Business Information Systems and Enterprise Resource Management - Assignment Example

Enterprise Resource Management Bank of Ireland How have Enterprise Resource Management (ERP) systems improved business operations? Bank of Ireland is carrying on developing extensively both in Ireland as well as out of the country. The business requires full visibility for an effectual working and improved performance of the corporate business. Additionally, the Bank of Ireland secures its operational association by means of SAP which has facilitated the business management to apply up to date and innovative processes as well as improved handling and management of credit risks. Due to the fast growth of Bank of Ireland, business definitely needs to unify the entire business information that is linked to processes as well as responsible for providing business administration a 360-degree vision all through the distributed company departments of the bank. To opt for this business intelligence platform from business Objects was the logical alternatives to facilitate and expand the worth as well as importance of bank’s SAP deployment. The Business objective for the bank’s intelligence platform has the plan eristic to hold up together present and upcoming information requirements as well as it also authorizes bank’s executives by means of the information they require for developing day-to-day working and formulating effective decision for the bank. Bank of Ireland business Group deals with almost thousands of dealer demands into its collective services department every year plus well-organized administration of this data and information flow is quite necessary planned for its Acquire-to-Compensate procedures and practices. Implementation of a latest ERP application proposed to develop efficiency; it has become apparent that better procedures and practices were enviable for moving as well as recovery of business invoices, plus the bank started out to the marketplace in order to find out new and innovative solution and efficient techniques (SoftCo Group Ltd., 2010), (Laguerre & Welsh, 2010), (SAP-2, 2010) and (Case Study). At the earlier SAP implementation in the Bank of Ireland, there were great opportunities and facilities to the additional and far effective development in business invoice management and accurate handling of business dealings. Formerly the business was functioning totally with manual methods planned for managing and handling business processes which are vital for the approval or required for a number of exceptions determined prior to processing. The major difficulties in the paper-based or manual procedures were becoming more and more difficult plus time-consuming. These incorporated processes which are missing, the troubles of dealing with duplication statements that are moving into the workflow as well as perhaps projected for getting some sort of aggravation from clients are incapable of obtaining well-timed answers to the inquiries regarding invoices. The possible shortcomings were rather important (SoftCo Group Ltd., 2010), (Case Study) and (SAP-2, 2010). With the introduction of the new and innovative technology at the bank, the business has greatly improved information accessibility as well enhanced customer service and sophistication. With the establishment of new technology of ERP the business staff is competent to rapidly get back business information at any stage or any time, take support as of the entirely concerned groups plus generally lessen the circle processing time of any intended business job (SoftCo Group Ltd., 2010) and (SAP-2, 2010). The Bank of Ireland carries on increasing its utilization of SAP which is designed for facilitating banking solutions to accomplish and gain greatest productivity through reforming internal business practices and procedures. The new technology is designed to focus on the business cost control in economic services. SAP as well as its implementation proposed for Banking is turned out to be a key collaborator of enhanced cost-effectiveness that is improving day by day. The Bank of Ireland’s administration recognized the SAP performance by means of well-thought-out development. The new technology has definitely provided the enhanced and standardized business practice to perform an efficient dealing with the business features. The new ERP system of the SAP additionally sanctions the bank business’s personnel to augment their skill in order to obtain more accountability proposed for upholding ERP SAP which is designed for Bank’s daily working and operational solutions (SAP-2, 2010) and (Laguerre & Welsh, 2010). The Bank of Ireland’s finance was particularly requiring the integration as well as enhanced visibility. Bank of Ireland management has established some explicit aims which have to set up a considerable augment in the visibility throughout group-wide, as well as have to recognize that what costs the business acquires. Additionally, the Bank of Ireland established the SAP economics solutions initially prior to talking about other challenges regarding internal procedure. Commencement of the intact systems of economic applications that is present within mySAP Financials- wide-ranging fixed assets and resources, accounts of the business to be paid and business ledger. The SAP supported and provided a solution to the business procurement management as well imposed sophisticated fulfillment, enhanced supplier choice, condensed cycle times, lesser process costs and very considerate sourcing strategies. These have facilitated the management to challenge the expenses on a transaction-through-transaction basis. As well, we are recognizing and getting huge benefits as of improved supplier administration (Case-Study) & (SAP-2, 2010). 