Interview Guide for Manager/Executive (Demand Planning)

Name of Contact: Position:

Company: Department:

Date: Time:

Brief Introduction

(This section is similar to main interview guide)

Demand Planning

1) What is your overall market share in “industry name” in Malaysia? a) What are the initiatives taken to sustain or gain market share?

b) What determinant factors that enable “company name” to gain market share or strengthen your position in the market?

2) In general, what are the factors that influence “industry name” in Malaysia? 3) How do you normally develop a demand forecast?

a) Can budget influence your demand forecast? Why?

b) How competitors’ actions (i.e. introduce new products, promotional price) influence your demand forecast?

c) Do you require any information from other departments (e.g. Supply Chain and Finance) to develop a demand forecast? Why?

4) How do you speculate market demands?

a) Do you share the information about market demands with other departments directly (e.g. Supply Chain or Finance)?

b) Do you have regular meetings or discussions with them (e.g. Supply Chain or Finance)? Why?

5) Is demand forecasting accuracy included in your KPIs? For you to achieve the KPIs, what important factors that will enable you to do so?

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Appendix B

Case Study Protocol

1) Review secondary data from electronic sources: there are two sources 1) collect relevant information from company’s official website, such as annual reports, press releases, products’ information, and any WCM related information, and 2) search media articles using electronic database (ABI inform), searching method should use the following formats:

a) Company information: “company name” AND “country name” b) Industry information: “industry name” AND “country name”

2) Compile the relevant information to form an understanding about company’s background. This information is known as case background.

3) Use case background to refine interview guides.

4) Conduct first interview with CFO or senior manager finance: this interview should provide comprehensive understanding about WCM, including explanations about emerging themes and identify subsequent informants. Prepare a contact summary form (for every interview) to reflect the researcher’s understanding about the last discussion and identify issues for further investigations.

5) Conduct at least three interviews with informants that involved in WCM decision making processes. There should be at least one representative from three departments, supply chain (production planner or inventory), sales and marketing (demand planner), and finance (receivables and payables).

6) Transcribed the interviews into text format, and begin coding process. The coding process should be conducted immediately after each interview. Transfer all the transcriptions into NVivo8 software. This software enhances the researcher’s ability with coding processes. 7) Identify (from interviews) additional secondary data (if any) and collect document from

local libraries, government agencies, and research institutions. This document may provide general information about the role of external factors to the management of working capital.

8) Write case reports explaining the determinant perspectives in more detail for each case individually. Use conceptually ordered matrixes to facilitate analysis processes. Analyse the data and interprets the findings.

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Appendix C

Contact Summary Form

Visit: (Name), (Position) Site:

Phone: __________ Contact Date:

Today’s Date: 1)What were the main issues or themes that struck you in this contact?

2)Summarize the information you got (or failed to get) on each the target questions you had this contact.

Question Findings

3)Anything else that struck you as salient, interesting, illuminate or important in this contact?

4)What new (or remaining) target questions do you have in considering the next contact with this site?

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Appendix D

Coding Descriptions

Label Determinants Themes Categories Sub-Categories Descriptions

PEU Perceived Environment Uncertainty Managers perception of environment uncertainty PEU/MC Market Conditions Market conditions of participating companies PEU/MCCD Consumer Demands Ability to identify consumers’ demands

PEU/MCCM Competing in Markets Competing trends in particular markets of products innovations, product diversifications PEU/MCCR Competitors Reactions Competitors’ reactions will influence markets

PEU/EC Economic Conditions Economic factors that influence WCM

PEU/ECCF Exchange rate Fluctuation of currency which affecting working capital PEU/ECES Economic Situation Economic situations which are affecting working capital PEU/ECEM Energy & Material Cost Fluctuation of energy and material cost influence operations PEU/FI Financing Interest rates, regulations and policies may affect working capital PEU/FIBR Bank Regulations Banks impose regulations to companies in terms of financing PEU/GR Government Regulations Government regulations and policies restrict companies’ activities. PEU/GRGR Government Regulations Particular industries are affected by government policies.

BC Budgetary Control Level of reliance on budget to achieve intended targets BC/UB Use of Budget The use of budget in managing WCM components

BC/UBBE Budget Emphasis Budget is intensively used to control subordinates and WCM components BC/UBFA Forecast Accuracy Demand forecast directly influenced WCM levels thus its accuracy is important

BC/UBOP Ongoing Planning Due to constant changes of market or complexity of operations, ongoing planning is suitable BC//UW Utilizing WCM Components Utilizing WCM components to fulfil organizational objectives

BC/UWST Short-Term Financial Management Working capital policy are designed to fulfil organizational goals BC/UWSTC Cash Management Conserved cash to increase liquidity or reduced idle cash

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BC/UWSTP Payables Payable arrangements (rigid vs. flexible) to achieve intended targets. BC/UWSTR Receivables Receivables arrangements (rigid vs. flexible) to achieve intended targets BC/UWIM Inventory Management Inventory arrangement (rigid vs. flexible) to fulfil organizational goals BC/UWIML Logistics Logistics issues consider lead time, distributions and warehouse space

BC/UWIMP Plant Capability Plant capability includes the product processing cycles, processing capability, plant reliability. BC/UWIMS Suppliers Supplier capabilities include availability of materials, quality and relationships

OS Organizational Structure Structural arrangements illustrate WCM decision making process

OS/IL Information Linkage How companies designed its information flow arrangements about WCM activities OS/ILVF Vertical Flow Information is shared vertically to informed top management about WCM activities OS/ILHF Horizontal Flow Information is shared horizontally between managers of different departments.

