RTMG201 FORUM:

Go to the APUS Online Library (left hand navigation menu under Links). Use one of the Article Databases to research one article discussing Week 7’s topic of “Sales and Operations Planning.”

 The article can be on any topic covered from your readings (long-range planning, production rate, yeild management, etc.)
 

For your post, answer the following:
1. Give a brief synopsis of the article. Explain the topic and main points of the author.
 

2. How does the article relate to this week’s concepts?  Explain.
 

3. What is your opinion of the article? Explain.
 

I will be checking articles for accuracy

PLEASE RESPOND TO THIS: This week has been very busy here in Belgium with all the issue with the COVID-19 virus. I hope everyone is safe and is doing well through all of this craziness.

The article I chose talks about sales and operating planning and only slight talks about long-range and short-range planning. Long-range planning is normally done annually these are plans that are set in place for the next year of business. Things that might fall within this category could be if a retail store is looking to extend its real estate or looking to expand its customer base. Several other things could fall into that category but that is what I thought of the most when thinking of long-range planning. There is also intimidate-range planning, this normally covers between three and eighteen months as wrote in our school book. This makes me think of seasonal sales. Every three to six months the seasons change and as a retail store they have to be able to adopt to best fit the customer. Then there is short-range planning, this covers the day to day operations and up to weekly operations within a retail store. This could include receiving a new shipment of goods to sale and several other things. Long-range, intimidate-range, and short-range planning are a must have in a retail store and all personal need to be aware of these plans. if everyone is aware of these operational plans then it can be better kept on track with the main plan to ensure completion of the plan

PLEASE RESPOND TO THIS: Hello Class, 

This week I found an article called “Assessing the Benefits of Yield Management in the Hospitality Industry in the Kumasi Metropolis of Ghana.” Though this article is talking about hotel businesses in Africa, as far as I can tell from doing some research, it’s the same in the United States. 

         Yield Management is a strategy based on selling to the right customer, at the right time, for the right price. This is a huge strategy used by not only the hospitality industry, but airlines, car rental businesses, cruise lines, etc. In this article they focused on the benefits of yield management. Key elements like making sure they book every room at the highest possible rate, without leaving any rooms unoccupied (). Pricing is discussed, stating that each customer pays based on their needs and behavior. Also mentioned was conditions to apply yield management, which I found to be interesting: Just naming a few, limited capacity, segmentation of the market, and perishable inventory (). One other thing mentioned in this article, was the impact of yield management. In this particular article is states “Various literatures that outline the positive impacts of yield management on a company level suggests suggest that yield management provides more benefits to customers and this leads to greater performances, increases efficiency and productivity as well as a competitive advantage.    

         I personally agree with this article. The author made valid points discussing the strategy and how it was used. Mentioning what yield management was, how it is used in the hospitality business, and the outcomes it has for the business. The only thing I wish was put in this article was some of the negatives, so you could compare

ENTR315 FORUM:

Evaluate the due diligence process. Include how the different sources of funding for ventures evaluate the due diligence of an entrepreneur. Finally, assess if you are at a point to where you meet those standards. If so, explain how so. If not, explain what you need to do to meet those standards.

PLEASE RESPOND TO THIS: According to our lesson this week, due diligence is “a procedure where the potential investor is fairly seriously considering working with you and needs to look at the key aspects of the business and may even call upon the expertise of their lawyers, accountants, business valuations specialists, and marketing specialists to assist in assessing the viability of this investment”. Due diligence is completed before a deal closes to provide the buyer with an assurance of what they’re getting.

Transactions that undergo a due diligence process offer higher chances of success. Due diligence contributes to making informed decisions by enhancing the quality of information available to decision makers.

Due diligence allows the buyer to feel more comfortable that his or her expectations regarding the transaction are correct. In purchasing a business without doing due diligence substantially increases the risk to the purchaser.

Due diligence is conducted to provide the purchaser with trust. However, due diligence may also benefit the seller, as going through the rigorous financial examination may, in fact, reveal that the fair market value of the seller’s company is more than what was initially thought to be the case.

Due diligence helps investors and companies understand the nature of a deal, the risks involved, and whether the deal fits with their portfolio. Essentially, undergoing due diligence is like doing “homework” on a potential deal and is essential to informed investment decisions.

I do not feel that McCarthy Cabins is just yet ready to meet the standards. There are many gaps that need to be filled in on Financials, legal issues, marketing strategies and others as the business begins to unfold and grow. We are currently still in the opening stages and must ensure we have all information on hand to answer any questions that could be thrown at the business. No one wants to end up like some of the Shark Tank examples. McCarthy Cabins still needs to undergo the taking of the formal business registration, licensing, and financial layout for the business. I don’t quite think we are ready for a due diligence evaluation.

PLEASE RESPOND TO THIS: Due diligence is defined as an investigation of a potential investment (such as a stock) or product to confirm all facts. These facts can include such items as reviewing all financial records, past company performance, plus anything else deemed material. For individual investors, doing due diligence on a potential stock investment is voluntary, but recommended.

According to the due diligence my company is is meeting the standards because we evaluated all of the standards of what the company needs to be able to function on start-up to be able to start. But even though this says that we are ready I still think that we need to work on getting a few things under our belt before starting like understanding the concepts of some of the financials more. I see if we do not do this then we will not be able to make this venture happen. Even though a company can be ready on paper it doe not mean that the company is truly ready until the owner says they are ready to do this.