Supply Chain Management Midterm Exam Questions Apr 2026

Calculate the total landed cost of this disaster using the data below. Then recommend a specific inventory policy (e.g., Fixed Order Quantity, Periodic Review, or Just-in-Time) for perishable goods, and explain how your chosen policy would prevent the FIFO failure.

The warehouse manager cried. They had no FIFO (First-In-First-Out) system. Old fruit rotted in the back while new fruit was pushed to the front. Spoilage reached 45%. The company had to pay $15,000 in hazardous waste disposal fees. supply chain management midterm exam questions

Conduct a qualitative risk assessment of the VietDelta exclusive contract. Identify two specific supply chain risks (e.g., geopolitical, logistical, financial). Then, recommend one risk mitigation strategy (e.g., dual sourcing, contingency clauses, safety stock) that FreshFruit should have used before signing. Finally, perform a break-even analysis to decide: Should they pay the penalty and switch to RioAzul? Calculate the total landed cost of this disaster

Name the specific type of SCM technology (e.g., IoT sensors, blockchain, RFID, AI-based demand sensing) most likely responsible for the spoilage reduction. Then, describe two non-technical barriers to implementing such a system (e.g., employee resistance, data silos, supplier unwillingness). Finally, write a one-paragraph response to the quitting manager that defends the use of data-driven SCM while respecting their experience. Bonus Question (Extra Credit – Integration) The Story: Looking back, all of FreshFruit’s failures—forecasting, inventory, sourcing, logistics, sustainability, and technology—were connected. The viral demand spike caused the rushed sourcing. The bad contract caused the logistics scramble. The logistics failure made the sustainability effort desperate. They had no FIFO (First-In-First-Out) system

Draw (or describe in words) a causal loop diagram showing how one failure triggered the next. Identify the single root cause that, if fixed first, would have prevented the most damage. Justify your choice in two sentences. End of Exam.