17 KRM Om10 Tif ch14

Operations Management: Processes and Supply Chains, 10e (Krajewski et al.
)
Chapter 14 Forecasting
1) The repeated observations of demand for a product or service in their order of occurrence form a
pattern known as a time series.
Answer: TRUE
Reference: Demand Patterns
Difficulty: Easy
Keywords: time series, repeated observations
2) One of the basic time series patterns is random.
Answer: TRUE
Difficulty: Easy
Keywords: time series, pattern, random
3) Random variation is an aspect of demand that increases the accuracy of the forecast.
Answer: FALSE
Difficulty: Easy
Keywords: random variation, forecast accuracy
4) Aggregation is the act of clustering several similar products or services.
Answer: TRUE
Reference: Key Decisions on Making Forecasts
Difficulty: Moderate
Keywords: aggregation, clustering
5) Aggregating products or services together generally decreases the forecast accuracy.
Answer: FALSE
Keywords: aggregation, forecast accuracy
6) Judgment methods of forecasting are quantitative methods that use historical data on independent
variables to predict demand.
Answer: FALSE
Keywords: judgment method, forecast, historical data, qualitative methods
Learning Outcome: Describe major approaches to forecasting
14-1
Copyright 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Prentice Hall
7) Time-series analysis is a statistical approach that relies heavily on historical demand data to project the
future size of demand.
Answer: TRUE
Keywords: time series, forecast, historical demand data
8) The causal method of forecasting uses historical data on independent variables (such as promotional
campaigns and economic conditions) to predict the demand of dependent variables (such as sales
volume).
Answer: TRUE
Keywords: causal method, independent variable, dependent variable
9) Salesforce estimates are extremely useful for technological forecasting.
Answer: FALSE
Reference: Judgment Methods
Keywords: sales force, technological forecasting
10) Technological forecasting is an application of executive opinion in light of the difficulties in keeping
abreast of the latest advances in technology.
Answer: TRUE
Keywords: technological forecasting, executive opinion
11) Market research is a systematic approach to determine consumer interest by gaining consensus from a
group of experts while maintaining their anonymity.
Answer: FALSE
Keywords: market research, Delphi
12) Judgment methods of forecasting should never be used with quantitative forecasting methods.
Answer: FALSE
Keywords: judgment, quantitative method
14-2
13) The Delphi method is a process of gaining consensus from a group of experts by debate and voting
throughout several rounds of group discussion led by a moderator.
Answer: FALSE
Keywords: judgment, Delphi method
14) Regression equations with a coefficient of determination close to zero are extremely accurate because
they have little forecast error.
Answer: FALSE
Reference: Causal Methods: Linear Regression
Keywords: regression, coefficient of determination
15) The closer the value of the sample correlation coefficient is to -1.00, the worse the predictive ability of
the independent variable for the dependent variable.
Answer: FALSE
Keywords: regression, correlation coefficient
16) The larger the slope of the regression line, the more accurate the regression forecast.
Answer: FALSE
Difficulty: Easy
Keywords: regression line, correlation coefficient, slope
17) A linear regression model results in the equation Y = 15 - 23X. If the coefficient of determination is a
perfect 1.0, the correlation coefficient must be -1.
Answer: TRUE
Keywords: regression, correlation coefficient, slope, coefficient of determination
AACSB: Analytic skills
18) The standard error of the estimate measures how closely the data on the independent variable cluster
around the regression line.
Answer: FALSE
Keywords: standard error, regression
14-3
19) Time-series forecasts require information about only the dependent variable.
Answer: TRUE
Reference: Time-Series Methods
Keywords: time-series method, dependent variable
20) A naive forecast is a time-series method whereby the forecast for the next period equals the demand
for the current period.
Answer: TRUE
Keywords: naive method
21) A simple moving average of one period will yield identical results to a naive forecast.
Answer: TRUE
Keywords: simple moving average forecast, naive forecast
22) An exponential smoothing model with an alpha equal to 1.00 is the same as a naive forecasting model.
Answer: TRUE
Keywords: exponential smoothing, alpha, nave forecast
23) When a significant trend is present, exponential smoothing forecasts can be below or above the actual
demand, and must therefore be modified.
Answer: TRUE
Keywords: exponential smoothing, trend
24) The trend projection with regression model can forecast demand well into the future.
Answer: TRUE
Keywords: trend projection regression
14-4
25) The trend projection with regression model is highly adaptive.

Answer: FALSE
Keywords: trend projection regression
26) Forecasts almost always contain errors.
Answer: TRUE
Keywords: forecast, error
27) Forecast error is found by subtracting the forecast from the actual demand for a given period.
Answer: TRUE
Keywords: forecast error, forecast, demand
28) A bias error results from unpredictable factors that cause the forecast to deviate from actual demand.
Answer: FALSE
Keywords: bias error
29) Some analysts prefer to use a holdout set as the final test of a forecasting procedure.
Answer: TRUE
Reference: Choosing a Quantitative Forecasting Method
Keywords: holdout set, accuracy
30) Combination forecasting is a method of forecasting that selects the best from a group of forecasts
generated by simple techniques.
Answer: FALSE
Reference: Using Multiple Techniques
Keywords: combination forecast
31) Combination forecasting is most effective when the techniques being combined contribute different
kinds of information to the forecasting process.
Answer: TRUE
14-5
32) Focus forecasting selects the best forecast from a group of forecasts generated by individual
techniques.
Answer: TRUE
Keywords: focus forecasting
33) Bias is the worst kind of forecasting error.
Answer: TRUE
Reference: Putting It All Together: Forecasting as a Process
Keywords: forecasting process, bias, error
34) Better forecasting processes yield better forecasts.
Answer: TRUE
Keywords: forecasting process, process
35) Which one of the following basic patterns of demand is difficult to predict because it is affected by
national or international events or because of a lack of demand history reflecting the stages of demand
from product development to decline?
A) horizontal
B) seasonal
C) random
D) cyclical
Answer: D
Keywords: cyclical demand pattern
36) The electricity bill at Padco was driven solely by the lights throughout the office; everything else was
driven by alternative energy sources. The office was open roughly 8 hours a day, five days a week and the
cleaning crew spent about the same amount of time in the offices each week night. The kilowatt hour
usage for the office was best described as a:
A) horizontal demand pattern.
B) random demand pattern.
C) seasonal demand pattern.
D) cyclical demand pattern.
Answer: A
Difficulty: Easy
Keywords: horizontal demand pattern
14-6
37) A regression equation with a coefficient of determination near one would be most likely to occur
when the data demonstrated a:
A) seasonal demand pattern.
B) trend demand pattern.
C) cyclical demand pattern.
D) random demand pattern.
Answer: B
Difficulty: Easy
Keywords: trend demand pattern, coefficient of determination, regression equation
38) Professor Willis noted that the popularity of his office hours mysteriously rose in the middle and the
end of each semester, falling off to virtually no visitors throughout the rest of the year. The demand
pattern at work is:
A) cyclical.
B) random.
C) seasonal.
D) trend.
Answer: C
Difficulty: Easy
Keywords: seasonal demand pattern
39) There are historically three 32-month periods of generally rising prices in the stock market for every
one 9-month period of falling prices. This observation leads you to conclude that the stock market
exhibits a:
A) random pattern.
B) trend pattern
C) seasonal pattern.
D) cyclical pattern.
Answer: D
Difficulty: Easy
Keywords: cyclical demand pattern
40) Polly Prognosticator was the greatest quantitative forecaster in recorded history. A skillful user of all
techniques in your chapter on forecasting, she knew better than to try and develop a forecast for data that
exhibited a:
A) random pattern.
B) horizontal pattern.
C) seasonal pattern.
D) cyclical pattern.
Answer: A
Difficulty: Easy
Keywords: random demand pattern
14-7
41) Which one of the following statements about the patterns of a demand series is FALSE?
A) The five basic patterns of most business demand series are the horizontal, trend, seasonal, cyclical, and
random patterns.
B) Estimating cyclical movement is difficult. Forecasters do not know the duration of the cycle because
they cannot predict the events that cause it.
C) The trend, over an extended period of time, always increases the average level of the series.
D) Every demand series has at least two components: horizontal and random.
Answer: C
Keywords: demand pattern, trend
42) One aspect of demand that makes every forecast inaccurate is:
A) trend variation.
B) random variation.
C) cyclical variation.
D) seasonal variation.
Answer: B
Keywords: random variation
43) Which one of the following statements about forecasting is FALSE?
A) Causal methods of forecasting use historical data on independent variables (promotional campaigns,
competitors' actions, etc.) to predict demand.
B) Three general types of forecasting techniques are used for demand forecasting: time-series analysis,
causal methods, and judgment methods.
C) Time series express the relationship between the factor to be forecast and related factors such as
promotional campaigns, economic conditions, and competitor actions.
D) A time series is a list of repeated observations of a phenomenon, such as demand, arranged in the
order in which they actually occurred.
Answer: C
Keywords: time series, causal factor
44) When forecasting total demand for all their services or products, few companies err by more than:
A) one to four percent.
B) five to eight percent.
C) nine to twelve percent.
D) thirteen to sixteen percent.
Answer: B
Keywords: aggregation, forecast accuracy
14-8
45) Which one of the following statements about forecasting is TRUE?

