Novartis Assessment Tests

Novartis Online Aptitude Tests: Free Practice Questions Situational Judgement Test

1. Question 1 of 10

   You are a warehouse operative at a pharmaceutical distributor. Picking an order you notice a pallet of temperature-sensitive medicines standing in the main aisle rather than in the cold room. You do not know how long it has been there. The order it belongs to is due to ship in an hour. The quality supervisor is on site. There is a written procedure for temperature excursions that you have seen but not been trained on. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?

   1. Leave the pallet where it is, tell the quality supervisor now that temperature-sensitive stock has been out of the cold room for an unknown time, and let her apply the excursion procedure.
   2. Move the pallet into the cold room straight away so the medicines stop warming, and mention it to the quality supervisor when you next see her.
   3. Say nothing, since you do not know how long it has been there, it may have been moved out minutes ago, and you have not been trained on the excursion procedure.
   4. Read the excursion procedure and follow the steps yourself so the pallet is handled correctly before the order ships in an hour.
   Show the answer

   Most effective: A. Leave the pallet where it is, tell the quality supervisor now that temperature-sensitive stock has been out of the cold room for an unknown time, and let her apply the excursion procedure.

   Least effective: C. Say nothing, since you do not know how long it has been there, it may have been moved out minutes ago, and you have not been trained on the excursion procedure.

   B: Removes the evidence: cooling the pallet erases how long it was out, which is the one fact the excursion procedure exists to establish. The stock is no safer for having been put back.

   C: Fails to escalate a genuine risk: medicines whose temperature history is unknown are about to ship to patients, and the reason for silence, that you are untrained, is exactly why it needs to reach someone who is trained.

   D: Acts outside own training: applying a procedure you have never been trained on, to decide whether medicines are still fit to ship, risks a confident and wrong answer within the hour.

   The most effective response is to leave the pallet where it is and tell the quality supervisor now that temperature-sensitive stock has been out of the cold room for an unknown time: that is precisely what the excursion procedure exists to assess, and she is on site and trained to do it before the order ships. Leaving the pallet untouched preserves the information she needs. It beats moving it into the cold room straight away and mentioning it later, because that destroys the evidence of how long it was out, and warmed stock is not made safe by being cooled again. It beats reading the excursion procedure and following the steps yourself, because working through a procedure you have never been trained on, to decide whether medicines are fit for patients, is a decision made on the wrong authority under time pressure. The least effective response is saying nothing because you do not know how long it has been there and have not been trained: it lets medicines of unknown temperature history ship to patients and tells nobody, using your own lack of training as the reason for silence. That is worse than the other two, which act wrongly but bring the problem into the open. The principle: when something is outside your training and about to become irreversible, preserve the situation and get the trained person to it.

2. Question 2 of 10

   You are a supervisor’s assistant at a recycling depot. Your colleague Tom is new and has been sorting contaminated loads into the wrong bay all morning, which will mean the whole bay is rejected at the reprocessing plant. He has not noticed. The supervisor is off site until tomorrow. Correcting the bay now would take the two of you about an hour; the collection is at 4pm and it is 1pm. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?

   1. Re-sort the bay yourself over the next hour without mentioning it, so the load is right for the 4pm collection and Tom is not embarrassed in his first week.
   2. Leave the bay as it is and let the reprocessing plant reject the load, since the sorting was Tom's work and the supervisor will see what happened when the rejection comes back.
   3. Tell Tom what has gone wrong, show him how the bays are separated, and re-sort the load together before the 4pm collection.
   4. Ring the supervisor to report that the new starter has contaminated a bay, and ask her how she wants it handled before the collection arrives.
   Show the answer

   Most effective: C. Tell Tom what has gone wrong, show him how the bays are separated, and re-sort the load together before the 4pm collection.

   Least effective: B. Leave the bay as it is and let the reprocessing plant reject the load, since the sorting was Tom's work and the supervisor will see what happened when the rejection comes back.

   A: Prioritises harmony over honesty: it saves the collection and leaves Tom sorting the next load exactly the same way tomorrow, because nobody has told him what the bays mean.

   B: Fails to escalate a genuine risk: it lets a rejected load happen on purpose to make a point about whose mistake it was, when three hours and two people would have prevented it. Choosing the failure is a different order of wrong from the other options.

   D: Escalates prematurely: the fix is an hour of work you can both start now, and there is time to do it. Reporting a new starter to an off- site supervisor makes a disciplinary matter of a training gap.

