5th draft

COLLEGE OF BUSINESS &ACCOUNTANCY

CHAPTER 1

THE PROBLEM AND ITS BACKGROUND

Introduction

Most businesses nowadays predict their sales for future period in order to have a

preparation for the actual sales. It is known as estimating sales which is a method

considered being very valuable management tool. Businesses are doing this to provide

interrupted production, sales and/or customer-services

Estimating sales is a prediction of a business's unit and sales for some future

period of time, up to several years or more. These forecasts are generally based

primarily on recent sales trends, competitive developments, and economic trends in the

industry, region, and/or nation in which the organization conducts business. Inventory

management is primarily about specifying the size and placement of stocked goods. It is

required at different locations within a facility or within multiple locations of a supply

network to protect the regular and planned course of production against the random

disturbance of running out of materials or goods.

Inventory plays an important role in the operation of convenience store because

it is the lifeblood of the business operations of merchandising company for it shows the

financial activities of a business for a limited period of time. It helps the manager/owner

to analyze the flow of business operation whether it is manage effectively and efficiently

or if the business is earning or losing. A thorough management of inventory is

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necessary to avoid possibility of shortages that would greatly affect the operation of the

business.

There are large numbers of convenience stores established in Batangas City

which are having an issue about monitoring their sales and inventory. This problem

usually causes two things: out-of-stocks and overstocks. Out-of-stocks means that

products are not available for sale due to high sales are not expected by the business,

while overstocks means that products are excessive and are not usually being bought

by the consumers. These two problems are caused by poor planning of estimating sales

and inappropriate managing of inventory. It is a challenge that the convenience stores

have to face this undesirable situation. Convenience stores needs to have a good

system on how they should estimate their sales and how to manage their inventory in

order to have a well business management.

With the information above, the researchers were motivated to focus on this

study of the effects of estimating sales to inventory management for the reason that it

will help any business improve its forecasting performance and inventory management.

The researchers believe that by conducting the study, they would be able to discuss the

actual effects of the stated variables. For the future researchers, this will serve as a

reference and guide for their future studies and those who want to engage in this kind of

business.

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Conceptual Framework

This study took the concept of Hurlbut (2012) about sales forecasting and

inventory management for independent retailers. It says that everything starts with a

good solid sales forecast. From there, a business can plan how much inventory we’ll

need to have to support that plan. Business can also determine accurately how much

inventory they need to buy. Effective inventory management begins with a carefully

developed sales forecast. Only then can inventory levels be planned, and merchandise

receipts scheduled throughout the season. This is the key to eliminating both out-of-

stocks and over-stocks. This study likes to express the effects of estimating sales to

inventory management of convenience stores in Batangas City.

Base on the theory of Hurlbut, estimating sales plays a vital role on inventory

management while in the present study it points out on how estimating sales affect

inventory management on convenience stores in Batangas City. This theory gives

additional information on how a business should give emphasis on estimating theirs

sales and how it would be effective on managing inventory on retailers. This will help in

order to run the business efficiently.

Through estimating sales a business can predict their future sales that would

help them in managing their inventory. The estimates must be reliable and effective in

order to avoid overstocking and/or out-of-stock of inventories. It also highlights that out-

of-stocks resulting from unexpectedly high sales, and overstocks from unexpectedly low

sales but they are really the flip side of the same problem. Both result from inadequate

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planning and sales forecasting. A proper inventory management will serve as guide in

controlling the number of stocks to be sold in small businesses.

This study wanted to know if estimating sales in terms of territory, consumer

preference, and product life cycle is related to inventory management in terms of time

and size of order; demand of customers, and procedures adapted by the business. The

concepts of this study are presented in the conceptual paradigm (Figure 1).

Input Process Output

Figure 1

Conceptual Framework on Estimating Sales and it Effects to Inventory Management of Convenience stores

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Estimating sales in terms of:

Territory Consumer

preference Product life cycle

Inventory management in terms of:

Time and size of order

Demand of customers

Procedures adapted by the business

Gathering data through questionnaire

Statistical test and analysis of data

Presentation of Findings

Effects of estimating sales to inventory management of Convenience Stores


In this study, the researchers used the IPO or Input-Process-Output system

approach. The paradigm shows a summary on how the researchers will conduct this

study. On the first box with the label of input are estimating sales in terms of territory,

consumer preference, and product life cycle. These factors are important to consider in

doing estimating sales. According to Anastacio et. al., 2010, there are following

methods may be done in estimating or forecasting sales. Sales trend Analysis which

product life cycle is used in making the forecast and Sales Force Composite Method

which each salesman estimates the sales in his particular territory.

And also, according to Metcalf (2013), Sales forecast is the best tool to get a

good estimate of the demand for the products. Sales team is the front line for the

business and best positioned to gather information about anticipated demand of

consumers. Good forecasting requires an understanding of your buyer’s behavior. The

sales process, only moves forward when the buyer takes action, so it is incumbent on

the sales organization to get very clear on how your buyer is making the decision

(www.forbes.com/sites/scottedinger/2013/06/03/Four-principles-for-great-sales-

forecasts/).

One of the critical elements of Inventory system is good policies and procedures

adapted by people. You must make sure that these people know what to do with items

that are received, taken from stock, reserved for future use, required for production, or

who is responsible for making certain transactions.

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This is followed by how to manage inventory in terms of time and size of order;

demand of customers, and procedures adapted by the business which are factors that

are considered in managing inventory. Inventory should be taken with utmost care and

must address two major concerns which are timing of order and size of order. To

effectively manage the inventory one must have a reliable forecast of demand

(Anastacio et. al., 2010).

The researchers presumed the relationship of the variables so as to determine

how they play their role in an operation of a business like convenience store. The

researchers believe that estimating sales has a big role in business operation, most of

all in managing inventory. Those tools are included for the progress of the study. It will

serve as the basis to know the effects of estimating sales to inventory management.

The second box labeled as process indicates how the researchers will conduct the data

gathering through survey and questionnaire followed by statistical test and analysis of

data. The third box labeled as an output provides for the effect of estimating sales to

inventory management. According to Moorman et al., 2006, there is a direct correlation

between sales and inventory. Inventory is the number of units, and the value of those

units, that are available for sale or manufacture. Theoretically, the more units a

business has on hand to sell or manufacture, the more it should sell. In this way,

inventory affects sales and consequently inventory levels are controlled by sales.

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Statement of the Problem

The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of estimating sales to

inventory management of convenience stores in Batangas City. Specifically, it seeks to

answer the following questions:

1. How do convenience stores estimate their sales in terms of:

1.1. Territory;

1.2. Consumer preference, and

1.3. Product life cycle?

2. How do convenience stores manage their inventory in terms of:

2.1. Time and size of order;

2.2. Demand of customers, and

2.3. Procedures adapted by the business?

3. Is there any significant effect of estimating sales to inventory management of

convenience stores in Batangas City?

4. What guidelines on estimating sales may be proposed to utilize the inventory

management of convenience stores in Batangas City?

Hypothesis

There is no significant effect of estimating sales to inventory management of

convenience stores in Batangas City.

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Assumptions of the study

The researchers made the following assumptions in conducting this study:

1. That the researchers could finish the thesis on time;

2. That the information gathered by the researcher would be useful, valid and reliable;

3. That the managers of convenience stores would be cooperative and trustworthy in

answering the questionnaire.

Scope, Delimitation and Limitation of the Study

The coverage of this study is the effects of estimating sales to inventory

management of convenience stores in Batangas City and the methods of estimating

sales they used in terms of territory, consumer preference, and product life cycle.It also

included how convenience stores manage their inventory in terms of time and size of

order, demand of customers, and procedures adapted by the business. The study also

considers the personal information of a participants and profile of the business such as

type of business ownership and length of business operation.

The researchers delimited this research to convenience stores that does not

estimate their sales. The participants included only the convenience stores in Batangas

City. It also delimited to small sari-sari stores. The study also delimited to other scope of

inventory management concerning the fine lines between replenishment lead time,

carrying costs of inventory, asset management, and inventory visibility, and physical

inventory, available physical space for inventory, replenishment, returns and defective

goods. The study did not consider the factors affecting the profitability of the business.

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The researcher set boundary to focus more on their subject considering the availability

of time and resources.

The results and findings of the study were based on the information and facts

gathered by the researchers from all the participants’ responses on the questionnaire

that was used. Although the research was carefully prepared, the researchers are still

aware of its limitations. This research were limited from the response made by the 24

participants of the total 35 population as obtained from the list provided by Business

Permit and Licensing Office (BPLO). The researchers have that the desire of including

the total population; however some of them have been closed already. And also the

researchers had no direct control over the participants, there always the possibility of

erroneous data gathered through questionnaire.

Significance of the Study

This research study is about the effects of estimating sales to inventory

management of convenience stores in Batangas City. This study will give information

about methods in estimating sales and how these affect the inventory management.

The researchers believe that this study is very important to the following:

Owners and Managers of the convenience stores and other related businesses

could make use the study conducted as a guide for them to developed sales forecast.

And also it avoids the problem regarding inventory in terms of out- of- stocks and

overstocks.

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This study would give awareness to the businessmen or future businessmen of

the importance of estimating sales to obtain a good operation of their business.

Therefore, the findings have a great help in operating their business.

To the students taking up business courses, it would give additional information

for their future profession.

And finally, for the future researchers, the findings will serve as a reference and

guide for their future studies.

Definition of Terms

Terms here are conceptually and operationally defined for better understanding

of the readers.

Consumer Preference. This is a desire to buy the product and is convinced that

the purchase would be wise. (Diola et.al.2009)

Convenience store. In this study are stores that stock a range of everyday items

such as groceries, snack foods, toiletries and others. These are stores which carry a

limited line of high turn-over convenience goods and are usually open over long hours,

seven days a week. (Diola et.al.2009)

Estimating Sales. In this study it refers to the process of predicting business’s

sales in the future.

Inventory. Stocks of goods intended to sale. (Diola et.al.2009)

Inventory management. This refers to the practice of planning, controlling

inventory so that it contributes to business profitability, pricing decisions and strategies,

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either by reducing cost of goods sold or by increasing sales (Liwag et.al.2003). In this

study, this term refers to managing of finished goods for sale.

Inventory Valuation. This is a process of measuring cost of inventories. (Valix

et.al.2013)

Product life cycle. A graphic representation of a product’s sales history from its

birth, or market beginning, to its death, or withdrawal from the market.(Diola et.al.2009)

Sales. In this study it refers to the exchange of goods or services for an amount

of money or its equivalent.

Stocks. In this study, it refers to the supply of goods available for sale in a store.

Territory. In this study it is an area of land that belongs to or is controlled by a

government.

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CHAPTER 2

REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE AND STUDIES

This chapter presents the review of related literature and studies in an attempt

not only to clarify but also qualify certain ideas in the present study. The researchers

gathered similar or related viewpoints from books and unpublished thesis and some

articles in the internet.