A) The five basic patterns of demand are the horizontal, trend, seasonal, cyclical, and the subjective
judgment of forecasters.
B) Judgment methods are particularly appropriate for situations in which historical data are lacking.
C) Casual methods are used when historical data are available and the relationship between the factor to
be forecast and other external and internal factors cannot be identified.
D) Focused forecasting is a technique that focuses on one particular component of demand and develops
a forecast from it.
Answer: B
Reference: Multiple Sections
Keywords: judgment, data, forecast
46) A forecasting system that brings the manufacturer and its customers together to provide input for
forecasting is a(n):
A) nested system.
B) harmonically balanced supply chain.
C) iterative Delphi method system for the supply chain.
D) collaborative planning, forecasting, and replenishment system.
Answer: D
Keywords: forecast, collaborative planning, forecasting, and replenishment, CPFR
47) Using salesforce estimates for forecasting has the advantage that:
A) no biases exist in the forecasts.
B) statistical estimates of seasonal factors are more precise than any other approach.
C) forecasts of individual sales force members can be easily combined to get regional or national sales
totals.
D) confusion between customer "wants" (wish list) and customer "needs" (necessary purchases) is
eliminated.
Answer: C
Keywords: salesforce estimates, forecast, aggregation
48) The judgment methods of forecasting are to be used for purposes of:
A) making adjustments to quantitative forecasts due to unusual circumstances
B) forecasting seasonal demands in lieu of time-series approaches
C) avoiding the calculations necessary for quantitative forecasts
D) making forecasts more variable
Answer: A
Keywords: judgment, adjustments, quantitative forecasts
14-9

49) The Delphi method of forecasting is useful when:
A) judgment and opinion are the only bases for making informed projections
B) a systematic approach to creating and testing hypotheses is needed and the data are usually gathered
by sending a questionnaire to consumers
C) historical data are available and the relationship between the factor to be forecast and other external or
internal factors can be identified
D) historical data is available and the best basis for making projections is to use past demand patterns
Answer: A
Keywords: Delphi method, judgment, opinion
50) The manufacturer developed and tested a questionnaire, designed to assist them in gauging the level
of acceptance for their new product, and identified a representative sample as part of their:
A) salesforce estimate.
B) market research.
C) executive opinion.
D) Delphi method.
Answer: B
Difficulty: Easy
Keywords: market research, judgment
51) It would be most appropriate to combine a judgment approach to forecasting with a quantitative
approach by:
A) having a group of experts examine each historical data point to determine whether it should be
included in the model.
B) combining opinions about the quantitative models to form one forecasting approach.
C) adjusting a forecast up or down to compensate for specific events not included in the quantitative
technique.
D) developing a trend model to predict the outcomes of judgmental techniques in order to avoid the cost
of employing the experts.
Answer: C
Keywords: market research, judgment, quantitative
14-10
52) A linear regression model is developed that has a slope of -2.5 and an intercept of 10. The sample
coefficient of determination is 0.50. Which of the following statements is TRUE?
A) The sample correlation coefficient must be 0.250.
B) The sample correlation coefficient must be -0.707.
C) The sample correlation coefficient must be -0.250.
D) The sample correlation coefficient must be 1.00.
Answer: B
Keywords: linear regression, sample correlation coefficient, sample coefficient of determination
53) The number of #2 pencils the bookstore sells appears to be highly correlated with the number of
student credit hours each semester. The bookstore manager wants to create a linear regression model to
assist her in placing an appropriate order. In this scenario:
A) the dependent variable is student credit hours
B) there are two independent variables
C) there are two dependent variables
D) the independent variable is student credit hours
Answer: D
Difficulty: Easy
Keywords: linear regression, sample correlation coefficient
14-11
Table 14.1
The Agricultural Extension Agent's Office has tracked fertilizer application and crop yields for a variety of
chickpea and has recorded the data shown in the following table. Their staff statistician developed the
regression model and computed the performance statistics displayed below the data.
54) Use the information provided in Table 14.1. What percent in the variation of the variable Bushels is
explained by the value of the variable Fertilizer?
A) 89%
B) 79%
C) 71%
D) 50%
Answer: B
Keywords: regression, coefficient of determination, variance
14-12
55) Use the information provided in Table 14.1. For every unit of fertilizer applied, the crop yield
increases by:
A) 8.0 bushels.
B) 8.5 bushels.
C) 8.9 bushels.
D) 7.9 bushels.
Answer: B
Keywords: regression, slope
56) Use the information provided in Table 14.1. The value of Bushels when Fertilizer is 60 is:
A) 2520.
B) 490.
C) 390.
D) 518.
Answer: D
Keywords: regression, forecast
57) Use the information provided in Table 14.1. The value of Fertilizer required to generate 100 bushels
yield must be:
A) 10.82.
B) 12.25.
C) 10.26.
D) 9.07.
Answer: A
58) Use the information in Table 14.1. If the correlation coefficient were negative, what would also be true?
A) The coefficient of determination would also be negative.
B) An increase in fertilizer would result in a decrease in crop yield.
C) Applying no fertilizer would mean a negative crop yield.
D) The standard error would also be negative.
Answer: B
Keywords: regression, slope, coefficient of correlation
14-13
Table 14.2
A textbook publisher for books used in business schools believes that the number of books sold is related
to the number of campus visits to decision makers made by their sales force. A sampling of the number of
sales calls made and the number of books sold is shown in the following table.
NUMBER OF SALES NUMBER OF BOOKS
CALLS MADE
SOLD
25
375
15
250
25
525
45
825
35
550
25
575
25
550
35
575
25
400
15
400
59) Use the information provided in Table 14.2. What percent in the variation of the variable Books Sold is
explained by the value of the variable Sales Calls Made?
A) 86.5%
B) 83.3%
C) 74.8%
D) 72.5%
Answer: C
Keywords: regression, coefficient of determination, variance
14-14
60) Use the information provided in Table 14.2. For every sale call made, the number of books sold
increases by:
A) 14.74 books.
B) 104.6 books.
C) 83.30 books.
D) 7.25 books.
Answer: A
Keywords: regression, slope
61) Use the information provided in Table 14.2. If a sales representative makes 55 sales calls, the number
of book sales the publisher should expect is:
A) 105.
B) 4,581.
C) 114.
D) 915.
Answer: D
62) Use the information provided in Table 14.2. In order to realize the sale of 700 books, how many sales
calls will the sales representative have to make?
A) 40.4
B) 45.9
C) 32.7
D) 37.6
Answer: A
14-15
Table 14.3
Columbia Appliance sells and delivers appliances in the Columbia, South Carolina area. The Operations
and Supply Chain Manager wants to be able to predict the delivery crew's hours for easier scheduling.
The delivery crew, consisting of a truck and two workers, must load the truck each day and then drive the
truck to various locations to deliver appliances. Variables each day include miles driven and the number
of deliveries made. The manager has collected data for the past five weeks, and has recorded the
following average daily crew hours worked, miles driven and deliveries made:
WEEK
1
2
3
4
5
AVERAGE
AVERAGE
AVERAGE
HOURS
MILES
NUMBER OF
WORKED PER DRIVEN PER DELIVERIES
DAY
DAY
PER DAY
8.1
75
5
9.3
80
6
8.5
100
4
8.5
75
5
8.9
110
4
The manager uses the multiple regression model in POM for Windows and obtains the following results:
14-16
63) Use the information provided in Table 14.3. If one delivery is added to the crew's daily work, how
much time is added to their work schedule for that day? (Assume all other variables are held constant.)
A) 30 minutes
B) 2.4 minutes
C) 24 minutes
D) 48 minutes
Answer: D
Keywords: multiple regression, variables
64) Use the information provided in Table 14.3. If 10 extra miles of driving is added to the crew's daily
work, how much time is added to their work schedule for that day? (Assume all other variables are held
constant.)
A) 30 minutes
B) 2.4 minutes
C) 24 minutes
D) 48 minutes
Answer: C
65) Use the information provided in Table 14.3. What is the estimated work time for the crew if the
schedule that day calls for 90 driving miles and 4 deliveries?
A) 8.1 hours
B) 9.2 hours
C) 8.9 hours
D) 8.5 hours
Answer: A
66) Use the information provided in Table 14.3. What is the estimated work time for the crew if the
schedule that day calls for 85 driving miles and 6 deliveries?
A) 8.1 hours
B) 9.2 hours
C) 8.9 hours
D) 9.5 hours
Answer: D
14-17

