Paper Example Undergraduate 1,170 words

Case study analysis of organizational problems

Last reviewed: February 3, 2012 ~6 min read
Abstract

This order contains the solution to two questions and a case study from the book, 'Managing Operations Across the Supply Chain'. The questions required to analyse the inventory and finances of a company and give recommendations for its operations. It comprises of many different calculations and tables to support the answers.

¶ … Managing Operations Across the Supply Chain

Question (a) moving average demand predictions

The predictions in each quarter based on moving average calculations are as follows:

Y2Q1 = 1/N (y1q1 + y1q2 + y1q3 + y1q4)

where Y2Q1 represents forecasts for year 2 quarter 1 and y1q1 .. ynqn are actual demands for year n quarter n and N. represents the number of quarters used to calculate the average.

This nomenclature is used throughout the calculation where YnQn represents Year n Quarter n.

Y2Q1 = 1/4(18+19+18+17) = 18 kayak paddles

Y2Q2 = 1/4(19+18+17+18) = 18.25

Y2Q3 = 1/4(18+17+19+21) = 18.75

Y2Q4 = 1/4(17+19+21+18) = 18.75

Y3Q1 = 1/4(19+21+18+19) = 19.25

Y3Q2 = 1/4 (21+18+ 19+20) = 19.5

Y3Q3 = 1/4 (18+19+20+24) = 20.25

Y3Q4 = 1/4(19+20+24+28) = 22.75

Year

Y4Q1 = 1/4 (20+24+28+32) = 26

Y4Q2 = 1/4 (24+28+32+30) = 28.5

Y4Q3 = 1/4 (28+32+30+31) = 30.25

Y4Q4 = 1/4 (32+30+31+34) = 24.25

Year

Y5Q1 = 1/4 (30+31+34+40) = 33.75

Y5Q2 = 1/4 (31+34+40+42) = 36.75

Y5Q3 = 1/4 (34+40+42+38) = 38.5

Y5Q4 = 1/4 (40+42+38+59) = 44.75

Year 6

Y6Q1 = 1/4 (42+38+59+58) = 49.25

Y6Q2 = 1/4 (38+59+58+60) = 53.75

Y6Q3 = 1/4 (59+58+60+61) = 59.5

Y6Q4 = 1/4 (58+60+61+62) = 60.25

Managing Operations 2

Year 7

Y7Q1 = 1/4 (60+61+62+62) = 61.25

Y7Q2 = 1/4 (61+62+62+64) = 62.25

Y7Q3 = 1/4 (62+62+64+65) = 63.25

Y7Q4 = 1/4 (62+64+65+66) = 64.25

Year 8

Y8Q1 = 1/4(64+65+66+68) = 65.75

Y8Q2 = 1/4(65+66+68+69) = 67

Y8Q3 = 1/4(66+68+69+68) = 67.75

Y8Q4 = 1/4 (68+69+68+67) = 68

Question (b) exponential smoothing demand predictions

FQ2 = FQ1 + ? (dq1 -- FQ1)

Where FQ2 = forecast demand in quarter 2, ? is the smoothing coefficient, (dq1 - FQ1) is the forecasting error, FQ1 is the forecast demand for the previous period and dq1 is the actual demand for the corresponding period.

Year1 (Y1)

