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Posted: 10/30/11 9:09 AM, by: Nicole Nakashian (nnakashian@email.phoenix.edu)

Class, What are some benefits and challenges of enterprise systems? Why would an organization want to build one? -Nicole

Nicole M. Nakashian, MBA, PMP Faculty University of Phoenix nnakashian@email.phoenix.edu nakashian@yahoo.com (alternate) 206-600-7015

Posted: 10/31/11 12:45 PM, by: James Watkeys (cagleo06@email.phoenix.edu)

Enterprise systems from my understanding is an attempt to collect key data from various business processing locations. It is like a hub or a hard drive that will store very specific information tied to the business. In theory this concept will allow all employees who need information tied to a specific part of the business immediate access. According to the book though there are 4 different Enterprise Applications: enterprise systems, supply chain management systems, customer relationship management systems, and knowledge management systems. In regards to the question why a business would want to build this I briefly touched on this in my opening paragraph. If Frank in produce needs to know about certain chemicals he can access this information via the Enterprise system the company has in place. If this was not in place then he would have to find other ways of locating and retrieving the information and this can be a problem in that his data might not be correct in terms of the produce that is sold in his region. James D. Watkeys Phone 304-360-4644 jwatkeys@aol.com The big moments are going to come you cant help that. Its what you do afterwards that counts. Thats when you find out who you really are.

Posted: 11/1/11 6:16 PM, by: Michelle Serrano (glamourette142@email.phoenix.edu) Enterprise systems can collect data from various key business processes and store the data in a single central data repository. This means that a company that has branches all over the world can communicate and share vital information with one another though one component. This creates a steam like process with the company instead of having a bunch of data spread among the various branches. Larger corporations benefit from this model greatly because it allows nation and world wide data to be reviewed from one central unit. It also prevents confusion and mistranslation of information within the many departments that can be in one company, such as sales/marketing and human resources.

Michelle Serrano glamourette142@email.phoenix.edu central time zone

Posted: 11/1/11 6:36 PM, by: James Watkeys (cagleo06@email.phoenix.edu)

One benefit is efficiency through electronic collaboration among many employees. One challenge is the expense of purchasing, installing, and maintaining the hardware and software that enables the enterprise system. Without question a problem that can occur is when implementing this type of system customer's and even employees at times will be very skeptical of something new. Obtaining customer loyalty or intimacy starting out can be almost impossible and it can even spell out a death sentence. I know from my experience in the industry we built a help desk from the ground up. The client had three separate help desks. We had to learn about all three of the other desk's and it was very difficult at times .because these people were the ones who were losing there jobs. They looked for ways to discredit us in doing the new role we were creating. There often were times they would even falsify various stories just to discredit us.
James D. Watkeys Phone 304-360-4644 jwatkeys@aol.com The big moments are going to come you cant help that. Its what you do afterwards that counts. Thats when you find out who you really are.

Posted: 11/2/11 4:23 AM, by: Drew Kinder (RedLiquidMetal@email.phoenix.edu)

Enterprise systems are very important and very much used today. Their main purpose is to help the business work more efficiently. This means that the system can help monitor, connect and manage the business so that it makes everyones job easier and gives the company a better understanding of what needs to be changed or fixed in their company. It can help them locate their errors, or faults and manage them by making the appropriate changes either using their own systems or communicating with other companies. Many companies would need this system to ensure that they are keeping on top of their work and maintaining operations and making sure that everything is running smoothly. This also sets up the company for success to expand or improve their organization.

Drew Kinder RedLiquidMetal@email.phoenix.edu Eastern Time Zone Posted: 11/2/11 8:20 AM, by: John Biondo (biondoj@email.phoenix.edu)

When a company decides to deploy enterprise systems they have decided to increase efficiencies and breakdown silos. The organizations that make up a business have agreed to put their processes and data into the pool. Now that everyone has put their data into a common repository it can be analyzed for opportunities that improve process and reduce redundancy. The enterprise systems are especially attractive to businesses that are made up of multiple business units or recently acquired new businesses. The enterprise system reduces common processes across each business unit into one enterprise process. These migrations to one system increases efficiencies, reduces processing time, and removes the complexity or multiple systems doing the same thing. A simple migration to one e-mail system is an example. The entire company is on one solution making communication more seamless for all employees. The desktops functionality is the same, everyone is working off one calendaring system, and the company now has everyone in one directory. The biggest challenge is everyone embracing the change and migrating from one system to the other.

John Biondo biondoj@email.phoenix.edu

Posted: 11/2/11 8:44 AM, by: John Biondo (biondoj@email.phoenix.edu)

Hi Michelle, All good points and I would add that these systems give the leadership the ability to put their finger on the pulse of the company. They can access financial information and know where they stand in the market. They can access the production control systems and know exactly where a customer order is in the manufacturing process. The ability to access these systems allows the leadership to forecast profit margins or

simulate an increase in production and what type of impact it would have on manpower or what lead time would be needed to handle the increase. The systems can reduce the risk of making wrong decision based on historical trends stored in the databases.

