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Risk Sales Forecast
Budgeting, Sales Forecasts, and Ethical Consideration
Sales forecasts and the budget preparation process in general, serves as a cornerstone for effective operations management. When this practice is performed with strict adherence to good business ethics it is one of the key components of the entire business planning process. With reliable estimates the organization can plan appropriates. Financial planning and estimation includes forecasted sales and revenues, expenses, and required cash flow to operate the business.
The budget will then combine all of the different estimates into a comprehensive document that can be used to plan for the future and to make business decision. The first activity in the budgeting process is usually a sales forecast. Once an organization determines what their projected levels of sales will be for any period, they can then estimate the other expenses based on this forecast. Accuracy of the sales forecast therefore is paramount to the planning process as many other estimates about other business functions depend on it. One study found that accurate sales projections are of vital importance to the profitability and long-term survival...
One problem is that sales representatives might be disinterested in participating or have an incentive to inflate their own personal estimate for various reasons. Drawing upon these tenets, a current research is developing ways that can identify the incentives that encourage sales people to provide accurate vs. inaccurate sales forecasts (Todd, Crook, & Lachowetz, 2013). There are many reasons an individual might be biased towards a forecasting. Executives might be trying to acquire capital or impress potential investors and artificially inflate the figures for their own personal ambitions.
Since sales forecasts are naturally subject to some error many people can take advantage of these figures and provide estimate that serve their own interest rather than put the organization's goals first. Sales forecast is an attempt to cope with risk and ambiguity of the market environment that allows business to shoot for realistic…
Works Cited
Decker, R., & Gnibba-Yukawa, K. (2010). Sales Forecasting in High-Technology Markets: A Utility-Based Approach. The Journal of Product Innovation Management, 115-129.
Todd, S., Crook, T., & Lachowetz, T. (2013). Agency Theory Explanations of Self-Serving Sales Forecast Inaccuracies. Sciedu Press, 13.
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