A local pizzeria chain wants to forecast demand for their new gourmet pizza line. They’re considering different methods to estimate demand and predict future sales.
Using the concepts covered this week, discuss the following:
- Direct vs. Statistical Methods:
- Explain the strengths and weaknesses of directly surveying customers about their willingness to pay for the new pizzas.
- How can regression analysis be used as a statistical method to estimate demand based on historical data (e.g., past sales, price points)?
- Functional Forms:
- What is the difference between a linear and a non-linear demand function?
- When might a linear function be appropriate, and why might a non-linear function be a better fit for certain products? (Consider potential trends or diminishing returns as purchase quantities increase)
- Time Series and Forecasting:
- How can past sales data and time series analysis help predict future demand for the pizzas?
- What are some limitations of relying solely on historical data for forecasting?
- Statistical Issues:
- Discuss some challenges that can arise when using statistical methods to estimate demand.
- How might factors like omitted variables or multicollinearity (correlation between independent variables) affect the accuracy of the forecast?
A local pizzeria chain wants to forecast demand for their new gourmet pizza line. They’re considering different methods to estimate demand and predict future sales.
Using the concepts covered this week, discuss the following:
- Direct vs. Statistical Methods:
- Explain the strengths and weaknesses of directly surveying customers about their willingness to pay for the new pizzas.
- How can regression analysis be used as a statistical method to estimate demand based on historical data (e.g., past sales, price points)?
- Functional Forms:
- What is the difference between a linear and a non-linear demand function?
- When might a linear function be appropriate, and why might a non-linear function be a better fit for certain products? (Consider potential trends or diminishing returns as purchase quantities increase)
- Time Series and Forecasting:
- How can past sales data and time series analysis help predict future demand for the pizzas?
- What are some limitations of relying solely on historical data for forecasting?
- Statistical Issues:
- Discuss some challenges that can arise when using statistical methods to estimate demand.
- How might factors like omitted variables or multicollinearity (correlation between independent variables) affect the accuracy of the forecast?