Client approached Inkling about consolidating the collective intelligence of their employees across multiple business groups that typically had little formal communication at lower-levels. Being in natural resources, this company is fundamentally affected by the health of its downstream customers and wished to gain more insight in to the health of its target industries.
Participants
Internal employees, all levels up to Director
Primary Use
Downstream industry health
Anticipate Federal regulation that will affect the business
Raw material futures
Expansion levels of foreign markets
Merger & acquisition activity of customer base
Sample Questions
Will Company X's same-store sales in August be higher than last year?
Will the China generic market [material] price be higher than X (including VAT) on January 1, 2013?
Will 2013 US corn planted acreage exceed the USDA's March estimate of 86.0 million acres?
Will the spot price for West Texas Intermediate be in the range of $115 to $145 per barrel on September 1?
Will total shipments of product X in November be higher than last year?
Problems Solved
Gives company a quantitative assessment on state of industries during uncertain economic environment
Use employees (who are buyers of downstream market products) to provide insight on state of the market
Supplement to traditional forecasting processes gives additional signals about demand levels