John Biondo biondoj@email.phoenix.edu

Posted: 11/2/11 10:38 AM, by: Hassam Escamilla (hassam1214@email.phoenix.edu) The benefits are exponential. To give access to information for different parts of the business process to other parts of the business at different locations creates an efficiency that is extremely hard to compete with. It would cut back on the storage needed to keep such information fragmented. By consolidation the business can quickly access the information needed and make faster decisions. The downside is maintenance. It centralizes information and maintaining the protection of that information is expensive and time consuming. What happens if that central location of info crashes? How many back ups will this business be willing to pay for? I guess efficiency comes with a price tag, but that price tag makes you more competitive and if your more competitive then maybe your making more money. This is how we would hope it works. Posted: 11/2/11 11:21 AM, by: Pat (impheaktra@email.phoenix.edu)

Enterprise systems solve problems by collecting data from various key business processes in manufacturing and production, finance and accounting, sales and marketing, and human resources and storing the data in a single central data repository. Enterprise systems provide much valuable information for improving management decision making. They give companies the advantage of rapid responses to customer requests while producing and stocking inventory with only what is needed. They also have the ability to increase accurate on-time shipments, minimize costs, and increase customer satisfaction for potential firm profitability. Pat Im impheaktra@email.phoenix.edu ( University of Phoenix )
im.pheaktra@yahoo.com ( Personal ) Eastern Standard Time Zone

Posted: 11/2/11 12:16 PM, by: Dwain Caddell (scorpio10973@email.phoenix.edu) The book tells us that enterprise systems integrate the main internal business processes of a firm into a single software system to improve coordination, efficiency, and decision making. With that being said, enterprise systems benefit the company by solving the problem of data fragmentation between different kinds of information systems built around various functions, organizational levels, and business processes. Data fragmentation in hundreds of separate systems corrupts organizational efficiency and work performance, so enterprise systems are needed in order to run operations smoothly and save costs. The only thing I believe may present itself to be a challenge for enterprise systems is making sure it is maintained on a daily basis. Like most things, problems may arise with hardware failures etc. So, it will be important to have well trained people on board to keep things running efficiently. In reference to why an organization may want to build one; efficiency and cost are the primary reasons. Money will be saved and the company s operations would improve. Posted: 11/2/11 2:06 PM, by: T.J. Days (tjdays79@email.phoenix.edu) Week 1 DQ 2 TJ Days November 2, 2011 IT 205 The benefit of having an enterprise system is that it helps businesses become more flexible and productive by coordinating their business processes more closely and integrating groups of processes so they focus on efficient management of resources and customer service. Enterprise systems collect data from various key business processes in manufacturing and production, finance and accounting, sales and marketing, and human resources and storing the data in a single central data repository. It also makes it possible for information that has been fragmented in different systems to be shared across the firm and for different parts of the business to work more closely together. The challenge with having the enterprise system is if the system does not have accurate information, they will most likely be saddled by excessive inventories, inaccurate manufacturing plans, and missed production schedules. Inability to move products efficiently through the supply chain raises costs while degrading customer service. T.J. Days Tjdays79@email.phoenix.edu Tjdays79@yahoo.com Central Time Zone Posted: 11/2/11 2:10 PM, by: T.J. Days (tjdays79@email.phoenix.edu)

The reason why most business want the enterprise system is because not only does it keep them organized with data but it connects the whole company all the way from financial to production. The enterprise system even helps

workers stay connected to what's going on inside the company through email that is only accessible through the company and only by its employees. T.J. Days Tjdays79@email.phoenix.edu Tjdays79@yahoo.com Central Time Zone
Posted: 11/2/11 4:24 PM, by: Eddie Santos (ESantos01@email.phoenix.edu)

According to the information in the text, Enterprise systems helps close the gap and opens levels of communications between different systems, levels, functions, and processes. Normally, a large organization typically has many different kinds of information systems built around different functions, organizational levels, and business processes that cannot automatically exchange information. Building an enterprise systems give companies the flexibility to respond rapidly to customer requests while producing and stocking inventory only with what is needed to fulfill existing orders and can also aid in management decision making as it provides company-wide information to help managers analyze overall product profitability or cost structures. Overall it becomes a communication and organizational tool that promotes accuracy and efficiency overall and can lead to cost-saving decisions especially when growth is concerned. Eddie Santos Student University of Phoenix Online ESantos01@email.phoenix.edu EST
Posted: 11/2/11 4:29 PM, by: Eddie Santos (ESantos01@email.phoenix.edu)

Hi John and class, Granted that majority of posts here point out good points concerning these systems, however, are there any bad ones? Are we growing too complacent on technology and are we losing part of our humanity in the process (has not anyone notices this to be more so in the case of upper corporate management?). Granted, I am will the first to admit that I use technology on a daily basis for everyday use, school, and even work. I will also not deny the tremendous advantage technology has granted to all companies big or small,

but the reason we do all of this is for the interaction of people (from consumers to stockholders). What are we losing in the process? Eddie Santos Student University of Phoenix Online ESantos01@email.phoenix.edu EST
Posted: 11/2/11 7:19 PM, by: Melody Patterson (amydogg@email.phoenix.edu) Hello John, Your example of one email system was a good example. At the company I work for, we have one email system which makes it easier to send emails to the entire company, to just one specific department, or to a single person. Our human resources department can send an email to everyone in the company or a supervisor can send an email to his or her particular department. This makes getting information to where it needs to go more efficient and saves time. I can also relate to the challenge of everyone making the change from one system or program to another. We have used a few different programs at my job and I was not always willing to make the change. Some of the programs were better and more efficient, some were not. Melody Patterson student University of Phoenix amydogg@email.phoenix.edu
amydogg@yahoo.com (alternate email)

