Improving forecasts for better decision-making

Abstract

Improving the forecasting process may enable managers to make better decisions. In this paper, the forecasting process includes three factors: [A] forecasting input factors, [B] competitive advantage factors, and [C] forecasting effectiveness factors. It is proposed that a deeper understanding of the links between [A], [B] and [C] will lead to improvements in forecasting and better decision-making. The objective of this paper is to develop a model that will allow managers to improve forecasting by better understanding the links in the model. Structural equation modelling (SEM) is used to test the model. Twenty-two hypotheses are tested, of which 18 are accepted.