Table 14.4
The Furniture Super Mart is a furniture retailer in Evansville, Indiana. The Marketing Manager wants to
prepare a media budget based on the next quarter's business plan. The manager wants to decide the mix
of radio advertising and newspaper advertising needed to generate varying levels of Weekly Gross
Revenue. The manager has collected data for the past five weeks, and has recorded the following average
Weekly Gross Revenues and expenditures for Weekly Radio (X1) and Newspaper (X2) advertising:
WEEK
1
2
3
4
5
AVERAGE
WEEKLY GROSS
REVENUE ($000)
60
45
55
70
40
AVERAGE
WEEKLY RADIO
ADVERTISING
($000)
6
3
4
5
2
AVERAGE
WEEKLY
NEWSPAPER
ADVERTISING
($000)
1
3
2
3
1
The Manager uses the multiple regression model in OM Explorer and obtains the following results:
14-18
67) Use the information provided in Table 14.4. Adding $1,000 of Weekly Radio Advertising (X1) can be
expected to increase Weekly Gross Revenues by what amount? (Assume all other variables are held
constant.)
A) $20,500
B) $3,750
C) $6,500
D) $10,250
Answer: C
68) Use the information provided in Table 14.4. Adding $1,000 of Weekly Newspaper Advertising (X2) can
be expected to increase Weekly Gross Revenues by what amount? (Assume all other variables are held
constant.)
A) $20,500
B) $3,750
C) $6,500
D) $10,250
Answer: B
69) Use the information provided in Table 14.4. What amount of Weekly Gross Revenue can be expected
for a week in which no radio or newspaper advertising is purchased? (Assume all other variables are held
constant.)
A) $20,500
B) $3,750
C) $6,500
D) $10,250
Answer: A
14-19
70) Use the information provided in Table 14.4. What is the estimated Weekly Gross Revenue if $7,000 is
spent on Radio Advertising (X1) and $4,000 is spent on Newspaper Advertising (X2)?
A) $45,500
B) $15,000
C) $60,500
D) $81,000
Answer: D
71) Use the information provided in Table 14.4. What is the estimated Weekly Gross Revenue if $4,000 is
spent on Radio Advertising (X1) and $7,000 is spent on Newspaper Advertising (X2)?
A) $52,250
B) $26,250
C) $72,750
D) $20,500
Answer: C
A) You should use the simple moving-average method to estimate the mean demand of a time series that
has a pronounced trend and seasonal influences.
B) The weighted moving-average method allows forecasters to emphasize recent demand over earlier
demand. The forecast will be more responsive to change in the underlying average of the demand series.
C) The most frequently used time-series forecasting method is exponential smoothing because of its
simplicity and the small amount of data needed to support it.
D) In exponential smoothing, higher values of alpha place greater weight on recent demands in
computing the average.
Answer: A
Keywords: forecasting, moving average, trend, seasonal demand patterns
14-20
73) Which of the following statements regarding time-series methods is FALSE?

A) A naive forecast is identical to a simple moving average of one period.
B) Exponential smoothing with an alpha equal to 1.00 is identical to a naive forecast.
C) A weighted moving average with weights of 0.5 and 0.5 is identical to a simple moving average of two
periods.
D) A simple moving average of three periods is identical to exponential smoothing with an alpha equal to
0.33.
Answer: D
Difficulty: Hard
Keywords: time series, exponential smoothing, simple moving average, weighted moving average, naive
forecast
74) When the underlying mean of a time series is very stable and there are no trend, cyclical, or seasonal
influences:
A) a simple moving-average forecast with n = 20 should outperform a simple moving-average forecast
with n = 3.
B) a simple moving-average forecast with n = 3 should outperform a simple moving-average forecast with
n = 15.
C) a simple moving-average forecast with n = 20 should perform about the same as a simple movingaverage forecast with n = 3.
D) an exponential smoothing forecast with a = 0.30 should outperform a simple moving-average forecast
with = 0.01.
Answer: A
Keywords: time series, exponential smoothing, simple moving average, stable
75) With the multiplicative seasonal method of forecasting:
A) the times series cannot exhibit a trend.
B) seasonal factors are multiplied by an estimate of average demand to arrive at a seasonal forecast.
C) the seasonal amplitude is a constant, regardless of the magnitude of average demand.
D) there can be only four seasons in the time-series data.
Answer: B
Keywords: multiplicative seasonal forecasting
14-21

