Inventory Management - Research Paper Example

Question Inventory management is important for proper running of any business. Just -in -time method of inventory is one of the methods used to achieve this effect. The technique enables the effective movement of material in a particular area and at the required time. This involves a system of coordinated operations each closely knitted to the subsequent one to ensure efficiency. However, just- in -time software is not able to foresee delivery problems that arise as a result of poor weather conditions and labor strikes.

In such a situation, a company using this form of inventory management needs to mitigate delivery issues by focusing on the flow of goods, ensuring employee involvement and improving quality. This means that the employees order new stock as soon as the existing one is depleted. Full maximization of employee use is essential in times of failure of the system. Question #2Many businesses have employed the use of self-checkout machines in retailing to enhance productivity. Among the major advantages of these machines is the improvement of efficiency in that they reduce the checkout time.

A store can run six self-check units all controlled by one employee who tracks the progress of all customers in all the machines as opposed to one cashier and thus reduce time. The customer also gets a false sense of privacy thus improving satisfaction and productivity. For a retailer, there is reduced staffing and therefore reduced cost of management due to less administration costs. The machines enhance efficiency in the payment as they accept many methods of payment such as the debit and credit cards, cash through coin slots and electronic food assistance cards.

However, the system is vulnerable to theft from shoplifters. The trustworthiness of customers is questionable but the machines may detect incidences of theft and cause the customer to change attitude towards purchasing. ReferencesBeverly,T. (Apr 20, 2012). The Basics of Line Balancing and JIT Kitting .Diana, E. (Nov 9, 2009).Self Check-out Machines Must Go. John R. (Oct 11, 2011). Exploring Management.