Mountain Standard Time Zone Posted: 11/2/11 7:23 PM, by: Jesse Schlattmann (jschlattmann@email.phoenix.edu) Enterprise systems have many pros and cons. Let us start with a few of the pros. They can help reduce redundant processes they can also centralize the data into one location making it easy to make sure data is being routed where it needs to be routed without wasting resources. Some of the cons would be condensing everything into an Enterprise system. It would take good planning and mapping and may be expensive to how to centralize the processes to one location. An organization would build an enterprise system to make sure it maintained its cost and efficiency without being stuck with extra product one month, then not enough products the following month.

Jesse Schlattmann jschlattmann@email.phoenix.edu PST

Posted: 11/2/11 7:37 PM, by: Melody Patterson (amydogg@email.phoenix.edu) A business could have various programs that serve different functions. An enterprise system would collect data from all the various programs and processes and put it into a single central data repository. The advantages to this is that the different parts of the business would be able to work more closely together. The managers could gather information concerning production, accounting would be able to keep track of pending accounts and payments easier and customer service would be able to track the orders for the customers better. One challenge of an enterprise system is to have all the various programs talk to each other and exchange the information from one system to another. Having an enterprise system would help an organization reduce costs, be more efficient and productive, improve customer relations and improve its profit. Because an enterprise system can help a business place an order faster and replace only the inventory that is going out, this can make an organization more efficient and cut costs. An enterprise system can let the accounting department know when to send a bill for the order and keep track of payments easier based on those orders and can improve customer relations through the customer service department being able to track an order and inform the customer of the status or the order. Melody Patterson student University of Phoenix amydogg@email.phoenix.edu
amydogg@yahoo.com (alternate email)

Mountain Standard Time Zone Posted: 11/2/11 7:43 PM, by: Josh Rojina-Gorcyca (JGorcyca@email.phoenix.edu) Information systems are important for organizations because it helps over all with the business. The reason is because it is a mass communication between customer and supplier, and can get information within minutes. I would not think that an organization would be that successful without one, because mostly everything is online now. One of the benefits would be that it keeps the organization or business running, and able to always push forward. Also there is more customer satisfaction as well, because consumers can e-mail or get in contact with these organizations. Another benefit would be with sales and marketing and also financing and accounting. All of these are a huge tribute to a successful business as well. The negative to this is that there would always have to be constant updating the information for one. Technology is always changing everyday, so people would have to keep up with the updates. Another one could be that hardware or software is outdated as well, and if it costs to constantly upgrade as well.

Josh Rojina-Gorcyca JGorcyca@email.phoenix.edu

Posted: 11/2/11 7:46 PM, by: Melody Patterson (amydogg@email.phoenix.edu) You're right that an enterprise system, as well as the other systems used by an organization, need to be maintained properly. If a person does not have the proper knowledge of how to maintain the systems, the systems could fail. Many companies are very dependant on their systems working properly at all times or else they lose valuable customers and profit. I also think it can be a challenge for the various systems used to be able to "talk" to each other. This is not always easy to do and also needs people who have the proper knowledge to make this happen for the business. Melody Patterson student University of Phoenix amydogg@email.phoenix.edu
amydogg@yahoo.com (alternate email)

Mountain Standard Time Zone Posted: 11/2/11 7:54 PM, by: Josh Rojina-Gorcyca (JGorcyca@email.phoenix.edu) Good thing to mention the cost with all of the programs and hardware and such. That could make a huge impact on organization or a business. Taking a small business owner, it could get pretty hefty with all of the bills that they may have to pay. Good point on the communication as well, I think that is very important these days.

Josh Rojina-Gorcyca JGorcyca@email.phoenix.edu

Posted: 11/2/11 7:57 PM, by: Melody Patterson (amydogg@email.phoenix.edu) You made a good point about the software being outdated and the cost of upgrades. A couple of years ago, the company I work for had to upgrade the main program they use for the laboratory testing information. The program they were using was outdated and the company that made it was not longer going to support the service for it, so my company had to find a newer program to replace it with. It cost the company a large amount of money in getting the newer program and also training all the employees on how to use it properly. The new program was drastically different from the old one and not everyone caught on well on how to use it. The change in programs had a big impact on all aspects of the business functions and was very costly to the company. The transition did not go as smoothly as the company had hoped for, but it finally got worked out in the end. Melody Patterson student University of Phoenix amydogg@email.phoenix.edu

amydogg@yahoo.com (alternate email)