How to Estimate Sales

The sales forecast is usually the primary planning document for a business. Even

if the general economy is robust, an organization needs a promising sale forecast

before it can be aggressive about capitalizing on new opportunities. Strategic planners

themselves may not be involved in making sales forecast, but to develop master plans,

they rely on forecasts that the marketing unit makes. (Dubrin, 2006)

A sales forecast is an estimate of the amount or unit sales for a specified future

period under a proposed marketing plan. It may be for a specified product or for the

entire product line or it can be for market as a whole or any portion of it. Once the sales

forecast prepared, it becomes the key controlling factor in all operational planning

throughout the company. The forecast is the basis of sound budgeting. (Gupta, 2013)

Forecasting is important to practically all marketing organizations. Without a short

term forecast, sales managers would not have a logical basis for assigning workloads or

deciding where to concentrate the sales effort without a long- term forecast, sales

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managers would not know how many salespeople the firm will need or how many

should be promoted to a sales management position. The mere fact that a forecast has

to be done admits that uncertainty crisis in the process. In fact, and every forecast can

be only so accurate.

In many industries, managers still determine sales forecast by comparing this

year’s sales with last year’s sales at the same time period. But consider how much

information is not taken into account with this approach. Forecasting is not only

important, but it can be complex too.

Estimating for a new product is the most difficult type of forecast since no

historical sales data available. It is particularly difficult when the product is very different

from the company’s current product mix. A popular forecasting method for consumer

packaged goods products is a counting method called test marketing. By carefully

selecting a few representative market areas, marketing managers can observe the

impact on sales of various combinations of the marketing mix and use measures of

market share in these small markets to forecast the total market. (Hair et. al., 2010)

Even for small businesses, an accurate sales forecast is an important part of

business planning, as it gives you what you need to manage expenses and measure

profit and growth. If your forecast is very far off from actual sales, you could find yourself

with much more inventory and staff than you needed to do business. Don't let

forecasting intimidate you; however, as any business leader will tell you that at best, it is

an educated guess.

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There are steps on how to estimate sales. First, analyze your historic sales data.

Look especially to seasonal trends as well as year-on-year growth. If you have a start-

up company or new product with no historic sales data, look to competitors or other like

businesses in the area, trade associations or even your local Chamber of Commerce for

guidance. Second, involve your marketing and sales teams in the forecasting process,

as they are in the best position to inform you about current consumer trends and

purchasing behaviours. Third, define your target market. Also, take projected

demographic and economic growth in your market into consideration. Fourth, put

together all of the information you have gathered and estimate what your sales will be

for each month for one year, as well as an annual figure for years 2 and 3. Professional

business planner Tim Berry recommends that you make projections at the unit level,

whatever a unit is for your business. If your business is a law firm, a unit would be one

hour of attorney's fees, or if you own a car service, a unit would be a client ride. If you

sell multiple products or services, forecast each of them individually. Fifth, vet your

sales forecast against the supply chain. This step is fairly easy for some businesses,

such as restaurants, as the number of tables and seats is the limiting factor for sales. If

you manufacture goods or purchase them from a wholesaler, make sure that they can

sufficiently supply enough goods to meet your forecast. And lastly, determine your cost

of goods sold to ensure that you will have the funds to sustain projected growth. Include

manufacturing, sales, marketing and any other fixed costs associated with selling your

products.(http://smallbusiness.chron.com/estimate-accurate-sales-projections

13704.html)

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http://smallbusiness.chron.com/estimate-accurate-sales-projections%2013704.html

http://smallbusiness.chron.com/estimate-accurate-sales-projections%2013704.html


Some other businesses used sales forecasting instead of estimating sales. Your

sales forecast is the backbone of your business plan. People measure a business and

its growth by sales, and your sales forecast sets the standard for expenses, profits and

growth.

When it comes to forecasting sales, don't fall for the trap that says forecasting

takes training, mathematics or advanced degrees. Forecasting is mainly educated

guessing. So don't expect to get it perfect; just make it reasonable. There's no business

owner who isn't qualified to forecast sales--you don't need a business degree or

accountant's certification. What you need is common sense, research of the factors, and

motivation to make an educated guess.

Your sales forecast in a business plan should show sales by month for the next

12 months--at least--and then by year for the following two to five years. Three years,

total, is generally enough for most business plans.

If you have more than one line of sales, show each line of sales separately and

add them up. If you have more than 10 or so lines of sales, summarize them and

consolidate. Remember, this is business planning, not accounting, so it has to be

reasonable, but it doesn't need too much detail. Here are some tips to get you started:

Develop a unit sales projection. Where you can, start by forecasting unit sales

per month. Not all businesses sell by units, but most do, and it's easier to forecast by

breaking things down into their component parts. Product-oriented businesses obviously

sell in units, but so do a lot of service businesses. For example, accountants and

attorneys sell hours, taxis sell rides, and restaurants sell meals.

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Use past data if you have it. Whenever you have past sales data, your best

forecasting aid is the most recent past. There are some statistical analysis techniques

that take past data and project it forward into the future. You can get just about the

same results by projecting your two most recent years of sales by month on a line chart

and then visually tracking it forward along the same line. Statistical tools are a nice

addition, but they're rarely as valuable in a business plan as human common sense,

particularly if it's guided by analysis.

Use factors for a new product. Having a new product is no excuse for not having

a sales forecast. Of course you don't know what's going to happen, but that's no excuse

for not drafting a sales projection. Nobody who plans a new product knows the future--

you simply make educated guesses. So break it down by finding important decision

factors or components of sales. If you have a completely new product with no history,

find an existing product to use as a guide. For example, if you have the next great

computer game, base your forecast on sales of a similar computer game. If you have a

new auto accessory, look at sales of other auto accessories. Analysts projected sales of

fax machines before they were released to the market by looking at typewriters and

copiers.

Break the purchase down into factors. For example, you can forecast sales in a

restaurant by looking at a reasonable number of tables occupied at different hours of

the day and then multiplying the percent of tables occupied by the average estimated

revenue per table. Some people project sales in certain kinds of retail businesses by

investigating the average sales per square foot in similar businesses.

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Be sure to project prices. The next step is prices. You've projected unit sales

monthly for 12 months and then annually, so you must also project your prices. Think of

this as a simple spreadsheet that adds the units of different sales items in one section,

then sets the estimated prices in a second section. A third section then multiplies units

times price to calculate sales. The math is simple--the hard part is making that

estimated guess of unit sales.

A fourth section of your projected prices will set the average costs per unit. You

want to set costs because a lot of financial analysis focuses on gross margin, which is

sales less cost of sales. For financial reasons, cost of sales, also known as costs of

goods sold and direct costs, are different from the other expenses that come out of

profits.

The cost of sales isn't what you pay salespeople or for advertising. It's the

amount you pay to buy what you sell. This is usually easy to understand. In any retail

store, for example, the cost of goods sold is what the store pays for the products it sells.

In service businesses, the costs of sales can be less obvious, but it can still be figured

out.

Finally, in a fifth and final section, you multiply unit sales times average cost per

unit to calculate your cost of sales. This gives you a sales forecast that you can use for

the rest of your financial projections. The first place you'll use it is at the beginning of

your profit and loss statement, which normally starts with sales and cost of sales.

Of course, not all businesses fit easily into the units’ sales model. Some business

plans will have sales forecasts that project dollar sales only, by line of sales, and then

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direct costs, by other factors. For example, a taxi business might simply estimate total

fares as its sales forecast and gasoline, maintenance and other items as its cost of

sales. A graphic artist might stick with the simple dollar-value sales forecast and project

cost of sales as photocopies, color proofs, etc. In the end, it's always your plan, so you

have to make the decisions that are best for you.

(http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/77674)

The study conducted by Recinto et. al. (2000) entitled “The effects of sales

budget in establishing selling prices of drugstores in Lipa City” found out that unit price

approach was the common approach of sales budgeting. The use of unit price approach

will plan first the unit to be sold and the unit sales price for each product. This approach

will serve as a check if unit sales price for each product is matching with the unit to be

sold of each product.

There are following methods may be done in estimating or forecasting sales.

These are Sales Trend Analysis, under this method the product life cycle is used in

making the forecast. In using this, it is essential that the company estimate what part of

the life cycle is the product; Sales Force Composite Method, under this method, each

salesman estimates the sales in his particular territory; Executive Opinion Method under

this method, the views of a number of top executive are culled to arrive at a sales

estimate. Industry Trend Analysis Method, under this method, the relationship between

expected industry sales and the company sales in terms of market share determined;

Correlation Analysis Method, this is a more scientific means of forecasting sales by

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http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/77674


using regression analysis; and Multiple Approach Method, this method uses a

combination of the various methods discussed. (Anastacio et. al., 2010)

Managing Inventory

Inventory management is not glamorous, but it can make difference between

success and failure for a small firm. The larger the inventory investment, the more vital

proper inventory management is. Inventory management is particularly important in

small retail or wholesale firms, as inventory typically represents a major financial

investment by these firms. Achieving the general objective of inventory management

requires pursuing more specific sub goals of inventory control of ensuring continuous

operations, maximizing sales, protecting assets, and minimizing inventory investment.

Protecting inventory against theft, shrinkage and deterioration and minimizing cost

likewise contribute to operational efficiency and business profits (Longenecker et. al.,

2006)

Inventory management permeates decision-making in countless firms and has

been extensively studied in the academic and corporate spheres. The key questions

– usually influenced by a variety of circumstances – which inventory management

seeks to answer are: when to order, how much to order and how much stock to keep

as safety stock. I Inventory management involve a set of decisions that aim at

matching existing demand with the supply of products and materials over space and

time in order to achieve specified cost and service level objectives, observing

product, operation, and demand characteristics. (Wanke, 2014)

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Inventory management is defined as policies, procedures and techniques

employed in maintaining the optimum number or amount of each inventory item. The

objective of inventory management is to provide uninterrupted production, sales,

and/or customer-service levels at the minimum cost. Since for merchandising firms,

inventory is the largest item in the current assets category, inventory problems can

and does contribute to losses or even business failures. (Maharaj, 2012)

Maintaining the proper level of inventory is one of the operation manager’s most

important tasks. Keeping too much inventory in stock means a business is spending too

much on holding costs. Holding too inventory may prevent a company from filling

orders. Too much inventory of company appears to be holding too much inventory given

its limited warehouse space. It needs to reduce inventory levels or obtain more storage

space. Too little inventory of company is losing money because it has run out of

merchandise to sell. It needed to keep larger stocks of inventory on hand. The right

amount of inventory, the manager has made sure that inventories of raw materials are

sufficient. (Bryars, 2006)

Inventory management has two basic goals. The first is to avoid running out of

stock and angering and dissatisfying customers. Consequently, this goal seeks to

increase inventory levels to a “safe” level that won’t risk stock outs. The second is to

efficiently reduce inventory levels and costs as much as possible without impairing daily

operations. Thus, this goal seeks a minimum level of inventory. The following inventory

management techniques- economic order quantity (EOQ), just-in-time inventory (JIT),

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and, materials requirement planning (MRP) - are different ways of balancing these

competing goals. (Williams, 2007)

Managers of manufacturing and sales organization face the problems of how

much inventory to keep on hand. If a firm maintains a large inventory, goods can be

made quickly, customers can make immediate purchases, or orders can be shipped

rapidly. However, stocking goods is expensive. The goods themselves are costly, and

the money tied up in inventory cannot be invested elsewhere. Three decision making

techniques used as manage inventory and control production: the economic order

quantity (EOQ), the just-in-time (JIT) system, and brief mention of LIFO versus FIFO.

