INTRODUCTION
This question bank is designed for business students preparing for the OM 300 Exam 3 (Chilcutt) and
related operations management course exams at universities across the United States. It contains
unique, multiple-choice questions with verified answers and detailed rationales, covering the full exam
blueprint: supply chain management fundamentals (supply chain definitions, bullwhip effect, VMI, CPFR,
push vs. pull systems, postponement, drop shipping, cross-docking, 3PL/4PL, TCO, supplier scorecards,
certification, strategic partnerships, make-or-buy, outsourcing, offshoring, nearshoring, reshoring,
supply chain mapping, visibility, resilience, risk management, single vs. multi-source suppliers, global
supply chains, distribution centers, fulfillment centers, inventory turnover, safety stock, cycle stock,
pipeline inventory, speculative stock), inventory management (EOQ, ROP, POQ, quantity discount model,
single-period model, newsvendor model, ABC analysis, periodic vs. continuous review, two-bin system,
VMI, consignment inventory, JIT inventory, kanban, pull vs. push, inventory accuracy, cycle counting,
shrinkage, obsolete inventory, dead inventory, carrying costs, ordering costs, stockout costs, backorders,
lost sales, service level, fill rate, SKU, inventory pooling, postponement, visibility, optimization, multi-
echelon systems, DRP), lean operations and JIT (lean operations, Toyota Production System, kaizen,
jidoka, poka-yoke, value stream mapping, takt time, cell layout, JIT, kanban, push vs. pull, seven wastes, U-
shaped layout, cellular layout, FMS, CIM, CAD, CAM, automation, robots, NC/CNC machines, lean culture,
employee empowerment, kaizen events), material requirements planning (MRP, MPS, BOM, product
structure tree, parent/component items, lead time, net/gross requirements, scheduled receipts, planned
order release/receipt, lot sizing, lot-for-lot, fixed-order quantity, EOQ, MRP II, ERP, CRP, rough-cut
capacity planning, DRP), scheduling and short-term planning (scheduling, forward/backward scheduling,
FCFS, SPT, EDD, LPT, Johnson's rule, Gantt charts, load reports, finite/infinite loading, assignment method,
dispatch lists, work centers, routing), and maintenance and reliability (maintenance, preventive,
breakdown, predictive, reliability, MTBF, MTTR, availability, TPM, autonomous maintenance, FMEA, fault tree
analysis, redundancy, series/parallel reliability, bathtub curve, OEE).
,SECTION 1: SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT FUNDAMENTALS
Question 1
What is a supply chain?
A) A network of organizations and activities that supply a firm with goods
and services
B) A single company's production process
C) A marketing distribution channel
D) A financial reporting system
Correct Answer: A
Rationale: A supply chain is a global network of organizations and
activities that supply a firm with goods and services. Members
collaborate to achieve high levels of customer satisfaction and
efficiency.
Question 2
What is the objective of supply chain management?
A) To maximize customer satisfaction only
B) To minimize total system-wide costs while maximizing customer
satisfaction
C) To eliminate all middlemen
D) To minimize marketing expenditures
Correct Answer: B
,Rationale: The goal of supply chain management is to achieve high
levels of customer satisfaction, efficiency, and competitive
advantage while minimizing total system-wide costs.
Question 3
Which of the following is NOT a component of supply chain management?
A) Purchasing
B) Logistics
C) Marketing research
D) Supplier relationship management
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: Supply chain management includes purchasing, logistics,
supplier relationship management, and operations. Marketing
research is a marketing function.
Question 4
What is the bullwhip effect?
A) The tendency for demand variability to increase as you move up the
supply chain
B) The tendency for demand variability to decrease as you move up the
supply chain
, C) The tendency for costs to increase as you move up the supply chain
D) The tendency for quality to decrease as you move up the supply chain
Correct Answer: A
Rationale: The bullwhip effect is the tendency for demand variability
to increase as you move up the supply chain, from retailer to
wholesaler to manufacturer to supplier.
Question 5
What causes the bullwhip effect?
A) Lack of information sharing and demand forecasting
B) Excessive information sharing
C) Too much inventory
D) Too little inventory
Correct Answer: A
Rationale: The bullwhip effect is caused by lack of information
sharing, demand forecasting based on orders rather than customer
demand, and order batching.
Question 6
How can the bullwhip effect be reduced?
A) By sharing demand information across the supply chain
B) By keeping information secret