SCM - Question Bank

Short Questions

1. Compare/Distinguish/Define
1) SCM Vs. LM
2) ERP Vs. DRP
3) 3PL Vs. 4PL
4) MTO Vs. MTS
5) MRP-I Vs. MRP-II
6) RFID Vs. Barcodes
7) inbound vs outbound logistics
8) efficiency vs responsive strategy
9) Functionals Products Vs. Innovative Products
10) Delphi and Sale-Force Composite Methods

2. Explain briefly the Typology of Supply Chains?

3. Explain the steps involved in the demand management process.
4. List the problems & challenges in supply chain management
5. List the key drivers of supply chain management.
6. Describe the three flows in supply chain management.
7. List and Compare the methods for demand forecasting.
8. Explain the role of e-commerce in supply chain management.
9. Explain briefly the quick response (QR) and accurate response (QR) system in SCM?
10. “A firm can vary the supply of its product by controlling its production capacity and
inventory”. Comment

Long Questions

11. Define Supply Chain Management. Examine the significance of Supply Chain
Management in day-to-day business operations?
12. Appraise the evolution and concept of supply chain management in detail.
13. Analyse the necessity for Outsourcing of Supply Chain Operations in current globalized
business scenario. Also discuss the role of Third Party (3PL) Logistics service providers
in building efficient & effective supply chains.
14. Appraise the New Developments in Supply Chain Management and discuss each one
of the briefly. Also highlight the practices that lead to a World Class Supply Chain
Management.
15. Summarize the concept of Benchmarking in Supply Chain Management. Discuss the
process of benchmarking supply chain practices.
16. Write Short Notes on any TWO of the Following:-
a. Co-Makership
b. EPOS
c. Components of SCM
17. Summarize the concept & methods of Demand Forecasting. Also discuss its key
application areas and the business functions dependent on it for their planning.
18. Explain the concept of ERP in SCM and contrast its evolution and significance in the
digital era of business.
19. “The supply chain is a concatenation of cycles” in light of the statement explain the
various cycles and the intermediaries involved in a supply chain. Also indicate who
owns which Cycle.
20. Contrast the various decision phases in SCLM - Strategic, Tactical and Operational
21. What do you understand by green supply chain management? Highlight the green
supply chain practices with reference to Procurement, manufacturing & marketing
practices in the supply chains in Indian context.
22. Consider the supply chain network for a Smartphone Retailer in India. Explain and
illustrate with the help of a network diagram the following in the supply chain
network:
1) The components of the supply chain for the retailer.
2) The different firms involved in the supply chain.
3) The objectives of these firms.
4) Provide examples of conflicting objectives in this supply chain

23. What way does the supply chain flows affect the success or failure of a firm such as
Flipkart. List two supply chain decisions that have a significant impact on supply chain
profitability.

24. Case – HUL – Redesigning Supply Chain

(Note: Read the following Case carefully and answer the questions given at the end.)

HUL has 100 plants (geographically spread throughout India) where a number of
different product lines are manufactured and supplied to 50 odd depots that are
geographically spread throughout India. To improve responsiveness and simultaneously
to reduce costs, HUL has come up with the concept of regional depots. The company
has four regional depots (one in each zone of the country) and all slow-moving items
are first brought to regional depots from which the entire basket of slow-moving goods
is shipped to 50 odd depots. All fast-moving items are shipped directly from the plants
to depots. One of the management trainees has suggested that HUL should redesign its
supply chain (for slow moving items). He has come with the following two options:

a) Have only one central depot at Nagpur (Centre of India) and serve the entire 50
depots from one central depot for all slow-moving items.
b) Have four regional depots but each depot should specialize and stock only selected
items that gets produced from the plants that are located in that zone" So all depots will
get served from four regional depots for slow-moving items (instead of the current
arrangement where each depot is served from the closet regional depot for all slow-
moving items). Each of the slow-moving items will get stocked at only one of the four
regional depots.

Question : Critically analyze the above two options.

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