   The most effective response is to tell Tom what has gone wrong, show him how the bays are separated, and re-sort the load together: there are three hours, an hour of work and two people, so the collection can still be right, and Tom is new and needs to know what he got wrong. Doing both at once solves today and tomorrow. It beats re-sorting the bay yourself without mentioning it, because that rescues this load and guarantees the next one, since he still does not know the bays are separated. It beats ringing the supervisor to report that the new starter has contaminated a bay, because she is off site, the fix is within your reach, and reporting a first-week error before trying to correct it turns training into discipline. The least effective response is leaving the bay as it is and letting the reprocessing plant reject the load: it deliberately allows a rejection in order to make the mistake visible, wasting a whole bay when the time to fix it was available. That is worse than re-sorting it quietly, which saves the load, and worse than reporting it, which at least seeks a decision. The principle: when a colleague’s error is still fixable, fix it with them, so the load is right and they can do it themselves next time.

3. Question 3 of 10

   You are a technician at a food-testing laboratory. Today you are preparing a batch of samples from a food manufacturer whose production run is on hold until your results are reported. The analysis needs a calibration you have performed only once, under supervision, since joining the instrument team two weeks ago. If the calibration is wrong the results are invalid and the manufacturer would have to courier fresh samples, extending the hold by days. A senior technician who runs this calibration every week is working at the next bench. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?

   1. Work through the calibration alone with the instrument manual, taking care over each step, and run the samples once it matches what you remember from your training.
   2. Ask the senior technician to check your calibration before you run the batch, so the manufacturer's samples are analysed right first time.
   3. Email the laboratory manager that you are not yet confident with this calibration, and ask for the batch to be reassigned to a more experienced technician.
   4. Skip the unfamiliar calibration step, reasoning that the instrument was set up recently enough for the readings to be close, and report the results in the usual way.
   Show the answer

   Most effective: B. Ask the senior technician to check your calibration before you run the batch, so the manufacturer's samples are analysed right first time.

   Least effective: D. Skip the unfamiliar calibration step, reasoning that the instrument was set up recently enough for the readings to be close, and report the results in the usual way.

   A: Over-commits solo: working from the manual and one supervised attempt gambles days of the manufacturer's production hold on your memory, when the person who runs this calibration every week is at the next bench and a brief check would remove the risk.

   C: Passes responsibility to others: reassignment would get the batch done safely, but it hands away work you could complete with a brief check from the next bench, adds a manager round-trip while the client's production waits, and leaves your calibration skills where they were.

   D: Gambles recklessly with the client's batch: skipping a required calibration and reporting the results anyway stakes the validity of the analysis, and days of the manufacturer's held production, on a guess, a reckless disregard of the required method rather than a defensible way of working.

   The most effective response is to ask the senior technician to check your calibration before you run the batch: the expertise you need is at the next bench, a check takes minutes, and it protects the one thing the manufacturer’s held production depends on, valid results first time, while you keep ownership of your own batch. It beats working through the calibration alone with the manual, because that gambles days of the client’s hold on one unsupervised attempt; taking care is not the same as knowing the procedure, and the risk could be removed by simply asking. It beats emailing the laboratory manager to have the batch reassigned, because that hands away work you could complete with a brief check, adds a manager round-trip while the production hold runs on, and builds none of the competence the role needs. The least effective response is skipping the unfamiliar calibration step and reporting the results anyway: unlike attempting it alone, which at least performs the required step carefully, and unlike reassigning the batch, which puts it in experienced hands, it omits the calibration entirely and gambles the client’s held production on guesswork. The principle: when a colleague’s expertise is at hand and the cost of error is high, ask early; do not gamble alone or hand the work away.

4. Question 4 of 10

   You are a commis chef working the dessert section of a busy restaurant on a Saturday night. A faulty oven has put you twenty minutes behind, six tables are waiting on desserts, and new orders keep arriving. The head chef, reorganising the kitchen around the delay, asks where your section stands and offers to move a colleague across from the quieter starters section to help you. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?

