Question 2 (Business and Technology Strategy) 2.1 As a manager of the company, one of your subordinates approaches you with a strategy for the new project your company is engaged in. Develop a set of issues you would ensure that his or her strategy addresses. (8) 2.2 4.1 Show your understanding of a business management process by designing your own generic model for the strategic management process. (6) Subtotal marks = 14

What are diminishing marginal returns as they relate to costs?

Furniture Forecasting Futura Furniture Products manufactures upscale office furniture for the Office of the Future. The sales division comprises regionally based sales offices made up of sales representatives and regional managers. Sales representativeswho report to the regional managersconduct direct sales efforts with customers in their regions. As part of the sales process, representatives gather information about likely future orders and convey that information back to the regional managers. Regional managers use that information to create sales forecasts, which are then used as the basis for manufacturing schedules. Sales representatives and regional managers are both compensated on a salary plus commission (percentage of revenue as pricing is centrally controlled). However, a regional managers commission is adjusted based on regional sales that exceed the forecasted budget. Corporate managers are concerned with one of Futuras key products, the DeskPod. They worry that DeskPod forecasts are inaccurate, causing extreme havoc in the manufacturing process. How are the forecasts likely to be inaccurate? What do you think is driving this inaccuracy? How might this problem be solved?

Metropolitan Hospital has estimated its average monthly bed needs as N=1,000+9X where X=timeperiod(months);January2002=0 N=monthlybedneeds Assume that no new hospital additions are expected in the area in the foreseeable future. The following monthly seasonal adjustment factors have been estimated, using data from the past five years: Forecast Metropolitans bed demand for January, April, July, November, and December 2007. If the following actual and forecast values for June bed demands have been recorded, what seasonal adjustment factor would you recommend be used in making future June forecasts?