A) The method for incorporating a trend into an exponentially smoothed forecast requires the estimation
of three smoothing constants: one for the mean, one for the trend, and one for the error.
B) The cumulative sum of forecast errors (CFE) is useful in measuring the bias in a forecast.
C) The standard deviation and the mean absolute deviation measure the dispersion of forecast errors.
D) A tracking signal is a measure that indicates whether a method of forecasting has any built-in biases
over a period of time.
Answer: A
Keywords: trend, exponential smoothing
77) Which one of the following is most useful for measuring the bias in a forecast?
A) cumulative sum of forecast errors
B) standard deviation of forecast errors
C) mean absolute deviation of forecast errors
D) percentage forecast error in period t
Answer: A
Keywords: bias, cumulative sum of forecast errors
78) A tracking signal greater than zero and a mean absolute deviation greater than zero imply that the
forecast has:
A) no bias and no variability of forecast error.
B) a nonzero amount of bias and a nonzero amount of forecast error variability.
C) no bias and a nonzero amount of forecast error variability.
D) a nonzero amount of bias and no variability of forecast error.
Answer: B
Difficulty: Hard
Keywords: tracking signal, error
14-22
79) Assume that a time-series forecast is generated for future demand and subsequently it is observed
that the forecast method did not accurately predict the actual demand. Specifically, the forecast errors
were found to be:
Mean absolute percent error = 10%
Cumulative sum of forecast errors = 0
Which one of the statements concerning this forecast is TRUE?
A) The forecast has no bias but has a positive standard deviation of errors.
B) The forecast has a positive bias and a standard deviation of errors equal to zero.
C) The forecast has no bias and has a standard deviation of errors equal to zero.
D) The forecast has a positive bias and a positive standard deviation of errors.
Answer: A
Keywords: bias, standard deviation
80) Which one of the following statements is TRUE?
A) The ideal of zero bias and zero MAD can be accomplished by systematically searching for the best
values of the smoothing constants.
B) Bias is always less than MAD.
C) For projections of more stable demand patterns without trends, seasonal influences, or cyclical
influences, use larger values of n in the simple moving-average approach.
D) One disadvantage of a weighted moving average forecast is that it does not allow you to emphasize
recent demand over earlier demand.
Answer: C
Keywords: simple moving average, trend
81) Which one of the following is an example of causal forecasting technique?
A) weighted moving average
B) linear regression
C) exponential smoothing
D) Delphi method
Answer: B
Keywords: causal, linear regression
14-23
Table 14.5
The manager of a pizza shop must forecast weekly demand for special pizzas so that he can order pizza
shells weekly. Recent demand has been:
82) Use the information from Table 14.5. Using a three-week moving average, what is the forecast for
week 7?
A) 55
B) 56
C) 57
D) 58
Answer: C
Keywords: simple moving average
83) Use the information from Table 14.5. If a naive forecast were constructed, the forecast for week 7
would be:
A) 53 pizzas.
B) 55 pizzas.
C) 56 pizzas.
D) 60 pizzas.
Answer: D
Keywords: naive forecast, time series
14-24
84) Use the information from Table 14.5. If a four-week weighted moving average were used, what would
be the forecast for week 7? (The weights are 0.60, 0.30, 0.07, and 0.03 with 0.60 applied to the most recent
period and 0.03 applied to the oldest period.)
A) 58 pizzas
B) 60 pizzas
C) 62 pizzas
D) 64 pizzas
Answer: A
Keywords: weighted moving average
85) Demand for a new five-inch color TV during the last six periods has been as follows:
What is the forecast for period 7 if the company uses the simple moving-average method with n = 4?
A) fewer than or equal to 115
B) greater than 115 but fewer than or equal to 120
C) greater than 120 but fewer than or equal to 125
D) greater than 125
Answer: C
14-25
86) Demands for a newly developed salad bar at the Great Professional restaurant for the first six months
of this year are shown in the following table. What is the forecast for July if the 3-month weighted
moving-average method is used? (Use weights of 0.5 for the most recent demand, 0.3, and 0.2 for the
oldest demand.)
A) fewer than or equal to 432 units

B) greater than 432 units but fewer than or equal to 442 units
C) greater than 442 units but fewer than or equal to 452 units
D) greater than 452
Answer: C
87) It is now near the end of May and you must prepare a forecast for June for a certain product. The
forecast for May was 900 units. The actual demand for May was 1000 units. You are using the exponential
smoothing method with = 0.20. The forecast for June is:
A) fewer than 925 units.
B) greater than or equal to 925 units but fewer than 950 units.
C) greater than or equal to 950 units but fewer than 1000 units.
D) greater than or equal to 1000 units.
Answer: A
Keywords: exponential smoothing, alpha
14-26
88) The Classical Consultant Company provides forecasting research for clients such as a group of five
doctors associated with a new hospital health-maintenance program. The company has been asked to
forecast the number of patients requesting blood analysis per week. The past weekly average is 38 and, for
the trend, is 2 per week. This week's demand was 42 blood tests. How many patients will come next
week? (Suppose = 0.10 and = 0.30.)
D) greater than 43
Answer: C
Keywords: trend adjusted exponential smoothing
89) The Acme Computer Company has recorded sales of one of its products for a six-week period:
Week
1
2
3
4
5
6
Sales
25
23
20
22
23
24
Using the three-week moving-average method, forecast sales for week 7.

A) 20
B) 21
C) 22
D) 23
Answer: D
Keywords: simple moving average forecast
14-27
Table 14.6
90) Use the information in Table 14.6. Compute a three-week moving-average forecast for the arrival of
medical clinic patients in week 5.
D) greater than 396
Answer: C
91) Use the information in Table 14.6. If the actual number of patients is 415 in week 5, what is the forecast
for week 6, using a three-week moving-average forecast?
D) greater than 406
Answer: C
92) Use the information in Table 14.6. Calculate the exponential smoothing forecast for week 5 using =
0.10 and F4 = 410.
D) greater than 416
Answer: B
Keywords: exponential smoothing forecast
14-28
Table 14.7
93) Use the information in Table 14.7. Use the three-month moving-average method to forecast sales for
June.
B) greater than 20 but fewer than or equal to 22 units
C) greater than 22 but fewer than or equal to 24 units
D) greater than 24 units
Answer: D
94) Use the information in Table 14.7. Suppose actual sales in June turn out to be 40 units. Use the threemonth moving-average method to forecast the sales in July.
Answer: C
95) Use the information in Table 14.7. What is the forecast for July with the two-month moving-average
method and June sales of 40 units?
Answer: C
14-29
96) Use the information in Table 14.7. The forecasting equation for a three-month weighted moving
average is:
Ft = W1Dt + W2Dt - 1 + W3Dt - 2
If the sales for June were 40 units and the weights are W1= 1/2, W2 = 1/3, and W3 = 1/6, what is the
forecast for July?
Answer: B
Keywords: weighted moving average forecast
Table 14.8
97) Use the information in Table 14.8. Using the simple moving-average technique for the most recent
three months, what will be the forecasted demand for November?
B) greater than 260, but fewer than or equal to 275 units
C) greater than 275, but fewer than or equal to 290 units
D) more than 290 units
Answer: C
14-30
98) Use the information in Table 14.8. Using the 4-month weighted moving-average technique and the
following weights, what is the forecasted demand for November?
Time Period
Most recent month
One month ago
Two months ago
Three months ago
Weight
50%
20%
20%
10%

Answer: C
99) Use the information in Table 14.8. Using the exponential smoothing method, with alpha equal to 0.2,
what is the forecasted demand for November? Use an initial value for the forecast equal to 277 units.
Answer: B
14-31
Table 14.9
Month
January
February
March
April
May
June
Demand
480
520
535
550
590
630
100) Use the information in Table 14.9. Use an exponential smoothing model with a smoothing parameter
of 0.30 and an April forecast of 525 to determine what the forecast sales would have been for June.
D) greater than 555
Answer: C
Difficulty: Hard
101) Use the information in Table 14.9. Use the exponential smoothing method with = 0.5 and a February
forecast of 500 to forecast the sales for May.
D) greater than 550
Answer: B
14-32
Table 14.10
TOMBOW is a small manufacturer of pencils and has had the following sales record for the most recent
five months:
Use an exponential smoothing model to forecast sales in months 2, 3, 4, and 5. Let the smoothing
parameter equal 0.6; select F1 = 150 to get the forecast started.
102) Use the information in Table 14.10. The forecast for month 2 is:
A) fewer than or equal to 120 units.
B) greater than 120 but fewer than or equal to 140 units.
C) greater than 140 but fewer than or equal to 160 units.
D) greater than 160 units.
Answer: C
Answer: B
B) greater than 140 but fewer than or equal to 150.
Answer: C
14-33

