Free APICS CTSC Practice Exam with Questions & Answers | Set: 3

According to the CTSC Exam Content Manual, an agile chain is a supply chain model that can handle high demand during peak season and quickly adjust to a lean period with low demand1.An agile chain is characterized by high responsiveness, flexibility, and adaptability to changing customer needs and market conditions1.An agile chain can also cope with high levels of uncertainty and variability in demand and supply1. The other options are not the best supply chain model for this scenario, as they have different characteristics and trade-offs.A custom-configured chain is a supply chain model that delivers customized products or services to customers through modularization and postponement strategies1.A custom-configured chain is suitable for high variety and low volume markets, but it may not be able to handle high demand peaks efficiently2.An efficient chain is a supply chain model that focuses on minimizing costs and maximizing asset utilization through economies of scale and scope1.An efficient chain is suitable for low variety and high volume markets, but it may not be able to adjust quickly to demand fluctuations or customer preferences2.A flexible chain is a supply chain model that can handle moderate changes in demand and supply by adjusting production capacity and inventory levels1.A flexible chain is suitable for medium variety and medium volume markets, but it may not be able to handle extreme demand peaks or lean periods without compromising service levels or costs2.

According to the CTSC exam content manual1, implementing electronic data interchange (EDI) can provide benefit in establishing business relationships with suppliers by building trust, which is one of the key elements of supplier relationship management. EDI can help to build trust by enabling faster, more accurate, and more secure data exchange, reducing errors and disputes, improving communication and collaboration, and enhancing customer satisfaction.

According to the ASCM CTSC Exam Content Manual, building resilience is one of the organizational competencies for risk management and disruption response.It is defined as "the ability to recover quickly from difficulties and adapt to changing conditions"1. Building resilience can help a company with a global presence to cope with the uncertainties and complexities of operating in emerging markets, where risks and disruptions may be more frequent and severe.Some of the elements of building resilience include developing a risk-aware culture, implementing agile processes, fostering collaboration and innovation, and enhancing learning and feedback loops23.

1: ASCM CTSC Exam Content Manual, page 7.2:From risk management to strategic resilience | McKinsey3:Risk Management Magazine - Dealing with Disruption

According to the ASCM CTSC Exam Content Manual, one of the prerequisites for a supply chain transformation roadmap is to standardize and harmonize processes across the enterprise1. This can help to eliminate waste, reduce complexity, improve efficiency, and enable scalability of the supply chain opera-tions2. The other options are not prerequisites, but rather outcomes or enablers of a supply chain transformation roadmap.1: ASCM CTSC Exam Content Manual, page 10.2:1

According to the CTSC Exam Content Manual1, corporate strategy is the highest level of strategy in the strategy hierarchy. It involves defining the overall purpose, scope, and direction of the organization, as well as allocating resources and setting performancegoals for the entire organization. Corporate strategy also harmonizes plans to improve competencies of an organization as a whole, such as innovation, sustainability, digital transformation, and social responsibility. Option A, business strategy, is the level of strategy that focuses on how a business unit or division competes in a specific market or industry. Option C, functional area strategy, is the level of strategy that focuses on how a functional department or team supports the business strategy and the corporate strategy. Option D, operating strategy, is the level of strategy that focuses on how the daily operations and processes are executed and optimized.

a balanced scorecard is a tool that offers visualization to understand how effective processes are operating within the strategic plan by providing end-to-end supply chain transparency beyond conventional accounting measures.A balanced scorecard is defined as "a strategic planning and management system that is used extensively in business and industry, government, and nonprofit organizations worldwide to align business activities to the vision and strategy of the organization, improve internal and external communications, and monitor organization performance against strategic goals"2.A balanced scorecard typically includes four perspectives: financial, customer, internal process, and learning and growth2.A balanced scorecard helps to translate the organization’s vision and strategy into a coherent set of performance measures, and to monitor and manage the supply chain performance across multiple dimensions3.

1:Balanced Scorecard - an overview | ScienceDirect Topics2:Balanced Scorecard Basics - Balanced Scorecard Institute3:Balanced Scorecard for Supply Chain Management | Smartsheet: [Supply Chain Balanced Scorecard - SlideShare]

According to the CTSC Exam Content Manual1, conducting supply chain risk assessment and evaluating supply chain resilience is one of the SCORmark benchmarking steps. This step involves identifying and analyzing the potential risks and vulnerabilities that could affect the supply chain performance, and measuring the supply chain’s ability to recover from disruptions and adapt to changing conditions. This step helps to improve the supply chain’s robustness and agility, and to mitigate the impact of uncertainties and shocks.

1: https://www.ascm.org/ctsc-ecm/

supply chain transformation is the process of reimagining and redesigning the end-to-end supply chain operations to achieve higher levels of performance, efficiency, agility, and sustainability12. This requires a holistic and integrated approach that considers the interdependencies and trade-offs among the different supply chain functions, processes, and partners34.Therefore, the appropriate operational focus for supply chain transformation is to focus on supply chain integration and improving the supply chain overall, rather than on isolated metrics or segments. The other options are not wrong, but they are too narrow and may not capture the full potential of supply chain transformation.

According to the ASCM CTSC Exam Content Manual, ecological, ethical, and economic are the three major categories of practices that an organization should evaluate as it transforms its processes to be more sustainable.These categories are also known as the triple bottom line of sustainability, which measures the social, environmental, and financial impacts of an organization’s activities1.Ecological practices refer to the environmental aspects of sustainability, such as reducing greenhouse gas emissions, waste, and resource consumption, and enhancing biodiversity and ecosystem services12.Ethical practices refer to the social aspects of sustainability, such as respecting human rights, labor standards, and diversity, and promoting health, safety, and well-being of employees and communities13.Economic practices refer to the financial aspects of sustainability, such as creating value for stakeholders, ensuring fair and transparent transactions, and investing in innovation and development14.

1: ASCM CTSC Exam Content Manual, page 9.2:Environmental Sustainability: Definition and Importance - Investopedia3:Social Sustainability: Definition, Importance, and Examples - Investopedia4:Economic Sustainability: Definition, Importance, and Examples - Investopedia