Stock availability is best described as which of the following?

• A. The percentage of orders fulfilled on first request.
• B. Indication of whether items are in stock.
• C. The total stock value in currency.
• D. Lead time to replenish stock.

Answer: (B)

Stock availability refers to whether items are currently on hand in inventory and can be sold or shipped immediately. It’s the quick indication of whether products are in stock, often shown as in-stock or out-of-stock (sometimes with the exact on-hand quantity). This is different from the percentage of orders fulfilled on the first request, which measures how often orders are completed without backorders. It also isn’t the total stock value, which is the monetary worth of all inventory, nor the lead time to replenish stock, which is the time needed to restock items. So stock availability is about the immediate presence of stock for fulfilling orders.