Answer: C
106) Use the information in Table 14.10. The cumulative sum of errors (CFE) from months 2 through 5 is:
A) fewer than or equal to 80.
B) greater than 80 but fewer than or equal to 85.
C) greater than 87 but fewer than or equal to 90.
D) greater than 90.
Answer: B
Keywords: CFE, cumulative sum of errors
107) Use the information in Table 14.10. What is the MAD for months 2 through 5?
A) less than or equal to 20
B) greater than 20 but less than or equal to 25
C) greater than 25 but less than or equal to 30
D) greater than 30
Answer: B
Keywords: MAD, mean absolute deviation
14-34
Table 14.11
A sales manager wants to forecast monthly sales of the machines the company makes using the following
monthly sales data.
Month
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
Balance
$3,803
$2,558
$3,469
$3,442
$2,682
$3,469
$4,442
$3,728
108) Use the information in Table 14.11. Forecast the monthly sales of the machine for month 9, using the
three-month moving-average method.
A) $3,728
B) $4,085
C) $3,880
D) $3,277
Answer: C
109) Use the information in Table 14.11. Use the 3-month weighted moving-average method to calculate
the forecast for month 9. The weights are 0.60, 0.30, and 0.10, where 0.60 refers to the most recent demand.
A) $3,916
B) $3,880
C) $3,396
D) $3,229
Answer: A
14-35
110) Use the information in Table 14.11. If the forecast for period 7 is $4,300, what is the forecast for period
9 using exponential smoothing with an alpha equal to 0.30?
A) $4,300
B) $4,342
C) $4,158
D) $3,957
Answer: C
Difficulty: Hard
111) Use the information in Table 14.11. What is the forecast for period 9 using a naive forecast.
A) $3,728
B) $3,803
C) $4,442
D) $4,085
Answer: A
Difficulty: Easy
Keywords: naive forecast
14-36
Table 14.12
The management of an insurance company monitors the number of mistakes made by telephone service
representatives for a company they have subcontracted with. The number of mistakes for the past several
months appears in this table along with forecasts for errors made with three different forecasting
techniques. The column labeled Exponential was created using exponential smoothing with an alpha of
0.30. The column labeled MA is forecast using a moving average of three periods. The column labeled
WMA uses a 3-month weighted moving average with weights of 0.65, 0.25, and 0.10 for the most-to-least
recent months.
Month
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Mistakes
55
61
71
77
88
100
109
122
126
126
Exponential
MA
WMA
71
73
77
84
92
101
108
62
70
79
88
99
110
119
67
74
84
95
105
117
123
112) Using Table 14.12, what is the CFE for months 6-10 for the exponential smoothing technique?
A) less than or equal to 120
B) greater than 120 but less than or equal to 123
C) greater than 123 but less than or equal to 126
D) greater than 126
Answer: B
Keywords: CFE, forecast error, cumulative forecast error
113) Using Table 14.12, what is the MSE for months 6-10 for the exponential smoothing technique?
A) less than 591
B) greater than or equal to 591 but less than 595
C) greater than or equal to 595 but less than 599
D) Greater than 599
Answer: D
Keywords: MSE, forecast error, mean squared error
14-37
114) Using Table 14.12, what is the MAD for months 6-10 for the exponential smoothing technique?
A) less than 23
B) greater than or equal to 23 but less than 25
C) greater than or equal to 25 but less than 27
D) greater than or equal to 27
Answer: B
Keywords: MAD, forecast error, mean absolute deviation
115) Using Table 14.12, what is the order of the forecasting techniques from most accurate to least accurate
based on their errors for months 6-10?
A) exponential smoothing, weighted moving average, moving average
B) exponential smoothing, moving average, weighted moving average
C) moving average, exponential smoothing, weighted moving average
D) weighted moving average, moving average, exponential smoothing
Answer: D
Keywords: forecast error
116) Using Table 14.12, what is the mean absolute percent error for months 6-10 using the exponential
smoothing forecasts?
A) less than 22%
B) greater than or equal to 22% but less than 24%
C) greater than or equal to 24% but less than 26%
D) greater than 26%
Answer: A
Keywords: MAPE, mean absolute percent error
117) Using Table 14.12, what is the tracking signal for months 6-10 using the exponential smoothing
forecasts?
A) 0.5
B) -0.5
C) 5.0
D) -5.0
Answer: C
Keywords: tracking signal, CFE, MAD
14-38
118) Consider the following data concerning the performance of a forecasting method.
A) The CFE is greater than 100, and the MAD is less than 50.
B) The CFE is less than 100, and the MAD is less than 50.
C) The CFE is less than 100, and the MAD is greater than 50.
D) The CFE is greater than 100, and the MAD is greater than 50.
Answer: B
Keywords: CFE, MAD, cumulative forecast error, mean absolute deviation
119) Which statement about forecast accuracy is TRUE?
A) A manager must be careful not to "overfit" past data.
B) The ultimate test of forecasting power is how well a model fits past data.
C) The ultimate test of forecasting power is how a model fits holdout samples.
D) The best technique in explaining past data is the best technique to predict the future.
Answer: A
Keywords: forecast accuracy
120) A forecaster that uses a holdout set approach as a final test for forecast accuracy typically uses:
A) the entire data set available to develop the forecast.
B) the older observations in the data set to develop the forecast and more recent to check accuracy.
C) the newer observations in the data set to develop the forecast and older observations to check accuracy.
D) every other observation to develop the forecast and the remaining observations to check the accuracy.
Answer: B
Keywords: holdout set, final test, forecast accuracy
14-39
121) Barney took what he liked to call "the shotgun approach" to forecasting. Every period he tried a
number of different forecasting approaches and at the end of the period he reviewed all of the forecasts to
see which was the most accurate. The winner would be used for next period's forecast (but he still made
forecasts all possible ways so he could use the system again for the following period). The more formal
name for this technique is:
A) combination forecasting.
B) post-hoc forecasting.
C) focus forecasting.
D) shotgun forecasting. He is using the correct terminology.
Answer: C
122) Andy took what he liked to call "the sheriff without a gun" approach to forecasting. Every period he
tried a number of different forecasting approaches and simply averaged the predictions for all of the
techniques. This overall average was the official forecast for the period. The more formal name for this
technique is:
A) grand averaging.
B) focus forecasting.
C) simple average.
D) combination forecasting.
Answer: D
Keywords: combination forecasting
14-40
Table 14.13
The manager of a pizza shop must forecast weekly demand for special pizzas so that he can order pizza
shells weekly. Recent demand has been:
WEEK
1
2
3
4
5
6
No. Special
Pizzas
30
45
33
36
35
40
123) Use the information from Table 14.13. Using a three-week simple moving average, what is the
forecast for week 7?
A) 35.0
B) 36.0
C) 37.0
D) 38.0
Answer: C
124) Use the information from Table 14.13. If a three-week weighted moving average were used, what
would be the forecast for week 7? (The weights are 0.60, 0.30, and 0.10 with 0.60 applied to the most recent
period and 0.10 applied to the oldest period.)
A) 38.1 pizzas
B) 40.1 pizzas
C) 42.0 pizzas
D) 44.0 pizzas
Answer: A
14-41
125) Use the information from Table 14.13. What is the exponentially smoothed forecast for week #7 if =
0.9 is used, and the forecast for week #6 was 34?
A) 36.0 pizzas
B) 39.4 pizzas
C) 42.4 pizzas
D) 45.6 pizzas
Answer: B
126) Use the information from Table 14.13. The pizza shop manager believes that a combination forecast
might improve her ability to predict future demand, and thus improve keeping fresh ingredients on hand.
She decides to use the 3-week simple moving average and 3-week weighted moving average (problems #
125 and 126), giving them equal weight. What is her forecast for week #7?
A) 38.05 pizzas
B) 39.5 pizzas
C) 38.5 pizzas
D) 37.55 pizzas
Answer: D
She decides to use the 3-week weighted moving average and exponentially smoothed average forecast
(problems # 126 and 127), giving them equal weight. What is her forecast for week #7?
A) 38.75 pizzas
B) 40.8 pizzas
C) 42.25 pizzas
D) 44.8 pizzas
Answer: A
14-42
She decides to use the 3-week simple moving average and exponentially smoothed average forecast
(problems # 125 and 127), giving them equal weight. What is her forecast for week #7?
A) 35.5 pizzas
B) 37.4 pizzas
C) 38.2 pizzas
D) 40.2 pizzas
Answer: C
129) Use the information from Table 14.13. The pizza shop manager is looking for a forecasting approach
that will forecast her demand within 0.5 pizzas. If the actual demand for week #7 was 39 pizzas, which of
the combination forecasts came closest to predicting this demand?
A) simple moving average and weighted moving average forecast
B) simple moving average and exponentially smoothed forecast
C) weighted moving average and exponentially smoothed forecast pizzas
D) week #7 demand of 39 is within 0.5 pizzas for all three of these combination forecasts, and thus all of
them are appropriate.
Answer: C
14-43
Use the data and graph shown below for the following questions.
Obs #
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
Day
Mon
Tue
Wed
Thu
Fri
Sat
Sun
Mon
Tue
Wed
Thu
Demand
33
34
37
42
44
79
86
51
50
51
52
Obs #
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
Day
Fri
Sat
Sun
Mon
Tue
Wed
Thu
Fri
Sat
Sun
Demand
54
95
92
58
63
67
70
74
114
119
