Essay Question: (75 points total) SCMS 4620/6620 Exam 1 Essay This essay section of the exam is worth 75% of your Exam 1 grade. Both the essays (on Canvas) and the multiple choice (on Connect)

Essay Question:  (75 points total) 

SCMS 4620/6620 Exam 1 Essay 

This essay section of the exam is worth 75% of your Exam 1 grade.  Both the essays (on Canvas) and the multiple choice (on Connect) are due by 11:59P Sunday, February 23.  Please upload your submissions in the same location as this exam question is located. You may complete the parts in any order you wish, butdo pay attention to the point value of each if time becomes a factor.

Rules for the essay portion: this is to be 100% your own work. It is not a group assignment. You may use your notes, your text, and ask me questions. You may not ask each other questions, reach out to anyone who has previously taken this class, or use any human help, live or online. I've provided separate guidance for use of Generative AI platforms (ChatGPT, Copilots, and the like) in the Announcements section this week. If you haven't read that guidance yet start there. It could be the difference between success and failure. I’m going to provide you with a prompt at the beginning of each question to help remind you of the need to cite your sources, if necessary. Please include this sentence at the beginning of your response.

Guidelines for the essay portion: there’s not a minimum or maximum page number I have in mind. However, this is 75% of your exam and a significant portion of your overall grade. I don't grade based on length of your response, but since I always receive emails asking, it would be difficult to demonstrate mastery of the content in less than 2 pages per question. It also isn’t necessary for you to write a thesis on these questions - write no more than 5 pages per question. Show me that you understand key concepts from Chapters 1 – 4 and can apply them to a real-world problem.

For the first question, please refer to the Chapter 4 Discussion Board in Canvas.

1. (45 points total)  You all shared some very interesting experiences in the Chapter 4 discussion. Select 2 situations described by your classmates who shared an experience where his/her expectations were not met and the customer experience made a bad situation worse (cannot use your own response). Explain the following for each:a. Brief (2 – 3 sentence) summary of your classmate’s situation (2.5 points per situation)b. From Table 4.2 in the text, explain (item and your reasoning) where the customer expectation fell short (reliability, responsiveness, access, communication, credibility, security, courtesy, competency, tangibles, knowing the customer). (5 points per situation)c. If you were the senior manager for the point of failure in the customer experience and received a call or email from your classmate, how would you resolve the issue? (5 points per situation)d. Considering the Customer Accommodation strategy discussion (summarized in Table 4.4), do you think your response to part C is the best strategy for your company? Consider the category your classmate would likely fall into and discuss your reasoning. (10 points per situation)

Remember:  complete parts a) through d) for 2 different classmate postings.

Your response must begin with:  I did / did not (select one) use AI assistance in writing this response. If I did, my citation is:  

2. (30 points total) You may recall from your Intro to Supply Chain class that there are several advantages to moving from an Anticipatory (push) supply chain model to a Responsive (pull) supply chain model. A few of those benefits include lower system inventory, less risk of inventory obsolescence, and shorter warehousing times. However, there are still many situations where a push model makes sense for a business. Given the following two scenarios, recommend whether a push or pull strategy would be better for the company and why. The why is the most important part – even if you get the push/pull wrong, you can still earn most of the credit for the question if you explain it well.

Your response must begin with:  I did / did not (select one) use AI assistance in writing this response. If I did, my citation is:  

a. Company X refines crude oil and distributes it across the United States as gasoline, kerosene, diesel fuel, and other chemicals. Distribution requires specialized vehicles. Manufacturing processes are very specialized. Information management systems are also very specialized and siloed – there are different vendors supplying complex systems to track raw materials, manufacturing processes, finished goods, and logistics. In other words, it’s difficult to get an enterprise-wide decision system in place. Push/pull strategy best? (1 point) Why? (14 points)b. Company Y manufactures college dormitories across the United States. They purchase raw materials from local suppliers and hire crews who live in the area. Their information management systems are simple but provide a holistic view of the project from the initial bid through completion. Push/pull strategy best? (1 point) Why? (14 points)