2. With reference to the generic information requirements of the various management levels, identify ways in which Bank of Ireland’s ERP system might support the information requirements of all three management levels (strategic, tactical and operational). Bank of Ireland is an expanded financial services group by means of market-leading place in Ireland as well as associated banking marketplaces globally. The corporation has been effectively employing the SAP Business package to company applications to help and provide improved handling of the company measures, incorporating finance, acquisition of products and human resources. As well, the bank greatly relies upon the SAP ERP solution for the Bank Analyzer group of appliances to widely support the implementation at an extent by means of traditional functional practice of the business while improving the risk and economics administration. Since the Bank of Ireland took care of it demands a fast, protected means to hold jointly SAP as well as non-SAP data in one position as well as augmented the reduction of data and information to the personnel. While talking about the current economic atmosphere, Bank of Ireland as well decided to provide an assurance that it was taking benefit of the entire economic data as well as attaining a serviceable relation surveillance of financial and functional performance (SAP, 2010), (SoftCo Group Ltd., 2010) and (Laguerre & Welsh, 2010). The Bank of Ireland has implemented the SAP system for the human resources management that is also identified as the mySAP HR to increase its SAP economic solution. In human resources, they had a prospect to facilitate shared working and services of the business. Then the possible tribulations and operational matters prevailed over. So the potential areas that have been managed and handled are reproduction of data for a number of times, diverse procedures, a variety of HR systems, MIS [management information system] unreliability and a lack of incorporation with payroll. These main areas have definitely provided huge challenges which are presently managed in a much better way. By means of SAP solution for the HR, the Bank of Ireland obtained advantage of software applications which have been designed for business recruitment, administration, payroll, personnel supervision as well as time management in all the area of the business regarding HR department which are currently incorporated into a particular system. The Bank as well rolled out worker’s self-service capabilities to expand the functionality of the business ERP SAP to the staff, facilitating them to create, analyze as well as uphold business data and information associated to their professions. Expenditure reports are the one area in that which employs self-service has mainly proven to be thriving. One of the main advantage benefits of the HR solution is that workers are competent enough to reply an awful group of queries themselves in the course of employee’s self-service system (SAP-2, 2010), (Brown & Vessey, 1999) and (Goeke & Faley, 1999). The Bank of Ireland has chosen the Business-Objects XI Release 3.0 application for the reason that it provides one result to more rapidly accessed information as of all through its corporate thus carrying trusted, pertinent business data and information to the authoritative employees where and how they use it in the operations of the business. For instance, by means of Business Objects, the Bank of Ireland will be capable to frequently distribute performance reports to the administrators in different divisions plus operational dealing department on the basis of daily or weekly for thorough analysis of business operations. Commencing intelligence solutions for company as of Business Objects by means of present SAP based business technology solutions will authorize risk as well as finance managers by means of frequently planned business and organizational reports and patterns on instantaneous performance data for evaluation, thus facilitating them to augment corporate effectiveness, reducing the menace plus responding quickly to the ups and downs of the marketplace (Laguerre & Welsh, 2010) (SAP, 2010) & (SAP-2, 2010), and (Case-study). By strengthening and merging Business Objects solutions with SAP solutions mutually facilitates corporate clients, similar to the Bank of Ireland depositors, that gives and assurance about the strategy as well as implementation area of business process instantly to better optimize the working and performance of company with a solution of sustaining process. The Bank of Ireland business has set up the intelligence platform as of Business Objects which is a influential tool that allows users of business system to efficiently improve their business decision and process in a meaningful way. So it is clear that the Bank of Ireland is a perfect illustration of how Business Objects give due worth and importance to ERP SAP clients’ existing IT funds and also facilitates them to take their company to the supreme height (SAP, 2010), (Rolia et al., 2009), (SAP-2, 2010), (Laguerre & Welsh, 2010) and (Case-study).. After pursuing the achievement close instantly, the business solution of SAP as well as Business Objects then united the potentials to facilitate the Bank of Ireland business to deal with corporate important matters and issues, comprising risk management as well as accomplishment, enhanced operational competence, as well as trading obliquely to clients all through bank’ different departments and areas. Carrying jointly Business Objects and business intelligence solutions by means of systematic implementation of Bank of Ireland through the SAP that provides facility