1. (a) What are some of the factors that would influence whether a firm centralizes or decentralizes its supply management organization?
(b) Discuss the role of consortiums and Group Purchasing Organizations
(c) What is the logic behind co-locating purchasing personnel with internal customers?
2. (a) Explain the difference between category strategy development and strategic sourcing. How do these differences translate into different types of processes and activities required to produce an outcome in each case?
(b) Describe a set of supply management goals that might be aligned with the following corporate objective made by an automotive manufacturer: “To be the number one in customer satisfaction.”
(c) Some companies have begun to bring production from Low Cost Countries back to North America and Europe. What are some possible explanation for this shift?