   1. Tell the head chef the backlog will be cleared in ten minutes without extra help, so the starters section stays intact and her re-plan of the kitchen stays simple.
   2. Start components for all six tables' desserts at once so every order shows progress, and send each dessert out as soon as it looks close enough to finished, plating whichever is quickest first.
   3. Give the head chef the honest position, table by table, with realistic times for each, and accept the extra pair of hands, setting the colleague to specific tasks while you work through the backlog in order.
   4. Reply that your section is recovering and decline the help for now, pushing on alone at full speed and raising it again only if the backlog is still there in twenty minutes.
   Show the answer

   Most effective: C. Give the head chef the honest position, table by table, with realistic times for each, and accept the extra pair of hands, setting the colleague to specific tasks while you work through the backlog in order.

   Least effective: B. Start components for all six tables' desserts at once so every order shows progress, and send each dessert out as soon as it looks close enough to finished, plating whichever is quickest first.

   A: Over-promises: the last twenty minutes give no reason to believe ten minutes is achievable alone, so this trades a moment of reassurance now for a second, larger failure later, and the head chef re-plans the kitchen around a number that was never real.

   B: Splits effort so nothing finishes: working six orders at once in a panic means no dessert gets completed properly, and "close enough to finished" sends substandard plates to paying customers, converting a twenty-minute delay into bad food on every waiting table, which cannot be taken back.

   D: Hides the strain until failure: "recovering" understates a growing backlog and turns down the one resource that would actually shorten it, so the head chef re-plans on soft information and the true position only surfaces once tables have waited another twenty minutes.

   The most effective response is to give the head chef the honest position table by table and accept the extra pair of hands: she is re-planning the whole kitchen around your delay, so she needs the true picture in usable detail, and directing the offered help is the fastest legitimate way to shorten the backlog. It beats telling her the backlog will clear in ten minutes without help, because the last twenty minutes give no reason to believe that promise; when the ten minutes pass, the kitchen must re-plan again, later and with less room. It beats declining the help and pushing on alone at full speed, because that keeps the strain private and refuses the one resource that would shorten the delay, so her re-plan runs on soft information and the failure surfaces only when tables have waited even longer. The least effective response is starting all six tables’ desserts at once and sending each one out as soon as it looks close enough: unlike the optimistic promise, which at least intends to send out finished desserts, and unlike pushing on alone, which at least keeps quality while gambling on time, it abandons both order and standard, so six part- finished desserts reach paying customers, an outcome that cannot be recalled or re-planned around. The principle: under pressure, composure means honest triage. State the real position, take the help on offer, and protect the standard of what goes out.

5. Question 5 of 10

   You work in a bank’s complaints team. You have spent the morning on difficult calls about a systems failure that left customers without access to their accounts. Your team leader tells you that a complaint you handled last week has been escalated to the ombudsman and asks for your full file notes by the end of the day. Your call queue is still at record length. You believe you handled the case correctly. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?

   1. Come off the queue and write the ombudsman file notes now while the case is fresh, since a regulatory deadline outranks the call queue.
   2. Get on with both as best you can and say nothing, since the whole team is under pressure from the systems failure and raising it would look like complaining.
   3. Tell your team leader the queue is at record length, ask whether the file notes can be done tomorrow or the queue covered, and keep taking calls while she decides.
   4. Work the queue all day and write up the ombudsman notes this evening after your shift, so that neither the customers nor the deadline is let down.
   Show the answer

   Most effective: C. Tell your team leader the queue is at record length, ask whether the file notes can be done tomorrow or the queue covered, and keep taking calls while she decides.

   Least effective: B. Get on with both as best you can and say nothing, since the whole team is under pressure from the systems failure and raising it would look like complaining.

   A: Substitutes own judgement for the stakeholder's: it assumes the file notes outrank the queue because they sound more serious, when your team leader set both without weighing them and can rebalance in a minute.

   B: Avoids the difficult conversation: it stays silent about a workload that cannot be delivered, for fear of how it looks, so both the file notes and the calls are done badly and the one person who could rebalance it is not told.

   D: Hides the strain until failure: it meets both demands by absorbing the overload privately, so your team leader never learns the day was undeliverable and plans the next one identically.

   The most effective response is to tell your team leader the queue is at record length and ask whether the file notes can be done tomorrow or the queue covered, while you keep taking calls: she set that deadline without knowing the queue had reached record length, that is the missing fact, and she is the only person who can decide between them or find cover. Continuing to take calls while she decides means nothing stops. It beats coming off the queue to write the ombudsman file notes now, because that settles the ranking yourself on the basis that a regulator sounds more important, when the person who owns both has not been asked. It beats working the queue all day and writing the notes this evening after your shift, because doing them unpaid conceals that the day was undeliverable and guarantees the same demand next week. The least effective response is getting on with both as best you can and saying nothing: it neither raises the conflict nor resolves it, so both pieces of work suffer, and the reason is how raising it would look. That is worse than the other two, which pick badly but do complete the work. The principle: when two demands cannot both be met, give the person who set them the fact they are missing and let them choose, while you keep working.