F (Y1Q2) = 17+0.1(18-17) = 17.1 given initial forecast of year 1 quarter 1 of 17

F (Y1Q3) = 17.1+ 0.1(19-17.1) = 17.29

F (Y1Q4) = 17.29+0.1(18-17.29) = 17.36

Year 2

F (Y2Q1) = 17.36+0.1(17-17.36) = 17.325

Y (Y2Q2) = 17.325 + 0.1(19-17.325) = 17.493

F (Y2Q3) = 17.493 + 0.1(21 -- 17.493) = 17.844

F (Y2Q4) = 17.844 + 0.1(18-17.844) = 17.86

Year 3

F (Y3Q1) = 17.86 + 0.1(19-17.86) = 17.974

F (Y3Q2) = 17.974 + 0.1(20-17.974) = 18.177

F (Y3Q3) = 18.177 + 0.1(24-18.177) = 18.759

F (Y3Q4) = 18.759 +0.1(28-18.759) = 19.683

Managing Operations 3

Year 4

F (Y4Q1) = 19.683 + 0.1(32 -- 19.683) = 20.915

F (Y4Q2) = 20.915 + 0.1(30 -- 20.915) = 21.824

F (Y4Q3) = 21.824 + 0.1(31 -- 21.824) = 22.742

F (Y4Q4) = 22.742 + 0.1(34 -- 22.742) = 23.868

Year 5

F (Y5Q1) = 23.868 + 0.1(40 -- 23.868) = 25.481

F (Y5Q2) = 25.481 + 0.1(42 -- 25.481) = 17.133

F (Y5Q3) = 27.133 + 0.1(38 -- 27.133) = 28.22

F (Y5Q4) = 28.22 + 0.1(59 -- 28.22) = 31.298

Year 6

F (Y6Q1) = 31.298 + 0.1(58 -- 31.298) = 33.968

F (Y6Q2) = 33.968 + 0.1(60 -- 33.968) = 36.571

F (Y6Q3) = 36.571 + 0.1(61 -- 36.571) = 39.014

F (Y6Q4) = 39.014 + 0.1(62 -- 39.014) = 41.313

Year 7

F (Y7Q1) = 41.313 + 0.1(62 -- 41.313) = 43.382

F (Y7Q2) = 43.382 + 0.1(64 -- 43.382) = 45.444

F (Y7Q3) = 45.444+ 0.1(65 -- 45.444) = 47.4

F (Y7Q4) = 47.4 + 0.1(66 -- 47.4) = 49.26

Year 8

F (Y8Q1) = 49.26 + 0.1(68 -- 49.26) = 51.134

F (Y8Q2) = 51.134 + 0.1(69 -- 51.134) = 52.921

F (Y8Q3) = 52.921 + 0.1(68-52.921 = 54.43

F (Y8Q4) = 54.43 + 0.1(67 -- 54.43) = 55.657

Managing Operations 4

Question ( c ) to determine the best performing forecasting procedure, the demand data are plotted. See accompanying Microsoft Excel spreadsheet. The moving average gives better performance in this case.

Demand

Exp Smooth

Mov Avg

Table 1, Actual Demand, each Quarter, Predictions using Exponential Smoothing and Moving Averages

Managing Operations 5

Question 2 Production Plan, Problem 6-Page 412

Level production Plan

Based on relationship 13-1 from the text Managing Operations across the Supply Chain,

Level Production P = (?Di + EI -- BI) / N

Where P = level production rate, Di = demand for period I, EI = desired level of ending inventory, BI = beginning inventory and N = number of planning periods.

The level production plan gives the average rate of demand.

Given Planning Data

Month

January

February

March

April

May

June

Demand

200,000

150,000

200,000

400,000

550,000

250,000

Current workforce = 25 workers

Average monthly output = 10,000 sets of decks per month

Inventory holding cost = $0.25

Regular worker wage rate = $1.00 per deck per hour

Overtime wage rate = $1.30 per deck per hour

Hiring cost = $500.00

Firing cost = $500.00

Beginning Inventory = 50,000

Table 1, Level Production Data with beginning worker level of 25

Month

Demand per Month

Regular Production

OT/Sub-contract

Ending Inventory

Workforce Required

Hire

Fire/

Layoff

January

200,000

291,667

0

141,667

30

5

0

February

150,000

291,667

0

283,334

30

0

0

March

200,000

291,667

0

375,001

30

0

0

April

400,000

291,667

0

266,668

30

0

0

May

550,000

291,667

0

8,335

30

0

0

June

250,000

291,667

0

50,002

30

0

0

Total

1,750,000

1,750,00

0

1,125,007

5

0

Level production P = (200,000+150,000+200,000+40,000+550,000+250,000 -50,000+50,000)/6

= 291,667 Deck sets per month

Number of workers required = 291,667/worker production rate = 291,667/10,000 = 29.2 say 30.