Mountain Standard Time Zone Posted: 11/2/11 8:03 PM, by: Pashoua Xiong (Pxiong88@email.phoenix.edu) An enterprise system is a system made up of many other processors from different levels, outside the work place, and different departments and stores all infomation in a centralize place which allows others to access the information. Enterprise allows all departments of a company such as accounting, sales, and service to use different systems but all data is gathered to one main location. Organizations would want to build an enterprise because it allows business to make future decisions. Enterprises also allows management to see all the changes up to the very last minute. Pashoua Xiong Pxiong88@email.phoenix.edu Central Time Zone Posted: 11/2/11 8:05 PM, by: Josh Rojina-Gorcyca (JGorcyca@email.phoenix.edu) Keeping it maintained could be a problem, especially constantly having to update it too. Depending on how big the company was, you would think that it would have to be updated twenty-four seven. Hardware failures could be a huge problem too, that may even take a few days to fix in my opinion. I liked your cons, because it did bring up really good points.

Josh Rojina-Gorcyca JGorcyca@email.phoenix.edu

Posted: 11/2/11 9:35 PM, by: Juan ( Manny ) Duran (jduran7@email.phoenix.edu)

The benefits of an enterprise system is that it can cut huge costs and in some cases save on hiring additional work personnel. An enterprise system can speed communication of information through the company making it easier for businesses to coordinate their daily operations. An enterprise system can also eliminate many processes and save time collecting data from different departments within a business. The challenges of an enterprise system is getting some processes to merge and communicate together especially if certain processes have not been updated. An organization would want to build one because they can gather all the data they need that will help improve their internal and external customer service. Manny Duran Jduran7@email.phoenix.edu Central time (210) 385-0416

Posted: 11/3/11 6:52 AM, by: Nicole Nakashian (nnakashian@email.phoenix.edu) James- Great example! ClassObviously, most companies benefit from enterprise systems. Let's imagine, say, a food store. As James wrote, Frank in produce would benefit from an enterprise system! How else might a food store benefit from such a system? -Nicole
Nicole M. Nakashian, MBA, PMP Faculty University of Phoenix nnakashian@email.phoenix.edu nakashian@yahoo.com (alternate) 206-600-7015

James Watkeys wrote:

Enterprise systems from my understanding is an attempt to collect key data from various business processing locations. It is like a hub or a hard drive that will store very specific information tied to the business. In theory this concept will allow all employees who need information tied to a specific part of the business immediate access. According to the book though there are 4 different Enterprise Applications: enterprise systems, supply chain management systems, customer relationship management systems, and knowledge management systems. In regards to the question why a business would want to build this I briefly touched on this in my opening paragraph. If Frank in produce needs to know about certain chemicals he can access this information via the Enterprise system the company has in place. If this was not in place then he would have to find other ways of locating and retrieving the information and this can be a problem in that his data might not be correct in terms of the produce that is sold in his region. James D. Watkeys Phone 304-360-4644 jwatkeys@aol.com The big moments are going to come you cant help that. Its what you do afterwards that counts. Thats when you find out who you really are.

Posted: 11/3/11 6:53 AM, by: Nicole Nakashian (nnakashian@email.phoenix.edu)

ClassHow does an enterprise system make a company more cost efficient?

-Nicole
Nicole M. Nakashian, MBA, PMP Faculty University of Phoenix nnakashian@email.phoenix.edu nakashian@yahoo.com (alternate) 206-600-7015

Jesse Schlattmann wrote: Enterprise systems have many pros and cons. Let us start with a few of the pros. They can help reduce redundant processes they can also centralize the data into one location making it easy to make sure data is being routed where it needs to be routed without wasting resources. Some of the cons would be condensing everything into an Enterprise system. It would take good planning and mapping and may be expensive to how to centralize the processes to one location. An organization would build an enterprise system to make sure it maintained its cost and efficiency without being stuck with extra product one month, then not enough products the following month.

Jesse Schlattmann jschlattmann@email.phoenix.edu PST

Posted: 11/3/11 7:51 AM, by: Hassam Escamilla (hassam1214@email.phoenix.edu) Something that concerns me and that hasn't been discussed in length by any of us in class is the amount of time and money that would be spent on protecting such an upgrade. To have all of a business' info located in a central locations puts the info in a very vulnerable state. Viruses can bring down the system, of course that business would have backups but how much more of an expense is that? What about corporate spys accessing the information that has been so neatly organized and consolidated? Of course any company moving to an enterprise system is fully aware of the risks, but the constant surveillance has got to be expensive.

Hassam Escamilla Posted: 11/3/11 9:30 AM, by: John Neil (johnneil2@email.phoenix.edu)

The benefits of an enterprise system typically revolve around efficiency. An enterprise system pulls information from multiple areas of a business and communicates them to all necessary areas in a timely manner. This type of system has the ability to do in a very short time, what would take weeks or even months for people to do using phone calls and faxes. This kind of efficiency is always attractive to a business because it seems to eliminate the human error factor. The challenge with an enterprise system is the management of the information being communicated. A business can have the best enterprise system in the world, but if their employees are not tracking and updating the information constantly, the business can very quickly become overwhelmed. The main reason I think a company would want to use this type of system is efficiency. As a business grows, so do the demands surrounding every aspect of it. An enterprise system can help to relieve some of the growing pains that come with expansion and success in business. Computers also typically tend

to be more reliable and accurate that people when it comes to the delivering, tracking, and processing of information. John Neil johnneil2@email.phoenix.edu
Posted: 11/3/11 2:09 PM, by: T.J. Days (tjdays79@email.phoenix.edu)

