6. The d’Arcy James cosmetic firm requires its salespeople to use notebooks to enter orders from retail department stores (their biggest customers). This information is then relayed to warehouses, and orders are shipped on a first come, first-served basis. Unfortunately, the stores are aware of this policy and are extremely competitive about which one of them will offer a new d’Arcy James product first. Many retailers have taken the low road and persuaded salespeople to falsify their order dates on sales forms by making them earlier than they actually were.

Question

a. This problem is creating havoc at the warehouse. Disciplining any of the personnel involved is not feasible. How can the warehouse computer be used to certify when orders are actually placed? Explain in a paragraph.
b. Salespeople are complaining that they have to ignore their true job of selling so that they can key in order data. List the data items relating to sales of cosmetics to retailers that should be stored in and retrieved from the central computer rather than keyed in for every order.
c. Describe in a paragraph or two how bar coding might help solve the problem in Problem 6b

Answer 1

a. Do not have the salespeople enter the date. Have the system date (stored internally in the computer) moved to the order record.

b. Enter the item number and have the item description and the quantity available displayed on the screen. If the item number is not available, enter the first two or three letters of the item description. Select from a list of names displayed on the screen that match the letters entered. Once an item is keyed in, the price is automatically displayed. The quantity is entered. The extended amount and the total for the order is calculated and displayed.

c. Bar coding might solve the problem because the salespeople would have the ability to scan the bar codes in, rather than entering the data, which has the possibility of the salespeople entering the wrong number.