(Dubrin, 2006)

To effectively manage the inventory, it is important to have a system to keep tract

of the inventory on hand and on order, a reliable forecast of demand, Knowledge of lead

time Reasonable estimates of inventory holding cost, ordering cost and shortage cost

and classification system for inventory items.

The study conducted by Candava et. al., (2002) entitled “Inventory System

Applied by Selected Shopping Centers in Batangas City” found out that the use of Bar

Code Technology/Swiping was a very effective solution to minimize problems in

physical counting.

The study conducted by Marasigan et. al., (2011) entitled “The Effects of

Inventory Management Technique to the Pricing Strategies of the owners of Grocery

Stores in Batangas City” found out that most of the owners employ their inventory

management technique by means of ABC inventory analysis which is focused in the

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managerial attention especially to the firm’s item that is quickly sold by their customers.

Also the concept of this system is easy to understand and easy to implement as the

only way to employ it is by paying a special attention to the most important items.

The study conducted by Maulion et. al., (2004) entitled “Control Procedures on

Errors and Irregularities in Inventory Management employed by Feed Mill Companies in

Lipa City” discuss the control procedures employed by feed mill companies to prevent

errors and irregularities in inventory management. The previous researcher found out

that inventory is one of the largest assets in a company; necessary control procedures

should be applied in its management. And also they found out that the use of material

requisition form is the major control procedure applied by feed mill companies under the

objective of transaction authorization.

Estimating Sales in Relation with Inventory Management

According to Hurlbut (2012), the problem usually boils down with inventory

management issues: out-of-stocks and overstocks. At first glance, the two issues

appear unrelated out-of-stocks resulting from unexpectedly high sales, and overstocks

from unexpectedly low sales but they are really the flip side of the same problem. Both

result from inadequate planning and sales forecasting.

In sales forecasting process, one of the first things that often emerge is that they

have not been actually forecasting sales at all. Their focus instead has been solely on

how much to buy. When an independent retailer focuses on how much to buy, they

usually start by looking at how much they’ve bought in the past.

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If we know how much inventory we want to end the month with, and how much

we expect to sell during the month, and then subtract how much inventory we’re going

to start the month with, we can calculate how much we need to bring in during the

month. In other words, everything starts with a good solid sales forecast. From there,

we can plan how much inventory we’ll need to have to support that plan. Only then can

we determine accurately how much inventory we’ll need to buy.

(http://www.hurlbutassociates.com/retail-perspectives-blog/bid/52261/Sales

Forecasting-and-Inventory-Management-for-Independent-Retailers)

A good sales forecast takes into account relevant sales and inventory histories,

to identify extraordinary sales and inventory levels and any other unusual patterns. It

drills down to the department, category and sub-category level, as appropriate, to

identify opportunities and trends, as well as the potential impacts of increased

competition, emerging technology, changes in promotional patterns and new product

introductions. It rolls up from the subcategory, category and department levels to a total

forecasted sales increase that can be tested against the realistic expectations of what

can be actually achieved. It plans in both units and sales dollars, so that the plan is well

balanced between unit sales and the average selling price of each unit sold. It is

dynamic, so that it can be continually updated and adjusted as each month passes and

additional information is developed. It identifies the most likely level of sales for any

given month, not the level that might be possible if things broke just right.

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As a result, it has a bias toward a flat sales forecast for any given department,

category or subcategory, unless there is specific reason to forecast an increase or

decrease.

Thus, effective inventory management begins with a carefully developed sales

forecast. Only then can inventory levels be planned, and merchandise receipts

scheduled throughout the season. This is the key to eliminating both out-of-stocks and

over-stocks. (http://www.businessknowhow.com/money/estimatesales.htm)

Synthesis of Reviewed Materials

The reviewed materials from books, under graduate theses ad internet were

important to the present study since they provide information which helped the

researchers to intensify the understanding of the study. The reviewed literatures are

closely related to the present study since they tackled the effects of estimating sales to

inventory management. Likewise, they also helped the researchers in their

comprehension and analysis of how estimating sales would be a support plan in

managing inventory. It also gave additional ideas about the importance of estimated

sales in managing inventory. These related literature supported the findings of the study

conducted by the researchers.

The study conducted by Recinto et. al. (2000) points out the effects of sales

budget in establishing selling prices. The previous and present studies are similar

because they both consider sale as their one primary subject. However, the differences

between the two studies are their participants. And the previous study focus on how the

24


http://www.businessknowhow.com/money/estimatesales.htm


sales budget affect the selling price while the present study focus on how the estimating

sales affect inventory management.

The study by Candava et.al., (2002) discussed the inventory system applied by

selected shopping centers. The previous and present studies are similar in sense of

giving information how to manage inventory. However, the studies differ in purpose,

since the former study aimed to determine and evaluate the inventory system adopted

by the Shopping Centers in Batangas City. On the other hand, the present study deals

with the determination of effect of estimating sales to inventory management of

convenience store in Batangas City.

The study conducted by Marasigan et. al., (2011) are similar to the present study

since they both used descriptive method of research with the questionnaire as the main

instrument for the gathering of data. On the other hand, they have different concept

since the past study focus how inventory management technique affects the pricing

strategies while the present study focus on how the estimating sales will affect the

inventory management.

The study conducted by Maulion et. al., (2004) are similar to the present study

because they are concerned on giving idea about inventory management in terms of

procedures adapted by the business. The difference between the past and present

studies is that they focused on different participants.

Overall, the reviewed materials helped the researchers to know if estimating

sales has a significant effect to inventory management of convenience stores in

Batangas City. They served as guide to the researchers by providing meaningful and

25



reliable source of information which resulted to a better research work. They also

provide gainful insights on the continuous increase of convenience stores in the present

economy.

26



CHAPTER 3

METHODOLOGY

This chapter represents the discussion of the research methodology used by the

researchers in conducting the study about the effects of estimating sales to inventory

management of convenience stores in Batangas City. Research methodology includes

the research design, participant of the study, data gathering instrument, data gathering

procedure and statistical treatment of data.

Research Design

This study intended to determine the effect of estimating sales to inventory

management of convenience stores in Batangas City. This research study used the

descriptive survey method, which is generally considered comprehensive research

using the library, the questionnaire, observation and others.

Descriptive research is defined as the research method employed in the studies

in order to test the hypothesis or to answer the questions concerning the status of the

subject. Descriptive method determines patterns of characteristics of variable in

particular instances. It describes the nature of situation as it exists at the time of the

study and explores the causes of particular phenomena.

Descriptive design was used to gather pertinent required data through the use of

questionnaires. This serves as a tool in acquiring information with regard to the facts

and literatures. The descriptive survey of research was chosen and used by the

27



researchers because this method is the most appropriate method considering that the

purpose is to evaluate the effects of estimating sales to inventory management of

convenience stores in Batangas City.

Participants of the Study

Based on the information gathered by the researchers from Business Permits

and License Office in Batangas Municipal Hall there were twenty five (25) convenience

stores in Batangas City, as of February 2015. Twenty four (24) convenience stores

completely answered the questionnaire and one store refused to answer due to issues

of confidentiality.

Profile of the Participants. The profile of the participants presented in this section

includes the data on age, civil status, gender, educational attainment and years of

service. This was included in the study to shed some light on the demographic

characteristics of participants. The frequency and percentage distribution of the profile

of the participants is presented in Table 1.

In terms of age, the majority of the participants are within the range of 20 – 35

years old with the frequency of 15 equivalents to 62.50% of the total sample population.

This is because within this age, the knowledge of an owner of a business like small

store is enough to cope up with the demand of work and responsibilities of their

business. Four (4) participants account for 16.67% of the total sample of population

belonging to the 31 – 35 years old bracket. Within 26 – 30 years and above 40 years,

28



there are two (2) participants in each bracket with a percentage of 8.33%. Lastly, one

(1) participant falls within the 36 – 40 years old category.

Table 1

Frequency & Percentage Distribution of the Participants as to Profilen= 24

Age Frequency Percentage

20-25 15 62.50

26-30 2 8.33

31-35 4 16.67

36-40 1 4.17

40 and above 2 8.33

TOTAL 24 100

Civil Status Frequency Percentage

Single 20 83.33

Married 3 12.50 Separated 1 4.17

TOTAL 24 100

Gender Frequency Percentage

Female 14 58.33

Male 10 41.67

TOTAL 24 100

Educational Attainment Frequency Percentage

College 23 95.83

High School 1 4.17

TOTAL 24 100

29



With respect to civil status, majority of the participants with a frequency of twenty

(20) equivalents to 83.33% are single. Three (3) participants are married with a

percentage of 12.50% while one (1) participant is separated with a percentage of

4.17%. These findings may be due that the number of younger population are working

in the convenience stores because they have a flexible time to handle a store that open

long hours.

In terms of gender, the majority of the participants are female with a frequency of

14 equivalent to 58.33% while 10 or 41.67%are male participants. This means that in

the business, the role of females are increasing into the field. Therefore, there is no

more gender-specific.

With regard to educational attainment, the majority of the participants are college

graduates with the frequency of 23 or 95.83%. And only one (1) participant is high

school graduate with a percentage of 4.17% This portrays that most of the managers or

staff in the convenience stores are educated enough to manage and do their work.

Profile of the Participating Convenience Stores. The profile of the convenience

stores includes the basic information as to type of business ownership, length of

business operation, average monthly sales in pesos and number of employees. The

frequency and percentage distribution of the profile of convenience stores are shown in

the Table 2.

30



Table 2

Frequency & Percentage Distribution of the Participating Convenience Stores as to Profile

n= 24

Type of Business Ownership Frequency Percentage

Sole Proprietorship 12 50.00

Partnership 3 12.50

Corporation 9 37.50

TOTAL 24 100

Length of Business Operation Frequency Percentage

Less than 1 year 4 16.67

1 to 5 years 13 54.17

6 to 10 years 4 16.67

11 to 15 years 3 12.50

TOTAL 24 100

Average Monthly Sales in Peso Frequency Percentage

P50,000 below 11 45.83

P50,000 – P100,000 6 25.00

P100,000- P P500,000 3 12.50

P500,000 above 4 16.67

TOTAL 24 100

Number of Employees Frequency Percentage

Below 5 11 45.83

5 to 10 9 37.50

11 to 15 2 8.33

Above 20 2 8.33

TOTAL 24 100

31



Type of business ownership is classified as sole proprietorship, partnership,

corporation and cooperative. Twelve (12) participants are sole proprietorship, three (3)

of the participants are partnerships, while corporation has nine (9) participants. This

indicates that half of the participants chose to establish a sole proprietorship because of

the some advantages in putting up such business organization. One advantage would

be the relative ease in management, simple capital structure, internal control measures

that would safeguard assets (e.g. inventory) are easy to update and implement.

The length of the business operation of the convenience stores in Batangas City

was taken into considerations. The table indicates that thirteen (13) out of twenty five

(25) of the participants have operational years of 1 – 5 years with a percentage of

54.17%. Less than one (1) year and 6 – 10 years have both four (4) frequency

equivalent to 16.67 %. And three (3) or 12.50% participants have operational years of

11– 15 years. This shows that majority of the participants are new in operating the

business. It is may be due to the fact that new investment opportunities can be found in

Batangas City particularly.

