单选题 The objectives of purchasing employees have been labeled the "five rights of purchasing. "Purchasing employees try to buy the necessary materials and supplies at the right price, the right quality, from the right sources, at the right time. They must use the telephone to "shop around" for the best buys available, and they must take advantage of any discounts and any deliveries, installations, and warranties included in the prices.
When purchasing employees decide on the supplier they intend to use, they issue a purchase order. The purchase order may direct the supplier to prepare the item for pickup by company employees or for delivery by the supplier. Purchasing people must then follow up on the order to make certain that the needed item is recevied on schedule anti in good condition.
The problem of ordering the right quantity was explained earlier in the chapter. Several costs are associated with excessive inventories of materials and supplies. Money invested in excess inventories could have been invested elsewhere, where it could be earning money, excess inventories may be misplaced or stolen, may become spoiled or obsolete, and must be insured.
The consequences of not ordering materials and supplies soon enough or in sufficient quantities can be especially, catastrophic for production departments. What if purchasing employees at American Motors Corporation failed to order the right number of cans or bottles? In each instance, production at a factory (or large segment of a factory) would be discontinued. The companies would lose much valuable production, even though many of their costs would continue, and employees would lose some of their income.
Buying materials and supplies of the right quality is often just as important as controlling the quality of the items being manufactured for sale. The quality of the items produce can be no higher than the quality of the materials used in production processes. Also, purchasing employees are interested in getting what they are paying for, both in quantity and quality—and a little extra whenever possible.
A reliable source is often more important than the lowest price in securing quality. A purchasing manager who abandons a reliable supplier to take advantage of a lower price elsewhere may not find the reliable supplier available if he needs him at some future date.
A balance between price and quality must often be made. The purchasing task is easier when only one or a few suppliers are used. However, total reliance on one supplier can be hazardous. Many companies go bankrupt each year. Employees sometimes strike. Production facilities often break down. Floods, hurricanes, and other natural disasters occasionally interfere with production and transportation facilities. Accordingly, many purchasing managers consider the use of several suppliers of key items as good insurance against disruptions in their own production processes.
Timing is an important consideration in purchasing. When raw materials are needed today, delivery tomorrow or the day after won"t do. Purchasing managers must divise control systems that allow their employees to check on the progress of incoming orders.

单选题 According to the writer, before purchasing employees decide on the right quantity of materials and supplies, they have to first ______.

单选题 From the failure in ordering the right number of materials and supplies, we can infer that ______.

单选题 In the fifth paragraph, the writer implies that ______.

单选题 The phrase "a reliable source" (line 1, para 6) most probably refers to ______.

单选题 What is the main message of this text?