L4M5 Exam Dumps - CIPS Level 4 Diploma in Procurement and Supply Questions and Answers

Integrative, interest-based negotiation can facilitate constructive, positive relationship and establish contracts between parties on a foundation of goodwill. It is important to note it can only facilitate these positive outcomes, it does not guarantee that the other party will not seek to be opportunistic at a later time during the life of the contract. Previous knowledge of the behaviours of the other party regarding honouring contractual and other commitments will be useful here in predicting long-term outcomes, not ensuring that they will not leverage their advantages.

Indirect costs are those cost that are not directly attributable to production. Examples of indirect costs including the following:

Indirect labour: This covers every person in the factory who does not directly perform a production operation such as managers, supervisors, engineers, store personnel, clerks, maintenance staff, porters, canteen staff, security and cleaners etc.

Expenses: Included in this element is every fixed and variable expenses incurred in operating the factory, such as rent, rates, utilities, insurance, depreciation, maintenance, air conditioning and the various types of energy generation required by a clothing factory.

Indirect materials: Also known as consumables, this element contains all the materials not directly connected to the makeup of a garment. Some of the typical items involved are office materials, spare parts, marker paper, maintenance materials, chalk & pins.

Direct costs are those costs of a product/service directly attributable/traceable to its production. Examples of direct costs including the following:

Direct Materials: Direct materials are all the materials and trimmings which go into the construction and finish of the garment. Typically, these materials would include cloth, lining, fusible, zips pads, tapes, labels, tickets, hangers and packaging materials.

Direct Labour: This cover the cost of all the labor directly involved in producing the garment and could include cutting, fusing, regular sewing, special machine operations, pressing, finishing, inspection and packing. Labor of all types and grade has a direct overhead which include holiday pay, sick pay, fringe benefits etc and the statutory payments made by the employer for each employee. This is usually expressed as a percentage of salary and when this percentage is added to the employee’s wage, it becomes the basis for calculating direct labor costs.

An adversarial relationship is characterized by a competitive, often zero-sum approach where:

Minimal sharing of information (A): In adversarial settings, there is limited transparency as each party prioritizes its interests.

Use of power to seek the best possible deal (D): Power dynamics are leveraged to gain favorable terms, often at the expense of the other party.

This style typically lacks collaboration and mutual commitment, focusing instead on short-term gains rather than building a partnership, as described in CIPS resources on adversarial relationships.

The relationship spectrum categorizes supplier relationships based on factors like strategic importance, allowing organizations to tailor their approach to each supplier relationship. CIPS emphasizes the relationship spectrum as a valuable tool for assessing and managing supplier interactions based on strategic relevance.

In contracts which have major commodity input, the price is determined by market forces with no individual supplier or buyer able to influence it significantly. Prices are much more variable even within long term contracts and seeking a fixed price would create financial risks for both the buyers and the suppliers. It is often intelligent to agree a contract price adjustment mechanism to allow for market price changes so both sides share risk.

Mark-up is defined as profit expressed as a percentage of the cost. It calculates the profit margin based on the cost price rather than the selling price, which allows companies to determine how much they are earning over their production or purchase costs. This aligns with standard accounting and CIPS definitions of mark-up in procurement contexts.

Listening is a hugely important skill in the world of work. It’s a key part of effective communication [...].

Regarding active listening, there is a model called 'The SIER Hierarchy of Active Listening'. It details four key stages required for effective listening. As with all models associated with active listening, its purpose is to help the listener be a better, more effective listener who really hears what is being said, connects with the individual with whom they are communicating and builds effective relationships.

The model is a hierarchical model meaning that each stage builds on the stage before it. While the model is sometimes used for training in the sales arena, it is helpful in all walks of life. The stages of the model are: Sensing (including hearing and watching body language), Interpreting, Evaluating and Responding.

Risk management (3) and the stage in the product life cycle (4) are internal factors within the supplier's control and directly influence pricing decisions. These internal factors guide strategicpricing policies. In contrast, price elasticity of demand and environmental legislation are external factors, as per CIPS’s guidelines on pricing influences.

Supplier conditioning is the process of influencing a supplier or suppliers to behave in a certain way, or to accept certain circumstances. Within a negotiation, the buyer needs to make sure that the supplier has a number of messages in mind, about the outcomes that the buyer needs to achieve and about the shared sense of purpose that buying organisation has in achieving these outcomes.

Supplier appraisal is a process of evaluating a supplier's ability to carry out a contract in term of quality, delivery, price and other contributing factors.

Supplier positioning is the process of classifying spend with a supplier in terms of the profit potential and supply risk and assists in prioritising categories of spend and developing the right strategy.

Supplier selection is the process of selecting a supplier to acquire the necessary materials to support the outputs of organisations. Selection of the best and/or the most suitable suppliers is based on assessing supplier capabilities (Shih et al., 2004).