In terms of average monthly sales in pesos, most of the convenience stores have

average monthly sales of less than 50,000 pesos with a frequency of 11 equivalent to

45.83%. Maybe this is because convenience stores have limited space and mostly were

just part of gasoline stations. Six (6) convenience stores have 50,000 pesos to 100,000

pesos with a percentage of 25% while four (4) convenience stores have more than

500,000 pesos. And three (3) or 12.50% of total sample population have 100,000 pesos

to 500,000 pesos average monthly sales.

32



With regard to number of employees, the table shows that most of the

convenience stores operate with five (5) below employees with a frequency of eleven

(11) equivalent to 45.83%. Nine (9) stores have 5 – 10 employees or 37.50%. While

Above 20 and 11 – 15 numbers of employees are both have a frequency of two (2)

equivalent to 8.33%. Most of the participants have 5 and below employees, this shows

that since convenience stores have limited space, there is no much work to do, that’s

why few employees are needed in operating the business.

Data Gathering Instrument

The researchers used questionnaires as data gathering instrument to generate

information required by the study.

The researchers read books, related unpublished materials and exchanged

opinions and ideas to formulate a draft of questionnaire. The first draft of the

questionnaire was submitted for revision. The questionnaire was revised according to

the given suggestions and recommendations by the adviser and was then again

presented to the adviser for correction and approval. The researcher looked for a CPA

validator that has knowledge on how to conduct a research study to validate the

questionnaire, to improve the content of the questionnaire and to effect some

corrections.

The final draft of questionnaire was submitted to the adviser for approval last

May 5, 2015. A questionnaire was distributed to the participants for the purpose of

gathering data. It was composed of three parts. Part I had the personal profile of the

33



participant in terms of name, age, civil status, and gender. Part II dealt with the profile of

the business in terms of type of business ownership and length of business operation.

Part III served as the questionnaire proper of the study which includes how convenience

stores estimate sales in terms of territory, consumer preference and product life cycle. It

also includes how convenience stores manage inventory in terms of time and size of

order, demand of customers and procedure adapted by the business.

The type of questionnaire used in the study was the checklist method wherein

the participants could find it easy to answer a question. Participants can be made their

answer by putting a check mark on the items that correspond to their answer.

Data Gathering Procedure

The researchers gathered data necessary for the completion of the study.

Gathered information came from books, unpublished materials and online reference

materials. From the consulted resources, the researchers conceptualized the chosen

topic which was eventually proposed to the research adviser for approval. After the

approval of thesis proposal, the statement of the problem was established. A draft of

questionnaire immediately followed and presented to the research adviser.

Upon the approval of the questionnaire, the researchers went to the Municipality

of Batangas City to ask from Permits and License Division for the list of convenience

store in Batangas City. Then, the researchers proceeded with the task of preparing

letter of request to ask permission from the participants and distributing the

questionnaires to the participants for them to answer.

34



The survey was conducted last May 2015 in Batangas City. Since the locations

of the businesses are all located in Batangas City, it was easier for the researcher to

personally distribute the questionnaires to the managers/owners of convenience store.

The participants were given one week to answer the questions listed on the

questionnaire. The researchers then collected personally the distributed questionnaire

and proceeded to make a tally of responses to each question. The data gathered were

tabulated, interpreted, and analyzed for the conclusion and formulation of findings and

recommendations of the study.

Statistical Treatment of Data

The application of statistics is very important in analyzing the data gathered.

Statistical tools help the researchers to measure the results that will serve as the basis

for quantitative analysis and interpretation of data. For the purpose of the study, the

following statistical tools were used:

Percentage Method. This is a descriptive method tool that is particularly useful in

expressing relative frequency of survey responses. This method is used in presenting

the profile of the participants and the profile of the convenience stores.

Weighted mean. This is another descriptive statistical tool that is synonymous

with average. It is a procedure for combining the means of two or more groups of

different sizes. It was used to indicate particular item is more than once in a total that

said item was given in a difference ways as to result. It was also used to weight the

degree of gravity of the effect.

35



Pearson R Correlation. This method was used to measure and evaluate the

effect of estimating sales to the inventory management of the convenience store in

Batangas City. It was defined as parameter test used to measure the degree of

relationship between variables.

36



CHAPTER 4

PRESENTATION, ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION OF DATA

This part of the paper presents, analyzes and interprets data gathered from the

survey conducted by the researchers. The data are presented in tabular form, for easier

comprehension. For clarity of presentation and consistency in the discussion, the data

are presented according to the objectives of the study.

1. Estimating Sales of Convenience Stores in Terms of Territory, Consumer Preference

and Product Life Cycle

This section presents ways on how the convenience stores in Batangas City

estimate their sales. Estimating Sales is defined as a prediction of a business’s units

and sales for some future period of time, up to several years or more. It is the

management’s primary tool for predicting the volume of attainable sales. Managers

prepare this to determine the type and level of demand for both current and potential

new products. Estimating sales may be general if they calculate aggregate sales

attainable in an industry. Conversely, estimating may be very specific, detailing data by

individual products, sales territories, types of customers and so forth.

The following focus on how convenience stores estimate their sales in terms of

territory, consumer preference and product life cycle.

1.1 Territory. Territory is the customer group or geographical area for which an

individual salesperson or a sales team holds responsibility.

37



Table 3 shows that knowing presence of competitors has the weighted mean of

3.33 while knowing the number of population within the territory has the weighted mean

of 2.88. Having sufficient sales people in your territory has the weighted mean of 3.00,

achieving appropriate balance among customer group has the weighted mean of 3.08

and implementing policies in particular territory in estimating sales has the weighted

mean of 3.17. The overall composite mean is 3.09 with the verbal interpretation of

Moderate Extent. This indicates that the convenience stores considered having

sufficient sales people, knowing the number of population, implementing policies in

estimating sales, achieving appropriate balance among customer group and knowing

presence of competitors in estimating sales in terms of territory. This means that

territory affects estimating sales in convenience stores. It is because territory for a

business is one of the most important decisions to make and can affect many aspects of

how it operates, such as total sales and how costly it is to run and also the territory must

be easily accessible and provide the customer with a feeling of safety.

Territories can be defined on the basis of geography, sales potential, history, or a

combination of factors. Companies strive to balance their territories because this can

reduce costs and increase sales.

Sales potential forecast can be used to determine sales targets and to help

identify territories worthy of an allocation of limited resources. A sales potential forecast

is a forecast of the number of prospects and their buying power. It does not assess the

likelihood of converting potential accounts. Sales potential can be represented in a

38



number of ways. Of these, the most basic is population, i.e., the number of potential

accounts in a territory (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sales_territory).

Table 3

Weighted Mean and Verbal Interpretation of Territory and its Effect on Estimating Sales of Convenience Stores

TerritoryWeighted

MeanVerbal

Interpretation1. Having sufficient sales people in your

territory3.00 Moderate Extent

2. Knowing the number of population within the territory

2.88 Moderate Extent

3. Implementing policies in particular territory in estimating sales


4. Achieving appropriate balance among customer group


5. Knowing presence of competitors3.33 Moderate Extent

Composite Mean 3.09 Moderate ExtentLegend: Scale Range Verbal Interpretation

1.00 – 1.49 No Extent at All1.50 – 2.49 Slight Extent2.50 – 3.49 Moderate Extent3.50 – 4.00 To a Great Extent

1.2 Consumer Preference. Consumer preferences are defined as the subjective

(individual) tastes, as measured by utility, of various bundles of goods. They permit the

consumer to rank these bundles of goods according to the levels of utility, or the total

satisfaction of consuming a good or service. It analyzes how consumers maximize the

desirability of their consumption as measured by their preferences subject to

39


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sales_territory


limitations on their expenditures, by maximizing utility subject to a

consumer budget constraint.

Table 4 shows that knowing consumer’s order of their preference has the

weighted mean of 3.29, conducting survey in order to estimate sales and identifying

personal factors such as age, lifestyle, etc. of each consumer affect estimating the

sales, they both has the weighted mean of 2.83, identifying prior demand of customers

has the weighted mean of 3.21 and the buying habits of customer, with the weighted

mean of 3.17. The overall composite mean is 3.07 verbally interpreted as Moderate

Extent. This indicates that the convenience stores considered buying habits of

customer, conducting survey, identifying prior demand of customer, identifying personal

factors such as age, lifestyle, etc. and knowing consumer’s order in estimating sales in

terms of consumer preference. This means that consumer preference affects estimating

sales in convenience stores. Businesses need accurate information about changes in

consumer preferences to maximize sales.

Consumer preferences describe the reasons for the people make when selecting

products and services. Analyzing the factors that determine consumer preferences

helps businesses target their products towards specific consumer groups, develop new

products and identify why some products are more successful than others. These

includes advertising, social institutions, cost, consumer income and available substitute.

(http://www.ehow.com/info_8116011_factors-affecting-consumerpreferences.html) The

individual consumer has a set of preference and values whose determinations are

40



outside the field of economics. It measured in terms of satisfaction the consumer

obtains from consuming various combinations or bundles of goods.

Consumer buying behaviour refers to buying behaviour of final consumers,

individuals and households who buy goods and services for final consumption. All of

these final consumers combine to make up the consumer market. Consumer buying

patterns are affected strongly by cultural, social personal and psychological

characteristics. As products and services become more and more commoditized, many

businesses are moving to a new level in creating value for their customers. ( Anastacio,

et.al, 2008)

Table 4

Weighted Mean and Verbal Interpretation of Consumer Preference and its Effect on Estimating Sales of Convenience Stores

Consumer PreferenceWeighted

MeanVerbal

Interpretation1. Buying habits of customer 3.17 Moderate Extent

2. Conducting survey in order to estimate sales


3. Identifying prior demand of customers3.21 Moderate Extent

4. Identifying personal factors such as age, lifestyle, etc. of each consumer affect estimating the sales


5. Knowing consumer’s order of their preference




41



1.3 Product Life Cycle. Product life cycle is the cycle through which every product

goes through from introduction to withdrawal or eventual demise. Stages are:

Introduction: When the product is brought into the market. Here, there's heavy

marketing activity, product promotion and the product is put into limited outlets in a few

channels for distribution. Sales take off slowly in this stage. The need is to create

awareness, not profits. The second stage is growth. In this stage, sales take off, the

market knows of the product; other companies are attracted, profits begin to come in

and market shares stabilize. The third stage is maturity, where sales grow at slowing

rates and finally stabilize. Products get differentiated, price wars and sales promotion

become common and a few weaker players exit. The fourth stage is decline. Here,

sales drop, as consumers may have changed. Product is no longer relevant or useful.

Price wars continue, several products are withdrawn and cost control becomes the way

out for most products in this stage

(http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/definition/Product-Life-Cycle).

Table 5 shows that determining good description of product if whether they have

stocks of product has the weighted mean of 3.71 and understanding the stages of your

products according to product life cycle with the weighted mean of 3.50, which both has

the verbal interpretation of to a Great Extent. It means that determining good description

of products whether they have stocks of product and understanding the stages of your

products has a big role in business because it’s useful in measuring the state of a

product in correlation to the expectations of the consumers and it will help to identify

42



when products should be ordered or not. It is an ideal tool that enables forecast future

sales.

