Which of the following is true of the EOQ model note that the optimal order quantity?

The economic order quantity (EOQ) refers to the ideal order quantity a company should purchase in order to minimize its inventory costs, such as holding costs, shortage costs, and order costs. EOQ is necessarily used in inventory management, which is the oversight of the ordering, storing, and use of a company's inventory. Inventory management is tasked with calculating the number of units a company should add to its inventory with each batch order to reduce the total costs of its inventory.

The EOQ model seeks to ensure that the right amount of inventory is ordered per batch so a company does not have to make orders too frequently and there is not an excess of inventory sitting on hand. It assumes that there is a trade-off between inventory holding costs and inventory setup costs, and total inventory costs are minimized when both setup costs and holding costs are minimized.

Key Takeaways

• The economic order quantity (EOQ) refers to the ideal order quantity a company should purchase in order to minimize its inventory costs.
• A company's inventory costs may include holding costs, shortage costs, and order costs.
• The economic order quantity model seeks to ensure that the right amount of inventory is ordered per batch.
• This is so a company does not have to make orders too frequently and there is not an excess of inventory sitting on hand.
• EOQ is necessarily used in inventory management, which is the oversight of the ordering, storing, and use of a company's inventory. 

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Economic Order Quantity (EOQ)

The Formula for Economic Order Quantity

The formula for Economic Order Quantity is:

EOQ=2×S×DHwhere:S=Setup costs (per order, generally includingshipping and handling)D=Demand rate (quantity sold per year)H=Holding costs (per year, per unit)\begin{aligned} &EOQ= \sqrt{\frac{2\times S\times D}{H}}\\ &\textbf{where:}\\ &S = \text{Setup costs (per order, generally including}\\ &\text{shipping and handling)}\\ &D = \text{Demand rate (quantity sold per year)}\\ &H = \text{Holding costs (per year, per unit)} \end{aligned}​EOQ=H2×S×D​​where:S=Setup costs (per order, generally includingshipping and handling)D=Demand rate (quantity sold per year)H=Holding costs (per year, per unit)​

How to Use Economic Order Quantity

To calculate the EOQ for inventory you must know the setup costs, demand rate, and holding costs.

Setup costs refer to all of the costs associated with actually ordering the inventory, such as the costs of packaging, delivery, shipping, and handling. Demand rate is the amount of inventory a company sells each year.

Holding costs refer to all the costs associated with holding additional inventory on hand. Those costs include warehousing and logistical costs, insurance costs, material handling costs, inventory write-offs, and depreciation.

Ordering a large amount of inventory increases a company's holding costs while ordering smaller amounts of inventory more frequently increases a company's setup costs. The EOQ model finds the quantity that minimizes both types of costs.

Example of Economic Order Quantity

EOQ considers the timing of reordering, the cost incurred to place an order, and the costs to store merchandise. If a company is constantly placing small orders to maintain a specific inventory level, the ordering costs are higher, along with the need for additional storage space.

For example, consider a retail clothing shop that carries a line of men’s shirts. The shop sells 1,000 shirts each year. It costs the company $5 per year to hold a single shirt in inventory, and the fixed cost to place an order is $2.

The EOQ formula is the square root of (2 x 1,000 shirts x $2 order cost) / ($5 holding cost), or 28.3 with rounding. The ideal order size to minimize costs and meet customer demand is slightly more than 28 shirts.

Disadvantages of Using Economic Order Quantity

The basis for the EOQ formula assumes that consumer demand is constant. The calculation also assumes that both ordering and holding costs remain constant. These assumptions make it difficult, if not impossible, to account for unpredictable business events, such as changing consumer demand, seasonal changes in inventory costs, lost sales revenue due to inventory shortages, or purchase discounts a company might get for buying inventory in larger quantities.

Despite its limitations, the EOQ model is still an important cash flow tool to help streamline inventories and reduce associated costs.

What Is Economic Order Quantity?

Economic order quantity (EOQ) is the theoretically ideal quantity of goods that a firm should purchase that minimizes its inventory costs.

What Are the Basic Assumptions of the EOQ Model?

EOQ assumes that demand, ordering, and holding costs all remain constant over time.

What Are the Limitations of the EOQ Model?

Critics have argued that the assumptions of constant demand and fixed cost levels are a limitation of the EOQ model. Seasonal changes in demand, for instance, are known to occur for many businesses, and costs can vary over time.

Which one of the following is true about the EOQ model?

Is EOQ optimal order quantity?

Which of the following is not true in the economic order quantity EOQ model?

Which is true about the economic order quantity?