Obtaining profits is the principal goal of every business, and it is a complicated process. It is possible to use various strategies and tools to achieve this result, and sales and operations planning is one of them. This term stands for the effort that firms take to keep supply and demand in balance (Jacobs & Chase, 2014). A company can reach this objective by addressing financing, manufacturing, and marketing issues. Thus, contributing to the profitable performance of the firm is the value of sales and operations planning in supply chain integration. However, when sales fail to communicate effectively with operations, the firm cannot match supply with demand, which results in financial losses or performance inefficiencies for this business (Jacobs & Chase, 2014).
When it comes to supply chain performance, it is necessary to invest in forecasting. Ostdick (2017) argues that both medium- and long-term forecasts “increase customer satisfaction and promote growth” (para. 9). However, Jacobs and Chase (2014) insist on the fact that the two are different. On the one hand, long-term forecasting covers a period of more than one year and aims at planning manufacturing and logistics processes. On the other hand, medium-term forecasting tries to predict demand, which is necessary to meet it.
In conclusion, Benmamoun et al. state that e-commerce strategies present “significant opportunities for global expansion” (p. 317). It is so because these strategies provide firms with additional opportunities. Firstly, e-commerce makes it simpler to find customers all over the world. Secondly, companies are free from the necessity to have extensive investment, including large storing facilities and inventory, with the help of these strategies. Thus, e-commerce is a useful option for a firm to promote its growth.
References
Benmamoun, M., Singh, N., Lehnert, K., & Lee, S. B. (2019). Internationalization of e-commerce corporations (ECCs): Advanced vs emerging markets ECCs. Multinational Business Review, 27(4), 317-338.
Jacobs, F. R., & Chase, R. (2014). Operations and supply chain management (14th ed.). McGraw-Hill Education.
Ostdick, N. (2017). 5 reasons why supply chain forecasting matters. Flexis. Web.