Objective One
To compare stock accuracy between different Eaton sites, it is possible to use various means and information systems such as Data Warehouse, Enterprise Resource Planning, Enterprise System, Expert System, Geographic/Geospatial Information System, Global Information System, and Office Automation. These systems will enable us to add facts to the system and see what can happen if certain variables change. Titchfield site (that is currently has the best performing stock monitoring system in place) (Titchfield 2006) can be used as one of the methods to stock accuracy. For instance, it is possible to use DSS (Decision Support System) (see Fig. 2 in the Appendices section) because it has a lot of benefits. This system contains different options that allow users to add facts and see what can happen if certain variables are changed. However, this system retrieves information from other minor information systems that store and process information before it is used to predict the rate of sales and approximate stock accuracy. On the other hand, minor systems are not effective when used separately because these systems store and process information but do not use it to build graphs and charts with possible changes to be introduced.
Objective Two
The evaluation of current and old systems used at various Eaton sites (Eaton 2010) can be really effective for improvement of stock maintenance systems. In this respect, the improvements took place when the global economic situation was appropriate whereas there was a decline in the period of the global financial crisis’s beginning and the most difficult stage. The current situation shows that the company is doing well with regard to improvements introduced into the stock maintenance system (see the Fig 1 in the Appendices section). The decline in accuracy can be caused with the decline in demand for certain categories of goods. As the company specialises mostly on manufacturing of technologically advanced appliances and tools, the demand is largely determined by the economic situation in the world. Moreover, the decline in accuracy can be identified with the help of certain software programs that can be used in combination with other information systems. A database common for all sites and all manufacturing locations can be really beneficial in terms of updating made in one location while it can be seen in another.
Objective Three
So, it is also necessary to conduct a research on the ways the company’s competitors manage their stock and the methods used for the same purposes taking into account the throughput of goods in their warehouse and the demand and supply ratio. It is also necessary to analyse how other companies manage their stock in terms of goods that should be manufactured at one location and delivered to another location within a country, a continent, or to another continent or country. In this respect, some companies can use storehouses of other companies or organise their manufacturing activities in the centres of distribution so that fewer costs were spent on storing of manufactured goods. So, the Eaton Company should analyse the actions of competitors and measures those take to cope with current problems or analyse their success if they had similar problems and now experience increase in sales and stock accuracy. In other words, it is necessary to provide employees with appropriate training and enable them to gain experience from the information they learn. In addition, to increase reliability in the process, it is possible to utilise measures used by others.
References
Eaton, 2010. Stock history. Web.
Titchfield, 2006. Office for National Statistics. Web.
Appendix
