Deck 12: Fulfilling E-Commerce Orders and Other Ec Support Services

Question 1

Many supply chain problems exist,stemming from uncertainties and from the need to coordinate several activities,internal units,and business partners.jeopardize order fulfillment.

Answer 1

True

Question 2

The inability to deliver products on time is a typical problem in offline commerce,but not online commerce.

Answer 2

False

Question 3

Order fulfillment refers only to providing customers with what they have ordered and doing so on time.

Answer 3

False

Question 4

One issue typical to EC is that EC is based on the concept of pull operations that begin with an order,frequently a customized one.

Question 5

Taking orders over the Internet is an easier part of B2C than order fulfillment.

Question 6

An effective way to solve order fulfillment problems is for an organization to partner with UPS,FedEx,or other shippers.

Question 7

Back-office operations are activities that support fulfillment of orders,such as packing,delivery,accounting,and logistics.

Question 8

EC logistics,or e-logistics,refers to the logistics of EC systems mainly in B2B.

Question 9

The order fulfillment process differs between B2B and B2C activities,between the delivery of goods and of services,and between small and large products.

Question 10

Logistics is the process of planning,implementing,and controlling the efficient and effective flow and storage of goods,services,and related information from point of origin to point of consumption to meet customer requirements.

Question 11

Electronic payments can expedite both the order fulfillment cycle and the payment delivery period.With such systems,payment processing can be significantly more expensive and fraud is harder to control.

Question 12

IBM pioneered the production of the components of computers via mass production and to offer customization in their assembly.

Question 13

The movement of returns from customers to vendors is known as negative logistics.

Question 14

Amazon.com initially operated as a totally virtual company,but added one physical warehouse with a few employees in order to expedite deliveries and reduce order fulfillment costs.

Question 15

When Amazon.com launched in 1995,its business model called for virtual retailing that had no warehouses,no inventory,and no shipments.This model proved to work well for very large e-tailers.

Question 16

Allowing for the return of unwanted merchandise and providing for product exchanges are necessary to maintain customers' trust and loyalty.

Question 17

In 1973,a tiny,but innovative FedEx initiated the concept of next-day delivery,which was a revolution in door-to-door logistics.

Question 18

Merge-in-transit is a model in which components for a product come from two or more different physical locations.For example,in shipping a desktop PC,the monitor may come from the East Coast of the United States and the CPU from the West Coast.

Question 19

Allowing business partners to electronically track and monitor inventory levels and production activities can improve inventory management and inventory levels,as well as minimize the administrative expenses of inventory management.

Question 20

Pure EC companies are likely to have more problems because they do not have a logistics infrastructure already in place and are forced to use external logistics services rather than in-house departments for these functions.

Question 21

Business partners government,customers,and suppliers are ________.

A)e-markets
B)e-processes
C)e-communities
D)e-infrastructure

Question 22

How does traditional logistics typically differ from EC logistics?

A)EC logistics deals with the movement of large amounts of materials to a few destinations.
B)Traditional logistics deals with the movement of large amounts of materials to a few destinations.
C)EC logistics is more predictable because demand is stable and consistent.
D)Traditional logistic shipments typically are small parcels sent to many customers' homes.

Question 23

Amazon.com's initial business model called for:

A)mobile retailing that had numerous portable or rented warehouses with small inventories.
B)virtual retailing that had no warehouses and no inventory
C)mobile retailing that had a central warehouse with a large inventory.
D)virtual retailing with two large warehouses in high-volume locations.

Question 24

With a rolling warehouse,products on the delivery truck are not preassigned to a retailer,but the decision about the quantity to unload at each destination is made at the time of unloading,which lowers logistics costs.

Question 25

Intelligent agents are also closely related to software agents,which are autonomous software programs that carry out tasks on behalf of users.

Question 26

Which of the following is not an EC service?

A)business partners
B)security
C)order fulfillment
D)infrastructure

Question 27

Order taking can be done via:

A)EDI,EDI/Internet,the Internet,or an extranet,and it may be fully automated.
B)EDI,EDI/Internet,the Internet,or an extranet.
C)EDI,EDI/Internet,or the Internet.
D)the Internet or an extranet,and it may be fully automated.