Table 5

Weighted Mean and Verbal Interpretation of Product Life Cycle and its Effect on Estimating Sales of Convenience Stores

Product Life CycleWeighted

MeanVerbal

Interpretation1. Comparing last year sales of a particular

product3.38 Moderate Extent

2. Understanding the stages of your products according to product life cycle

3.50 Great Extent

3. Determining good description of product if whether they have stocks of product

3.71 Great Extent

4. Requiring executive insights in order to know the stages of the product


5. Establishing relationship between the factors depends directly on the maturity of a product in the market




Establishing relationship between the factors depends directly on the

maturity of a product in the market has the weighted mean of 3.46, comparing last year

sales of a particular product with the weighted mean of 3.38 and requiring executive

insights in order to know the stages of the product with the weighted mean of 3.33,

which all has the verbal interpretation of Moderate Extent. The overall composite mean

is 3.48 and the verbal interpretation of Moderate Extent. This means that comparing last

43



year sales of a particular product, requiring executive insights in order to know the

stages of the product and establishing relationship between the factors depends directly

on the maturity of a product in the market is still considered in estimating sales in

convenience store thus those factors do not have much impact on estimating sales

because it is not necessary for the convenience stores to compare last year sales and

required executive insight in order to provide accurate and reliable sales estimate.

As products move from the growth stage to the maturity phase, the primary

motive is improving sales to maximize profits. Even though demand for products at this

moment may naturally level off, the companies may spend less on advertising and

promotion. This is because when products reach the maturity phase, the company’s

brand awareness is already well-established in the marketplace. The product life cycle

is an integral process in management of any product and revolves around the

introduction, growth, maturity and decline stages. For emerging businesses, the cycle

concept is an ideal tool that enables marketers to forecast future sales and plan new

marketing strategies (http://yourbusiness.azcentral.com/objectives-product-life-cycle-

14585.html).

The product life cycle provides a degree of structure to the life of products and

thereby provides direction for the diverse functional efforts required to produce and

deliver product or service offerings. The PLC is thus uniquely positioned to act as a tool

for the strategic alignment of functional competitive efforts, helping focus the decision

making of the business so that actions of each level reinforce, instead of detract from,

the attainment of company goals. (Birou, et.al, 2015)

44



2. Inventory Management of Convenience Stores in Terms of Time and Size of Order,

Demand of Customers and Procedures adapted by the Business

This section of the research deals with how convenience stores manage their

inventory in different terms, that is, time and size of order, demand of customers and

procedures adapted by the business. PAS 2 defined inventories as assets, which are

held for sale in the ordinary course of business, in the process of production for such

sale or in the form of materials or supplies to be consumed in the production process or

in the rendering of services (Valix and Peralta, 2013).

2.1 Time and Size of Order. Inventory management determine when to order and

how much to order. Management should warrant a good inventory system because the

effects of mismanagement of inventory could result in the following: (a) Under-stocking

and (b) Over-stocking. With these possible effects, inventory should be taken with

utmost care and must address two major concerns: Timing of order and size of order

(Anastacio, et. al., 2010).

Table 6 shows that updating the time and size of order daily has the weighted

mean of 3.67, controlling the time and size of order has the weighted mean of 3.63,

making reasonable estimates of inventory ordering cost and using well created units of

measuring like “pcs.”,”lbs.”, etc. will make stock better to organize has the mean of 3.50

and all of these have the verbal interpretation of to a Great Extent. Using a system to

keep track of the inventory has a weighted mean of 3.41 and verbal interpretation of

Moderate Extent. The overall composite mean is 3.54 and verbal interpretation of to a

Great Extent. This indicates that convenience stores highly considered updating and

45



controlling the time and size of order, making reasonable estimates of inventory

ordering cost, using well created units of measuring like “pcs”, “lbs”, etc. will make stock

better to organize in inventory management in terms of time and size of order. The

greater the size of order or the lower the order placement, the larger the average stock

level held in storage on the basis of order quantity. It also know which special orders

sell on occasion and have those products available in a limited quantity to keep the

inventory costs down and to develop a positive reputation for quickly filling special

orders.

Table 6

Weighted Mean and Verbal Interpretation of Time and size of order and its Effect on Inventory Management of Convenience Stores

Time and size of orderWeighted

MeanVerbal

Interpretation1. Using a system to keep track of the

inventory3.42 Moderate Extent

2. Making reasonable estimates of inventory ordering cost

3.50 Great Extent

3. Using well created units of measuring like “pcs”,”lbs”, etc. will make stock better to organize

3.50 Great Extent

4. Updating the time and size of order daily3.67 Great Extent

5. Controlling the time and size of order3.63 Great Extent

Composite Mean 3.54 Great ExtentLegend: Scale Range Verbal Interpretation


46



To effectively manage the inventory one must have reasonable estimates of

inventory holding cost, ordering cost and shortage cost and knowledge of lead time

(Anastacio, et. al., 2010). Lead time is the time that elapses between the placing of an

order (either a purchase order or a production order issued to the shop or the factory

floor) and actually receiving the goods ordered. If a supplier cannot supply the required

goods on demand, and then the client firm must keep an inventory of the needed goods.

The longer the lead time, the larger the quantity of goods the firm must carry in

inventory(http://www.referenceforbusiness.com/management/Int-Loc/Inventory

Management.html)

2.2. Demand of Customer. Discerning customer demand is a critically important

and continuous process. Companies routinely obtain information from market research,

such as customer surveys and test-marketing campaigns, and through feedback from

sales personnel (Hilton, 2008).

Table 7 shows that making reliable forecast of customer demand has the

weighted mean of 3.54 and verbal interpretation of to a Great Extent. While having a

sales representative has the weighted mean of 3.13, making plan related in the number

of their customers has the weighted mean of 3.21, considering customer’s opinion on

the product has the weighted mean of 3.38 and setting up strategic goals for service

level to create customer’s demand has the weighted mean of 3.46 and all of these have

a verbal interpretation of to Moderate extent. The overall composite mean is 3.34 and

verbal interpretation of Moderate Extent. This indicates that convenience stores

considered customer’s opinion on the product, having a sales representative, making

47



plan related in the number of their customers and setting up strategic goals for service

level to create customer’s demand in inventory management in terms of demand of

customers. It means that the demand of customers should consider in managing

inventory of convenience stores to have the flexibility in their supply chain to

reduce/increase inventory level as demand changes. Businesses that excel at

managing inventory have a strong understanding of demand.

Table 7

Weighted Mean and Verbal Interpretation of Demand of customers and its Effect on Inventory Management of Convenience Stores

Demand of customersWeighted

MeanVerbal

Interpretation1. Making reliable forecast of customer’s

demand3.54 Great Extent

2. Considering customer’s opinion on the product


3. Having a sales representative 3.13 Moderate Extent

4. Making plan related in the number of their customers


5. Setting up strategic goals for service level to create customer’s demand




The data in Table 7 also indicates that convenience stores make reliable forecast

of customer demand in managing inventory. Proper Inventory Management process

48



requires a reliable demand forecast of demand that allows calculating proper orders,

reconciling the cost of these orders with the buyer’s open-to-buy budgets, and working

out appropriate allocation and replenishment quantities (http://www.retalon.com/retalon-

solutions/inventory-management-solutions).

There are steps in developing a reliable demand forecast: (1) Understand historic

demand and look at the drivers that influence demand; (2) Monitor market trends. Avoid

the tendency to make decisions based simply on media information, and instead

become intimately aware of the dynamics of your marketplace. This can be done

through continuous communication with friendly competitors, customers, bankers, and

other individuals who are attuned to your marketplace. (3)Identify and track key

indicators. Maintaining a view of the changing demographics in your sales regions can

create a good window into your future demand

(http://ww2.cfo.com/growth-strategies/2011/10/three-tips-for-creating-a-reliable-

demand-forecast/).

One of the functions of inventory management is to meet consumer’s demand.

Creating a successful forecast demand ensures that you have enough inventory for the

upcoming sales period. A demand forecast looks at sales data from the past to

determine the consumer demand in the future. With an accurate demand forecast, you

will have operations that are more efficient, better customer service, and a reduced lead

time on manufacturing products. An accurate demand forecast will help you avoid high

49



cost operations, poor customer service, and a shortage of product

(http://www.wikihow.com/Forecast-Demand).

2.3 Procedures adapted by the business. The Inventory Management Policy and

Procedure minimizes inventory and costs of inventory ownership. The Procedure

ensures the best inventory practices are employed and align with overall company

financial objectives and meet operational needs. It applies to all departments involved in

managing inventories including the Finance, Accounting, Purchasing, Sales and

Operations (http://www.bizmanualz.com/shop/inventory-management-policy-procedure).

Table 8 shows that providing adequate facilities for handling storage of

inventory has the weighted mean of 3.63 and verbal interpretation of to a Great Extent,

while using of bar code technology/swiping has the weighted mean of 3.21 and verbal

interpretation of Moderate Extent. Assigning appropriate number of employees has the

weighted mean of 3.46 and verbal interpretation of Moderate Extent. The overall

composite mean is 3.48 and verbal interpretation of Moderate Extent. This indicates that

convenience stores considered establishing processing and recording procedure,

providing adequate facilities for handling storage of inventory, and conducting periodic

inventory cost in managing inventory in terms of procedures adapted by the business. It

means that the procedures or policies and people who work with stock and use

inventory system are the most critical element in establishing a pretty good inventory

system. Managers must make sure that these people know what to do with items that

are received, taken from stock, reserve for future use, required for production, or who is

responsible for making certain transactions.

50



The data in Table 8 shows that establishing processing and recording procedure,

providing adequate facilities for handling storage of inventory and conducting periodic

inventory cost would have greatly affect in inventory management of convenience

stores. According to Maulion et. al.,2004, the management should consider the quantity

of inventory that the business handles in choosing the period of conducting physical

count. And the accountants or auditors must be aware of the procedures affecting

inventory.

Table 8

Weighted Mean and Verbal Interpretation of Procedures adapted by the business and its Effect on Inventory Management of Convenience Stores

Procedures adapted by the businessWeighted

MeanVerbal

Interpretation1. Establishing processing and recording

procedure3.54 Great Extent

2. Providing adequate facilities for handling storage of inventory

3.63 Great Extent

3. Assigning appropriate number of employees


4. Conducting periodic inventory cost 3.54 Great Extent

5. Using of bar code technology/swiping 3.21 Moderate Extent



The data in Table 8 also shows also that assigning appropriate number of

employees and using of bar code technology/swiping would moderately affect inventory

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management of convenience stores. Codes, including barcodes, can make the whole

process much easier but it can still be quite time-consuming. Checking stock more

frequently - a rolling inventory - avoids a massive annual exercise, but demands

constant attention throughout the year. Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tagging

using handheld readers can offer a simple and efficient way to maintain a continuous

check on inventory. With regard to employees, managers should train staff about

security systems and disciplinary policies and procedures. Training about the cost of

stock theft will help, as many people aren't aware of the implications for company

turnover and job security (http://www.infoentrepreneurs.org/en/guides/stock-control-and-

inventory/).

3. Effect of Estimating Sales to Inventory Management of Convenience Stores in

Batangas City.

