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Goldratt, E. M. 1990. The Haystack Syndrome: Sifting Information Out of the Data Ocean. New York: North River Press. Summary by Sean Murphy Master of Business Administration Program University of South Florida, Spring 2003 Theory of Constraints Main Page | The Goal | What is this thing called TOC? Written in 1990, this book is still ahead of its time. The issue of data and information incongruence continues to be a hot-button issue in every boardroom. A "must" for every manager concerned with meeting the challenges of the 21st century. Examines the differences between data and information in a new light, and shows precisely how misunderstanding those differences can affect the quality of the decision-making process. PART I …show more content…

Two considerations are important to defining throughput. First are the costs of increasing the sales, investments, etc. If it costs $30 in materials to increase sales by $100, then throughput is increased just $70. The second consideration is the timing of the transaction. You can measure throughput at the point of sale (when the money changes hands) or by the accrual method of accounting (when the transaction is considered irreversible). Each possess up and down sides, but are not critical to understanding what throughput is. These concepts simply affect to what degree your throughput is actually increased or decreased. 5. Removing the overlap between Inventory and Operating Expense Inventory is the money the system invests in purchasing things the system intends to sell. Traditionally, inventory is considered an asset. However, Goldratt views inventory differently. The question is how does inventory add value to the company? It only does so when we sell products (increase throughput). Looking at inventory only as a means for increasing throughput creates problems in traditional cost accounting. You can reduce inventory and still improve customer service, meet or exceed production needs, and increases sales…but still fail the bottom line. Why? Because a reduction in inventory reduces the asset side of the balance sheet which lowers net profit. This requires a change in thinking by top

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