OS/SD Structural designs Organizational structure that indicates who and how decision making processes conducted OS/SDC Centralized Many decisions of WCM are determined by top management

OS/SDD Decentralized WCM decisions can happen anywhere within organization structure ITI Information Technology and Interdependency Information flow and interdependency in managing WCM process. ITI/IT Information Technology Information technology roles in managing WCM components ITI/ITEU ERP Usage The usage level of ERP in decision making process.

ITI/I Interdependency Interdependency of managers to undertake their jobs.

ITI/ICMC Compromising- Minimising Conflict Determinations of WCM levels require various business units to interact ITI/ISIT Specialization on Individual Tasks Managers are segregated to focus on their tasks

OC Organizational Culture A set of belief, values and understanding of how things are normally done in an organization OC/V Values Managing daily activities are derived from realisation of organizational objectives (awareness) OC/VIE Innovation efforts Employees’ initiatives to improve WCM performance.

OC/VRO Result oriented Employees determinations to achieve their targets OC/BU Basic Underlying Assumptions Underlying values, assumptions and feelings (invisible)

OC/BUSM Sense making Ability to interpret various source of information to speculate external variables. OC/BUC Consistency Strict disciplines and familiarity with daily routines to undertake WCM activities

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Appendix E

Cases Average Score

A scoring system enables the classification of cases within the continuum (Voss, et al., 2008). This section measures cases using scoring of a 1-2 average scale (where 1 = non-integrated WCM and 2 = integrated WCM). Using the rating of five perspectives from section 6.2, each case is rated based on overall rating of the themes. For example, (in Table 6.6 organizational culture) overall rating for case 1, 2, and 3 is “++” or bureaucratic culture and case 3 and 4 is “++++” or adaptability culture. For grouping procedure, the average number is computed by dividing the overall score with number of themes, for example cases 1, 2, and 3 the average score is 1 point, while case 3 and 4 is 2 point. This process is repeated to all perspectives as shown in Table B – F below. Table A indicates overall average score for all the cases across five determinant perspectives.

Table A: Cases Average Score: Overall Score

Case No. PEU BC OS IIT OC Average

Case 1 1.25 1.00 1.50 1.00 1.00 1.15

Case 2 1.25 1.00 1.00 1.00 1.00 1.05

Case 3 1.50 2.00 2.00 2.00 2.00 1.90

Case 4 2.00 1.50 2.00 2.00 2.00 1.90

Case 5 1.00 1.00 1.00 1.00 1.00 1.00

PEU = Perceived Environment Uncertainty BC = Budgetary control

OS = Organizational Structure

ITT = Interdependency & Information Technology OC = Organizational Culture

Table B: Perceived Environment Uncertainty: Cases Average Score Case No. Market Conditions a Economic Conditions b Financing b Government Regulations b Average Case 1 1 1 1 2 1.25 Case 2 1 2 1 1 1.25 Case 3 2 2 1 1 1.50 Case 4 2 2 2 2 2.00 Case 5 1 1 1 1 1.00 a Static = 1 Dynamic = 2 b Minor = 1 Major = 2

Table C: Budgetary Control: Cases Average Score Case No. Use of Budget a Utilizing WCM Components b Average Case 1 1 1 1 Case 2 1 1 1 Case 3 2 2 2 Case 4 2 1 1.5 Case 5 1 1 1 a

Budget Emphasis = 1 Ongoing Planning = 2 b

176 Table D: Organizational Structure: Cases Average Score

Case No. Information Flow a Structure Design b Average Case 1 2 1 1.5 Case 2 1 1 1 Case 3 2 2 2 Case 4 2 2 2 Case 5 1 1 1 a

Vertical Flow = 1 Horizontal Flow = 2 b

Centralized = 1 Decentralized = 2

Table E: Interdependency and IT: Cases Average Score Case No. ERP Usage a Interdependency bAverage

Case 1 2 1 1.5 Case 2 1 1 1 Case 3 2 2 2 Case 4 2 2 2 Case 5 1 1 1 a

Low Usage = 1 High Usage = 2 b

Low Interdependence = 1 High Interdependence = 2

Table F: Organizational Culture: Cases Average Score Case No. Values a

Basic Underlying Assumptions b Average Case 1 1 1 1 Case 2 1 1 1 Case 3 2 2 2 Case 4 2 2 2 Case 5 1 1 1 a

Result Oriented = 1 Innovation Efforts = 2 b