This section answers the third objective of the study. The significant effect of

estimating sales to inventory management of convenience stores in Batangas City was

investigated by matching the independent variables: territory, consumer preference and

product life cycle with the dependent variables: time and size of order, demand of

customer and procedures adapted by the business. The hypothesis of the study posted

in the introductory part was tested in the part of this paper. The Pearson R Correlation

was used to test the hypothesis that territory, consumer preference and product life

cycle has significant effect to inventory management. The aforementioned method was

said to be the most appropriate and applicable method in order to come up with the

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reliable results. The results are presented in Tables 9, 10 and 11. Table 9 shows the

Pearson correlation and the corresponding verbal interpretation of the effect of

estimating sales to the inventory management of convenience stores in terms of time

and size of order.

The first and perhaps most important key to better estimating is a complete

understanding of what it actually is and-of equal importance what it is not. Estimating

Sales is a management process, not a computer program. This distinction is important

because it affects so many areas across an organization. Regardless of whether

business sells goods or services, it must have a clear picture of how many of those

goods or services it can sell, in both the short and long terms. That way, it can plan to

have an adequate supply to meet customer demand. Estimating is critical to a business’

production or operations department. Adequate materials must be obtained at the

lowest possible price; adequate production facilities must be provided at the lowest

possible cost; adequate labor must be hired and trained at the lowest possible cost; and

adequate logistics services must be used to avoid bottlenecks in moving products from

producers to consumers. None of these fundamental business functions can be

performed effectively without accurate sales forecasts.

Sufficient capacity must be maintained to produce planned volume of goods. The

production capacity should be assessed and coordinated to avoid shortage (Russell,

2000). Maximum capacity and demand are determination productive scheduling to

avoid excess production that would hamper inventory level management.

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Table 9 shows that the following: territory, consumer preference and product life

cycle has a Pearson correlation of 0.484, 0.636 and 0.771 correspondingly, all of which

verbally translate to significant because these three factors should have to be

considered in making sales forecast. The more accurate the sales forecast the better

prepared your business will be to manage its inventory.

Territory is significant in inventory management in terms of time and size of order

because it influences the size and quality of a business’s target customer base, which in

turn affects sales forecast predictions. Time of order is the time elapsing between the

submittal of requisition or order and shipment of material by the supplying activity. Size

of order is the volume or amount of the product that you will order. Convenience stores

must know the presence of competitors in their territory in order to set the time and size

of order properly so that the store can prevent under stocking or overstocking of goods.

Table 9

Pearson Correlation and Verbal Interpretation of the Effect of Estimating Sales to Inventory Management in terms of Time and Size of Order

Time and Size of Order

Pearson Correlation

p-value Significance

Territory 0.484 0.016 S

Consumer Preference

0.636 0.001 S

Product Life Cycle

0.771 <0.001 S

Legend: S – SignificantNS – Not Significant

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Product life cycle is significant in inventory management in terms of time and size

of order because it’s not enough to just have the right number of products in stocks you

also need to know how long you should selling them. The product life cycle

management needs to become just as important as your inventory management in the

beginning of a products life, it’s best to keep inventory and production levels low so it

won’t be too hard to make changes to the product. As early adopters start to pay

attention to the product and spread the word, they’ll need to slowly raise the inventory

levels to keep up with the new found demand. As it grow into new markets, it will need

to optimize inventory levels in multiple locations to make sure they have enough

products in each location to meet demand. It’s critical to keep delivery times short and

manufacturing lines running to stay ahead of the competition.

Consumer preference is also significant in estimating sales in terms of time and

size of order. In the psychology literature, preferences can be regarded as an

individual’s attitude towards a set of objects, typically reflected in an explicit decision-

making process. It explains that evaluative judgment in the sense of liking or disliking an

object, which is the most distinctive definition used in psychology. Nevertheless, it does

not mean that a preference is inevitably constant over time. Preference can be notably

modified by decision-making processes, such as choices, even in an unconscious way.

Customer preference can be defined as tending to indicate choices among neutral or

more valued options with acceptance indicating a willingness to tolerate the status quo

or some less desirable option. Why do people sometimes act inconsistently over time

engaging behaviour that would have been rejected if contemplated in advance and that

55



may be regretted after the fact? This question has puzzled generations of social

scientists. One view, espoused by Marshall in the opening quote, is that time-

inconsistent behaviour arises from unpredictable changes in moods and tastes.

Product life cycle is significant to estimating sales in terms of time and size of

order because it can affect the availability and hence the ability to use past sales data

for statistical forecasting. It means that the availability of data and possibility of

establishing relationships between the factors depend directly on the maturity of a

product, and hence the life cycle stage is a prime determinant of the forecasting method

to be used. It must consider the stage of the PLC for which it is making the forecast.

Table 10 shows the Pearson correlation and the corresponding verbal

interpretation of the effect of estimating sales to inventory management of convenience

store in terms of demand of customers. The following: territory, consumer preference

and product life cycle has the Pearson correlation of 0.496, 0.626 and 0.857

correspondingly, all of which verbally interpreted as significant.

Table 10

Pearson Correlation and Verbal Interpretation of the Effect of Estimating Sales to Inventory Management in terms of Demand of Customers

Demand of Customers

Pearson Correlation



Consumer Preference

0.626 0.001 S

Product Life 0.857 <0.001 S

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CycleLegend: S – Significant

NS – Not Significant

Territory in inventory management is significant in terms of demand of customers

because it helps in achieving the greater number of target consumers that will result in

gaining more profits.

Product life cycle in inventory management is significant in terms of demand of

customers because it helps in knowing what products are going to produce, phase out

and improve. It means that managers need to have product life cycle in order to

appropriately plan the corresponding levels of production, inventory, sales staff,

distribution, marketing, and advertising. It is one of the major demand patterns that need

to be accounted for in order to maintain the desired inventory levels.

Consumer Preferences in inventory management is significant in terms of

demand of customers because the consumer be able to rank the products according to

the amount of satisfaction obtained from them. By predicting sales, managers can more

accurately plan for what products needed. It allows making informed decisions about

what consumers need, how much they need and when they need the product to avoid

over stock and have products go bad. In other words, the consumer has different

preferences over the different combinations of goods defined by the set of commodity

bundles. The level at which a customer desires your product can affect the demand of

customers. As more customers want a product or service, the demand increases, and

as they want it less, the demand decreases. The level of inventory can change

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http://www.lokad.com/service-level-definition-and-formula


depending on the season, types of advertising they see or information they receive from

friends and family.

Table 11 shows the Pearson correlation and the corresponding verbal

interpretation of the effect of estimating sales to inventory management of convenience

store in terms of demand of customers. The following: territory, consumer preference

and product life cycle has the Pearson correlation of 0.556, 0.579 and 0.729

correspondingly, all of which verbally interpreted as significant.

Table 11

Pearson Correlation and Verbal Interpretation of the Effect of Estimating Sales to Inventory Management in terms of Procedures adapted by Business

Procedures adapted by Business

Pearson Correlation



Consumer Preference

0.579 0.003 S

Product Life Cycle

0.729 <0.001 S

Legend: S – SignificantNS – Not Significant

4. Guidelines in estimating sales to effectively manage inventory of convenience stores

in Batangas City

There is a direct correlation between sales and inventory. Inventory is the

number of units, and the value of those units, that are available for sale or manufacture.

Theoretically, the more units a business has on hand to sell or manufacture, the more it

58



should sell. In this way, inventory affects sales and consequently inventory levels are

controlled by sales.

Estimating Sales is the prediction of future performance based on available

information about past performance. The forecast that your sales force provides is the

source of information that allows managing virtually all aspects of your business. It is

much easier than you think and much more useful than you imagine. Businesses that

uses sales forecasting tends to perform better than those that don’t.

Sales forecasting or estimating sales is the process of a company predicting

what its future sales will be. Accurate sales forecasting enables company to make

informed business decisions. Sales forecasting gives insight on whether a company

should expand information about cash flow and the ability to effectively manage its

resources. Without forecasting a company would be unsure of what inventory level to

maintain, unsure on how it should allocate resources across the company, and it would

have a hard time predicting future success.

A business’s inventory is one of its major assets and represents an investment

that is tied up until the item is sold or used in the production of an item that is sold. It

also costs money to store, track and insure inventory. Inventories that are mismanaged

can create significant financial problems for a business, whether the mismanagement

results in an inventory glut or an inventory shortage. Successful inventory management

involves creating a purchasing plan that will ensure that items are available when they

are needed and keeping track of existing inventory and its use.

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Inventory management also means maintain effective internal controls over

inventory, including safeguarding the inventory from damage, using purchase orders to

track inventory movement, maintaining an inventory ledger, and frequently comparing

physical inventory counts with recorded amounts.

Effective inventory management begins with a carefully developed sales

forecast. Only then can inventory levels be planned, and merchandise receipts

scheduled throughout the season. This is the key to eliminating both out-of-stocks and

over-stocks.

Objectives

Estimating sales is a key element in conducting a business. The realism that

good forecasting can help to develop and improve strategic plans by increasing a

knowledge of the marketplace. The forecast that a sales force provides is the source of

information that allows the owners/managers of convenience stores to manage virtually

all aspects of the business particularly in inventory.

To help owners and managers of convenience stores to estimate sales more

effectively.

To provide ways on how to maintain inventory at appropriate level.

To inform managers/owners on how to use the sales forecast in managing

inventory.

Guidelines to Effectively Estimate Sales of Convenience Stores

You need to estimate sales because sales provide the income for the business.

Without sales, you have no business. A forecast enables you to set sales target, budget

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effectively and complete a cash flow forecast. An accurate gives you the hard facts to

make business decisions. The researchers come up with a set of guidelines that will be

useful in creating sales forecast:

Use past results as a guide. Use results from the recent past if your business has

them. Start a forecast by putting last year’s numbers into next year’s forecast, and then

focus on what might be different this year from next. Ask questions like: (1) Do you have

new opportunities that will make sales grow? (2) Do you have new marketing activities

or promotions? If it’s a yes, then increase the forecast. In contrast, nobody wants to

forecast decreasing sales, but if that’s likely, you need to deal with it by cutting costs or

changing your focus.

Predict sales pattern. With this you can more accurately plan for what products or

components you need. You definitely don't want to miss an opportunity by running out of

materials during a busy season and having to scramble or pay extra to order what you

need. On the other hand, you don't want to overstock and have products go bad or have

to recoup your expenses over a long, drawn-out period. Sales forecasting allows you to

make informed decisions about what you need, how much you need and when you

need it.

Research a profile of your target audience. Knowing your target audience can

help you develop a report on their trends. Your target audience is who you feel your

potential customers will be, and the trends are any changes in that target audience

buying habits.

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Talk to your customers about their expectations. When you are able to

accurately identify and adequately meet your customers' expectations, your customer

service reputation will automatically be enhanced. It will result in increased sales as

customers feel more at ease and satisfied transform from first-time visitors to loyal

customers.

Target your geographic selling location. In case of a retail business like

convenience store, it needs to be located in a well populated area and which is easily

accessible. A good location goes a long way in making a business successful.

Determine how the competition will affect your sales. Who else is doing what

you're planning to do? How well do they do it? By studying the competition you can

learn from others' mistakes - or even what their customers appreciate. Learn how much

people are willing to pay for your product or service and how you could enhance the

current offerings.