Question 28

A logistics system supports most of the business systems using a single database that contains the data needed for a variety of business functions such as manufacturing,supply chain management,financials,projects,human resources,and customer relationship management.

Question 29

________ includes the activities that support fulfillment of orders,such as packing,delivery,accounting,and logistics.

A)Order fulfillment
B)Front-office operations
C)Back-office operations
D)Logistics

Question 30

An advantage of ERP (enterprise resource planning)systems is the ability to integrate different functional areas to ensure proper communication,productivity,and efficiency.

Question 31

The key objectives of ________ are delivery of materials and services at the right time,place,and cost.

A)order fulfillment
B)back-office operations
C)front-office operations
D)logistics

Question 32

________ includes the business processes,such as sales and advertising,which are visible to customers.

A)Order fulfillment
B)Front-office operations
C)Back-office operations
D)Logistics

Question 33

Software agents are classified as mobile agents if they have the capacity to adapt or modify their behavior.

Question 34

Services that customers need include all of the following except:

A)fraud protection
B)shipping options
C)selection options
D)problem resolution

Question 35

________ includes the operations involved in the efficient and effective flow and storage of goods,services,and related information from point of origin to point of consumption.

A)Order fulfillment
B)Front-office operations
C)Back-office operations
D)Logistics

Question 36

The Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals defines ________ as "the process of planning,implementing,and controlling the efficient and effective flow and storage of goods,services,and related information from point of origin to point of consumption for the purpose of conforming to customer requirements."

A)e-logistics
B)logistics
C)reverse logistics
D)forward logistics

Question 37

Order fulfillment refers to all of the following except:

A)providing customers with what they have ordered
B)providing ordered products or services on time
C)providing all related customer services
D)providing price guarantees

Question 38

Uncertainties,lack of coordination,and an inability or refusal to share information among business partners create EC ________ problems.

A)shipping and handling
B)supply chain fulfillment
C)product development
D)infrastructure

Question 39

The disadvantages of ________ are that such services can be expensive,and it requires more coordination and dependence on outsiders who may not be reliable.

A)forecasting
B)order-taking
C)outsourcing
D)procurement

Question 40

A major source of uncertainty in EC is the ________.

A)demand forecast
B)distribution
C)third-party logistics
D)order-taking process

Question 41

An effective way to solve order fulfillment problems is for an organization to:

A)build more local warehouses.
B)reduce the variety or types of products being sold.
C)use AutoCart.
D)partner with other companies,such as UPS or distribution centers.

Question 42

________ is the movement of returns from customers to vendors or retailers.

Question 43

Advantages and benefits of enterprise resource planning (ERP)systems include all of the following except:

A)increasing the revenue cycle,from invoice through cash receipt
B)integration among different functional areas to ensure proper communication,productivity, and efficiency
C)order tracking,from acceptance through fulfillment
D)managing interdependencies of complex processes such as billing of materials

Question 44

Intermediaries that prepare goods for shipping are ________.

A)forwarders
B)outsourcers
C)fulfillers
D)vendors

Question 45

The pioneering approach by ________ was to produce the components of computers via mass production and to offer customization in the manner in which they were assembled.

A)IBM
B)Intel
C)Gateway
D)Dell

Question 46

The Boston Consulting Group found that the ________ was the number-two reason shoppers cited for refusing to buy on the Web frequently.

A)absence of a good return mechanism
B)lack of security
C)inability to compare products
D)delay in receiving products

Question 47

Two examples of ________ are merge-in-transit and rolling warehouses.

A)logistics postponement
B)order fulfillment in services
C)business process management
D)B2C fulfillment

Question 48

Using Web services,Dell schedules every line in every factory around the world every ________,and only brings ________ worth of materials into the factory.

A)day;1 day's
B)2 hours;2 hours'
C)week;1 week's
D)12 hours;12 hours'

Question 49

All of the following companies have created networks for the rapid distribution and speedy delivery of products except:

A)Wal-Mart
B)FedEx
C)eFullfillment Service
D)OneWorld Direct

Question 50

________ refers to the logistics of EC systems mainly in B2C.

Question 51

With a ________ ,products on the delivery truck are not preassigned to a destination,but the decision about the quantity to unload at each destination is made at the time of unloading.

