墨菲物流学英文版第12版课后习题答案

PART IIPART II ANSWERS TO END-OF-CHAPTER QUESTIONSANSWERS TO END-OF-CHAPTER QUESTIONS CHAPTER 7: DEMAND MANAGEMENT, ORDER MANAGEMENT, ANDCHAPTER 7: DEMAND MANAGEMENT, ORDER MANAGEMENT, AND CUSTOMER SERVICECUSTOMER SERVICE 7-1. What is the relationship between demand management, order management, and customer service? There is a key link between order management and demand forecasting in that a firm does not simply wait for orders to arrive in order to learn what is happening. Forecasts are made of sales and of the inventories that must be stocked so that the firm can fill orders in a satisfactory manner. There is also a key link between order management and customer service because many organizations analyze customer service standards in terms of the four stages of the order cycle. 7-2. Discuss the three basic demand forecasting models. Judgmental forecasting involves using judgment or intuition and is preferred in situations where there is limited or no historical data, such as with a new product introduction. Judgmental forecasting techniques include surveys and the analog technique. An underlying assumption of time-series forecasting is that future demand is solely dependent on past demand. Time-series forecasting techniques include simple moving averages and weighted moving averages. Cause and effect forecasting assumes that one or more factors are related to demand and that the relationship between cause and effect can be used to estimate future demand. Simple regression and multiple regression are examples of cause and effect forecasting. 7-3. Discuss several demand forecasting issues. Demand forecasting issues include the situation at hand, forecasting costs in terms of time and money, and the accuracy of various forecasting techniques. With respect to the situation at hand, judgmental forecasting is appropriate when there is little or no historical data. As for time and money, survey research, for example, can cost a great deal of money and/or take a great deal of time depending on the media. Forecasting accuracy refers to the relationship between actual and forecasted demand. Accurate forecasts have allowed some companies to reduce finished goods inventory; one company, for example, had to carry nearly twice as much inventory as actually needed because of inaccurate demand forecasts. 1 Copyright © 2018 Pearson Education, Inc. 7-4. Define and describe the order cycle. Why is it considered an important aspect of customer service? The order cycle is the elapsed time from when a customer places an order until the customer receives the order. It is an important aspect of customer service in part because the order cycle is frequently used to determine the parameters of customer service goals and objectives. The order cycle is also being used by some firms as a competitive weapon (generally, the shorter the better), and technological advances now make it extremely easy (and fast) for customers to determine the exact status of their order(s). 7-