供应链简答题（英语）.docxVIP

供应链简答题（英语） 1.1Explain the 3 decision phases (categories) that must be made in a successful supply chain. Answ er: The 3 decision phases that occur within a supply chain are supply chain strategy (or design), supply chain planning and supply chain operation. Decisions relate to the flow of information, product and funds. The difference between categories depends upon the frequency of each decision and the time frame over which it has an impact. During the supply chain strategy phase, a company determines what the chain’s configurations will be, how resources will be allocated, and what processes each stage will perform. This will establish the structure of the supply chain for several years. Supply chain planning deals with decisions with a time frame from 3 months up to a year. The planning phase must work within the constraints established in the strategy phase. Planning decisions include which markets to supply from which locations, subcontracting of manufacturing, inventory policies and timing and size of marketing promotions. The supply chain operation phase operates on a weekly or daily time horizon and deals with decisions concerning individual customer orders. Difficulty: Hard 1.2.Describe the cycle view of the processes within a supply chain. Answ er: The cycle view divides the supply chain into a series of 4 cycles between the 5 different stages of a supply chain. The cycles are the customer order cycle, replenishment cycle, manufacturing cycle and procurement cycle. The customer order cycle occurs at the customer/retailer interface and includes all processes directly involved in receiving and filling the customer. The replenishment cycle occurs at the retailer/distributor interface and includes all processes involved in replenishing retailer inventory. The manufacturing cycle typically occurs at the distributor/manufacturer (or retailer/manufacturer) interface and includes all processes involved in replenishing distributor (or retailer) inventory. The proc