6. Question 6 of 10

   You are a veterinary receptionist. It is the busiest morning of the week, two vets are running an hour behind, and the waiting room is full. A client whose appointment has been delayed twice tells you loudly, in front of others, that the practice is disorganised and that you personally have wasted her morning. You have done nothing wrong; the delays came from two emergencies. Other clients are watching. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?

   1. Explain to her, in front of the waiting room, that the delay was caused by two genuine emergencies and that the reception team has no control over how long a consultation takes.
   2. Apologise for the wait, acknowledge that her morning has been disrupted, tell her where she now sits in the queue, and offer to move her appointment if that suits her better.
   3. Apologise, tell her you will fetch the practice manager to deal with her complaint, and turn to the next client while she waits for the manager to come out.
   4. Say nothing while she finishes, then carry on checking in the next client, since responding at all in front of a full waiting room would only make the scene last longer.
   Show the answer

   Most effective: B. Apologise for the wait, acknowledge that her morning has been disrupted, tell her where she now sits in the queue, and offer to move her appointment if that suits her better.

   Least effective: D. Say nothing while she finishes, then carry on checking in the next client, since responding at all in front of a full waiting room would only make the scene last longer.

   A: Personalises the conflict: the explanation is true but it is offered as a defence in public, so it invites her to argue back in front of an audience rather than lowering the temperature.

   C: Passes responsibility to others: it hands off a complaint you are able to handle and leaves her standing in the waiting room to wait again, which is the exact thing she is angry about.

   D: Avoids the difficult conversation: an unacknowledged complaint in a full waiting room tells her and everyone watching that the practice does not respond to its clients. Silence escalates it rather than ending it.

   The most effective response is to apologise, tell her where she now sits in the queue, and offer to move her appointment: it accepts the part that is true, that her morning has been disrupted, gives her the two things she can act on, and does it without arguing in front of the room. It beats explaining the two emergencies in front of the waiting room, because defending the practice in public, however accurate, invites a public argument and does nothing about her actual problem, which is not knowing how much longer she must wait. It beats fetching the practice manager to deal with the complaint, because that makes her wait again for the very complaint that she has waited too long, when you can answer it yourself. The least effective response is saying nothing and turning to the next client: it is the only response where a client who has complained in front of a full waiting room receives no answer at all, which reads to everyone present as a practice that ignores its clients. That is worse than defending the practice, which at least engages, and worse than fetching the manager, which at least routes her to someone. The principle: under public criticism, acknowledge what is true, give the person something concrete to decide, and do not defend yourself to an audience.

7. Question 7 of 10

   You work on the desk at a car rental branch. A customer returns a car four hours late and is charged an extra day under the rental terms. He is angry and says the branch told him on collection that a few hours’ grace was fine. There is no note of that on the booking. The colleague who handled the collection is off today. Your branch manager is available. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?

   1. Tell him that the charge stands, that the colleague he spoke to is off today, and that if he wishes to dispute it he should write to customer services with the details.
   2. Waive the extra day's charge immediately so the customer leaves satisfied, since the branch cannot prove what he was told on collection and the goodwill is worth more than one day's hire.
   3. Apologise for the confusion, tell him you will check with the colleague who handled the collection and with your manager, and agree a time today when you will call him back with an answer.
   4. Explain that the rental terms he signed charge a full day after two hours, and that without a note on the booking the branch has no record of any grace period being offered.
   Show the answer

   Most effective: C. Apologise for the confusion, tell him you will check with the colleague who handled the collection and with your manager, and agree a time today when you will call him back with an answer.

   Least effective: A. Tell him that the charge stands, that the colleague he spoke to is off today, and that if he wishes to dispute it he should write to customer services with the details.

   A: Ignores the customer's actual need: it closes the matter in the branch's favour before anyone has checked, and sends the customer to write a letter about a question a manager standing nearby could settle today.

   B: Breaches confidentiality or process: it may well be the right outcome and it is not yours to decide alone. Waiving a charge because a claim cannot be disproved sets the branch's terms by whoever complains hardest.