Managing Operations 6

Ending inventories for the month are calculated using the relationship:

Ending inventory = previous month ending + current month production -- demand .

So for January, ending inventory = 50,000 + 291,667 -- 200,000 = 141,667

Other months are calculated in a similar manner.

Using Table 1 Data

Total Cost of Level Production = Regular Production Cost + Inventory Cost + Hiring Cost

Total Cost = 1,750,000($1.00) + 1,125,007($0.25) + 5($500)

= $2,033,751.75

Table 2, Chase Production Plan Using Overtime, beginning worker level = 25

Month

Demand per Month

Regular Production

Overtime Production

Ending Inventory

Workers

Required

Hire

Fire/

Layoff

January

200,000

150,000

50,000

50,000

15

0

10

February

150,000

150,000

0

50,000

15

0

0

March

200,000

150,000

50,000

50,000

15

0

0

April

400,000

150,000

250,000

50,000

15

0

0

May

550,000

150,000

400,000

50,000

15

0

0

June

250,000

150,000

100,000

50,000

15

0

0

Total

1,750,000

900,000

850,000

300,000

0

10

The lowest demand of 150,000 was used as the basis for regular monthly production in Table 2

Workers required = Regular Production/output rate per worker = 150,000/10,000 = 15

Total Cost for the Chase Production Plan using Overtime,

Total Cost = Regular Production Cost + Overtime Cost + Inventory Cost + Hiring or Firing Cost

= 900,000($1.00) + 850,000($1.30) + 300,000($0.25) + 10($500)

= $900,000 + $1,105,000 + $75,000 + $5,000

= $2,085,000

Table 3, Chase Production Plan Using Workforce Change

Month

Demand per Month

Regular Production

Overtime Production

Ending Inventory

Workers

Required

Hire

Fire/

Layoff

January

200,000

200,000

0

50,000

20

5

February

150,000

150,000

0

50,000

15

5

March

200,000

200,000

0

50,000

20

5

April

400,000

400,000

0

50,000

40

20

May

550,000

550,000

0

50,000

55

15

June

250,000

250,000

0

50,000

25

30

Total

1,750,000

1,750,000

0

300,000

40

40

Managing Operations 7

From Table 3, Chase Production Plan Using Workforce Change

Total Cost = Regular Production Cost + Inventory Cost + Hiring Cost + Firing Cost

+ 1,750,000 ($1.00) + 300,000 ($0.25) + 40 ($500) + (40 ($500)

= $1,865,000

Question 3 Med-Chem Products Case, Pages 415-416

Part 1

The current system in use is one of competition between the operations personnel and the marketing personnel. In this system, each department attempts to optimize its own individual goals, often at the expense of the other department's goals. So for example, when marketing deploys special promotions, it achieves goals of obtaining increased number of orders. This promotion is not coordinated with operations and so it destroys the operations' goals of minimizing inventory or reducing out-of-stock situations. The system also gives greater degree of power to marketing as it is seen that they can make changes to the vitally important forecasts at any time that they choose. Another indication of the type of system in use is in regard to the Boston Consulting Group (BCG) product classification. An accurate application of this system of classification relies on data on Market Growth Rate and Relative Market Share ( Kerin, Hartley, Rudelius, Clements, and Skolnick, 2009, p. 295). It is stated in the case that accurate collection of data concerning sales was lacking. If this is the case then the application of the BCG product classification is also inaccurate.

This system hinders the ability of Med-Chem to achieve its objectives rather than help it. The goals were stated as minimizing production costs. Since inventory costs may form a major part of production costs, it is important that accurate forecasts be made and that limits be set on the Managing Operations 8

You’re 82% through this paper. Sign up to read the full paper.

Sign Up Now — Instant Access Already a member? Log in
130,000+ paper examples AI writing assistant Citation generator Cancel anytime
Cite This Paper
PaperDue. (2012). Case study analysis of organizational problems. PaperDue. https://www.paperdue.com/essay/problems-case-114794

Always verify citation format against your institution’s current style guide requirements.