The impact of organizational structures within forecasting practices and companies' performances

Attention is here paid to the relationship between organizational configurations, forecasting practices and performances. Attention is at first paid on the relationship between the forecaster organizational position and how companies evaluate future demand, and, on a second hand, focus is paid towards the impact of the forecasting organizational structure and companies performances. Empirical evaluations are developed by means of the Global Manufacturing Research Group database concerning practices among 200 international companies by means of ANOVA analyses. This work contributes to current knowledge claiming that when a forecasting approach is developed (mainly in terms of forecasting technique and data collected), attention should also be paid towards who is going to use this approach. From a managerial point of view this work helps companies in better understanding how to structure their forecasting process to gain better performances