130) Refer to the instruction above. Which term most accurately describes the data points associated with
Saturdays and Sundays?
A) nonbase data
B) outliers
C) seasons
D) erroneous
Answer: C
Keywords: seasonal, multiplicative seasonal model
14-44
131) Refer to the instruction above. What is the average demand for the second period?
A) 63.57
B) 50.71
C) 82.5
D) 93.5
Answer: A
Difficulty: Easy
Keywords: seasonal, multiplicative seasonal model, season
132) Refer to the instruction above. What is the seasonal index for the first Saturday in the data set?
A) 1.69
B) 1.56
C) 0.64
D) 0.58
Answer: B
Keywords: seasonal, multiplicative seasonal model, seasonal index
133) Refer to the instruction above. What is the average seasonal index for the Sundays in the data set?
A) 0.65
B) 0.67
C) 1.49
D) 1.54
Answer: D
134) Refer to the instruction above. Use a trend projection to forecast the next week's demand. Then apply
seasonal indices to determine the demand on Saturday of the fourth week. What is the demand projected
to be?
A) 141.4
B) 146.2
C) 151.3
D) 158.9
Answer: A
14-45
135) The local building supply store experienced what they considered to be irregular demands for
lumber after the devastating hurricane season. These unusual data points were considered:
A) nonbase data.
B) outliers.
C) residuals.
D) erroneous.
Answer: A
Keywords: nonbase data
136) Which word best describes forecasting?
A) quantitative
B) process
C) resource
D) managerial
Answer: B
Keywords: process, forecasting
137) ________ is the prediction of future events used for planning purposes.
Answer: Forecasting
Reference: Introduction
Difficulty: Easy
Keywords: forecast, predict
138) A systematic increase or decrease in the mean of the series over time is a(n) ________.
Answer: trend
Difficulty: Easy
Keywords: time series, trend
139) Variations in demand that cannot be predicted are said to be a(n) ________ pattern.
Answer: random
Difficulty: Easy
Keywords: time series, random
140) Cyclical patterns arise from ________ and ________.
Answer: the business cycle, the product (or service) life cycle
Difficulty: Hard
Keywords: time series, cycle, cyclical
14-46
141) ________ methods of forecasting translate the opinions of management, experts, consumers, or
salesforce into quantitative estimates.
Answer: Judgment
Keywords: forecasting, judgment method
142) ________ methods use historical data on independent variables to predict demand.
Answer: Causal
Keywords: forecasting, causal method
143) ________ analysis is a statistical approach that relies heavily on historical demand data to project the
future size of demand, and it recognizes trends and seasonal patterns.
Answer: Time-series
Keywords: time-series analysis
144) The ________ is a process of gaining consensus from a group of experts while maintaining their
anonymity.
Answer: Delphi method
Keywords: judgment method, Delphi method
145) ________ is a systematic approach to determine consumer interest in a product or service by creating
and testing hypotheses through data-gathering surveys.
Answer: Market research
Difficulty: Easy
Keywords: judgment method, market research
146) ________ is a causal method of forecasting in which one variable is related to one or more variables
by a linear equation.
Answer: Linear regression
Keywords: causal method, linear regression
14-47
147) In an exponential smoothing model a ________ value for alpha results in greater emphasis being
placed on more recent periods.
Answer: larger
Keywords: time series, exponential smoothing, alpha
148) The ________ variable is the variable that one wants to forecast.
Answer: dependent
Keywords: dependent variable, causal method
149) ________ are assumed to "cause" the results that a forecaster wishes to predict.
Answer: Independent variables
Keywords: independent variable, cause, causal method
150) A(n) ________ measures the direction and strength between the independent variable and the
dependent variable.
Answer: sample correlation coefficient, r
Keywords: sample correlation coefficient, r, independent variable, dependent variable
151) The ________ measures the amount of variation in the dependent variable about its mean that is
explained by the regression line.
Answer: sample coefficient of determination, r-squared
Keywords: sample coefficient of determination, r-squared
152) A(n) ________ forecast is a time-series method whereby the forecast for the next period equals the
demand for the current period.
Answer: naive
Keywords: naive forecast, time-series forecasting
14-48
153) ________ is a time-series method used to estimate the average of a demand time series by averaging
the demand for the n most recent time periods.
Answer: Simple moving average
Keywords: simple moving average, time-series forecasting
154) ________ is the difference found by subtracting the forecast from actual demand for a given period.
Answer: Forecast error
Keywords: forecast error
155) The dispersion of forecast errors is measured by both MAD and MSE, which behave differently in the
way they emphasize errors. ________ gives larger weight to errors and ________ gives smaller weight to
errors.
Answer: MSE, MAD
Difficulty: Easy
Keywords: forecast error, MAD, MSE, mean absolute deviation, mean squared error
156) The ________ measure of forecast errors puts the size of the error in appropriate context by forming
the ratio of the average forecast error to the average ________.
Answer: MAPE, demand
Keywords: forecast error, MAPE
157) ________ are often the result of neglecting or not accurately estimating patterns of demand such as a
trend, seasonal, or cyclical pattern.
Answer: Bias errors
Keywords: bias error
158) A(n) ________ is a measure that indicates whether a method of forecasting is accurately predicting
actual changes in demand.
Answer: tracking signal
Keywords: tracking signal
14-49
159) A(n) ________ is a portion of data from more recent time periods that is used to test different models
developed from earlier time period data.
Answer: holdout set
Keywords: holdout set
160) ________ are produced by averaging independent forecasts based on different methods or different
data, or both.
Answer: Combination forecasts
161) ________ selects the best forecast from a group of forecasts generated by individual techniques.
Answer: Focus forecasting
162) A history file of past demand will often be separated into two parts; the ________ part will reflect
irregular demands.
Answer: nonbase (data)
Keywords: forecasting process, nonbase data
163) Forecasting is a(n) ________ that should continually be reviewed for improvements.
Answer: (nested) process
Keywords: forecasting process
164) Why are forecasts for product families typically more accurate than forecasts for the individual items
within a product family?
Answer: More accurate forecasts are obtained for a group of items because the individual forecast errors
for each item tend to cancel each other.
Keywords: aggregate forecast accuracy
14-50
165) Which forecasting technique would you consider for technological forecasts?
Answer: I would consider the Delphi method because technological change takes place at a rapid pace
and often the only way to make forecasts is to get the opinion of experts who devote their attention to
those issues.
Keywords: technological forecasts, Delphi method
166) Pho Bulous, a Vietnamese restaurant in the bustling metropolis of Edmond, has had great success
using forecasting techniques to predict demand for their main menu items ever since they opened their
doors. Their forecast for last month was grossly inaccurate and so far this month, their forecast appears to
be just as bad as last month's. It's already time to prepare the forecast for next month, what should they
do about their model?
Answer: The answer depends on whether Pho Bulous believes that last month's and this month's results
are aberrations or the start of something new. Both causal and time-series techniques assume that there
has been no change in how the world works, that is, independent factors of time or other variables will
permit the forecaster to make accurate predictions about the future. If Pho Bulous believes that there is a
significant change in the system, for example, a new competitor in the Edmond restaurant scene, a
significant change in population or in their disposable income, then they might try multiple regression to
include these factors or weight more recent data more heavily in a time-series model (the scenario isn't
specific about which technique they have used thus far). Pho Bulous might also try a combination
approach if they feel their situation has changed significantly. On the other hand, if Pho Bulous feels that
these two months are not reflective of any major paradigm shift for the restaurant crowd in Edmond, they
could continue to use the model(s) they have had success with in the past.
Keywords: forecast accuracy
167) Explain how the value of alpha affects forecasts produced by exponential smoothing.
Answer: The smoothing constant alpha allows recent demand values to be emphasized or deemphasized
depending on how the forecaster wishes to incorporate previous values. Larger alpha values emphasize
recent levels of demand and result in forecasts more responsive to changes in the underlying average.
Smaller alpha values treat past demand more uniformly and result in more stable forecasts.
Keywords: alpha value, exponential smoothing
14-51
168) Your team has been asked to develop a forecast for the need for storage in the company's
communication devices ten years from now. What method would develop the best forecast? Why? How
would you execute this method?
Answer: Since you are tasked with developing a technological forecast ten years into the future, and for a
