The Universal food

The Universal food and drinks Limited (UFDL) is a company, manufacturing different

Types of packaged foods and drinks. The products are popular throughout the country like Jammu & Kashmir, Maharashtra, Karnataka and Kerela. It has a wide network of distributors and dealers, who stock the UFDL products and deal with all type of customers. The company through its network reaches to over 50,000 retail points . Some of the products of the UFDL are produced throughout the year and are sold through this wide net work. Some products in certain seasons and not in demand at all in the other seasons. The business performance of the company is assured well, if the UFDL produces the products as per the varying demand pattern of the customers. Since, the company has established its strength in the distributor dealer network, the success comes through the appropriate decisions in the purchase of fruits, vegetables, cereals, and pulses and putting them through processing and packaging, and dispatching them to various locations where the distributors are located. It is the policy of the company to launch each year at least one new product in the country. This policy has paid rich dividends, to the company in terms of its image and the customers have always looked forward for such an announcement from the company’s end. The UFDL uses, well in advance, the different advertising media such as the newspaper , hoardings, magazines, sample tests and demos, T>V> etc for announcing and promotion of its new products from time to time. However, the selection of media is based on the product and its overall position in the product range and the targeted market segment. In spite of considerable strength in many aspect of business, the company has failed in the launching of new products. It was also not able to meet the demand owing to the inadequate purchase of raw-materials, the wastage of the raw-materials as the processing plant of the company was not available due to its maintenance schedule or it was scheduled for some other food processing operation. The company also faces the problems of high seasonal inventory which, if not disposed of in time, becomes a non-moving and sometimes a non-saleable inventory. The UFDL has its Marketing Division headed by a Manager- Marketing supported by the product Manager for a group of its products.

1. Suggest the different Decision Support System (DSS) which the management of the UFDL may use for strategic management of the business.

2. Suggest the external sources of information for the top management to support thewir decision- making justifying its position in an MIS.