Essay Questions:
Your answer should demonstrate quality excellence. You may refer to PowerPoint lecture notes and textbook materials. For illustrations, use five W & one H (who, when, why, what, so what and how) and present your case clearly with interesting support details.
1. Negotiation is both art and science.
(1) For strategic sourcing, why is negotiation increasingly important?
(2) Discuss the changing nature of negotiation (e.g., complexity) as both the scale and scope of negotiation are enlarged;
(3) What specific negotiation tactics/rules are regarded as best practices for negotiation with foreign suppliers (e.g., Chinese or European suppliers)?
2. (1) What are the pros and cons of applying the United clean sheets approach to all contract negotiation to contract negotiations for regional retailers/distributors like Anderson?
(2) Explain why Panama Canal Expansion contract disputes and how they were settled?
3. (1) Why is the top management's ethical behaviors crucial for successful implementation of corporate social responsibility(CSR) practices?
(2) Discuss how your firm(i.e., youindividual project firm) implements CSR practices for successful results.
4. (1) Explain the differences between lean management and lean supply chain management;
(2) According to Clinical Trials Supply Chain (pp. 652-653), how lean supply chain principles are applied in healthcare industry?
5. 4th Industrial Revolution is expected to have major impact in supply chain management.
(1) Discuss how electrical vehicles (EVs) and autonomous driving (AD) will transform traditional closed network of supply chain management.
(2) How do tier 1 suppliers prepare to get ready for this change.
6. Increasingly, firms change their organizational structure from hierarchical to open centric organization.
(1) Identify key factors that make these changes possible;
(2) What specific steps organizations need to take to make this transition effective?
7. (1) Why is it practically not feasible to achieve desirable financial performance goals without achieving operational outcomes?
(2) Discuss what specific benchmarking practices are needed for organizational competitiveness, operational effectiveness, functional excellence and sustainable competitiveness.