   D: Treats missing evidence as proof: it answers with the contract and treats the absence of a note as proof he is wrong, when the only person who could confirm it is simply not at work today.

   The most effective response is to apologise for the confusion, say you will check with the colleague who handled the collection and with your manager, and agree a time today to call him back: there is a genuine factual question about what he was told, and it is answerable by asking. Committing to a time turns an argument at the desk into a process with an end. It beats explaining that the rental terms charge a full day after two hours and that nothing is noted on the booking, because the absence of a note is not evidence that nothing was said, and quoting the terms settles nothing while the one person who knows is uncontacted. It beats waiving the extra day’s charge immediately, because that decides a disputed fact by who complained, and it is the manager’s call, not yours. The least effective response is telling him the charge stands and that he should write to customer services: it rules against him before checking, uses his own witness being absent as the reason, and sends him away to write a letter about something answerable today. That is worse than waiving the charge, which resolves it, and worse than quoting the terms, which at least explains them. The principle: when a customer’s claim turns on a fact you can check, check it and commit to coming back, rather than settling it by contract or by goodwill on the spot.

8. Question 8 of 10

   You are an account coordinator at a translation company. A client needs a contract translated for a signing on Thursday. On Tuesday your specialist legal translator falls ill. A generalist could produce a draft by Thursday but it would not carry the legal certification the client asked for. A certified version is possible by Monday. The client’s counsel is contactable. Your operations director is available. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?

   1. Have the generalist produce the draft for Thursday, and tell the client's counsel it is uncertified when you deliver it.
   2. Tell the client's counsel that the translation will now be ready on Monday, since a certified document is what was ordered and an uncertified one would not meet the requirement.
   3. Ring the client's counsel today, explain the certified version cannot be ready before Monday and an uncertified draft could meet Thursday, and let them decide.
   4. Deliver the generalist's draft on Thursday presented as the completed translation, since it will read correctly and the certification is a formality that can follow afterwards.
   Show the answer

   Most effective: C. Ring the client's counsel today, explain the certified version cannot be ready before Monday and an uncertified draft could meet Thursday, and let them decide.

   Least effective: D. Deliver the generalist's draft on Thursday presented as the completed translation, since it will read correctly and the certification is a formality that can follow afterwards.

   A: Substitutes own judgement for the stakeholder's: whether an uncertified translation is usable at a signing is counsel's judgement, and telling them on delivery leaves no time to decide otherwise.

   B: Delays the decision: it offers only the option that misses the signing, and withholds the existence of a Thursday draft that counsel might well find useful.

   D: Misrepresents the work: presenting an uncertified translation as the completed certified document is a false statement about a legal deliverable, and a signing may proceed on a document that does not carry what it appears to.

   The most effective response is to ring the client’s counsel today, explain the certified version cannot be ready before Monday and an uncertified draft could meet Thursday, and let them decide: certification is exactly what was ordered, only counsel can judge whether an uncertified draft is usable at a signing or whether the signing should move, and Tuesday leaves time for either. Giving both facts is what makes the choice real. It beats telling them the translation will now be ready on Monday, because offering only that hides a Thursday option counsel might prefer. It beats having the generalist produce the draft and disclosing that it is uncertified on delivery, because that presents the decision as already made. The least effective response is delivering the generalist’s draft as the completed translation: it passes off an uncertified document as the certified one, so a contract may be signed on a paper that does not carry what it appears to. That is worse than the other two, which choose badly but describe the work honestly. The principle: when you cannot deliver what was specified, put the real alternatives to the client at once and never let a substitute be mistaken for the original.

9. Question 9 of 10

   You are an events coordinator at a conference centre. A client’s two-day conference starts on Thursday. On Tuesday you learn the main auditorium’s air-conditioning has failed and cannot be repaired before Friday. A smaller room could hold the delegates but only seated theatre- style, losing the exhibition space the client has sold to sponsors. The client’s events manager is contactable. Your operations director is on leave until Thursday. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?

   1. Ring the client's events manager today, explain the failure, set out the smaller room and what it would cost her in exhibition space, and agree the plan with her before anything is moved.
   2. Move the conference to the smaller room and email the client to confirm the change, explaining that the auditorium is unusable and this was the only workable alternative.
   3. Wait until Thursday when your operations director is back, so that the client is given a decision with the authority of the centre behind it rather than an incomplete picture.
   4. Leave the conference in the auditorium and say nothing, since the room may be tolerable in October and telling the client now would cause alarm about something that might not be a problem.
   Show the answer

   Most effective: A. Ring the client's events manager today, explain the failure, set out the smaller room and what it would cost her in exhibition space, and agree the plan with her before anything is moved.

