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Substitute products are components of an organization’s immediate industry and competitive environment. They are products or services that can satisfy the same customer needs or wants as the organization’s offerings, but are provided by different industries or markets. Substitute products can affect the demand, price, and profitability of the organization’s products, and require the organization to monitor and respond to the changes in customer preferences and competitive pressures. Political factors, interest rates, and sociocultural forces are examples of macroenvironmental factors, which are broader and more general forces that affect the organization and its industry, but are not directly related to its competitors or customers. References :=

CPIM Exam Content Manual, Module 1: Supply Chains and Strategy, Section 1.1: Business Strategy, p. 4

Strategic Supply Chain Management: The Five Core Disciplines for Top Performance, Chapter 2: Align Your Supply Chain with Business Strategy, Section 2.2: Assessing the External Environment, pp. 25-26

Moving average forecasting methods are best when demand shows high random variation, as they help to smooth out the noise and capture the underlying level of demand. Moving average methods use the average of the most recent observations as the forecast for the next period. They assign equal weights to all observations in the average, and drop the oldest observation when a new one becomes available. Moving average methods are not suitable for demand patterns that show a clear trend, consistent seasonality, or a cyclical pattern, as they cannot capture these components of demand. For these patterns, more sophisticated methods such as exponential smoothing or regression are needed. References: Forecasting with moving averages, APICS CPIM 8 Planning and Inventory Management | ASCM

Rough-cut capacity planning (RCCP) is a technique that evaluates the feasibility of a master production schedule (MPS) by comparing the available capacity of key resources with the required capacity of the MPS. In a job shop environment, where products are made to order and have high variety and low volume, RCCP would typically review only the critical work centers to determine the ability to execute the plan. Critical work centers are those that have the greatest impact on the throughput, lead time, or cost of the products. They are usually the work centers that have the highest utilization, longest setup times, or most frequent bottlenecks. By focusing on the critical work centers, RCCP can simplify the capacity planning process and identify the potential problems or constraints that may affect the MPS. The other options, gateway work centers, final assembly work centers, and all work centers, are not as effective as critical work centers for RCCP in a job shop environment, as they may not reflect the true capacity requirements or constraints of the products. References:

Rough Cut Capacity Planning (RCCP) - Definition, Example, and Benefits

Rough Cut Capacity Planning (RCCP) - Meaning, Objectives, and Advantages

Rough Cut Capacity Planning (RCCP) - Overview, Steps, and Example

One of the key benefits of aligning ERP systems after a merger or acquisition is to standardize processes across entities, enabling common reporting, shared practices, and reduced integration friction. This decision is often strategic for synergy realization.

“ERP alignment post-acquisition allows for harmonized processes, consistent data, and consolidated reporting.”

— CPIM SMR Module – ERP Integration Strategy