in banking process by means of a suite of integrated, baking-specific solutions to tackle these rising challenges. For instance, the SAP Bank Analyzer facilitates banks to tackle legal conformity challenges, and carry out cost handling and management measures, record keeping of the finance, assets accountability administration, risk handling and management plus comprehensive analysis of productivity. Business Objects designed by considering SAP definitely incorporates value to SAP Bank Analyzer through offering sophisticated reporting, investigative as well as web based technology potentials that are providing data exploit simply with extensive range of customers. The arrangement of deep banking proficiency in the Bank of Ireland through SAP based solution has generated integrated risk as well as finance approach; in addition to supply them by means of accurate, instant insight to facilitate in making sure that the establishment of business procedures is associated by means of corporate rules and strategy (SAP, 2010) & (SAP-2, 2010), (Laguerre & Welsh, 2010) and (Case-study). The Bank of Ireland decided to use the same developer (SAP) for the three functional areas described above, namely finance, HRM and procurement. Why do you think this decision was made? Would it have been better to look for separate solutions for each of the three areas? As an autonomous business unit within the SAP, Bank of Ireland changes the ways and practices the business is usually performed through linking various people across different regions, businesses and information management and handling. In cooperation by means of one of the most diverse and industry’s powerful networks of allied nature, the SAP Corporation carries business performance enhancement and making it optimal to the clients worldwide across the intact main industries, comprising retail, financial services, units of health, customer-package goods as well as public regions. By means of varied, open applications in the regions of control, risk as well as realization; administration of corporate performance; in addition to company intelligence; furthermore in the course of worldwide discussion as well as education services, Business Objects helps associations of the entire dimensions all through the world to eliminate the loop existing among business policy as well as implementation (SAP, 2010). The Bank of Ireland required superior control within the main sections of the association for the reason that it was vulnerable through incoherent, diverse business procedures. Human resources and finance had numerous systems but they were not efficiently incorporated, as well as procedures like that payroll were not consistent all through the group. Formerly for buying there was no set procurement system which was designed to facilitate appropriate and effectual observance of outflows plus agreements of the business supplier. The Bank of Ireland took effective measures through establishment of a complete banking set as of SAP. SAP has been in working position by means of banking clients globally to recognize and tackle with their company challenges. The collection of key departments of Bank of Ireland has preferred an established record of accomplishment. It is worthwhile to mention that every software application relates to most excellent practice of business procedures to resolve banking problems efficiently. Furthermore, SAP business solution offers a cost-effective as well as flexible method to set together numerous systems all through the business (SAP, 2010). Considering the present business system for Bank of Ireland the business has applied a single business system. This business system will be responsible for providing an integrated business data solution in terms of data and information. This single business system for bank business will offer enhanced business support and working power in case of handling and managing various business areas and features. This single business data configuration will provide an enhanced support in case of decision making and assessments of the corporate (SAP-2, 2010). References Brown, C. & Vessey, I., 1999. ERP implementation approaches: toward a contingency framework. In International Conference on Information Systems, Proceedings of the 20th international conference on Information Systems. Charlotte, North Carolina, United States, 1999. Association for Information Systems Atlanta, GA, USA. Goeke, R.J. & Faley, R.H., 1999. Technical opinion Do SAP successes outperform themselves and their competitors? Communications of the ACM, 52(10), pp.113-17. Laguerre, P. & Welsh, E., 2010. Bank of Ireland Selects Business Objects as Its Enterprise Business Intelligence Standard. [Online] Available at: http://www.sap.com/press.epx?pressid=9544 [Accessed 22 October 2010]. Rolia, J. et al., 2009. Predictive modelling of SAP ERP applications: challenges and solutions. In International Conference On Performance Evaluation Methodologies And Tools & Workshops, Proceedings of the Fourth International ICST Conference on Performance Evaluation Methodologies and Tools. Pisa, Italy, 2009. ICST (Institute for Computer Sciences, Social-Informatics and Telecommunications Engineering) ICST, Brussels, Belgium, Belgium. SAP, 2010. SAP Customer Success Story Banking. [Online] Available at: http://www.sap.com/industries/banking/pdf/CS_bankofireland.pdf [Accessed 28 October 2010]. SAP-2, 2010. SAP Customer Success Story Banking. [Online] Available at: http://www.sap.com/industries/banking/pdf/CS_bankofireland.pdf [Accessed 28 October 2010]. SoftCo Group Ltd., 2010. Bank of Ireland (AP). [Online] Available at: http://www.softco.com/cs_detailed.asp?id=25 [Accessed 28 October 2010]. Read More