New trade trends have been the foundation of a growing range of business opportunities; New practices such as the Internet, e-commerce, online business and growing consumer demand have laid the foundations for a new era of doing business and with it, a new way of managing financial resources.
Currently we can observe the great commercial battle between different companies, the strong demand for products and the emergence of more demanding consumers in matters such as quality, product and time; We are part of a globalized world where the expansion of all commercial activities beyond our borders is sought and sought.
All of these practices have brought countless questions to business managers. They face a new environment, where the way of doing business changes day by day, they face new organizational trends to offer better products in less time, they face new competitors not only national but from all over the world, where some of them they can offer the same products at better prices; in short, it is a new way of marketing in which only the strongest survive, that is, the one that is at the forefront of technology, production processes, relevant information and better customer service. How can companies achieve all this?
In order to achieve various objectives and remain leaders for many years in a market segment, companies have created administrative solutions called information technologies which transform data into information or knowledge, their main function being storage, processing and dissemination of information by all company departments.
One of the main information systems is the one known as Enterprise Resource Planning, for its acronym in English ERP, these systems have greatly helped companies in their growth and global expansion since it basically supports them in their integration through the different modules of which it is composed.
The origin of ERP systems was in the 70s, when a software called MRP (Material Requirement Planning) began to be used, whose objective was to plan all the raw material requirements within business organizations; One of the first MRP systems was called Mapics, developed by IBM and originally used in Mexico.
Subsequently, the concept of MRPs was modified when the activities included in said system ranged from the production department to logistics and business departments such as finance, human resources, accounting, purchasing, sales, among others were integrated, which gave rise to what we currently know as ERPs.
ERPs are basically intelligent systems that help decision-making at the management levels of companies, since all the information from various areas of the company is concentrated to forecast and maintain a better organization of current and future data on different business processes, such as: finance, accounting, sales, marketing, among others.
Among the main functions of ERPs are:
- Organize and standardize internal company processes or data. Manage the information of the company in an integrated and efficient way. Communicate different areas of the companies through electronic processes and data. Process information turning it into knowledge for application in decision making. Automate a large part of the basic business processes.
Like any recently applied system, it has its advantages and limitations typical of its daily use under specific conditions, which vary from company to company.
Below I present the most important advantages in applying business resource gliders:
It can be mentioned that these systems, together with the Internet and new technologies, make up an electronic commerce strategy, where their use and application provides an improvement in company productivity and thus offers a great competitive advantage in contrast to other companies. of the bouquet.
With its application, a large amount of useful information can be obtained through the different departments of the companies, business units, franchises, or through the different geographical areas where the company is located; Furthermore, efficient access to information is a major benefit.
The time and cost required for the administration of functional areas such as customer service, human resources, inventory management, suppliers, etc. are optimized and benefit from the timely management and use of data converted into relevant information.
Management decision making is optimized as well as everything related to different business processes, as it has the ability to have reliable, timely and truthful information.
These systems have flexible tools for networking, which greatly benefits companies with different departments, as well as those with businesses in different geographic areas. The network environment allows users to capture information in real time and make use of it when needed at their own workstation.
Since ERP systems form the basis for the good management and organization of a company's commercial data, it becomes a great competitive factor for companies, since they will be able to respond more quickly to changes in the environment and to ever-increasing demands. most demanding customers.
On the other hand, some of the limitations of these systems are:
When the implementation of said system begins in the company, the changes in the control and registration of the data prevent having accurate information, in addition, the records that were previously held may be affected.
Certain information is organized in a very complex way, making access and interpretation of such data impractical and difficult.
Like any major change in an organization, the implementation of such a system requires some training of personnel for the correct use, administration, obtaining, and most importantly, the correct interpretation of the information contained in it.
Due to the different ways of doing business, the ways of presenting reports, reports and results vary from company to company, which is crucial in this type of system, since there is no flexibility for the customization and preparation of certain reports necessary for companies.
The use and implementation of these systems is almost a luxury since the cost of the system as well as the necessary infrastructure for its application is high; This is why only large companies can count on this type of administrative tools, that is, only a select group makes use of this type of technology.
To conclude, it is important to mention that such systems are becoming a vital necessity for companies every day, changes in technology and more competitive markets are demanding new ways of doing business, more quickly and without the need to be present in transactions; that is, electronic forms of commerce are displacing previous marketing practices, where the expected trend will be Internet purchases not only with national suppliers but with those from all over the world, which is why the most technologically advanced companies will have the power to face the future, be competitive and remain in the global market.
To remain in the global market, it is necessary to adopt new technological trends; allow and train managers to have the ability to interpret the information contained in the system, transforming it into knowledge for its correct application in company decision-making.
Bibliography:
1. «The information technology portal
2. IBM Mexico «Press Room»
3. Workstation: A user's workstation or computer. Similar to the Customer concept. Small servers with large graphics capabilities are also called that.