Guidelines in Managing Inventory of Convenience Stores

Inventory management is important from the view point that it enables to address

two important issues: (1) the firm has to maintain adequate inventory for smooth

production and selling activities and (2) it has to minimize the investment in inventory to

enhance firm's profitability.

Investment in inventory should neither be excessive nor inadequate. It should

just be optimum. Maintaining optimum level of inventory is the main aim of inventory

management. Excessive investment in inventory results into more cost of fund being

tied up so that it reduces the profitability, inventories may be misused, lost, damaged

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and hold costs in terms of large space and others. At the same time, insufficient

investment in inventory creates stock-out problems, interruption in production and

selling operation. Therefore, the firm may lose the customers as they shift to the

competitors. Financial manager, as he involves in inventory management, should

always try to put neither excessive nor inadequate investment in inventory. Here are

some guidelines that will be useful in managing inventory:

Develop an Inventory Tracking Method. A good inventory tracking system will

tell you what merchandise are in stock, what is on order, when it will arrive and what

you've sold. With such a system, you can plan purchases intelligently and quickly

recognize the fast-moving items you need to reorder and the slow-moving items you

should mark down or specially promote.

When considering what type of inventory tracking method to use, examine the

immediate and future applications of the system. If starting a retail store, nearly

everything purchased from your suppliers will use a standard retail bar code.

Establish Inventory Control. Inventory control is important to ensure quality

control in businesses that handle transactions revolving around consumer goods.

Without proper inventory control, a large retail store may run out of stock on an

important item. A good inventory control system will alert the retailer when it is time to

reorder.

Automated inventory control systems work by scanning a barcode either on the

item. A barcode scanner is used to read the barcode, and the information encoded by

63



the barcode is read by the machine. This information is then tracked by a central

computer system.

Keep an eye on your suppliers. Good service from your suppliers is a vital

component to success because delays with your supplier could impact on your own

products and services. If your supplier is regularly behind on delivery find out why. If the

problem isn’t solvable you may find another supplier to be more reliable.

A good relationship with your supplier is vital to the success of your business.

You need to know that you can count on them to respond in a reasonable time frame

should you have any problems or queries.

Make sure that your inventory environment promotes efficiency and extends

product life. Convenience stores must have the ability to store refrigerated, frozen and

shelf-stable products. Storage units should be equipped with thermometers to keep

products at the optimal temperature and maintain product quality. Employees need to

be able to restock frozen and refrigerated foods while minimizing exposure to room-

temperature environments. It helps store workers easily restock inventory when boxes

are clearly labelled with the label facing outward.

Forecast Needs. Since convenience stores sell perishable items, their owners

need to be experts at forecasting demand and purchasing inventory. Over-purchasing

means that inventory will become obsolete or spoil; under-purchasing drives away

customers if you can't meet their needs. Although it seems convenient to allow

employees to place orders whenever necessary, owners should place controls around

purchasing. Require employees to fill out a purchase requisition and only

64



allow managers to place orders. Managers can analyze past data and evaluate industry

trends to ensure they're stocking the right products in the appropriate quantities.

65



CHAPTER 5

SUMMARY, FINDINGS, CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

This chapter presents the summary, findings, conclusions and recommendations

of the researchers regarding the analysis of the effects of estimating sales to inventory

management of convenience stores in Batangas City.

Summary

This study intended to determine the effects of estimating sales to inventory

management of convenience stores in Batangas City.

Specifically, this study sought answers to the following questions:

1. How do convenience stores estimate their sales in terms of:

1.1. Territory;

1.2. Consumer preference, and

1.3. Product life cycle?

2. How do convenience stores manage their inventory in terms of:

2.1. Time and size of order;

2.2. Demand of customers, and

2.3. Procedures adapted by the business?

3. Is there any significant effect of estimating sales to inventory management of

convenience stores in Batangas City?

66



4. What guidelines on estimating sales may be proposed to utilize the inventory

management of convenience stores in Batangas City?

The researchers applied the descriptive method of research to determine and

analyze the effects of estimating sales to inventory management of convenience stores

in Batangas City. This study covered twenty four (24) convenience stores. In order to

gather the necessary data a self-constructed questionnaire was utilized. The

questionnaire was divided into two parts: (1) profile of the participants and the business

and (2) questionnaire proper which is composed of information on effects of estimating

sales to inventory management of convenience stores.

The researchers used the percentage distribution for interpreting the profile of the

participants and business and Pearson correlation for determining the hypothesis

formulated is accepted or rejected.

Findings

From the information gathered and analyzed, the study revealed the following

findings:

1. Estimating Sales of Convenience Stores

1.1 Territory. Convenience stores in Batangas City have a moderately extent

in estimating sales in terms of territory. It gained the composite mean of 3.09. This

means that having sufficient sales people, knowing the number of population,

implementing policies in estimating sales, achieving appropriate balance among

67



customer group and knowing the presence of competitors are considered in estimating

sales in territory.

1.2 Consumer Preference. Based on the data gathered, the estimating sale of

the participants in terms of consumer preference is 3.07 composite mean. This means

that the participants were able to identify or know the prior demands of customers.

1.3 Product Life Cycle. The estimating sale of product life cycle of

convenience store is moderately extent. It gained the composite mean of 3.48 this

means comparing last year sales of products, understanding the stages of the products,

determining a good description of products, requiring and establishing the maturity of

the products in the market are considered in the estimating sales of the convenience

stores.

2. Inventory Management of Convenience Stores

2.1 Time and Size of Order. Convenience stores in Batangas City have great

extent inventory management in terms of time and size of order. It gained the

composite mean of 3.54. This means that using system to keep track of inventory,

making reasonable estimates of inventory ordering cost, using well-created units of

measuring, updating and controlling of the time and size of order are considered in the

inventory management of convenience stores.

2.2 Demand of customers. Based on the data gathered, the inventory

management of the participants in terms of demand of customers is 3.34 composite

68



mean. This means that the participants were able to set up goals for service level and

make reliable forecast of customer’s demand.

2.3 Procedures adapted by the business. Based on the data gathered, the

inventory management of the participants in terms of procedures adapted by the

business is 3.48 composite mean. This means that the participants are establishing

procedure, providing adequate facilities for handling storage of inventory, assigning

appropriate employee, conducting periodic inventory cost, and using bar code of

technology.

3. Effects of Estimating Sales to Inventory Management

Based on the statistical treatment of the data using Pearson Correlation, it can be

gathered that estimating sales has a significant effect to inventory management of

Convenience Store in Batangas City. This means that estimating sales in terms of

territory, consumer preference and product life-cycle can influence the decision making

of managers and owners of convenience stores in managing their inventory in terms of

time and size of order, demand of customer and procedures adapted by the business.

Conclusions

Based on the information gathered and interpreted, the researchers have

reached the following conclusions.

1. The Convenience Stores in Batangas City have moderately consider territory,

consumer preference and product life cycle in estimating sales.

69



2. There are several factors affecting inventory management of Convenience

Stores. They moderately consider demand of customers and the procedures

adapted by the business in managing inventory. However, time and size of order

is the only factor considered to be a great factor in inventory management.

3. There is a significant effect between estimating sales and inventory management

of Convenience Stores in Batangas City.

Recommendations

The following are humbly recommended by the researchers from the conclusions

derived in this study:

1. Managers/Owners of Convenience Stores should conduct an evaluation

concerning the basis used in estimating sales. Such evaluation should focus on

how the basis employed helps in achieving the organization’s profit objectives,

and because such evaluation may result in increased revenue, increased

customer retention, decreased costs and increased efficiency.

2. The management of the Convenience Stores should focus on all inventory

management as there is no denying that it is a tricky job because so many

factors affecting future sales; by determining current stock levels and the value of

the stock, managers may use accounting or stock control software to track

individual stock items.

3. It would be a great help for Convenience Stores to have an accurate knowledge

in estimating sales in terms of the territory, consumer preference and product life

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http://www.business.vic.gov.au/money-profit-and-accounting/financial-management-set-up/How-to-choose-small-business-accounting-software


cycle of businesses and managing inventory in terms of time and size of order,

demand of consumer and procedures adapted by the business. This is to ensure

that they have the right level of stock to satisfy customer needs, by working out

which items of stock sold make the most gross margin.

4. The guidelines proposed by the researchers are highly recommended to be used

by owners/manager of convenience stores to have an accurate sales forecast

and efficient inventory management.

5. Future researches should be conducted on the premises of this study;

admittedly, such issue is addressed on a case-to-case basis, thus, impairing

comparability. Nevertheless, it is important that a follow up study should be

carried out to ascertain the effects of estimating sales to inventory management

of convenience stores in Batangas City.

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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sales_territory. Retrieved on August 12, 2015

http://www.infoentrepreneurs.org/en/guides/stock-control-and-inventory/. Retrieved on August 03, 2015

http://smallbusiness.chron.com/estimate-accurate-sales-projections-13704.html. Retrieved on January 26,2015

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APPENDIX ALETTER OF INQUIRY(Office of the Mayor)

February 11, 2015

HON. EDUARDO B. DIMACUHACity MayorBatangas City

SIR:

We are requesting from your good office to provide us the list of convenience store operating in Batangas City. The said list will be used in our research for thesis writing entitled “EFFECTS OF ESTIMATING SALES TO INVENTORY MANAGEMENT OF CONVENIENCE STORES IN BATANGAS CITY.”

Hoping for your consideration and favorable action.

Very Truly Yours,

(Sgd)Rhica May H. De Torres

(Sgd)Rhealyn M. Bucal

(Sgd)Krizza Mae R. De Leon

(Sgd)RusselBercasio

Noted by:

(Sgd)Dr. Jesus P. BrionesResearch Adviser

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APPENDIX B

LETTER OF REQUEST(RESPONDENTS)

May 5, 2015

Dear Sir / Madam:

The undersigned are Fourth Year Accountancy students of the University of Batangas, as a requirement in Research 102, Research Implementation and Presentation, are conducting a research about “EFFECTS OF ESTIMATING SALES TO INVENTORY MANAGEMENT OF CONVENIENCE STORES IN BATANGAS CITY.” In relation to this, questionnaires will be distributed in gathering data and we have chosen you to be one of our participants.

We shall appreciate it very much if you could lend little of your time to answer the questionnaire attached. We assure you that all information gathered will be treated with confidentiality and will be used only for research purposes.

Thank you very much and we are hoping for your kind response regarding this matter.

Very truly yours,

(Sgd)Rhica May H. De Torres

(Sgd)Rhealyn M. Bucal

(Sgd)Krizza Mae R. De Leon

(Sgd)RusselBercasio

Noted by:

(Sgd)Mr.Doringer P. Cabrera, CPA, MBAResearch Adviser

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APPENDIX C

QUESTIONNAIRE

The purpose of this survey is to find out the effect of estimating sales to inventory management of convenience stores in Batangas City. All information is important in conducting our research. We assume that all answers will be respected and kept confidential.

Name: ________________________________________

Position: ______________________________________

Name of convenience store: ______________________

Store Address: _________________________________

Telephone Number: _____________________________

Direction: Please read the items below and supply the necessary information. Put a check ( / ) on the space provided.

