A company would like to reduce its inventory. The firm's investment in inventory represents 12% of the company's $11 million total assets. The inventory carrying cost is 20%. An inventory reduction of $1 million is considered a feasible goal. What impact would meeting this goal have on profit?
The supply manager for a semiconductor company receives an emergency phone call from the firm's factory manager, who states that the manufacturing equipment is down and that a replacement part is needed as soon as possible. The supply manager checks the stock for this part but finds nothing. In this situation, the supply manager should do which of the following?
A buyer is reviewing a quote for a shipment of electronic materials from Europe to Africa. The supplier offers a reasonable price for the materials and plans to deliver them using its regular shipping service. The terms are such that the buying company takes possession of the goods once they are loaded onto a boat in Europe. Which of the following information should be of GREATEST concern to the buyer?
A manufacturer is updating its production plans for the remainder of the year. The firm has already obtained revised needs information from its customers, as well as the finance and sales teams. Which of the following additional information would be MOST useful to the firm?
A firm sells an average of 2,000 units of snacks from its existing stock while it waits for orders to be delivered. Demand during lead time varies in accordance with a normal distribution. The firm's supply manager prepares a presentation to explain the concept of customer service and safety stock levels using the following figure:
What does the shaded area D (in red) represent?
At the beginning of each year, a large firm’s indirect procurement organization holds a brainstorming session. These sessions produce many great ideas and foster support among the procurement team. However, after a few years, support for the brainstorming sessions begins to diminish, and the projects discussed are pushed aside in order to deal with more pressing issues. In this situation, which of the following would be the BEST course of action to take?
A company determines that demand for an item is steady at 800 units per month, and that the cost of ordering and receiving the item is $300, regardless of how much is ordered. The per item charge is $5, and holding costs are 20% annually. Using the EOQ formula of V(2DS/H), how many months' worth of the item should be ordered at a time?
A company requires a physical tracking system for goods received and handled in its warehouse. The firm's executive management requests a report to justify funding for the tracking system. Which of the following is the PRIMARY point the report should address?