Materials Management questions bank
1. "Management synchronises with the control of very systems, procedures, methods, techniques and tools. and materials which are truly effective instruments in serving the enterprise." Is it really so ? Discuss the Statement in the light of the statement. Your emphasis should be on 'Management inRelation to Materials'. 
2. Is It true to say that integrated materials management is better placed for manoeuvring the cost curve ? Explain. 
3. Is there any difference between conventional approach and modern approach to materials management organisation? Illustrate with the help of charts. 
4. 'Organisation in Reality' is a caption. You are to take an imaginary situation and prepare an organisation chan accordingly. Also explain the difference between theoretical approaches in this chapter and your own approach. Is there any material difference? Account for the digerenas. 
5. "It is not enough merely to climb over these obstacles : the climbing has to be better and quicker than good 'enough', and it is 'this good enough' which the materials manager has to search and go for." Elucidate the statement. 
6. "Having guarded against the survival aspect by interpreting. analysing and then forecasting, thematerials manager is loaded with the responsibility of ensuring reasonable profit to the undertaking." Is the statement true? How far a materials manager is responsible for ensuring a profit margin ? Why should he be made so responsible ? 
7. "Materials planning is a part of production planning." Do you apes? Differentiate between the two. Explain the factors affecting materials planning substantially. 
8. "Standardisation promotes ,'the interest of the consumer and serves the purpose of the producer." Elucidate the statement. 
9. "If anything can go wrong ; it will," "Of the things that can't go wrong, some will." Murphy's Laws Comment lucidly in the light of the necessity and importance of inventory control. 
10. Comment on the necessity of having an Economic-order Quantity and illustrate. 
11. How far the computers are successful in stock saving ? "The radical change from a manual system to complete computerisation of stock control brings new problems, frustration and even failures." Comment on the statement taking India as a test case in the matter. 
12. "The contribution (of Materials Management) can best be measured by the amount by which it has been able to reduce the cost and control the inventory." How far do you subscribe to thisstatement ? Can you say that this evaluation philosoply is not conducive to the growth of materials management as a service function. 
13. "The function of stores control is perhaps the least glamorous of all aspects of materials management and is yet so necessary and important." Comment. 
14. "The success with which the stores department is functioning is determined by the quantum of saving induced by it by way of consuming less time, employing less labour and spending less in operations." Do you subscribe ? In the light of the above statement explain the factors which are responsible for making the storekeeping a success. 
15. "Storekeeper vs cashier". Is this a meaningful dialogue? Explain. 
16. How will you decide, the location of a storehouse for you. industrial unit the top management of which is insistent on having a centralised storehouse whereas you think that decentralised store operation may help the organisation ?.How will you reconcile the two and take a Turn decision. 
17. "Feeding materials into a machine line, ensuring the cheap and efficient flow of materials from one end of the productive chain to others, are the fields in which a receipt procedure operates." Comment and suggest a receipt procedure for a large industrial undertaking engaged in producing cement. 
18. "Stores accounting is a wholly unnecessary and even wasteful expenditure." Comment with a view to bring out the importance of stores accounting for the materials department. 
19. "A purchase executive is engaged in (i) development of new sources. (ii) standardisation, (iii) introducing mw materials,(iv) variety reduction process, and (v) value analysis activities." Do you think that a purchase 'executive can really do justice to all these activities ? Explain his responsibilities in this connection. 
20. Do you think that knowledge of channel of distribution helps a purchase executive in right selection of source of a supply.  
21. What is price forecasting? What techniques would you adopt in price forecasting for purchasing different items for your industrial undertaking? Illustrate. 
22. "The purchase - budget is not merely an estimate of purchase e to be made and the financial requirements for such purchasss but it mho exercises control over expendimrc on purchases and consumption of materials." Define a purchase budget and comment on the statement. 
23. Why make-or-buy decision is a poser for the management ? Do you think that it is a question which cau be answered straightaway and lightly? If not, why? Explain. 
24. What is sub-contracting? Comment on the advantages of sub-contracting to the prime contractor. 
25. Explain in brief "Purchasing and Marketing strategies go simultaneousls. The strategies are complementary and not competitive." 
26. "True business is run on cordial relationship." Is it always true ? Discuss in this connection the responsibility of the purchase depaitment. 
27. "In this complex market mechanism the 'buyers and sellers are not adverse forces...the rewarding relationship with mutual understanding has always a case of its own." Comment. 
28. "For what is a man profited if he shall gain the whole world and lose his own soul." Does this saying apply to buying ana selling also? Explain critically. 
29. What is business ethics? Does it differ from personal ethics? "Personal ethics influencesbusiness ethics." Do you agree with the statement. 
30. 'Codes alone are not sufficient in purchasing.' Why? Then wFat are other ethical factors ? Explain. 
31. "Research is purposive analysis that tries to establish a basis for, prediction and control in thebehaviour it studies.'. Comment on the statement in relation to purchasing research. 
32. "Negotiation is essentially a communication." Define negotiation and explain as to how humanbehaviour plays a decisive role in negotiation. 
33. "India's efforts for import substitution are laudable." Comment. 
34. "Self-sufficiency in today's world is a far cry. One has no alternative but to depend on others in some form or the other for his own or his society's needs." Is this statement in any way related to imports ? Explai