QUESTION 39
Ping Lin Ltd is a toy manufacturer based in China. The company has acomplex supply chaininvolving raw material suppliers, retailers, international distributors, and logistics firms. Zeng, a Logistics Coordinator, has noticedirregularities in the ordering of materials in the lower part of the supply chain. Combined with irregular consumer buying patterns, this poses a risk to the organisation.
What is this phenomenon known as?
TheBullwhip Effectdescribes howsmall changesin demand at the consumer level createlarger variancesin supply chain orders upstream. It leads to inefficiencies, overstocking, or shortages.
#Note:This is also known as theForrester Effect(not “Forrest Effect”-that was a trick!). A famous real- world example occurred duringCOVID-19, when panic-buying causedtoilet paper shortages.
For more insights, read:#The Bullwhip Effect & Toilet Paper Shortages(See LO 1.1, p.12)