Other organizations prefer to have the Forecasting group within Operations. This structure allows the group to maintain what is often perceived to be "a more independent approach" to interact with Sales and gain a greater awareness of supply chain issues impacting the organization. Alternative structures place the Forecasting group within Marketing or as a completely autonomous function. Being on the outside, the Forecasting group may experience a more difficult time obtaining the commitment and cooperation of the Sales organization deemed necessary for generating reliable forecasts. The merits of establishing one organizational structure over another will not be discussed here. Nonetheless, there are clearly some obvious advantages to the Forecasting group if it is placed within the Sales organization.