A food store would benefit by having an enterprise system because than it could keep track of all the different produce that they are getting and that they need. It also helps to keep track of inventory waste so that they know what amount to purchase for the store at certain times. The biggest thing it would do is to help reduce cost. T.J. Days Tjdays79@email.phoenix.edu Tjdays79@yahoo.com Central Time Zone
Posted: 11/3/11 6:11 PM, by: Pashoua Xiong (Pxiong88@email.phoenix.edu) An enterprise system allows all the information to be stored in a centralize location. This sytem also allow the company to make future decisions rearding the company for example if they need more groceries and it allows them to track inventory. Pashoua Xiong Pxiong88@email.phoenix.edu Central Time Zone Posted: 11/3/11 6:13 PM, by: Pashoua Xiong (Pxiong88@email.phoenix.edu) Juan, You are absolutely correct when it comes to cutting company costs in the long run. Enterprise allows a company to look at everything at once in a centralize area without hiring a person for every department to report on any changes or needs. Pashoua Xiong Pxiong88@email.phoenix.edu Central Time Zone Posted: 11/3/11 6:59 PM, by: Michelle Serrano (glamourette142@email.phoenix.edu) I feel that people do not interact one on one anymore. Furthermore, people are starting to prefer it that way. I know that I have had bad customer service with a person that I find myself wishing that I was talking to a machine. Then again, there have also been times when I have had a simple question but need to go through dozens of options only to be transferred to a person.

Michelle Serrano glamourette142@email.phoenix.edu central time zone Eddie Santos wrote: Hi John and class, Granted that majority of posts here point out good points concerning these systems, however, are there any bad ones? Are we growing too complacent on technology and are we losing part of our humanity in the process (has not anyone notices this to be more so in the case of upper corporate management?). Granted, I am will the first to admit that I use technology on a daily basis for everyday use, school, and even work. I will also not deny the tremendous advantage technology has granted to all companies big or small, but the reason we do all of this is for the interaction of people (from consumers to stockholders). What are we losing in the process? Eddie Santos Student University of Phoenix Online ESantos01@email.phoenix.edu EST
Posted: 11/3/11 7:09 PM, by: Garrett Cupp (KingCupp777@email.phoenix.edu)

When using an enterprise system you are gathering, storing, evaluating, and improving the key information about an organization. One of the benefits of using an enterprise system is that you can share you information on a private online network, with other branches of the business. In order to make the switch from using older hardware to using newer updated hardware and internet media, you would have to find people who are qualified in that area to manage the position. A challenge that I think an enterprise system would bring is that you would have to have constant watch on the systems hardware and technology. The people that would be working the programs would have to be trained with that kind of experience, as well as receiving a respectable pay. If I had an organization I would most likely buy an enterprise system

because you save money on the transferring data and you also get to improve your products after they have been evaluated.

Garrett
574 . Indiana

Posted: 11/3/11 7:11 PM, by: Michelle Serrano (glamourette142@email.phoenix.edu) By using an enterprise system a company can keep track of sales and products that will show trends. With this information a customer database can be created that will sent emails and ads to the customers when products and services they like are on sale. Companies can keep track of inventory and sales from them.

Michelle Serrano glamourette142@email.phoenix.edu central time zone Nicole Nakashian wrote: ClassHow does an enterprise system make a company more cost efficient?
-Nicole
Nicole M. Nakashian, MBA, PMP Faculty University of Phoenix nnakashian@email.phoenix.edu nakashian@yahoo.com (alternate) 206-600-7015

Jesse Schlattmann wrote: Enterprise systems have many pros and cons. Let us start with a few of the pros. They can help reduce redundant processes they can also centralize the data into one location making it easy to make sure data is being routed where it needs to be routed without wasting resources. Some of the cons would be condensing everything into an Enterprise system. It would take good planning and mapping and may be expensive to how to centralize the processes to one location. An organization would build an enterprise system to make sure it maintained its cost and efficiency without being stuck with extra product one month, then not enough products the following month.

Jesse Schlattmann jschlattmann@email.phoenix.edu PST

Posted: 11/3/11 8:16 PM, by: Josh Rojina-Gorcyca (JGorcyca@email.phoenix.edu) I do like the tracking factor that delivery companies use such as USPS or UPS. I like the idea that you know where your package is at. Also even if there is a problem, you can spot it out and call. Processing information always has been extremely nice as well.

Josh Rojina-Gorcyca JGorcyca@email.phoenix.edu

Posted: 11/3/11 8:36 PM, by: Josh Rojina-Gorcyca (JGorcyca@email.phoenix.edu) Good point on talking about back ups. I think that would be a huge down fall, but really if you had a few copies of all the current data, that could be also a problem. You would have to have more space available, depending on how big the information is.