product that has evolved significantly over the last ten years, it is doubtful that a quantitative approach is
suitable. Among the judgment methods discussed in the text; salesforce estimates, market research,
executive opinion, technological forecasting and the Delphi method, the latter three would hold the most
potential for a forecast. Answers will vary as to implementation depending on the approach chosen.
Keywords: judgment, salesforce estimates, executive opinion, technological forecasting
169) Draw a curve that represents four out of the five demand patterns for time series as discussed in this
chapter. Clearly label both dependent and independent axes and the salient features of your graph that
demonstrate your chosen patterns. Select a product or service and discuss what influences might cause it
to exhibit each of these patterns.
Answer: Answers will vary depending on which patterns among horizontal, trend, seasonal, cyclical, and
random patterns have been chosen.
Keywords: demand patterns, horizontal, trend, seasonal, cyclical, random patterns
170) What is the difference between mean absolute deviation (MAD) and mean squared error (MSE)?
Answer: Both MAD and MSE are measurements of the amount of forecast error, and smaller values of
both metrics reflect superior forecasting methods. The difference between the two is that MAD places less
emphasis on an outlier while MSE is more sensitive to one. A forecast technique that seeks to minimize
MSE will have overall forecast accuracy hurt by one extreme outlier more than a forecast developed using
a MAD-minimizing technique.
Keywords: MAD, MSE, mean absolute deviation, mean squared error
171) What are reasonable criteria for selecting one time-series method over another?
Answer: Forecast error measures provide important information for choosing the best forecasting
method for a service or product. They also guide managers in selecting the best values for the parameters
needed for the method: n for the moving average method, the weights for the weighted moving average
method, alpha for the exponential smoothing method, and when regression data begins for the trend
projection with regression method. The criteria to use in making forecast method and parameter choices
2
include (1) minimizing bias (CFE); (2) minimizing MAPE, MAD, or MSE; (3) maximizing r ; (4) meeting
managerial expectations of changes in the components of demand; and (5) minimizing the forecast errors
in recent periods. The first three criteria relate to statistical measures based on historical performance, the
fourth reflects expectations of the future that may not be rooted in the past, and the fifth is a way to use
whatever method seems to be working best at the time a forecast must be made.
Keywords: MAD, MSE, time series, MAPE, statistical method
14-52
172) How is a typical forecasting process similar to the Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) cycle? (See Chapter 5
for more information on PDSA)
Answer: The authors indicate that forecasting is a process that should be continually reviewed for
improvements; the PDSA cycle provides one vehicle for continuous improvement. The authors present a
six step cycle for forecasting: 1) adjust the history file, 2) prepare initial forecasts, 3) consensus meetings
and collaboration, 4) revise forecasts, 5) review by the operating committee, and 6) finalize and
communicate the forecasts. The history file adjustment in step 1 provides a check of forecast accuracy; if
results have been less than stellar, then planners and forecasters will explore different techniques and/or
independent variables to prepare future forecasts. This approach closely parallels the PDSA cycle of
methodically trying a new approach and checking results before acting system-wide.
Keywords: forecasting process, Plan-Do-Study-Act, PDSA
173) Describe the combination forecast techniques and discuss how they have been shown to perform in
recent studies.
Answer: Combination forecasts are forecasts that are produced by averaging independent forecasts based
on different methods, different sources, or different data. Research during the last two decades suggests
that combining forecasts from multiple sources often produces more accurate forecasts. It is intriguing
that combination forecasts often perform better over time than even the best single forecasting procedure.
Combining is most effective when the individual forecasts bring different kinds of information into the
forecasting process. Forecasters have achieved excellent results by weighting forecasts equally, and this is
a good starting point. However, unequal weights may provide better results under some conditions.
174) What are the steps of the forecasting process as described in the text?
Answer: The authors describe a six-step forecasting process.
Step 1. Update the history file and review forecast accuracy. Enter the actual demand and review forecast
accuracy.
Step 2. Prepare initial forecasts using some forecasting software package and judgment. Adjust the
parameters of the software to find models that fit the past demand well and yet reflect the demand
manager's judgment on irregular events and information about future sales pulled from various sources
and business units.
Step 3. Hold consensus meetings with the stakeholders, such as marketing, sales, supply chain planners,
and finance. Arrive at consensus forecasts from all of the important players.
Step 4. Revise the forecasts using judgment, considering the inputs from the consensus meetings and
collaborative sources.
Step 5. Present the forecasts to the operating committee for review and to reach a final set of forecasts.
Step 6. Finalize the forecasts based on the decisions of the operating committee and communicate them to
the important stakeholders.
Keywords: forecasting process, principles
14-53
175) What are some of the principles organizations can observe to improve their forecasting process?
Answer: (See Table 14.2 in the text.) Some principles organizations can observe to improve their
forecasting process include:
1. Better processes yield better forecasts
2. Demand forecasting is being done in virtually every company, either formally or informally. The
challenge is to do it wellbetter than the competition.
3. Better forecasts result in better customer service and lower costs, as well as better relationships with
suppliers and customers.
4. The forecast can and must make sense based on the big picture, economic outlook, market share, and so
on.
5. The best way to improve forecast accuracy is to focus on reducing forecast error.
6. Bias is the worst kind of forecast errorstrive for zero bias.
7. Whenever possible, forecast at more aggregate levels. Forecast in detail only where necessary.
8. Far more can be gained by people collaborating and communicating well than by using the most
advanced forecasting technique or model.
Keywords: forecasting process, principles
14-54
176) Calculate three forecasts using the following data. First, for periods 4 through 10, develop the
exponentially smoothed forecasts using a forecast for period 3 (F3) of 45.0 and an alpha of 0.4. Second,
calculate the three-period moving-average forecast for periods 4 through 10. Third, calculate the weighted
moving average for periods 4 through 10, using weights of .70, .20, and .10, with 0.70 applied to the most
recent data. Calculate the mean absolute deviation (MAD) and the cumulative sum of forecast error (CFE)
for each forecasting procedure. Which forecasting procedure would you select? Why?
Month
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Demand
45
48
43
48
49
54
47
50
46
47
14-55
Answer:
CFE
MAD
Exponential
Smoothing
9.37
3.29
Weighted
Simple Moving Moving
Average
Average
5.33
4.90
3.14
3.33
Using MAD, the simple moving average is best. However, the weighted moving average does better on
CFE.
Keywords: time-series forecast, exponential smoothing forecast, simple moving average forecast,
weighted moving average forecast, MAD, mean absolute deviation, CFE, cumulative forecast error
14-56
177) Calculate three forecasts using the following data. First, for periods 4 through 10, develop the
exponentially smoothed forecasts using a forecast for period 3 (F3) of 120.0 and an alpha of 0.3. Second,
calculate the three-period moving-average forecast for periods 4 through 10. Third, calculate the weighted
moving average for periods 4 through 10, using weights of .60, .30, and .10. Calculate the mean absolute
deviation (MAD) and the cumulative sum of forecast error (CFE) for each forecasting procedure. Which
forecasting procedure would you select? Why?
Month
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Demand
120
115
125
119
127
114
120
124
116
137
14-57
Answer:
CFE
MAD
Exponential
Smoothing
11.19
6.28
Simple Moving
Average
14.00
6.00
Weighted
Moving
Average
12.80
7.17
Using MAD, the simple moving average is best. However, the exponential smoothing does better on CFE.
Keywords: time-series forecast, exponential smoothing forecast, simple moving average forecast,
weighted moving average forecast, MAD, mean absolute deviation, CFE, cumulative forecast error
14-58
178) The marketing department for a major manufacturer tracks sales and advertising expenditures each
month. Data from the past nine months and regression output appear in the following table. Interpret the
equation coefficients and the values for the coefficient of determination and the correlation coefficient.
Month
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
Sales (units)
86,010
134,697
202,025
141,180
217,086
178,399
156,975
113,155
191,901
Advertising
($1,000)
25
40
65
45
70
55
50
35
60
Created by POM-QM for Windows

