Questions and Answers of Purchasing Supply Chain Management

What might cause an alliance or partnership to end?
Define the concept of partnerships and alliances. Identify when a firm should pursue a partnership or alliance with selected suppliers
What groups should be involved when conducting an insourcing/outsourcing analysis, and what information can each of these groups provide?
Develop a process that would guide firms through the insourcing/outsourcing process.
What must a buyer consider when determining what quantity to purchase?
Aleda Marucheck has received the following quote from a supplier of replacement ink cartridges used in laser jet printers:Quantity..................................Unit Price
What quantity should Aleda order if she wants to receive the lowest incremental costs between quantities?
Are there factors besides learning that can help reduce costs as volume increases?
Why do manual processes experience greater learning curves compared with automated processes?
Why can we use rough estimates when applying learning curves?
Under what conditions can we use learning curves to estimate prices? In other words, when does learning curve apply?
What do you estimate the buyer should pay per unit for the next 700 pieces assuming the supplier demonstrates a 75 percent learning curve or improvement rate?
Identify the kinds of resources, in general, that cross-functional sourcing teams should be provided to be successful.
Research has demonstrated a strong link between effective team leadership and cross-functional team success. Describe the characteristics of an effective team leader. Next, describe the
Goal setting is also important to team success. Discuss how organizations and teams should establish goals, and why having team goals is important.
Gaining team member commitment is critical to team success. Discuss how this unit can use its employee performance evaluation and reward system can encourage members to support cross-functional
Is the sourcing organization deploying resources to ensure that suppliers' capabilities are aligned with the competitive and manufacturing strategies?
Are sourcing strategies developed in Honda to optimize the mix of local suppliers and transplant suppliers?
Is Honda effectively organized to promote coordination among the different global strategic business units?
Does Honda create an effective global vision as a primary driver for investing resources and effort in seeking global suppliers?
Identify the types of training that team members at Engineered Materials will likely require before they can effectively support team interaction and activities.