This thesis deals with the concept of corporate performance management. The main goal is to present the main aspects of business performance and prosperity and according to this find the way to prosperity. The work is divided into several parts. The first part is focused on the theoretical basis of business management prosperity. The second part deals with the concept of performance management. The third part deals with the forecasting function. The last part is the application of theoretical knowledge from previous sections. Unfortunately, the area of corporate performance management and business prosperity is so broad and the scope of this thesis is limited. This applies to the methods that can be used. Emphasis was placed on the most used methods. The thesis should provide a comprehensive view on this issue.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-06-02T19:51:25Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 DissHFS.pdf: 4360077 bytes, checksum: e6a2eebb37af803f2c31bee6e3846d67 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2006-12-19 / The high competitiveness imposed by the current market characterized by the global competition and by consumer requirements, have been causing more complexity in the enterprise management. Because of that, the increase in the diversity of products offered to the market, and the availability of these products at the precise time and number, have become important competitive plus. We can add to these factors others previously existent, as price and quality, equally important. The forecasting management is the determinant function to this environment, in order to achieve the required availability, with cost efficiency. This function consists of the historical data explains and the consumers future behavior. The areas more directly connected to forecasting management are: (a) Marketing, (b) Production Control Planning, (c) Manufacturing, (d) Material Control Planning, (e) Logistic, (f) Supply Chain. In this way, observing the current enterprise difficulties, this research has the goal to analyze in details the forecasting management matter, an then identify better operations management practices. In order to better feature the issue, a case study has been carried out at a white goods company in Brazil. The case study acknowledged the importance of forecasting for operations. Furthermore, good practices have been identified to help the production manager work. / A alta competitividade imposta pelo mercado atual, caracterizada pela concorrência global e pelas exigências mais refinadas dos consumidores, vem causando maior complexidade na gestão empresarial. Em função disto, o aumento da diversidade de produtos oferecidos ao mercado, e a disponibilidade destes produtos no momento e quantidades desejadas, tornaram-se fatores competitivos importantes no momento da escolha dos clientes. Somam-se a estes fatores, outros anteriormente existentes, como preço e qualidade, igualmente representativos. Neste ambiente, a função determinante para alcançar a disponibilidade exigida, com eficiência em custos, é a gestão de demanda, que consiste na interpretação dos dados históricos e o possível comportamento futuro dos clientes. As áreas mais diretamente relacionadas com a gestão de demanda nas organizações são: (a) Marketing, (b) Planejamento e Controle de Produção, (c) Manufatura, (d) Planejamento e Controle de Materiais, (e) Logística de Distribuição de Produtos, (f) Cadeia de Suprimentos. Assim, observando as dificuldades atuais das organizações, esta pesquisa objetiva analisar com detalhes a questão da gestão de demanda e então identificar melhores formas de gestão das operações. Para melhor caracterizar o assunto, foi realizado um estudo de caso em uma empresa do segmento de eletrodomésticos no Brasil. Com isso comprovou-se a importância da previsão de demanda para as operações, e foram identificas alternativas para facilitar o trabalho dos administradores de produção.

<p>In a world that is moving faster and faster, a company’s ability to align to market changes is becoming a major competitive factor. Forecasting enables companies to predict what lies ahead, e.g. trend shifts or market turns, and makes it possible to plan for it. But looking into the future is never an easy task.</p><p>“Prediction is very difficult, especially if it’s about the future.” (Niels Bohr, 1885-1962)</p><p>However, progress in the field of forecasting has shown that it is possible for companies to improve on forecasting practices. This master thesis looks at the sales forecasting practices in MNCs primarily operating in emerging and developing countries. We examine the whole process of sales forecasting, also known as forecasting management, in order to develop a comprehensive model for forecasting in this type of companies. The research is based on a single case study, which is then later generalized into broader conclusions.</p><p>The conclusion of this master thesis is that forecasting is a four-step exercise. The four stages we have identified are: Knowledge creation, knowledge transformation, knowledge use and feedback. In the course of these four stages a company’s sales forecast is developed, changed and used. By understanding how each stage works and what to focus on, companies will be able to improve their forecasting practices.</p>

In a world that is moving faster and faster, a company’s ability to align to market changes is becoming a major competitive factor. Forecasting enables companies to predict what lies ahead, e.g. trend shifts or market turns, and makes it possible to plan for it. But looking into the future is never an easy task. “Prediction is very difficult, especially if it’s about the future.” (Niels Bohr, 1885-1962) However, progress in the field of forecasting has shown that it is possible for companies to improve on forecasting practices. This master thesis looks at the sales forecasting practices in MNCs primarily operating in emerging and developing countries. We examine the whole process of sales forecasting, also known as forecasting management, in order to develop a comprehensive model for forecasting in this type of companies. The research is based on a single case study, which is then later generalized into broader conclusions. The conclusion of this master thesis is that forecasting is a four-step exercise. The four stages we have identified are: Knowledge creation, knowledge transformation, knowledge use and feedback. In the course of these four stages a company’s sales forecast is developed, changed and used. By understanding how each stage works and what to focus on, companies will be able to improve their forecasting practices.

In today’s fast-moving world, a company´s ability to align with changes in the market is becoming a major competitive factor. Demand forecasting form the basis of all supply chain planning and is a process that companies often fail to recognize as a key contributor to corporate success. Different contexts and market dynamics creates different challenges for companies to overcome in order to have an efficient forecasting process, matching demand with supply. This master thesis looks at the whole forecasting process, also called forecasting management, at a decentralized global company to identify the main challenges within the process and propose recommendations on how to overcome them. The research is based on a single case study where the forecasting process is investigated using four different dimensions: Functional Integration, Approach, Systems and Performance Measurements. The study identified twelve challenges in the forecasting process where a majority can be connected to issues within information sharing and lack of support in the process. Based on the identified challenges, eight improvement suggestions where developed to target the challenges and improving the process for a decentralized global company. / I dagens snabbt utvecklande och växande landskap så är ett företags förmåga att anpassa sig till marknadens behov en betydande konkurrensfaktor. Säljprognoser utgör grunden för all planering inom försörjningskedjan och är en process som företag ofta inte erkänner som en viktig bidragsgivare till företagets framgång. Olika marknadslandskap och förutsättningar skapar olika utmaningar för företag att bemästra för att kunna bedriva ett effektivt prognosarbete och matcha efterfrågan med utbud. Detta examensarbete tittar på hela prognosprocessen, även kallad prognoshantering, hos ett decentraliserat globalt företag för att identifiera de viktigaste utmaningarna i processen och föreslå rekommendationer om hur man kan övervinna dem. Forskningen bygger på en enda fallstudie där prognosprocessen undersöks utifrån fyra olika dimensioner: Funktionell integration, strategi, system och prestandamätningar. Studien identifierade tolv utmaningar i prognosprocessen där en majoritet kan kopplas till utmaningar inom informationsdelning och brist på stöd i processen. Baserat på de identifierade utmaningarna utvecklades åtta förbättringsåtgärder för att övervinna utmaningarna och förbättra processen för ett decentraliserat globalt företag.