5-2 Final Project Milestone Two- Draft of Inventory Management and Benchmarking

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1 5-2 Final Project Milestone Two: Draft of Inventory Management and Benchmarking Sherry Gerges Southern New Hampshire University ACC 550: Cost Accounting Brian McCloskey January 14 th , 2024
2 Memorandum To: President and Board From: Sherry Gerges, CFO of the Hampshire Company Date: January 14 th , 2024 Subject: Inventory Management and Benchmarking In this memo, I will be discussing my analysis of sections II and III on the Hampshire Company Spreadsheet. I will touch base on inventory management and benchmarking. For inventory management I will determine an optimal cost allocation method besed on the relevant costs and I will describe how this method should be used by decision makers to fulfill their responsibilities. I will talk about the pros and cons of the just-in-time (JIT) system and I will identify the inventory management method that I recommend. I will also look into benchmarking and what the advantage is to it and well as identifying possible approaches to benchmarking. Lastly, I will suggest which benchmarking method management should adopt and why. Inventory Management Inventory management is the process that is used for companies to keep track of ordering, storing, using and selling their inventory (Hayes, 2023). Relevant Costs An optimal cost allocation method based on the relevant costs is the activity-based allocation method. This method “allocates costs based on the actual activities that drive expenses” (Imarticus, 2023).
3 Method This method should be used by decision makers to fulfill their responsibilities by allowing them to be able to identify the cost drivers and assign costs properly. For example, if the decision makers find that a certain product in their inventory is using a lot of the resources that the company offers, decision makers might find it more beneficial to the company to higher the price of the product or find a cheaper way to produce it. Pros and Cons There are many pros and cons for implementing the just-in-time (JIT) inventory system. A few pros are: production time for each product is short, costs are reduced because warehouse needs are minimized, and less money is spent because only what is needed for the orders is purchased and nothing extra (Banton, 2023). A few cons are: if a supplier can not deliver the raw materials on time then there is a delay in the production line and if there is a random order for products that is not expected (Banton, 2023). For Hampshire Company, the pros outweigh the cons because it will allow for the company to ensure that there is no wasted materials and all the products and supplies are allocated properly. Inventory System The just-in-time (JIT) inventory system can benefit this organization because it will allow for the company to only order materials per order requested as opposed to having a lot of excess products lying around that are not sold. Based on section II of the spreadsheet, we can see that there is a lot of leftover inventory, $152,000 to be exact, which is a loss for the company because it is a lot of unsold products. If the JIT inventory system is implemented, Hampshire Company would be able to minimize the ending inventory.
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4 Inventory The inventory management method that I recommend would be the just-in-time (JIT) inventory system because it would allow for the company to manage the amount of inventory they are holding in their warehouses, and it will improve cash flow. The only con to this inventory system that our company should try to get ahead of is that they should ensure that they have a good understanding with the suppliers they are dealing with of what their ordering patterns are like so that they can reduce the risk of their being a stockout. Benchmarking Benchmarking can be used for a company to compare their accounting practices to the best in the industry (James, 2017). Advantage The advantage to benchmarking in terms of improving companies’ performance is that it allows for the company to compare their practices to that of the best in the industry. This will allow them to see where they are lacking and see what they can do to improve. By doing this, they can set realistic targets for them to reach to become one of the best in the industry. Approaches There are 4 types of approaches to benchmarking: internal, external, performance and practice. “Performance benchmarking involves gathering and comparing quantitative data (i.e., measures or key performance indicators)” ( What Are the Four Types of Benchmarking? , 2019). “Practice benchmarking involves gathering and comparing qualitative information about how an activity is conducted through people, processes, and technology” ( What Are the Four Types of Benchmarking? , 2019). “Internal benchmarking compares metrics (performance benchmarking) and/or practices (practice benchmarking) from different units, product lines, departments,
5 programs, geographies, etc., within the organization” ( What Are the Four Types of Benchmarking? , 2019). “External benchmarking compares metrics and/or practices of one organization to one or many others” ( What Are the Four Types of Benchmarking? , 2019). Benchmarking Method The benchmarking method that I believe management should adopt is external benchmarking. This method will allow for the company to company their methods directly with their competitors to be able to identify where the company needs improvement.
6 References Banton, C. (2023, December 19).  Just-in-Time (JIT): Definition, Example, and Pros & Cons . Investopedia. https://www.investopedia.com/terms/j/jit.asp Hayes, A. (2023, March 28).  Inventory management defined, plus methods and techniques . Investopedia. https://www.investopedia.com/terms/i/inventory-management.asp Imarticus. (2023, October 20). The pros and cons of top cost allocation methods.  Finance, Tech & Analytics Career Resources | Imarticus Blog . https://imarticus.org/blog/the-pros-and- cons-of-top-cost-allocation-methods/#:~:text=These%20methods%20aid%20in %20accurate,diverse%20organisational%20structures%20and%20goals. James, T. (2017, July 12).  Benchmarking Accounting Practices - Success tax professionals . Success Tax Professionals. https://www.stptax.com/benchmarking-accounting-practices/ #:~:text=Benchmarking%20involves%20comparing%20your%20accounting,why %20they%20perform%20so%20highly. What are the Four Types of Benchmarking?  (2019, November 13). APQC. https://www.apqc.org/blog/what-are-four-types-benchmarking#:~:text=There %20are%20four%20main%20types,measures%20or%20key%20performance %20indicators).
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