Case Study: Southwestern University Inventory Management

Southwestern University: F*

The recent success of Southwestern Universitys football program is causing SWUs president, Joel Wisner, more problems than he faced during the teams losing era in the early 1990s. For one thing, increasing game day attendance is squeezing the town of Stephenville, Texas, and the campus (see Southwestern University: B, in Chapter 4). Complaints are arising over parking, seating, concession prices, and even a shortage of programs at some games (see Southwestern University: C, in Chapter 6). Dr. Wisner once again turns to his stadium manager, Hank Maddux. This time he needs a guaranteed revenue stream to help fuel the stadium expansion. One source of income could easily be the high-profit game programs. Selling for $5 each, programs are a tricky business. Under substantial pressure from Wisner, Maddux knows he has to ensure that costs are held to a minimum and contribution to the new expansion maximized. As a result, Maddux wants the programs for each game to be purchased economically. His inquiries have yielded two options. A local Stephenville printer, Sam Taylor of Quality Printing, has offered the following discount schedule for the programs and game inserts:

Programs		Weekly Game Detail Inserts
10,000 to 30,000	$1.80 ea.		10,000 to 30,000	$.90 ea.
30,000 to 60,000	$1.70 ea.		30,000 to 60,000	$.85 ea.
60,000 to 250,000	$1.60 ea.		60,000 to 250,000	$.80 ea.
250,000 and up	$1.40 ea.		250,000 and up	$.70 ea.

As a second option, however, First Printing, owned by Michael Shader, an S.W.U. alumnus in Ft. Worth, will do the job for 10% less as a favor to help the athletic department. This option will mean sending a truck to Ft. Worth to pick up each order. Maddux estimates that the cost of each trip to Ft. Worth will be $200. Maddux figures that the universitys ordering/check-writing cost is about $100. His carrying cost is high because he lacks a good place to store the programs. He cant put them in the office, or store them down in the maintenance department, where they may get dirty and damaged. This means he will need to lease space in a storage area off-campus and transport them to and from the campus. He estimates annual holding costs at 50%. Madduxs other major problem is he is never sure what the demand for programs will be. Sales vary from opponent to opponent, and how well the team is doing that year. However, he does know that running out is a very bad idea. This football team is not only expected to make money for SWU, but it is also entertainment. This means programs for all who want them. With the new facility, attendance could be 60,000 for each of the five home games. And two of every three people buy a program. In addition to the programs, Maddux must purchase the inserts for each game. The inserts have information about the opposing team, photos of the expected starters, and recent game statistics. The purchasing issue is the same for inserts, except inserts will be purchased separately for each game and are a total loss after the game. The carrying cost, because inserts are to be delivered just as they are needed, should be nominal; he estimates 5%. The other costs and the same discount schedule apply, but the inserts only cost half as much because they are much smaller. First Printing will give the same 10% discount on the inserts. Discussion Questions 1. With whom should Maddux place the order for the programs and how many should he order each time? 2. With whom should Maddux place the order for the inserts and how many should he order each time? 3. What is Madduxs total cost for programs with inserts for the season? 4. What other program management opportunities might Maddux pursue? *This integrated case study runs throughout the text. Other issues facing Southwesterns football expansion include (A) managing the stadium project (Chapter 3); (B) forecasting game attendance (Chapter 4); (C) quality of facilities (Chapter 6); (E) scheduling of campus security officers/staff for game days (Chapter 13).