QUESTION $2(25$ Marks$)$

Purchasing management has evolved from a support function to a mainstream value adding function within the

organisation. Procurement management and strategic sourcing now feature within the $$executive suite$$ of almost every

organisation. Analyse how global sourcing can assist an organisation to achieve truly global performance levels.

ID$24$

QUESTION $3(25$ Marks$)$

Supply chain integration is an important undertaking that is emphasised by supply chain managers. This helps the

manager to identify areas of weakness and areas for improvement and to suggest measures on how all processes can

be viewed as a system. Provide a critical discussion of any obstacles to process integration along the supply chain.

QUESTION $4(25$ Marks$)$

A large Portland manufacturer wants to forecast demand for a piece of pollution control equipment, a review of past

sales as shown in the table below, shows that an increasing trend is present;

Month $($t$)12345678910$

Actual demand $($At$)121720192421312836?$

Smoothing constants are assigned the values of smoothing constant$=0\mathrm{.}2$ and smoothing constant for the trend$=0\mathrm{.}4.$ The

firm also assumes that the initial forecast for month $1($F$1)$ was $11$ units and the trend over the period $($T$1)$ was $2$ units.

Develop a trend adjusted exponential smoothing forecast for the $10$ months.