)   High adaptability to a workplace where job and environmental complexity varies.
C)   High need for achievement.
D)   Strong verbal intelligence.
E)   All of these are competencies that supply chain executives should possess. E

Question 2

Excellent communication skills would be an example of a soft skill that would be important in hiring employees for supply chain management jobs.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False  True

Question 3

Many supply chain executives are good leaders, but they recognize that they could improve in several areas. All of the following would be areas of potential improvement, except for:

Accepted Answer

A)   Being deliberate, but going along on their own pace.
B)   Being more willing to challenge the status quo.
C)   Considering deadlines that are rigid rather than flexible.
D)   Having more extensive cross-functional and global experience.
E)   Use of more open and information approaches to building better relationships with others. C

Question 4

In most organizations, supply chain operations' IT investment is a high priority.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 5

When considering employee skills demanded by employers for supply chain management jobs, both technical and soft skills are required. Which of the following would be considered a soft skill?

Accepted Answer

A)   Ability to utilize mobile technology.
B)   Business analytics insight.
C)   Good problem solving skills.
D)   Supply chain tech management.
E)   Understanding KPIs and benchmarking.

Question 6

The leading edge or top performing companies tend to fill job vacancies from the outside versus filling them from within the company.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 7

Which business writer and author has state that: "It's not how you compensate your executives, it's which executives you have to compensate in the first place."

Accepted Answer

A)   Jim Collins.
B)   W. Edwards Deming.
C)   Peter Drucker.
D)   Henry Ford.
E)   Tom Peters.

Question 8

Retaining the knowledge of employees who retire or leave a company is important. An example of informal or uncodified "tacit knowledge" that could be collected would be documents, contracts and manuals.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 9

In best-practice organizations, employee training efforts include all of the following key elements except for:

Accepted Answer

A)   Measures are in place to determine training effectiveness.
B)   Required competencies/skills are identified and documented for each position.
C)   Training only occurs within the organization and does not extend beyond the organization to other members of the supply chain.
D)   Training outcomes are correlated with performance reviews.
E)   Web-based training supports other training programs.

Question 10

Recruiting employees is becoming more difficult for many reasons. In most developed countries, the birth rate is well below the replacement rate of 2.1, thus firms have to attract talent from other countries.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 11

Incorporating the Internet into education and training involves both stand-alone supply chain-related coursework and the integration of the technology into other, more traditional, media.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 12

"Onboarding" refers to the training of employees.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 13

Salary and benefits are typically the most important factors that motivate supply chain professionals.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 14

A keiretsu, a term describing a group of affiliated corporations with broad power and reach, would typically provide all of the following types of support to the supply chain, except for:

Accepted Answer

A)   Financial.
B)   Legal.
C)   Logistics.
D)   Marketing and sales.
E)   Organizational.

Question 15

The approach known as 360 degree evaluation of employees and suppliers is more of a quantitative rather than qualitative measure of results.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 16

In a study of onboarding practices of U.S.-based companies it was found that organizations do a number of things. Which of the following is not one of those onboarding practices?

Accepted Answer

A)   A majority of firms do exit interviews when an employee leaves the company.
B)   A minority of companies have a formal onboarding program.
C)   A minority of firms have an onboarding program for employees who change jobs or are promoted.
D)   Less than one-half of companies begin onboarding prior to the new employee reporting to work.
E)   The most common onboarding metrics include employee turnover/retention and performance measures.

Question 17

There can be many reasons that performance objectives are not met by employees. Which of the following would be the most likely reason?

Accepted Answer

A)   They don't know what is expected of them.
B)   They don't know how to do the job due to poor training.
C)   They can't do the job because the job is poorly defined.
D)   There are barriers beyond the employee's control (e.g., lack of proper equipment, poor work environment) .
E)   They don't want to do the job.

Question 18

Best-in-class organizations tend to significantly outperform the average firm with respect to the cross-training of employees across multiple roles.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 19

Cost-to-sales ratios are important measures used to evaluate organizational effectiveness.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 20

Which of the following would not be applications of cloud computing in supply chain management?

Accepted Answer

A)   Allows organizations to reduce order cycle times using an integrated cloud-based system.
B)   Cloud-based WMS and ERP systems are less costly and just as effective as company-owned systems.
C)   Equipment performance and maintenance can be managed proactively.
D)   Supply chain visibility can be enhanced as real-time tracking and tracing occur with cloud-based applications.
E)   All of these would be applications of cloud computing in supply chain management.

Exam 15: Collaboration, Cooperation and Integration in the Supply Chain

Supply chain executives should possess all of the following competencies, except for:

Excellent communication skills would be an example of a soft skill that would be important in hiring employees for supply chain management jobs.

Many supply chain executives are good leaders, but they recognize that they could improve in several areas. All of the following would be areas of potential improvement, except for:

In most organizations, supply chain operations' IT investment is a high priority.

When considering employee skills demanded by employers for supply chain management jobs, both technical and soft skills are required. Which of the following would be considered a soft skill?

The leading edge or top performing companies tend to fill job vacancies from the outside versus filling them from within the company.

Which business writer and author has state that: "It's not how you compensate your executives, it's which executives you have to compensate in the first place."

Retaining the knowledge of employees who retire or leave a company is important. An example of informal or uncodified "tacit knowledge" that could be collected would be documents, contracts and manuals.

In best-practice organizations, employee training efforts include all of the following key elements except for:

Recruiting employees is becoming more difficult for many reasons. In most developed countries, the birth rate is well below the replacement rate of 2.1, thus firms have to attract talent from other countries.

Incorporating the Internet into education and training involves both stand-alone supply chain-related coursework and the integration of the technology into other, more traditional, media.

"Onboarding" refers to the training of employees.

Salary and benefits are typically the most important factors that motivate supply chain professionals.

A keiretsu, a term describing a group of affiliated corporations with broad power and reach, would typically provide all of the following types of support to the supply chain, except for:

The approach known as 360 degree evaluation of employees and suppliers is more of a quantitative rather than qualitative measure of results.

In a study of onboarding practices of U.S.-based companies it was found that organizations do a number of things. Which of the following is not one of those onboarding practices?

There can be many reasons that performance objectives are not met by employees. Which of the following would be the most likely reason?

Best-in-class organizations tend to significantly outperform the average firm with respect to the cross-training of employees across multiple roles.

Cost-to-sales ratios are important measures used to evaluate organizational effectiveness.

Which of the following would not be applications of cloud computing in supply chain management?