Global Digital Supply Chain Quiz # 2

The SCOR (Supply Chain Operations Reference) model is a standardized, process-based framework that maps and measures supply chain performance across six core processes: Plan, Source, Make, Deliver, Return, and Enable; providing a common language for analysis, benchmarking, and improvement. It integrates best practices, performance metrics, and process definitions, enabling organizations to align operational execution with strategic objectives, drive efficiency, and enhance customer satisfaction through a unified, end-to-end supply chain view.

Q: Which SCOR process focuses on establishing future view and alignment across supply chain activities?

• Source

• Deliver

• Plan

• Enable

Fisher’s supply chain framework distinguishes between functional products, which have stable and predictable demand, and innovative products, which face high uncertainty and short life cycles. It asserts that matching product type to the right supply chain design; efficient for functional products to minimize cost, and responsive for innovative products to maximize flexibility; is critical for performance. This alignment reduces mismatches, prevents excess inventory or stockouts, and ensures that operational capabilities directly support market and customer needs.

Q: In Fisher’s supply chain framework, functional products are best served by which type of supply chain?

• Responsive

• Agile

• Efficient

• Sustainable

Applying the SCOR model to Amazon enables mapping its operations across Plan, Source, Make, Deliver, Return, and Enable, revealing how advanced analytics, AI-driven forecasting, and digital twins enhance planning; global supplier integration optimizes sourcing; automation and robotics streamline fulfillment; vast logistics and last-mile networks ensure rapid delivery; robust return systems maintain customer trust; and continuous innovation in technology and sustainability strengthens overall enablement; therefore making Amazon a benchmark for high-performance, digitally enabled supply chains.

Q: How the "Plan" process in the SCOR model contributes to overall supply chain performance?

• By focusing in sourcing materials

• By aligning all supply chain activities towards common goals

• By understanding customer requirements

• By upscaling the need for technology

Industry 4.0 focuses on smart, connected manufacturing driven by automation, IoT, AI, and real-time data integration to achieve efficiency, productivity, and flexibility in production systems. Industry 5.0, while building on these technologies, shifts the emphasis toward human-centric, sustainable, and resilient systems, integrating collaborative robots, environmental responsibility, and social value creation alongside operational performance.

Q: Which statement most accurately reflects the relationship between Industry 4.0 and Industry 5.0?

• Industry 4.0 prioritizes human collaboration, while Industry 5.0 focuses on complete automation and efficiency.

• Industry 4.0 is centered on automation and digital integration, while Industry 5.0 builds on these technologies to emphasize human-centricity, sustainability, and resilience.

• Industry 4.0 and Industry 5.0 are identical in focus, both purely aiming for operational performance.

• Industry 4.0 focuses on environmental responsibility, while Industry 5.0 mentions sustainability in favor of technological advancement.

The Gartner Supply Chain Maturity Model outlines five progressive stages through which supply chains evolve... From Reacting, where operations are siloed and reactive, to Anticipating, with basic planning and cost control, then Collaborating, where internal integration drives efficiency, followed by Orchestrating, with end-to-end partner integration and advanced analytics, and finally Leading, where the supply chain becomes a strategic differentiator leveraging AI, IoT, blockchain, and sustainable practices to deliver innovation, resilience, and competitive advantage.

Q: Which scenario best reflects a supply chain transitioning from “Collaborating” to “Orchestrating” in the Gartner Maturity Model?

• A company using monthly forecasts and departmental KPIs to manage procurement independently from production and logistics.

• A regional manufacturer introducing basic demand planning software to replace manual spreadsheets and reduce procurement delays.

• An Enterprise integrating cross-functional planning with suppliers and customers through shared data platforms and advanced analytics to synchronize production, inventory, and delivery across the network.

• A global e-commerce firm deploying blockchain and AI to achieve real-time traceability, predictive maintenance, and autonomous logistics across its entire value chain.

During the Globalization Era, Just-in-Time (JIT) manufacturing was widely adopted to reduce inventory holding costs and improve efficiency across globally dispersed supply networks. Companies synchronized production closely with actual demand, relying on faster transportation, integrated ERP systems, and supplier partnerships to deliver materials “just in time” for use. This approach minimized waste and excess stock, but also increased vulnerability to disruptions due to tighter lead times and reduced buffers.

Q: How the introduction of just-in-time manufacturing during the Globalization Era impacted supply chain efficiency and global sourcing strategies?

• It improved efficiency by reducing inventory levels and synchronizing production with demand, but required highly reliable, geographically proximate suppliers to mitigate disruption risks.

• It significantly increased global sourcing flexibility by enabling companies to diversify suppliers worldwide without compromising lead times or supply continuity.

• It reduced the need for supplier integration, allowing companies to optimize cost by sourcing from the lowest-price providers regardless of their ability to meet tight delivery schedules.

• It enhanced efficiency through waste reduction and faster cycle times, yet made supply chains more vulnerable to delays due to long-distance sourcing and minimal inventory buffers.

Propose a plan for a company to transition from the 'Collaborating' to the 'Leading' stage in Gartner’s model, focusing on cross-functional integration.

• Increase departmental efficiencies reducing manual work.

• Increase data sharing between teams.

• Implement integrated IT systems and promote a culture of collaboration and shared goals.

• Focus only on external partnerships.

Suppose you are tasked with designing a secure system for digital transactions. How could the concept of "blockchain" be strategically applied to enhance security?

• By using a decentralized ledger to record transactions transparently and securely

• By storing all data in a single, central location

• By allowing unrestricted access to transaction records

• By avoiding encryption in the system

How might a healthcare provider use "blockchain" to strategically address concerns about patient data security?

• By implementing a blockchain system to securely store and share patient records

• By keeping all records in secure email accounts

• By using a file structure for all records

• By allowing unrestricted access to patient data

Which scenario most accurately integrates the key principles and challenges discussed across today’s Global Digital Supply Chain topics scoping the Gartner Maturity Model, Fisher’s supply chain design, Industry 4.0/5.0 trends, Amazon’s business case elements, and the historical evolution of supply chains?

• A global e-commerce leader at the Leading stage, leveraging AI, IoT, blockchain, and digital twins to optimize planning and inventory placement, balancing Fisher’s “responsive” model for innovative products with micro-fulfillment centers to control last-mile costs, integrating Industry 5.0 sustainability goals, and adapting JIT principles from the Globalization Era while mitigating disruption risks.

• A multinational Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) at the Collaborating stage in Gartner’s model applying Fisher’s “efficient” model for functional products, piloting Industry 5.0 collaborative robots (cobots) for human-centric sustainability, but still relying on high inventory buffers typical of the Industrial Revolution era.

• A European electronics distributor at the Orchestrating stage adopting Industry 4.0 automation to drive cost efficiency, applying Fisher’s “efficient” model for innovative products, outsourcing last-mile delivery to avoid infrastructure investment, and limiting sustainability initiatives.

• A manufacturing firm at the Anticipating stage adopting Industry 5.0’s human-centric principles prematurely without Industry 4.0 foundations, attempting JIT without supplier reliability, causing greater disruption risks than in the Pre-Industrial era.