Josh Rojina-Gorcyca JGorcyca@email.phoenix.edu

Posted: 11/4/11 8:02 AM, by: Hassam Escamilla (hassam1214@email.phoenix.edu) This is why I believe that small business owners really have to look for a niche product or service. Providing the same service and/or product as the larger corporations immediatley puts the small business at a disadvantage. Look at how Walmart has put so many businesses out. They have the ability to spend money on such a system and that drives their prices further down, placing small businesses at breaking point just to compete. Yes walmarts buying power is a factor but incorporation of an enterprise system I am sure has allowed lower prices.

Hassam Escamilla Posted: 11/4/11 8:13 AM, by: Hassam Escamilla (hassam1214@email.phoenix.edu) I like your response to the question. You make some very valid points, which make me wonder what size corporation or organization would see actual benefits from applying such a system? Is there a cost/size ratio that needs to be met? Imagine a very small business incorporating such a system. Their profits may not be enough to pay the maintenance of such a system, and the benefits may not out weigh the investment. Would the decision of building such a system also depend on an organization's competition? I just think that in reality an enterprise system is something that is probably examined down to the last drop. I thought I would bring this up since we all seem to enamored with the benefits of it and not really discussing the process and circumstances a business would be in if they considered such a massive feat. Hassam Escamilla

Posted: 11/4/11 10:23 AM, by: Pashoua Xiong (Pxiong88@email.phoenix.edu) T.J, You are correct. I also wanted to add to your response that enterprise systems also helps a company solve a problem, make important decisions involving the future, and create new products. The best part is that a company can look at all departments of the facility in on centralized area. Pashoua Xiong Pxiong88@email.phoenix.edu Central Time Zone Posted: 11/4/11 10:26 AM, by: Pashoua Xiong (Pxiong88@email.phoenix.edu) Josh, I am pretty sure obtaining quality hard ware and software does cost a lot of money but in the long run I think these costs will pay for themselves. In any business with great risks comes great success. What do you think? Pashoua Xiong Pxiong88@email.phoenix.edu Central Time Zone Posted: 11/4/11 1:03 PM, by: James Watkeys (cagleo06@email.phoenix.edu)

A food store would also benefit from an enterprise system simply by the fact that produce could be shipped to the stores and while in transit it is determined the bananas are carrying a harmful bacteria. This could be immediately updated in the enterprise system to prevent the fruit from being placed on the shelf. Someone mentioned the enterprise system can be a predictor if you will in terms of how much product to order based on historical trends. This can also become a very serious problem for the enterprise system in that it is a machine and not a human. If the historical data it holds says the company sold X amount of coke during the summer of 2010 and they purchase the same amount ,but sales are not the same ,because the enterprise system doesn't know in 2010 there was a heat wave or a special event that doesn't necessarily take place in 2011.
James D. Watkeys Phone 304-360-4644 jwatkeys@aol.com The big moments are going to come you cant help that. Its what you do afterwards that counts. Thats when you find out who you really are.

Posted: 11/4/11 2:44 PM, by: Nicole Nakashian (nnakashian@email.phoenix.edu) ClassEfficiency is indeed important! What kind of problems can an enterprise system help companies analyze? -Nicole
Nicole M. Nakashian, MBA, PMP Faculty University of Phoenix nnakashian@email.phoenix.edu nakashian@yahoo.com (alternate) 206-600-7015

John Neil wrote:

The benefits of an enterprise system typically revolve around efficiency. An enterprise system pulls information from multiple areas of a business and communicates them to all necessary areas in a timely manner. This type of system has the ability to do in a very short time, what would take weeks or even months for people to do using phone calls and faxes. This kind of efficiency is always attractive to a business because it seems to eliminate the human error factor. The challenge with an enterprise system is the management of the information being communicated. A business can have the best enterprise system in the world, but if their employees are not tracking and updating the information constantly, the business can very quickly become overwhelmed. The main reason I think a company would want to use this type of system is efficiency. As a business grows, so do the demands surrounding every aspect of it. An enterprise system can help to relieve some of the growing pains that come with expansion and success in business. Computers also typically tend to be more reliable and accurate that people when it comes to the delivering, tracking, and processing of information. John Neil johnneil2@email.phoenix.edu
Posted: 11/4/11 4:58 PM, by: Josh Rojina-Gorcyca (JGorcyca@email.phoenix.edu) It sounds like it got very costly because you also had to pay the employees how to use it. That is good that everything worked out in the end, because that information seems to be very crucial. Also moving from another program could be difficult to people like you said, people have to get used to things that are newer.

Josh Rojina-Gorcyca JGorcyca@email.phoenix.edu

Posted: 11/4/11 5:03 PM, by: Josh Rojina-Gorcyca (JGorcyca@email.phoenix.edu) I think just overall with watching new technology sprout up would be crucial. Especially if companies have to pay their employers over-time with learning new information. I would agree with you as well that I would buy an enterprise system as well. I would also make sure to make a few back-ups as well on the information!

Josh Rojina-Gorcyca JGorcyca@email.phoenix.edu

Posted: 11/4/11 7:45 PM, by: Jesse Schlattmann (jschlattmann@email.phoenix.edu) Pashoua and class, I would agree, in business taking smart risks are necessary. However, it depends if the new software or hardware would benefit the company. I think a lot of companies upgrade just to upgrade. My work is an example of that. We upgraded software and it does not work as well as the old software. Therefore, I think IT sometimes fools companies into upgrading to keep food on their table.

