In corporate purchasing, competitive scrutiny is typically limited to suppliers of items that are directly related to end products. With "indirect" purchases (such as computers, advertising, and legal services), which are not directly related to production, corporations often favor "supplier partnerships" (arrangements in which the purchaser forgoes the right to pursue alternative suppliers), which can inappropriately shelter suppliers from rigorous competitive scrutiny that might afford the purchaser economic leverage. There are two independent variables—availability of alternatives and ease of changing suppliers—that companies should use to evaluate the feasibility of subjecting suppliers of indirect purchases to competitive scrutiny. This can create four possible situations.

In Type 1 situations, there are many alternatives and change is relatively easy. Open pursuit of alternatives—by frequent competitive bidding, if possible—will likely yield the best results. In Type 2 situations, where there are many alternatives but change is difficult—as for providers of employee health-care benefits—it is important to continuously test the market and use the results to secure concessions from existing suppliers. Alternatives provide a credible threat to suppliers, even if the ability to switch is constrained. In Type 3 situations, there are few alternatives, but the ability to switch without difficulty creates a threat that companies can use to negotiate concessions from existing suppliers. In Type 4 situations, where there are few alternatives and change is difficult, partnerships may be unavoidable.

第1题 第2题 第3题

Which of the following can be inferred about supplier partnerships, as they are described in the passage?


They cannot be sustained unless the goods or services provided are available from a large number of suppliers.

They can result in purchasers paying more for goods and services than they would in a competitive-bidding situation.

They typically are instituted at the urging of the supplier rather than the purchaser.

They are not feasible when the goods or services provided are directly related to the purchasers' end products.

They are least appropriate when the purchasers' ability to change suppliers is limited.

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考题讲解

文章大意：

1. 介绍“supplier partnerships”以及影响其可行性的两个因素：替代品&方不方便更换供应商

2. 两个因素构成的四个情景


题目分析：

文章推断题： 根据文章我们可以推断出“supplier partnerships”？

原文关于sp的描述：由于indirect purchases（与生产没有直接关系），公司经常偏爱sp（购买者放弃更换供应商的权利），sp可以保护供应商避开严格的竞争力审查（需要承担购买者的经济杠杆）


选项分析：

A选项：sp无法被维持除非有大量的供应商可以提供g&s：文章后面提到当suppliers的数量多时，不需要sp。

B选项：正确。与在竞争环境下相比，sp会导致购买者付更多的钱：sp是偏向supplier的，说明purchasers在这个情况下处于不利的一方。

C选项：他们是在suppliers的敦促下设置的，而不是purchasers：文章没有提到sp是如何设置的，被谁设置的。

D选项：当g&s和购买者的最终产品有直接联系的时候，sp不适用：文章介绍了当有“indirect purchase”的情况，当没有说“direct”的情况是什么样的。

E选项：当购买者不方便换suppliers，sp最不合适：与文章最后相反，当不方便更换时，需要用sp。

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