I. Personal profile of participant

Age:

( ) 20-25 years old ( ) 36-40 years old( ) 26-30 years old ( ) 40 years old and above( ) 31-35 years old

Civil status:

( ) Single ( ) Married( ) Widower ( ) Separated

Gender:

( ) Male ( ) Female

Highest Educational Attainment:

( ) Elementary ( ) College( ) Highschool ( ) Vocational( ) Post Graduate Others please specify: ___________

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Years of service( ) 5 below ( ) 21-30( ) 6-10 ( ) 31-40( ) 11-20 ( )40 above

II. Profile of the Business

Type of Business Ownership:

( ) Sole proprietorship( ) Partnership( ) Corporation( ) Cooperative

Length of Business Operation:( ) Less than a year( ) 1-5 years( ) 6-10 years( ) 11-15 yearsothers please specify: ___________

Average Monthly Sales in Peso( ) 50,000 below( ) 50,000-100,000( ) 100,000-500,000( ) 500,000 above

Number of employees( ) Below 5( ) 5-10( ) 11-15( ) 16-20( ) above 20

III. Questionnaire Proper79



Direction: Please answer the following questions based on the degree. Please

check ( / ) your answer.

Legend: 4 – to a great extent

3 – to a moderate extent

2 – to a slight extent

1 – no extent at all

1. How does your convenience store estimate sales in terms of:

1.1. Territory4 3 2 1

a. Having sufficient sales people in your territory

b. Knowing the number of population within the territory

c. Implementing policies in particular territory in estimating sales.d. Achieving appropriate balance among customer group.

e. Knowing the presence of competitors

1.2. Consumer Preference

4 3 2 1

a. Buying habits of customer.

b. Conducting survey in order to estimate sales.

c. Identifying prior demand of customers.

d. Identifying personal factors such as age, lifestyle, etc. of each

consumer affect estimating the sales.

e. Knowing consumer's order of their preference.

1.3. Product Life Cycle

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4 3 2 1

a. Comparing last year sales of a particular product.

b. Understanding the stages of your products according to product life cycle.c. Determining a good description of product if whether they have stocks of product.d. Requiring executive insights in order to know the stage of the product.

e. Establishing relationships between the factors depends directly on the maturity of a product in the market.

2. How does your convenience stores manage inventory in terms of:

2.1. Time and size of order

4 3 2 1

a. Using a system to keep track of the inventory.

b. Making reasonable estimates of inventory ordering cost

c. Using well created units of measuring like “pcs”, “lbs”, etc. will make stock better to organize.

d. Updating the time and size of order daily.

e. Controlling the time and size of order.

2.2. Demand of customers

4 3 2 1a. Making reliable forecast of customer’s demand.

b. Considering customer’s opinion on the product.

c. Having a sales representative.

d. Making plan related in the number of their customers.

e. Setting up strategic goals for service level to create customer’s demand.

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2.3 Procedures adapted by the business

4 3 2 1

a. Establishing processing and recording procedure

b. Providing adequate facilities for handling storage of inventory

c. Assigning appropriate number of employees

d. Conducting periodic inventory cost

e. Using of bar code technology/swiping

3. How does estimating sales affect your inventory management?

4 3 2 1

a. Identifying excess/old stock

b. Ensuring enough supply of goods

c. Knowing when and how much to purchase goods

d. Helping to decrease the cost of handling of goods

e. Maintaining logs of inventory movement into and out of the storerooms

APPENDIX D

LIST OF PARTICIPANTS

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1. Seven Eleven 7/11 – Alangilan National Highway, Alangilan, Batangas City2. Seven Eleven 7/11 - P. Burgos P. Burgos St. Batangas City, Poblacion 13. Seven Eleven 7/11 – UB UB Bldg. Hilltop Road, Kumintang Ibaba,

Batangas City4. Seven Eleven 7/11 - Terminal II PPA Terminal II, Sta. Clara, Batangas City5. Seven Eleven 7/11 – Pallocan Manuela Pastor Avenue, Pallocan West,

Batangas City6. Seven Eleven 7/11 – Balagtas Balagtas, Batangas City7. Seven Eleven 7/11 - P. Prieto P. Prieto St. Batangas City Poblacion 58. Quick Stop - Terminal III Old PPA Bldg. Sta. Clara, Batangas City9. Berbets Octane Sitio Tacad, Libjo, Batangas City10. Dreaming Forest Sitio Central, Libjo, Batangas City11. Petron – Hilltop Hilltop Rd, Kumintang Ibaba, Batangas City12. Petron – Calicanto Calicanto, Batangas City13. Petron – Kumintang Kumintang Ilaya, Batangas City14. Petron – Diversion Diversion Rd. Bolbok, Batangas City15. Zedxian Fastbite Pastor Avenue, Pallocan Kanluran,

Batangas City16. Lucky Eight Sitio Tacad, Libjo, Batangas City17. Petron – Balagtas Sitio 7, Balagtas, Batangas City18. Stuff Corner Diversion Rd. Balagtas, Batangas City19. Mini Stop – Kumintang National Highway, Kumintang Ilaya,

Batangas City20. Mini Stop – Alangilan National Highway, Alangilan, Batangas City21. Shell – Pallocan Pastor Avenue, Pallocan Kanluran,

Batangas City22. Shell – Cuta DJPMM Access Rd. 2 Cuta, Batangas City23. Gayuma Pharmacy & Gen. Mdse. National Highway, Alangilan Batangas City24. Top Star Pharmacy & Trading Gulod Labac, Batangas City

CURRICULUM VITAE

RHICA MAY H. DE TORRESA-80 Poblacion, San Pascual, Batangas

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[email protected]+63915-914-9223

PERSONAL BACKGROUND

Age : 19Birthday : May 4, 1996Birthplace : Bauan, BatangasCivil Status : SingleNationality : FilipinoLanguages : Filipino, English

EDUCATIONAL BACKGROUND

Tertiary : University of BatangasNational Rd, Hilltop, KumintangIbaba, Batangas CityBachelor of Science in Accountancy2012 – present

Secondary : St. Bridget College – BatangasM.H. Del Pilar St., Batangas City2008 – 2012

Primary : San Pascual Central SchoolSan Pascual, Batangas2002 – 2008With Honors

SEMINARS ATTENDED:

1stYoung Entrepreneurs’ SummitTheme: Start Small, Hitting it Big in BusinessJuly 24, 2015 at University of Batangas Auditorium – Batangas City

The World of Accountancy Profession: Be Aware, Be a CPA!February 20, 2015 at University of Batangas Auditorium – Batangas City

84


mailto:[email protected]


12th Business Lecture SeriesTheme: Empowering Youth Entrepreneurs through Spirit, Intellect, PurposeFebruary 6, 2015 at University of Batangas Auditorium – Batangas City

Basic Principles of Taxation and Tax RemediesJanuary 27, 2015 at University of Batangas – Batangas City

11th Business Lecture SeriesTheme: Competency Requirements for Business Professionals and

Entrepreneurs Meeting the Challenges and GlobalizationJuly 24, 2014 at University of Batangas Gymnasium – Batangas City

2nd Leadership Encounter: Jesse M. Robredo Caravan of Good GovernanceFebruary 28, 2014 at University of Batangas Auditorium – Batangas City

Asilish Asian Bridge’s Affiliate OrientationFebruary 28, 2014 at Unvrsity of Batangas Western Hall – Batangas City

10th Business Lecture SeriesTheme: Unleashing Young Entrepreneurial Spirit: Innovate, Integrate, MotivateFebruary 14, 2014 at University of Batangas Auditorium – Batangas City

9th Business Lecture SeriesTheme: Unleashing Excellence-Fad and Style Entanglement to Business

OperationFebruary 28, 2013 at University of Batangas Gymnasium – Batangas City

ORGANIZATIONS:

Junior Philippine Institute of AccountantsUniversity of Batangas – Batangas ChapterJune 18, 2012 – Present

CURRICULUM VITAE

RHEALYN M. BUCAL

85



GuitnaTimbain, Calaca, [email protected]+63935-487-3303

PERSONAL BACKGROUND

Age : 19Birthday : February 26, 1996Birthplace : Calaca, BatangasCivil Status : SingleNationality : FilipinoLanguages : Filipino, English


Tertiary : University of BatangasNational Rd, Hilltop, KumintangIbaba, Batangas CityBachelor of Science in Accountancy2012 – present

Secondary : Calaca AcademyAdmana St. Calaca, Batangas2008 – 2012With Honors

Primary : Calaca Central SchoolAdmana St. Calaca, Batangas2002 – 2008

SEMINARS ATTENDED:

1stYoung Entrepreneurs’ SummitTheme: Start Small, Hitting it Big in BusinessJuly 24, 2015 at University of Batangas Auditorium – Batangas CityThe World of Accountancy Profession: Be Aware, Be a CPA!February 20, 2015 at University of Batangas Auditorium – Batangas City

86









Asilish Asian Bridge’s Affiliate OrientationFebruary 28, 2014 at Unvrsity of Batangas Western Hall – Batangas City




ORGANIZATIONS:


CURRICULUM VITAE

KRIZZA MAE R.DE LEON

87



KumintangIbaba, Batangas [email protected]+63905-865-8378

PERSONAL BACKGROUND

Age : 19Birthday : March 20, 1996Birthplace : Mamburao, Occidental MindoroCivil Status : SingleNationality : FilipinoLanguages : Filipino, English


Tertiary : University of BatangasNational Rd, Hilltop, KumintangIbaba, Batangas CityBachelor of Science in Accountancy2012 – Present

Secondary : Mamburao, Occidental Mindoro National high SchoolMamburao, Occidental Mindoro2008 – 2012With Honors

Primary : Payompon Elementary SchoolMamburao, Occidental Mindoro2002 – 2008With Honors

SEMINARS ATTENDED:

1stYoung Entrepreneurs’ SummitTheme: Start Small, Hitting it Big in BusinessJuly 24, 2015 at University of Batangas Auditorium – Batangas City

The World of Accountancy Profession: Be Aware, Be a CPA!February 20, 2015 at University of Batangas Auditorium – Batangas City

88








Asilish Asian Bridge’s Affiliate OrientationFebruary 28, 2014 at Unversity of Batangas Western Hall – Batangas City




ORGANIZATIONS:


Association of Student AssistantUniversity of Batangas- BatangasNovember 2012 - Presen

CURRICULUM VITAE

RUSSEL BERCASIOSan Francisco, Mabini, [email protected]

89




09479513201

PERSONAL BACKGROUND

Age : 22Birthday : February 24, 1993Birthplace : Paracale, Cams. NorteGender : FemaleCivil Status : SingleNationality : FilipinoLanguages : Filipino, English


Tertiary : University of BatangasHilltop KumintangIbaba, Batangas CityBachelor of Science in Business Administration- Accounting

Management2011-present

Secondary : Anselmo A. Sandoval Memorial National High SchoolMabini, Batangas2007-2011Valedictorian

Primary : Mainaga-San Francisco-Calamias Elementary SchoolMabini Batangas2011

Salutatorian

SEMINARS ATTENDED



8th Business Lecture Globally Focused Education for Globally Prepared Future Professionals

90



August 19, 2011 at University of Batangas Gymnasium – Batangas City

ORGANIZATIONS:

Junior Philippine Institute of AccountantsUniversity of Batangas – Batangas Chapter2011 – 2013

Junior Philippine Association of Management AccountantsUniversity of Batangas – Batangas Chapter2015-Present

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Documents

5th draft