管理实务英语

节选

相关资料

插图：Imagine a society in which every individual is totally self-sufficient, each individualwould produce and consume all of the products and services necessary for survival so therewould be no need for any economic activity related to the exchange of goods and servicesbetween individuals. No such society can be found today. In reality, as individuals begin tospecialize in the production of specific goods or services, a mechanism must arise for theexchange of those goods and services to satisfy the consumption needs of individuals. To doso efficiently and effectively, firms must overcome three discrepancies- discrepancy in space,discrepancy in time, discrepancy in quantity and assortment.Discrepancy in space refers to the fact that the location of production activities and thelocation of consumption are seldom the same. Consider, for example, the householdfurniture industry. Most household furniture in the United States is manufactured in a smallgeographic area in North Carolina and a great deal of office furniture is manufactured inwestern Michigan. Yet, where is furniture demanded？ All over the United States！ Thisdifference between the location of production and the location of consumption is afundamental problem that must be overcome to accomplish exchange. Discrepancy in time refers to the difference in timing between production andconsumption. Some products, agricultural commodities for example, are produced duringshort time periods but are demanded by customers continuously. On the other hand, manyproducts are manufactured in anticipation of future customer demand.Since manufacturing often does not occur at the same time products are demanded,inventory and warehousing are required. The specific manner in which this discrepancy isovercome results in the service output related to waiting time. It should be noted here thatmuch of the discussion in this text is devoted to the challenges firms face in more closelymatching the rate of production with market consumption.