Pass the CIPS CIPS Level 4 Diploma in Procurement and Supply L4M2 Questions and answers with CertsForce

Explanation

Using standards in specification is very convenient. They reduce the time and effort to produce. They tend to be very accurate with correct technical terminologies. They are well recognised and accepted by a wide range of suppliers and buyers. However, since a standard is very specific, complex and lengthy, it requires a lot of time to be drafted and approved. Therefore, standard tends to be static and don't encourage innovation. It may also not accommodate latest technology and trends.

Comprehensive and Detailed Explanation (from CIPS L4M2 – Market and Supplier Power)

Supplier power decreases when:

Many substitutes exist (buyers can switch easily).

Low switching costs allow buyers to change suppliers without penalty.

Options A, C, and E describe conditions that increase supplier power or are irrelevant to it.

Hence, B and D are correct.

Relevant L4M2 references:

“Supplier power within Porter’s Five Forces”

“Factors reducing supplier influence: substitution and switching costs”

Explanation

According to Investopedia, the financial services sector provides financial services to people and corporations. This segment of the economy is made up of a variety of financial firms includ-ing banks, investment houses, lenders, finance companies, real estate brokers, and insurance com-panies. As noted above, the financial services industry is probably the most important sector of the economy, leading the world in terms of earnings and equity market capitalization. Large conglomerates dominate this sector, but it also includes a diverse range of smaller companies.

According to the finance and development department of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), financial services are the processes by which consumers or businesses acquire financial goods. For example, a payment system provider offers a financial service when it accepts and transfers funds between payers and recipients. This includes accounts settled through credit and debit cards, checks, and electronic funds transfers.

Companies in the financial services industry manage money. For instance, a financial advi-sor manages assets and offers advice on behalf of a client. The advisor does not directly provide investments or any other product, rather, they facilitate the movement of funds between savers and the issuers of securities and other instruments. This service is a temporary task rather than a tangible asset.

Financial goods, on the other hand, are not tasks. They are things. A mortgage loan may seem like a service, but it's actually a product that lasts beyond the initial provision. Stocks, bonds, loans, commodity assets, real estate, and insurance policies are examples of financial goods.

Explanation

Public annual reports can be a source of information that helps the procurement professional to analyse an industry's cost and revenue using the line of best fit. Line of best fit is one of the most important outputs of regression analysis. Regression refers to a quantitative measure of the relationship between one or more independent variables and a resulting dependent variable. Regression is of use to professionals in a wide range of fields from science and public service to financial analysis.

In this case, by collecting and analysing 17 annual reports, the procurement manager can find the line of best fit which goes approximately through the middle of the data points with an equal num-ber of data points above and below it.

The slope of the line of best fit is the approximate variable costs the industry. The easiest way to calculate it is to take a point at the right-hand end of the line of best fit and note its cost and output levels. Divide the cost by the output and this gives and approximate figure for the cost per unit of output or variable cost. This gives an approximate value for the industry fixed and variable costs.

Explanation

The Performance Specifications define what the system being designed must do, and not how it must do it. In this step a list of needs and wants should be created. The needs are customer requirements, while the wants are engineering desires. If a buyer adopts performance specification, the supplier will be free to choose how to make and deliver the product.

A technical specification document outlines how you’re going to address a technical problem by designing and building a solution for it.

A design specification is a detailed document providing a list of points regarding a product or pro-cess. For example, the design specification could include required dimensions, environmental fac-tors, ergonomic factors, aesthetic factors, maintenance that will be needed, etc. It may also give specific examples of how the design should be executed, helping others work properly (a guideline for what the person should do).

With conformance specification the buyer says what they want and how they want it and the supplier has to meet this

Explanation

Main risks involved in an under-specified requirement

• The product or service is not fit for use since it does not match the actual needs

• Higher cost due to corrections or reworks (proposal evaluations, scope or work monitoring, change in insulation materials or systems, reduced productivity, etc.).

• Higher operating cost on many fronts: process control, energy consumption, maintenance, etc.

• Other problems like corrosion under insulation, mold development, safety-related concerns, etc.

LO 3, AC 3.3