Jesse Schlattmann jschlattmann@email.phoenix.edu PST

Posted: 11/4/11 10:45 PM, by: John Neil (johnneil2@email.phoenix.edu)

I think accuracy is one of the major benefits to an enterprise system. As I mentioned in my earlier post, human error is something that can be minimized with this type of system. It is especially important to have accuracy when dealing with a company who works with products and services. A lack of accuracy in ordering for example can actually result in the loss of clients both large and small. John Neil johnneil2@email.phoenix.edu
Posted: 11/5/11 7:57 AM, by: Hassam Escamilla (hassam1214@email.phoenix.edu) After reading your post I thought about how much money a company would save from applying such a system. I wonder if over time the money saved would offset the cost of implementing an enterprise system? The point I have been making is that some companies or organizations would have to reach a certain size to even consider such an expense. Now I am thinking that looking at it from a point of longevity it may pay off for even smaller companies. Of course as a business owner I would have to see

research and proof that this was the case. It can be a very scary thing to pay such an amount, budget for it long term and not see the results you expected.

Hassam Escamilla Posted: 11/5/11 8:10 AM, by: Hassam Escamilla (hassam1214@email.phoenix.edu) John I honestly believe we have reached that point already. People don't know how to converse anymore. People will doodle on their phones even in a social events, EVEN when someone is standing in front of them talking! People don't retain knowledge as well as we use to because we depend on the quick access of the internet for answers. How many times have you gone to a show or concert and witnessed people recording i on their phone? It seems we are even outsourcing our memories to technology. We as a society have no regard for the moment, we live possessed with the future. Oh if I record this I can post it on twitter later. Really? How about experience the NOW with the people around you. That exact moment will never repeat itself again, yet we refuse to enjoy it. This has lead to people so enthralled in their own world that they won't even speak up when they are being stepped on. Sheep that is what technology has turned us in to. Case in point: I stepped in to an elevator full of people on the first floor. They were all headed to the floors above the eighth floor, I proceeded to hit every button from the second to the seventh. Not one person said a thing to me I laughed all the way to the eighth floor at which point I asked everyone why they didn't say anything, why did they refuse to interact with me? I asked why they don't realize that every possible human interaction can enrich our lives in a positive way, far more than their damn Iphone can. a few left without saying a word, but one person stayed and talked. This is what we have become as a race? Do we really deserve to be the top species? Posted: 11/5/11 8:31 AM, by: John Neil (johnneil2@email.phoenix.edu)

Applying an enterprise systems is basically like giving it an overhaul. An enterprise system utilizes the best most efficient methods for tracking, processing, and delivering information. I suppose the biggest area it would save a company money would be in man-hours. Having an enterprise system definitely cuts the cost and time of having actual people do everything. John Neil johnneil2@email.phoenix.edu
Posted: 11/5/11 8:34 AM, by: John Neil (johnneil2@email.phoenix.edu)

Nicole, I think the biggest benefit for a food store would be in their inventory. An enterprise system helps keep an accurate count of each item in the store, and can be set up to automatically order a certain amount of a product once the inventory reaches a certain number. An enterprise system will also track the shipment of products to the store so that everyone will be able to plan ahead.

John Neil johnneil2@email.phoenix.edu

Posted: 11/5/11 5:49 PM, by: Nicole Nakashian (nnakashian@email.phoenix.edu) ClassHow do enterprise systems make companies save money? -Nicole
Nicole M. Nakashian, MBA, PMP Faculty University of Phoenix nnakashian@email.phoenix.edu nakashian@yahoo.com (alternate) 206-600-7015

Garrett Cupp wrote:

When using an enterprise system you are gathering, storing, evaluating, and improving the key information about an organization. One of the benefits of using an enterprise system is that you can share you information on a private online network, with other branches of the business. In order to make the switch from using older hardware to using newer updated hardware and internet media, you would have to find people who are qualified in that area to manage the position. A challenge that I think an enterprise system would bring is that you would have to have constant watch on the systems hardware and technology. The people that would be working the programs would have to be trained with that kind of experience, as well as receiving a respectable pay. If I had an organization I would most likely buy an enterprise system because you save money on the transferring data and you also get to improve your products after they have been evaluated.