Answer: The regression equation is:
Y = a + bX
Sales (units) = 12,311.28 + 2,945.23 x Advertising ($ in 000s)
The intercept of 12,311 suggests that if no money were spent on advertising, sales would be 12,311 units
for that month. The slope may be interpreted as for every $1,000 spent on advertising, sales increase by a
little over 2,945 units.
The correlation coefficient of 0.997 shows a very strong positive relationship between the independent
and dependent variables. The sample coefficient of determination is 0.995, so the level of advertising
expenditure explains 99.5% of the variation in sales.
Keywords: regression, correlation coefficient, coefficient of determination
14-59

179) A local moving company has collected data on the number of moves they have been asked to
perform over the past three years. Moving is highly seasonal, so the owner/operator, who is both burly
and highly educated, decides to apply the multiplicative seasonal method (based on a linear regression
for total demand) to forecast the number of customers for the coming year. What is his forecast for each
quarter?
Answer: The seasonal factor calculations for each year show:

Year 1
Year 1
Year 1 Year 2
Year 2 Year 2 Year 3
Year 3 Year 3 Year 3
Seas
Seas
Seas
Quarter Demand Fact Quarter Demand Fact Quarter Demand Fact Avg SF
1
20
0.592
1
27
0.647
1
33
0.763 0.667
2
40
1.185
2
45
1.078
2
45
1.040 1.1014
3
45
1.333
3
55
1.317
3
55
1.272 1.307
4
30
0.889
4
40
0.958
4
40
0.925 0.924
The regression equation for total demand is y = 120.33 + 19*year; for the fourth year y=196.33. (This is
assuming the regression is done in year sequence, i.e. year 1, year 2, year 3. If a regression is run using the
actual year dates, the equation of the line is y=-37936.7+19*year.) Both equations result in a forecast for
Year 4 of 196.33. Dividing this total demand by 4 yields 49.08333.
Forecasts for the next four quarters are:
Quarter 1: (49.083) 0.67 = 32.74
Quarter 2: (49.083) 1.10 = 54.06
Quarter 3: (49.083) 1.31 = 64.15
Quarter 4: (49.083) 0.92 = 45.35
Difficulty: Hard
Keywords: multiplicative seasonal forecast
14-60
180) The Bahouth Company wants to develop a sales forecast for a fast-selling new product line it has
introduced, in order to help plan future production. The following information has been gathered by the
Marketing Department. The past weekly average is 4,200 and the trend has been 250 additional units per
week. This week's demand was 4,600 units. Using trend adjusted exponential smoothing, calculate the
forecasted sales for next week? (Suppose = 0.20 and = 0.40.)
Answer:
At-1 = 4,200
= 0.2
Tt-1 = 250
= 0.4
Dt = 4,600
At = (.2)(4,600) + (.8)(4,200 + 250) = 920 + 3,560 = 4,480
Tt = (.4)(4,480 4,200) + (.6)(250) = 112 + 150 = 262
Ft+1 = 4,480 + 262 = 4,742

Keywords: trend adjusted exponential smoothing
181) The demand for an item over the last year is plotted below. Develop a forecast and explain why your
approach is reasonable.
Answer: The data were generated using the function 25*rand()-15*rand() added to the previous value
with the value 61 seeded in the first month. As such, the data show an upward trend with some random
variation. There is some temptation to model a seasonality, but this is truly random variation. A technique
with a short memory would be most appropriate.
Keywords: trend, random variation, short memory, time series
14-61
182) Three weeks of data are available from a restaurant. Develop a forecast and explain why your
approach is reasonable.
Answer: The data were generated using the function ROUND(10*RAND()+C28-5*RAND(),0) added to
the previous value with the value 33 seeded in the first day. For Saturday and Sunday observations, and
additional RAND()*40 is added and then the series reverts to additive from the previous Friday's
observation. As such, the data show an upward trend with some random variation and a strong
seasonality. A technique with a short memory and an ability to capture the spike in Saturday and Sunday
demand would be most appropriate. Of the techniques covered in the text, the multiplicative seasonal
method would be most suitable.
Keywords: trend, random variation, short memory, time series
14-62
183) Ten months of data and the forecasts for those same periods are in the table below. Use mean bias,
MAD, and MAPE to analyze the accuracy of the forecasts.
Month
January
February
March
April
May
June
July
August
September
October
Actual
42
58
58
77
91
102
124
148
171
177
Forecast
37
50
58
67.5
84
96.5
113
136
159.5
174
Answer:
Bias = 7.25
Mad = 7.25
MAPE = 0.077
Keywords: error, MAPE, bias, MAD
14-63
184) Two mercenary forecasters dueled for the lucrative Surreal Farms egg production forecasting job. The
farmer provided them with output levels from ten day's production and had them forecast the next ten
days. The combatant's forecasts and the actual egg production are shown in the table. Which forecaster
was more accurate and should be hired as a result of his performance on this trial?
Day 1
Day 2
Day 3
Day 4
Day 5
Day 6
Day 7
Day 8
Day 9
Day 10
Actual
102
108
118
130
142
154
166
181
198
206
Forecast A
97
105
113
124
136
148
160
174
190
202
Forecast B
107
113
109
119
130
142
154
167
182
195
Answer: Based on mean absolute deviation and mean absolute percent error; Forecaster A is more
accurate than Forecaster B.
Period Error A Error B

Day 1
5
-5
3
-5
Day 2
5
9
Day 3
6
11
Day 4
6
12
Day 5
6
12
Day 6
6
12
Day 7
7
14
Day 8
8
16
Day 9
4
11
Day 10
56
107
Sum
5.6
10.7
Avg
Absolute
Error A
5
3
5
6
6
6
6
7
8
4
56
5.6
MADa
Absolute
Error B
5
5
9
11
12
12
12
14
16
11
107
10.7
MADb
Abs %
Error A
4.9%
2.8%
4.2%
4.6%
4.2%
3.9%
3.6%
4.1%
4.3%
1.9%
39%
4%
MAPEa
Abs %
Error B
4.9%
4.63%
7.63%
8.46%
8.45%
7.79%
7.23%
7.73%
8.08%
5.34%
70.25%
7%
MAPEb

Keywords: error, MAPE, bias, MAD
14-64

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What are the major approaches to forecasting discussed in the document?

What are the major approaches to forecasting discussed in the document?

What are some factors that affect forecast accuracy?

What are some factors that affect forecast accuracy?

Operations Management: Processes and Supply Chains, 10e (Krajewski et al.

25) The trend projection with regression model is highly adaptive.

45) Which one of the following statements about forecasting is TRUE?

Learning Outcome: Describe major approaches to forecasting

AACSB: Analytic skills

73) Which of the following statements regarding time-series methods is FALSE?

76) Which one of the following statements about forecasting is FALSE?

A) fewer than or equal to 432 units

Using the three-week moving-average method, forecast sales for week 7.

A) fewer than or equal to 250 units

AACSB: Analytic skills

Created by POM-QM for Windows

AACSB: Analytic skills

Answer: The seasonal factor calculations for each year show:

Reference: Time-Series Methods

Period Error A Error B

Reference: Key Decisions on Making Forecasts

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