   Least effective: D. Leave the conference in the auditorium and say nothing, since the room may be tolerable in October and telling the client now would cause alarm about something that might not be a problem.

   B: Substitutes own judgement for the stakeholder's: the client sold exhibition space to sponsors, so the trade between a cooler room and the sponsors' stands is hers to make, not yours to make and announce.

   C: Delays the decision: the conference starts on Thursday. Waiting for the director removes the client's last two days to tell sponsors, rearrange stands or find another venue.

   D: Hides the problem / silent deadline slip: it gambles a client's two- day conference and her sponsors on the weather, with the one person who could plan around it deliberately left uninformed. That is concealment, not judgement.

   The most effective response is to ring the client’s events manager today, explain the failure, and set out the smaller room and what it would cost her in exhibition space: she sold that space to sponsors, so only she can weigh a working room against losing it, and on Tuesday she still has two days to tell them or make other arrangements. Giving her the failure, the option and the cost lets her decide while deciding is still possible. It beats moving the conference to the smaller room and emailing to confirm the change, because that takes a commercial decision about her sponsors out of her hands. It beats waiting until Thursday when your operations director is back, because that consumes the client’s entire remaining planning time for the sake of internal authority. The least effective response is leaving the conference in the auditorium and saying nothing: it leaves a two-day conference in a room with no air-conditioning, tells nobody, and relies on the weather. That is worse than moving the room, which at least secures a usable one, and worse than waiting for the director, which at least intends to tell her. The principle: when a failure forces a trade-off that belongs to the client, give them the facts and the options while they still have time to choose.

10. Question 10 of 10

    You work in credit control at a builders’ merchant. A long-standing customer is two months overdue and his account should be put on stop, which would block a delivery he needs tomorrow. He rings you personally, explains his cash flow problem, and asks you to delay the stop by a week as a favour, mentioning that he has always paid eventually. Your credit manager is in the office. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?

    1. Apply the stop as the process requires and tell him the decision is automatic once an account reaches two months, so there is nothing you can do about it.
    2. Apply the stop, but tell him informally which day the account is reviewed so that he can time a part payment to get the delivery released.
    3. Hold off applying the stop for a week as he asks, since he has always paid eventually and applying it now would cost him a delivery he needs tomorrow.
    4. Tell him you cannot delay the stop yourself, take the details of his cash flow position, and put the request to your credit manager today so she can decide before tomorrow's delivery.
    Show the answer

    Most effective: D. Tell him you cannot delay the stop yourself, take the details of his cash flow position, and put the request to your credit manager today so she can decide before tomorrow's delivery.

    Least effective: C. Hold off applying the stop for a week as he asks, since he has always paid eventually and applying it now would cost him a delivery he needs tomorrow.

    A: Passes responsibility to others: it hides behind the process to avoid a difficult conversation, when a genuine request from a long- standing customer is exactly the kind that the credit manager exists to consider.

    B: Coaches the customer around the control: it applies the rule and then coaches the customer on how to work around it, which achieves the same favour as delaying the stop while leaving no record that anyone decided anything.

    C: Breaches confidentiality or process: the credit limit is the merchant's control on its own exposure, and quietly suspending it as a personal favour is a decision taken outside the process by someone without the authority to take it.

    The most effective response is to tell him you cannot delay the stop yourself, take the details of his cash flow position, and put the request to your credit manager today: you have no authority to suspend a credit stop, the request is a reasonable one for a long-standing customer, and she is in the office with a day in hand to decide. Taking the facts to her keeps the decision with the person who owns the exposure. It beats telling him the decision is automatic and there is nothing you can do, because that is untrue: something can be done, it is simply not yours to do, and the process has a person in it. It beats telling him informally which day the account is reviewed so he can time a part payment, because that achieves the favour without a record that any decision was taken. The least effective response is holding off applying the stop for a week as he asks: it suspends a control on the merchant’s own credit exposure as a personal favour, with no authority and no record. That is worse than the flat refusal, which is unhelpful but correct, and worse than the informal tip, which at least applies the stop. The principle: when a request is reasonable but outside your authority, take it to the person whose authority it is, in time for them to use it.