Review Case

Q1)a. what are the main reasons for manager to forecast and methods used to forecast?

b. criteria for selecting a forecast process?

A)reasons for forecasting

a great amount of time is needed to complete all phases of menu item production. accurate forecasting minimizes the chance of overproduction. historical data is used to determine needs and establish trends in all forecasting methods.

B)criteria for selecting a forecasting method

*whether using a manual or computer forecasting method, factors such as cost,accuracy, relevancy, lead time, pattern of food selection and ease of use should be considered.

Q2) 7 factors affecting the choice of distribution process?

1)types of food service system

* conventional - raw food are purchased, prepared on site and served soon after preparation

- advantages - quality control,menu flexibility, less freezer storage required

- disadvantages - stressful workday, difficulty in scheduling workers

* ready-prepared - foods are prepared on-site then chilled or frozen and stored for reheating at a later time.

- advantages - reduction of peaks and valleys of work loads, reduction in labor cost, improved quality and quantity control

- disadvantages - need for large cold storage and freezer units, need for costly re-thermalisation equipment in some cases

* commissary - a central production kitchen or food factory with centralized food purchasing and delivery to off site facilities for final preparation.

- adv - large volume food purchasing reduce costs, effective and consistent quality control

- disadv - many critical points where contamination of food can occur, specialized equipment and trucks are needed for food safety, high cost of equipment and equipment maintenance

* assembly/serve - fully prepared foods are purchased, assembled, heated and served

- adv - labor savings,lower procurement cost, minimal equipment and space requirement

- disadv - limited availability of desired menu items, high costof prepared foods, additional freezer space requirements, concern over recycling or disposing of packaging materials.

2)kind of foodservice organizations

*schools,colleges and industrial plants

*fast food

*hospitals and nursing homes

*table service restaurants

*hotels

3)size and physical layout of facility

*the size and building arrangement of the facility are additional factors to consider when selecting a delivery system

4)style services

*self-service

*tray service

*portable service

5)skill level of available personnel

*labor needs and required skills vary for different types of delivery systems and for the equipment used.

6)economic factors

*labor and equipment needed must be calculated and evaluated in relation to budget allocations

7)quality standards for food and microbial safety

*considerable research has been conducted to determine quality standards for microbial safety,nutrition retention and sensory quaities

Q3)a. 2 main methods of purchase

b. 4 other methods or purchasing

*A) open market (informal) - commonly used for smaller operations. quotation of prices may be requested when needed, or provide periodically by the vendors. order forms help the purchase by simplifying the process.

competitive bid (formal) - specifications of needs and quantities are sent to multiple vendors with invitation to submit an offer within a stated time. Large f&b operators make this process public. buyers in large organizations are required to submit to submit all the bids to all qualified vendors. buyers in small organization may select the vendors to include in the bidding.

*B)

-Cost-plus purchasing - the buyers agrees to buy for a period of time at a price that has a fixed mark-up on the vendor's cost.

-prime vending - a single vendor supplies the majority of products for specific categories of needs (poultry,dairy etc). within these categories,the vendor provides a % of those needs (60-80%)

-blanket purchase agreement - used when the fnb facility needs a wide variety of items but it is not known in advance which items exactly,