CIPS Updated L4M8 Exam Questions and Answers by herbert

Once the need has been understood, defined, justified and authorized, the next stages are to analyze and test the market. Analyzing and testing the market includes looking at the following

1. STEEPLE analysis

2. SWOT analysis

3. Porter’s five forces

4. Level of suppliers competition

5. Supply and demand

6. Push and pull

7. Supplier segmentation

8. Product life cycle

9. Ansoff matrix

10. Early supplier involvement

11. Make or buy

12. Offshoring

1. Porter’s five forces: The use of porter’s five forces helps the procurement professional to understand the level of competition within the marketplace. Whether it is a monopoly, oligopoly, imperfect or perfect market. Knowing these will equip the organization to better negotiate a favorable price.

2. Supply and Demand: the procurement professional must also think about supply and demand as part of their market analysis when they receive a requisition. This economic factor has a significant effect on the prices charged and on the cost incurred.

3. Supplier segmentation: in this the procurement professional start to form an opinion of potential suppliers.. They can segment current suppliers into four categories, depending on their level of integration into an organization. This can help to inform the procurement professional of which type of supplier relationship that would be most appropriate.

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Carters outsource matrix is a useful tool that procurement professionals uses to decide which products or services has a high or low contribution to the organization operation performance and its strategic importance. The matrix segments products/services into four quadrants. These are Eliminate, outsource, strategic alliance and retain.

According to Carters outsource matrix, all product/services that has a high strategic importance should not be outsourced. They should rather be retained in house or carefully chose suitable sup-pliers and go into strategic alliance.

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When a fixed asset reaches the end of its life, it requires decommissioning before reconditioning or disposal.

Decommissioning is to observe all the safety measures and technical procedures and stop active machinery or an asset from operation (example gas plan, generator, transformer etc.

Decommissioning process include the following aspect

1) Preparation: Plan the process

2) Dismantle: Take the asset apart and remove hazardous waste

3) Processing: make safe any hazardous waste

4) Disposal: Ensure paper work is received to confirm removal and disposal

A cross-function Team is the involvement of all departments that are in an organization to contribute knowledge, skills and innovation towards adding value to achieving the organization’s strategic goal. Example, procurement, maintenance, marketing, finance, human resources working together in procurement activity to come up with the best strategy or selecting the supplier that best suit the organization.

When working in a cross-functional team, members of the organization give support by believing in the end goal, assist during difficult time, help troubleshoot any issue, providing the required resources and sharing information