Inventory Management and Risk Pooling - Forecasting

9 important questions on Inventory Management and Risk Pooling - Forecasting

What are the three rules of forecasting?

  1. The forecast is always wrong
  2. The longer the forecast horizon, the worse the forecast
  3. Aggregate forecasts are more accurate

What are the four general categories of forecasting?

  1. Judgement methods - involve the collection of expert opinions
  2. Market research methods - involve qualitative studies of consumer behavior
  3. Time-series methods - are mathematical methods in which future performance is extrapolated from past performance
  4. Causal methods - are mathematical methods in which forecasts are generated bases on a variety of system variables

What is a sales-force composite?

A sales-force composite can be assembled that combines each salesperson's sales estimate in a logical way.
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What is panels of experts?

Panels of experts can be assembled in order to reach a consensus. This approach assumes that by communicating and openly sharing information, a superior forecast can be agreed upon.

What are market surveys?

Market surveys involve gathering data from a variety of potential customers, typically through interviews, telephone-based surveys and written surveys.

What are methods for data with trends?

For data with trends, a regression analysis and Holt's method are more useful, as they specifically account for trends in the data. Regression analysis fits a straight line to data points, while Holt's method combines the concept of exponential smoothing with the ability to follow a linear trend in the data.

What are methods for seasonal data?

Seasonal decomposition methods remove the seasonal patterns from the data and then apply the approaches listed above on these edited data. Similarly, Winter's method is a version of exponential smoothing that accounts for trends and seasonality.

How do causal methods forecast demand?

Causal methods generate forecasts based on data other than data being predicted. They use other pieces of data for example, the unemployment rate, inflation, weather, or anything besides the sales in this quarter.

Which three questions can be asked when selecting the appropriate forecasting technique?

  1. What is the purpose of the forecast? How is it to be used?
  2. What are the dynamics of the system for which the forecast will be made?
  3. How important is the past in estimating the future?

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