Requirements of a Good Forecast

A good forecast should satisfy the following criteria: Time frame: The first factor that can influence the choice of forecasting is the time frame of the forecasting situation. Forecasts are generally for points in time that may be a number of days, weeks, months, quarters, or years in the future. This length of time is called the time frame or time horizon. The length of the time frame is usually categorized as Immediate, Short term, Medium or Long term. In general, the length of the time frame will influence the choice of the forecasting technique. Typically a longer time frame makes accurate forecasting more difficult with qualitative forecasting techniques becoming more useful as the time frame lengthens. Pattern of the data: The pattern of the data must also be considered when choosing a forecasting model. The components present i.e. trend, cycle, seasonal or some combination of these will help determine Continue reading

Wastage of Human Resources

The term wastage of human resources is the loss of employees other than by redundancy. Redundancy points out the position of the employee as no longer needed for any available job and therefore liable to dismissal. In an organization, the wastage of human resources is mainly caused by the factors Labor turnover, Idle Time and Absenteeism. 1. Labor Turnover The change in workforce is known as labor turnover. It is the rate of change in the composition of the labor force in the organization. Whenever an employee leaves the organization, the management, has to sustain loss and wastage arising from the replacement of the leaving incumbent, by inexperienced new labor force. This replacement cost also includes cost of recruitment, selection and training of new employees. Loss of output due to the gap in obtaining new workers, loss due to inefficiency of new workers, cost of accidents due to lack of Continue reading

The factors which lead to the success and failure of MIS in an organization

Factors Contributing to Success of MIS If a Management Information Systems (MIS) is to be success then it should have all the features listed as follows: The MIS is integrated into the managerial functions. It sets clear objectives to ensure that the MIS focuses on the major issues of the business. An appropriate information processing technology required ton meet the data processing and analysis needs of the users of the MIS is selected. The MIS is oriented, defined and designed in terms of the user’s The MIS is kept under continuous surveillance, so that its openn system design is modified according to the changing information needs. MIS focuses on the results and goals, and highlights the factors and reasons for non achievement. MIS is not allowed to end up into an information generationn mill avoiding the noise in the information and the communication system. The MIS recognizes that a manager Continue reading

Goal Congruence in Management Control Systems

Each individual has his personal goals. He joins an organization to achieve then goals. The personal goal may just be to get a job that assures safety and monetary rewards. The organization, through its top management, sets for itself pals that are desired to achieve. At times there is a conflict between individual goals and organizational goals. Such conflict is more clearly evident in nonprofit organizations such as research and development institutions, and educational institutions. Top management wants these organizational goals to be attained, out other participants have their own personal goals that they want to achieve. These personal goals are the satisfaction of their needs. In other words, participants act in their own self- interest. Here individuals may grow bigger than the organization and this may lead to goal conflict. The control system should be designed so as to integrate the personal goals with organizational goals, and thereby achieve Continue reading

Buy Back of Securities

Buy Back of Securities  means the purchase by the company of its own shares. Buy-back of equity shares is an important mode of capital restructuring. It is a corporate financial strategy which involves capital restructuring and is prevalent globally with the underlying objectives of increasing earnings per share, averting hostile takeovers, improving returns to the stakeholders and realigning the capital structure. Buy Back of Securities is done by the company with the purpose to improve liquidity in its shares and enhance the shareholders’ wealth. Under the SEBI (Buy Back of Securities) Regulations, 1998, a company is permitted to buy back its shares from: existing shareholders on a proportionate basis through the offer document; open market through stock exchanges using book building process; and  shareholders holding odd lot shares. The company has to disclose the pre and post-buy back holdings of the promoters. To ensure completion of the buy back process Continue reading

Investment Decisions based on the Economic Cycle

Countries go through the business or economic cycle and the stage of the cycle at which a country has a direct impact both on industry and individual companies. It affects investment decisions, employment, demand and the profitability of companies. While some industries such as shipping or consumer durable goods are greatly affected by the business cycle, others such as the food or health industry are not affected to the same extent. This is because in regard to certain products consumers can postpone their purchase decisions, whereas in certain others they cannot. The four stages of an economic cycle are: Depression: At the time of depression, demand is low and falling. Inflation is high and so are interest rates. Companies, crippled by high borrowing and falling sales, are forced to curtail production, close down plants built at times of higher demand, and let workers go. Recovery: During this phase, the economy Continue reading