A)rolling warehouse
B)merge-in-transit
C)bullwhip effect
D)reverse logistics system

Question 52

In the case of Amazon.com,the ________ supports item pickers and order packaging.

A)transaction processing system
B)enterprise resource system
C)supply chain management system
D)warehouse management system

Question 53

________ is a logistics model in which components for a product may come from two or more different physical locations and are shipped directly to the customer's location.

A)Rolling warehousing
B)Merge-in-transit
C)Business process management
D)B2C fulfillment

Question 54

The key objectives of ________ are delivery of materials and services at the right time,place,and cost.

Question 55

Automated warehouses include all of the following except:

A)robots
B)mass customization
C)devices that expedite product pickup
D)RFID and wireless technologies

Question 56

All of the following are characteristics of order fulfillment except:

A)B2B order fulfillment commonly uses business processes management (BPM)software to automate various steps in the process.
B)Customers pressure suppliers to improve the order fulfillment process.
C)Flexible systems are needed because customers might change an order after the order is sent to the warehouse.
D)B2C fulfillment may be more complex than that of B2B.

Question 57

Benefits of warehouse management systems include all of the following except:

A)increasing bullwhip effect
B)managing receiving
C)decreasing the incidence of out-of-stocks
D)reducing inventory

Question 58

________ are customer-facing activities,such as advertising and order taking,that are visible to customers.

Question 59

Implementing linkages between order-taking and payment systems can improve order fulfillment.Electronic payments can expedite both the order fulfillment cycle and the payment delivery period.With such systems:

A)payment processing can be significantly more expensive,but fraud can be better controlled.
B)payment processing can be significantly less expensive,and fraud can be better controlled.
C)payment processing can be significantly less expensive,but fraud is less controlled.
D)payment processing costs remain the same,but fraud can be better controlled.

Question 60

________ are activities that support fulfillment of orders,such as packing,delivery,accounting,and logistics.

Question 61

________ is a logistics model in which components for a product may come from two or more different physical locations and are shipped directly to the customer's location.

Question 62

The analysis of Web data,called ________,can be facilitated by agents that can analyze large volumes of data very rapidly.

Question 63

________ is the most frequently outsourced business activity.

Question 64

A(n)________ is a software system that helps in managing warehouses.

Question 65

________ refers to the degree to which the agents themselves travel over the network.

Question 66

Intelligent agents are also closely related to ________,which are autonomous software programs that carry out tasks on behalf of users.

Question 67

Intermediaries that prepare goods for shipping are ________.

Question 68

B2B order fulfillment commonly uses ________ software to automate various steps in the process.

Question 69

________ aggregate information about products and services from multiple providers at one central point.

Question 70

With a ________,products on the delivery truck are not preassigned to a destination,but the decision about the quantity to unload at each destination is made at the time of unloading.

Question 71

To overcome the problem of finding buyers or sellers online,a company may use ________,such as B2Business.net.

Question 72

Eyes,cameras,laser range finders,and search engines are intelligent agents known as ________.

Question 73

________ are software agents that move to other systems,performing tasks there.

Question 74

A(n)________ is an autonomous entity that perceives its environment via sensors,and acts upon that environment by directing its activity toward achieving a goal using its actuators.

Question 75

________ are factories that work on a totally integrated automation that enables mass customization to be executed at a reasonable cost and speed.

Question 76

A(n)________ system supports most of the business systems using a single database that contains the data needed for a variety of business functions such as manufacturing and supply chain management.

Question 77

A(n)________ is an agent or vendor who assembles the functions needed by enterprises and packages them with outsourced development,operation,maintenance,and other services.

Question 78

Software agents are called ________ if they have the capacity to adapt or modify their behavior.

Question 79

Many firms enter into contracts with other firms to execute various activities along the supply chain,from manufacturing to distribution and sales,in order to concentrate their activities in their ________.

Question 80

________ suppliers are external,rather than in-house,providers of logistics services.