Computing Assignment

Abstract

Productivity of a business suffers inevitably when the system pertaining to sales, accounting and operational fields are not integrated properly.

It becomes very difficult to take timely decisions when critical information like customer records or inventory levels in different locations are to be searched and collected before taking the decision. Application of software solutions make day to day business activities more effective and efficient.

Introduction. 2
SAP Business One. 3
Solutions Offered. 3
Key Functionality of SAP Business One. 3
Accounting and Financials. 3
Sales and Customers. 4
Purchasing and Operations. 4
Inventory and Distribution. 4
Reporting and Administration. 5
User-Friendly Configuration and Personalization. 5
Customization. 5
Justification. 5
Summary. 5
Business Challenges. 6
Key Features. 6
Business Benefits. 6
Epicor iScale. 7
Name of the software: Epicor^® iScala. 7
Functionality. 7
ERP for Business. 8
Affordable. 8
Reccomendation. 8
Conclusion. 9
References. 10

Introduction

It is very important to have a clear view of all those aspects related to one’s business in order to maintain a competitive edge. This competitive edge can be maintained only when all the processes are streamlined and the information are available on instant basis.

For example, a business can be in a better position when it comes to providing service to a customer when all the information related to a customer are readily available as and when required. This will also help business in ensuring repeated business from the customers.

Along with this, an accurate monitoring and management of revenues and expenses will help a business in optimization of cash flows. This will result in strengthening of financial position of business and will also provide flexibility to take advantage of business opportunities.

Keeping the above mentioned points in mind, an analysis of two software solutions has been done which will help Melrose Health Supplies Ltd. in handling their Accounting, Manufacturing and Sales Distribution related requirements.

SAP Business One

Name of the application: SAP Business One

Solutions Offered

There are various processes which helps in running a business. The SAP® Business One is an application which provides functionality to every process and along with this it is comprehensive in nature (Bailor & Correen, 2006).

SAP® Business One is very different from other niche solutions as it support various functions of management like financials, sales, customers, inventory and operations on integrated basis. This saves one from separate installations and complex integration of multiple modules.

SAP® Business One is not only quick and simple when it comes to installation but also very straightforward when it comes to maintenance and utility. All the divisions such as sales, customer relationship management (CRM), purchasing, inventory, operations, financials, and human resources get support from SAP Business One as it integrates all the business functions which are very critical in nature.

Once the information is captured on any of the system of an organization can be accessed by the whole organization. This will help in avoiding duplicity of work and will also help in bringing down the cost associated with various functions (Dignan & Larry, 2011).

Key Functionality of SAP Business One

SAP Business One will support Melrose Health Supplies Ltd. in the following key areas of operations:

Accounting and Financials

General ledger, Journals, Budgets, and Accounts Payable (AP) and Receivable (AR) can be managed through SAP Business One.

All the banking activities such as bank statement processing, payments by various methods such as check, cash, and credit card and reconciliation of accounts externally as well as internally can be conducted through SAP Business One. Various financial reports including profit and loss, cash flow, balance sheet, aging and profit center reports etc can be prepared instantly using this application.

Sales and Customers

There are various opportunities and activities which take place from the event of contacting the customer for the first time till the closing of the sale order. All these opportunities and activities can be tracked through SAP Business One.

Along with this, creation of quotes, entry of orders and management of invoices and return on credits is also possible through this application. The feature of templates for mass e-mails will also help Melrose Health in their marketing initiatives.

Purchasing and Operations

From creating orders to making payments to the vendors, a systematic approach is needed by every business in order to manage its procurement process. The complete order-to-pay cycle can be coordinated smoothly through SAP Business One.

Along with the order-to-pay cycle, this application also helps in coordinating receipts, invoices, and returns. Requirements for material for production, bills of control for materials and replenishment of inventory can be planned and managed automatically through SAP Business One.

The function of robust reporting of this application is one of the most attractive feature which enables the business to analyze the performance of its vendors and helps in adjusting the procurement strategy in accordance.

Inventory and Distribution

The inventory and operations can also be managed efficiently and effectively through SAP Business One. Aprt from this, functions such as picking, packing, shipping and billing can also be performed quickly and more accurately through this application.

Various inventory valuation methods such as standard costing, moving average, and FIFO can be used to value the inventory of the business. One can also monitor level of stocks and track transfers in real time and across multiple warehouses. Real-time inventory updates and checks on availability is also possible through SAP Business One.

Reporting and Administration

Powerful analytic and reporting tools are provided by SAP Business One with the aim of helping the businesses to access the information related to business which are critical in nature.

Data related to finance, sales, customers, inventory, services, production and operations from multiple sources can be gathered through SAP Business One as it integrates Crystal Reports. This can help the company in releasing timely and accurate reports on regular basis.

Integration of SAP Business One with the products of Microsoft Office and availability of crystal reports give a flexibility to the user to display reports in various formats available in the application. The functionality of drag-and-relate and multiple level drill downs also help users to obtain complete information on instant basis.

User-Friendly Configuration and Personalization

In order to meet the business requirements which are very specific in nature, SAP Business One is enabled with the various powerful tools to tailor forms, queries and reports.

