Free CIPS L4M6 Practice Exam with Questions & Answers | Set: 4

Explanation

This is an example of poor-communication. The information was not passed from the person who signed the contract to the staff on site who were to do the cleaning. See p.158 on communication issues.

In Tuckman’s model of team development, the Forming stage occurs at the outset. Team members meet, roles are unclear, and there is little conflict. Stakeholder teams will be in this stage initially before moving into storming (conflict), norming (agreement), and performing (high productivity).

Routine items are low risk and low value. They are non-critical and often easily sourced. CIPS categorizes such items in the ‘Routine’ quadrant of the Kraljic Matrix, where minimal procurement effort is justified and supply assurance is easily managed.

Explanation

A product with an ‘inelastic price’ means that consumption doesn’t really depend on how much it costs. So you could increase the price of alcohol and cigarettes and people would tend to still buy them. A product with an elastic price means that a change in price would have a large affect on the number of people who bought the item. See p.95 for more details on price elasticity.

Early Supplier Involvement (ESI) offers several advantages to buyers:

Shared expertise for problem solving: Engaging suppliers early allows for collaborative problem-solving, leveraging the supplier's specialized knowledge to enhance product development.

Improved understanding of seller capabilities: Early engagement provides insights into the supplier's capabilities, facilitating better alignment with project requirements.

Lower development costs: Collaborative efforts in the early stages can lead to cost savings by identifying efficiencies and reducing the need for later-stage modifications.

These benefits are highlighted in the CIPS Intelligence Hub:

"ESI can bring significant benefits to your organisation, due to the involvement of suppliers in the initial stages of product development... Here are some additional benefits that your organisation will see when adopting ESI... Helps to reduce cost... Integrates supplier capabilities in the manufacturers supply chain..."

— CIPS Intelligence Hub: Early Supplier Involvement

Partnerships are characterized by joint performance measurement (e.g., shared KPIs) and transparent information sharing to build trust and alignment. Win:lose negotiations and rigid end periods are more associated with adversarial or transactional relationships.

Explanation

The Kraljic model "plays a key part in category management" p.19 of the textbook. Category Management = the spend in an organisation, broken down into categories of related products (e.g. IT, facilities management, marketing). Each of these categories could be plotted on the Kraljic Matrix.

Comprehensive and Detailed Explanation:

Statement B:A strategic alliance is an agreement between two or more parties to pursue a set of agreed-upon objectives while remaining independent organizations. It is typically managed jointly by the partners to achieve mutual benefits without forming a new legal entity.Wikipedia

Statement C:In a joint venture, two or more parties create a new, separate legal entity by contributing equity, and they share in the revenues, expenses, and control of the enterprise. This new company is formed to undertake specific business activities.

Comprehensive and Detailed Explanation:

Effective contract termination involves addressing any breaches through agreed-upon remedies and compensation. This ensures that both parties are treated fairly and that any disputes are resolved in accordance with the contract terms.

Explanation

The correct answer is ‘Building better relationships with primary stakeholders’. This is a direct quote from the start of chapter 2.2: ‘building better relationships with primary stakeholders such as employees, customers, suppliers and communities could lead to increased shareholder wealth by developing a competitive advantage’. The other three options wouldn’t give you a competitive advantage; increasing prices would do the opposite, engaging in market research won’t give you a competitive advantage unless you do something with that research such as implement a change to your business, and completing formal tenders for everything would be a waste of time and resources- there’s no need to tender for low value, low risk items. See p.80