St. Joseph’s College of Commerce (AUTONOMOUS)

 

End Semester Examination – April 2011

MIB – IV Semester

 International Operations, Logistics and SCM

(IOL&SCM)

 

Duration: 3 Hours                                                                                Max. Marks: 100

Note: Answer Part I & Part II in separate answer books.

PART – I

 

Section – A

I)Answer any THREE Questions.  Each carries 5 marks.                        (3X5=15)

 

• Outline the Role of Freight Forwarders.
• What are the different types of aircrafts used for air transportation?
• What do you understand by Intermodal Transportation?
• What are the various types of containers available for sea transportation?
• Briefly explain ‘Flag’ in shipping industry.

 

Section – B

 II)Answer any THREE Questions                                                           (3×10=30)

 

• What is the difference between Charter Shipping and Liner Shipping?
• What are the four principal components of PDM? Derive the Contrast between Systemic control of PDM & monitoring of PDM.
• Explain with a table, the advantages & disadvantages of different Transportation Systems (select two factors in each).
• List out and discuss the emerging trends that will impact the future of international logistics.

 

Section – C

 

III) Analyze the enclosed case and answer the questions given at the end of the

       case.                                                                                                          (15 marks)                                           

 

                                     

TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM

CI4SE 9-1 Double D Trucking
Double D Trucking was started by Douglas Dean in 1981 and has grown from a one-truck operation to a 550-tractor-trailer fleet serving shippers in a five-state region in the upper Midwest. Double D serves the automotive industry by providing inbound transportation to the assembly plants. It has a strategic alliance relationship with the Big Three auto makers and is the exclusive trucking company for a number of the auto suppliers.
From its inception. Double D has been an innovator in the trucking industry. Douglas Dean is widely known for his willingness to adopt new equipment technology, computer systems, and management techniques. This cutting-edge strategy has resulted in customer loyalty and employee allegiance. Double D promotes itself as a trucking company that has never lost a customer and never lost a day to labor disputes.
As Douglas Dean was preparing for a strategic planning meeting with top executives, he was mulling over recent trends in the trucking industry as well as the logistics field. Dean knew Double D was a profitable regional trucking company and registered high in customer satisfaction surveys. He also knew that to retain this enviable position he must continue to be innovative and provide the services customers need.
During the past two years, Double D has witnessed increased competition. Long- haul trucking has come under severe competitive pressure from rail piggyback, and the tong-haul truckers see regional trucking as a profitable marketplace. Expediting carriers, trucking companies that provide rush deliveries, have made significant inroads into the automotive industry, where just-in-time management systems mandate minimal raw material inventories, guaranteed deliveries, and vendor penalties for late deliveries that result in production line stoppage.
The most perplexing trend to Dean is the growing vertical integration of trucking companies into other logistics services. A number of regional trucking companies have started warehousing divisions to provide sorting, kitting (putting pieces together to make up a kit), and cross-docking (moving freight across a dock to a waiting truck). Other carriers are adding third-party logistics divisions to manage a shipper/receiver’s transportation and storage activities. Finally, a few trucking companies have started air carrier divisions, freight-forwarding services, and logistics information services.
Dean also recognizes that this vertical integration of trucking companies is a result of customer demands. As manufacturers move to an integrated logistics supply chain approach, they are demanding that transportation suppliers provide other logistics services. In addition, shippers are reducing the number of vendors, including transportation suppliers, being used and asking the few vendors to provide a wider range of products and value-added services,
After considerable thought, Dean decides that the only viable, long-term strategy for Double D is to become a full-service logistics provider. Being only a trucking company will greatly impair the growth and profit potentials of Double D. The only question remaining for Dean is, what other logistics services are appropriate for Double 0?

 

Questions:

1. Assess the conclusion reached by Douglas Dean regarding the nature of today’s trucking industry and shipper demand characteristics.

 

2. Do you agree that the logical strategic thrust for Double D is to vertically integrate and provide other logistics services? Why or why not?

 

 

 

3. Describe the analytical process you would use to evaluate alternative logistics services being added to Double D’s market offering.
4. Describe the value-added services you would recommend that the strategic planning team consider for Double D.

 

                                               

PART –ii

 

Section – A

 

1. Answer any TWO of the following questions.         (2×15=30)

 

1. What are the different types of inventory?
2. List the forces needed to implement the supply chain paradigm in an organization.
3. Write a note on the various transportation network options.

 

Section – B

 

1. Answer any TWO of the following questions.           (2×5=10)

 

1.  What is “Bullwhip Effect”?  What are the mechanisms to counter it?
2. What is the importance of inventory management in SCM?
3. What are ‘planned imbalances’ in the context of inventory?

 

 

 

 

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