Infact there is no need for any special technical training to make use of these tools. For internal mails, e-mails and data, one can configure the settings in order to give any specific definition to exchange rates, set authorization parameters and create import-export functions.

Customization

In order to keep a check on day-to-day business activities, one can set their own preferences related to various forms, reports and queries etc. New fields can be defined in the existing tables. In addition, one can also add new tables to the application.

Justification

Summary

SAP Business One can be termed as a one stop shop which helps in effective and efficient management of any business.

Whether it is finance or sales or customer relation or inventory management; SAP Business One can be applied in each and every function of a business.

It helps in bringing end-to-end operations on a streamline, make information easily accessible and helps in accelerating growth that too with enhanced profitability (Dignan & Larry, 2011).

Business Challenges

Taking out time from day to day activities to develop strategies to grow business
Access right information at the right time to take appropriate decisions related to business
Build and develop a healthy relations with customers
Avoid any kind of duplication, error and delays in data entry
Maintain a suitable level of cash flows to meet the needs of a business

Key Features

Accounting and Financials: Proper management of general ledger, journals, budgets and account recievables and payables
Management of sales and customer relationship: management of complete sales process from initiation of contact till the time of closing the order including management of data related to customers and providing support after sales.
Purchasing and operations: management of procurement process.
Inventory and Distribution: Management of inventory available at various warehouses and different locations. SAP Business One also helps in tracking and recording the movement of stock at various levels.
Reporting and administration: SAP Business One helps in improving transperancy in various business activities and also enables management in taking more informative decision as it assist in creation, management and distribution of reports

Conclusion

In every business, hell lot of time is wasted in many clerical jobs like gathering, updating and maintaining information and various operational details from a disjunctive business system. Productivity of a business suffers inevitably when the system pertaining to sales, accounting and operational fields are not integrated properly.

It becomes very difficult to take timely decisions when critical information like customer records or inventory levels in different locations are to be searched and collected before taking the decision. It is very important to have a clear view of all those aspects related to one’s business in order to maintain a competitive edge.

This competitive edge can be maintained only when all the processes are streamlined and the information are available on instant basis. SAP Business One can be termed as a one stop shop which helps in effective and efficient management of any business.

Whether it is finance or sales or customer relation or inventory management; SAP Business One can be applied in each and every function of a business. It helps in bringing end-to-end operations on a streamline, make information easily accessible and helps in accelerating growth that too with enhanced profitability.

The SAP® Business One is an application which provides functionality to every process and along with this it is comprehensive in nature. SAP® Business One is very different from other niche solutions as it support various functions of management like financials, sales, customers, inventory and operations on integrated basis.

This saves one from separate installations and complex integration of multiple modules. SAP® Business One is not only quick and simple when it comes to installation but also very straightforward when it comes to maintenance and utility.

All the divisions such as sales, customer relationship management (CRM), purchasing, inventory, operations, financials, and human resources get support from SAP Business One as it integrates all the business functions which are very critical in nature.

Thus looking at the solutions provided by SAP Business One and the international reputation which company has build over decades make it more preffered software solution for Melrose Health Supplies Ltd.

References

SAP penalty in Oracle suit is excessive, analyst says – TomorrowNow, software, sap, oracle, IT industry, Government/Industries, government, applications. Techworld. Retrieved on 24 April 2011.

Dignan, Larry. (2011-01-26) SAP earnings dinged by TomorrowNow trial | Business Tech – CNET News. News.cnet.com. Retrieved on 24 April 2011.

Oracle Verdict Against SAP Is Overturned. NYTimes.com. Retrieved on 7 November 2011.

“SAP Challenges Oracle With $3.4 Billion SuccessFactors Purchase”. 4 December 2011. http://news.businessweek.com/article.asp?documentKey=1376-LVN0WO6K50XS01-3I8IQAF5TIFFF608FLATEQSR4M.

“SAP to Expand Cloud Presence with Acquisition of Ariba” (Press release). SAP AG. 22 May 2012. http://www.sap.com/corporate-en/investors/financialnews/press.epx?pressid=18955.

Bailor, Coreen (5 July 2006). “For CRM, ERP, and SCM, SAP Leads the Way”. http://www.destinationcrm.com/articles/default.asp?ArticleID=6162. Retrieved 29 March 2007.

“Business in Brief: Markets”. SAP. http://www.sap.com/company/investor/inbrief/markets/index.epx. Retrieved 15 October 2007.

“Midmarket Solutions: SAP ALL-IN-ONE – Solutions for mid-size companies”. Annual Report 2006. SAP. http://www.sap.com/germany/company/investor/reports/gb2006/en/business/midmarket-solutions-2.html#1. Retrieved 15 October 2007.

“Industry Solutions: Innovation – One Industry at a Time”. Annual Report 2006. SAP. http://www.sap.com/germany/company/investor/reports/gb2006/en/business/industry-solutions.html. Retrieved 15 October 2007.
Enterprise Service-Oriented Architecture: Press Fact Sheet, March 2007. Sap.com. Retrieved on 7 July 2011.

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