1. What role does forecasting play in the supply chain of a build-to-order server manufacturer such as Dell?
2. How could Apple use collaborative forecasting with its suppliers to improve its supply chain?
3. What role does forecasting play in the supply chain of a mail order firm such as LL Bean?
4. What systematic and random components would you expect in demand for chocolates?
5. Why should a manager be suspicious if a forecaster claims to forecast historical demand without any forecast error?
6. Give examples of products that display seasonality of demand.
7. What is the problem if a manager uses last year’s sales data instead of last year’s demand to forecast demand for the coming year?
8. How do static and adaptive forecasting methods differ?
9. What information do the MSE, MAD, and MAPE provide to a manager? How can the manager use this information?
10. What information do the bias and TS provide to a manager? How can the manager use this information?
