Giving employees the right to make modest decisions in an independent and self-directing way, on behalf of the organisation. Trusting employees to do the right thing, for example, when faced with a customer complaint.
Answer : B
Empowerment enables some decision-making to be at the 'lowest level' of the organisation, often creating enhanced levels of customer and job satisfaction. Empowerment can sometimes include small-scale authority to commit modest funds. Empowerment can enable staff to 'own' a problem.
The other terms shown are not relevant.
Question 2
Where there is transformational change coupled with a rapid rate of change ('big bang'), is this:
Answer : D
This a description of Revolution.
The other answers shown may be the subject of other questions in this test.
Question 3
An expediter would be expected to primarily:
Answer : C
Chase up late or potentially late deliveries - a task which in an ideal procurement world, would be unnecessary. I am hoping that 'in the real world' the volume of this type of activity is in decline.
Question 4
Which one of the following is very commonly seen as being the primary role of the procurement function (especially by those outside the procurement function)?
Answer : A
Cost reduction is often seen as being not only the primary role, but sometimes the only role, of the procurement function.
The other answer options give an indication of what activities can sometimes be more significant.
Question 5
Peter Scholtes identified ten behaviours (have you noticed ho it's always ten, never nine or eleven?) which commonly create problems in teams. Which are the three out of the four shown, which are genuine Scholte terms to describe these undesirable behaviours?
Answer : A, B, D
The three terms which Scholtes actually used are feuding, plops and wanderlust. Jousting is entirely made-up for this test.
Feuds are arguments based on personality or background.
Plops are ideas expressed by a team member, and ignored by everyone else. They just plop and are ignored.
Wanderlust is when the team or elements of it go off at a tangent, discussing irrelevant issues.
Question 6
It is said that society is undergoing the 'fourth industrial revolution'. Which description most close-ly defines this idea?
Answer : C
The bringing together of various technologies, such as artificial intelligence, efficient energy storage, 3D printing, quantum computing, etc.
The correct answer shown defines nicely the characteristics of the radical changes being brought about during the fourth industrial revolution.
The other answers may, to a greater or lesser extent, be changes in modern society, but they do not represent Industry 4.0
Question 7
A functional organisation structure can lead to a 'xxxx' effect whereby employees do not communi-cate effectively horizontally across the structure with each other. Choose one to replace 'xxxx'.
Answer : A
It's a 'silo effect'. Essentially this is about 'walls' being unintentionally created between functions of the organisation. Silos in the original sense are used for storing grain (tall thin buildings, common in the American mid-West); more recently for storing military missiles.
In the organisation this lack of ease in communicating can dent the performance of the organisation.
The other answers offered are irrelevant with Oreo being a type of 'much loved' American biscuit.
All Official Question Types