Garrett
574 . Indiana

Posted: 11/5/11 5:50 PM, by: Nicole Nakashian (nnakashian@email.phoenix.edu) ClassHow does an enterprise system make a company more efficient? -Nicole

Nicole M. Nakashian, MBA, PMP Faculty University of Phoenix nnakashian@email.phoenix.edu nakashian@yahoo.com (alternate) 206-600-7015

Dwain Caddell wrote: The book tells us that enterprise systems integrate the main internal business processes of a firm into a single software system to improve coordination, efficiency, and decision making. With that being said, enterprise systems benefit the company by solving the problem of data fragmentation between different kinds of information systems built around various functions, organizational levels, and business processes. Data fragmentation in hundreds of separate systems corrupts organizational efficiency and work performance, so enterprise systems are needed in order to run operations smoothly and save costs. The only thing I believe may present itself to be a challenge for enterprise systems is making sure it is maintained on a daily basis. Like most things, problems may arise with hardware failures etc. So, it will be important to have well trained people on board to keep things running efficiently. In reference to why an organization may want to build one; efficiency and cost are the primary reasons. Money will be saved and the company s operations would improve. Posted: 11/5/11 10:02 PM, by: Eddie Santos (ESantos01@email.phoenix.edu)

Hi Hassam, In many aspects, I do agree with you. However, we as a species have done more than our fair share to mess things up, we still have not gone beyond the point of redemption. It is said that people are unintelligent, but a person can be smart and rise above all this. I found what you did regarding the elevator humorous and interesting, if ever a time you are need to write about an experiment concerning human behavior, you should use that event as part of your studies or term paper. We do have an abundant reliance on technology. I am one that uses it exclusively, but I too like to sit back, relax, and do things for myself instead of relying on my smartphone, GPS, or whatnot. Eddie Santos Student University of Phoenix Online ESantos01@email.phoenix.edu EST
Posted: 11/6/11 11:15 AM, by: John Neil (johnneil2@email.phoenix.edu)

Nicole, I would think the main component of an enterprise system that allows for the

saving of money would be the accuracy and speed of information delivery. As the old saying goes, "time is money". This is never more true than when information that will directly affect the income and/or profit of a company is done in the most efficient way possible. Would you agree with this idea? John Neil johnneil2@email.phoenix.edu
Posted: 11/6/11 12:30 PM, by: T.J. Days (tjdays79@email.phoenix.edu)

The enterprise system keeps data about what is spent and what is available in all departments. It shows products,sales, marketing, financial and products. An enterprise system and analysis data to tell the management where they are spending more and where they might be able to spend less and save money. T.J. Days Tjdays79@email.phoenix.edu Tjdays79@yahoo.com Central Time Zone
Posted: 11/6/11 4:40 PM, by: Pashoua Xiong (Pxiong88@email.phoenix.edu) Jesse, I understand where you are coming from when IT companies try to sell stuff to companies promising faster response, quicker feedback, and other things. My company unfortunately likes to cheap it out for example we do not have antivirus on our computer and I have had my computer crash 2 with in my 4 years working there. Pashoua Xiong Pxiong88@email.phoenix.edu Central Time Zone Posted: 11/6/11 5:58 PM, by: Garrett Cupp (KingCupp777@email.phoenix.edu)

I believe John is right. The saying, "time is money" is the right phrase to use for an enterprise system. Enterprise systems make it easier to save money because there are more branches of a company in an area and it does not cost as much to get things sent back and forth. If a company has one store in each state then they would have to pay more to ship further,

or have to pay more to pay for gas to get around. However, if a company has a building in each town then the distance between the stores would be closer and easier to get things to and from.

Garrett
574 . Indiana

Posted: 11/6/11 6:03 PM, by: James Watkeys (cagleo06@email.phoenix.edu)

Given the direction this discussion has gone I am amazed that certain things have not come up. I remember as a teenager growing up and watching Star Trek TNG and The Terminator movies. I found it extremely astounding and somewhat terrifying as I watched per say The Borg, or Skynet. I remember the movie Rise of The Machines in which John Connor at the end came to the realization that blowing up the military base where Skynet was located couldn't stop the spread ,because computers and technology were everywhere. With that said at which point do we take a step back and realize what a dangerous road we are driving down in which we are attempting to create a more efficient system. The time will come that artificial intelligence will become a serious reality. I am reminded of the newest installment of Battlestar Galatica and a fictional book I read. The technology was so efficient that things such as dishwashers or toasters with the data chips were used to murder humans as a direct result of our ignorance to see our creation.

James D. Watkeys Phone 304-360-4644 jwatkeys@aol.com The big moments are going to come you cant help that. Its what you do afterwards that counts. Thats when you find out who you really are.

Posted: 11/6/11 6:10 PM, by: John Biondo (biondoj@email.phoenix.edu)

Hi Nicole, Class, A good enterprise system can help a company analyze wether a piece of equipment should be leased or bought. The system could show that the cost model to lease the equipment is a better deal based on the previous systems net worth. If the previous

systems technology is obsolete in four or five years and cost to maintain is high a lease could be the better option. This would require historical data on the pervious systems capability and sustaining costs.

John Biondo biondoj@email.phoenix.edu

Posted: 11/6/11 6:15 PM, by: John Biondo (biondoj@email.phoenix.edu)

Hi Nicole, Class, An enterprise system makes a company more efficient by consolidating multiple similar systems across the company into one. Another area a company can benefit from an enterprise system is in the area of assembly. If the entire process is documented and the parts necessary to build the product are inventoried. The process for re ordering these parts can be automated to ordered on an as needed bases. Once the inventory reaches a threshold the system places an electronic order with the vendor. This does a couple of things. The inventory is limited to just what is needed and the ordering process is automatic. This also saves valuable space on the factory floor. The company has only what is needed hanging around.

John Biondo biondoj@email.phoenix.edu