Organization Management

Organization Management

Introduction

AT&T Inc. (abbreviation for American Telephone & Telegraph Corporation) is a North American telecommunications company. It is one of the largest U.S. telecommunications company and one of the largest media conglomerates. It is also the largest provider of both local and long distance telephone services and one of the largest providers of wireless services in the U.S. (85.1 million users).

What forecasting techniques does this company use?

The forecast is, in general is the science of the description of the future. Forecasting is an essential element in the business environment and this calculation sometimes gives businesses an edge over the rivals. Accurate forecasting is also important for astute business planning and strategy function. AT&T uses different forecasting methods that can be classified into two categories;

AT&T operates in a business environment that is essentially descriptive. Thus, truly disruptive technologies are disreputably difficult to forecast (Agarwal, 2006).

Qualitative Methods;

Delphi Method

The Delphi method is a multidisciplinary research methodology for conducting forecasts and predictions. It was developed by the Rand Corporation at the beginning of the Cold War to investigate the impact of technology on war. Its aim is to achieve a consensus based on the discussion between experts. It is an iterative process. Its operation is based on the development of a questionnaire to be answered by the experts. After receiving the information, the method is repeated with another questionnaire based on answers received. The essence of this method is that through a series of successive actions - surveys, interviews, and brainstorming, the aim is to achieve maximum consensus for the correct solution. Analysis using Delphi method is carried out in several stages and the results are processed with statistical methods (Agarwal, 2006).

Scenario Planning

Scenario Planning is one of the most important methods used in future studies. It is a way for strategic planning which ...