Authors: Grant Norris, John Dunleavy, James R. Hurley, John D. Balls, Kenneth M. Hartley
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons, 2000 (ISBN 0471392081)
The Internet is one of the most important business tools in this new century, and is becoming a force in all areas of the economy. In the business-to-business sector of the Ecommerce environment,
Internet technology is enabling the formation of virtual connections for all sorts of organizations, creating the value networks of an extended supply chain. Vendors and suppliers can interact and
share information, processes and costs, thereby reducing redundancy and increasing the possibility of profits and future business successes.
Many companies have implemented one or more modules of an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system to take advantage of the supply chain’s benefits, but are discovering that traditional ERP
systems do not account for the data and processes of their web-based systems and entities. Web-based systems focus on the external areas of a company’s reach, and, as such, must be fully
incorporated into any enterprise system for that system to be truly effective. Although ERP software remains the most efficient and effective means to internal integration of data and process,
there are few solutions provided for the integration of internal environments with external operations.
The book “E-Business and ERP: Transforming the Enterprise” answers the question:
“How do I combine my existing ERP systems with the current web-based technologies and concepts to create one seamless strategy for business (traditional and e-business)?” “How
do I use the information I am gathering in my web applications with the data stored in my ERP (or other back-office) systems to its fullest advantage?”
The authors, senior partners in the E-business practice at PriceWaterhouseCoopers, provide a detailed approach to the solution of this question. They bring a total of 50+ years experience in
information technology management and implementation at some of the world’s largest and most successful enterprises to develop methods for:
- adding greater value to customer and process data (turning data into information and knowledge)
- creating strong relationships between business partners with technology and practices
- developing new strategic opportunities based on e-business and shared services
This excellent book demonstrates why companies need e-business information and processes to complement their traditional systems integration capabilities; it explores the need for understanding the
information provided by ecommerce applications as well as that available from traditional applications; it gives a framework for implementing ERP with e-business and analyzes how ecommerce affects
supply chain management, customer relationship management and other information-and-technology-intensive activities.
“E-Business and ERP: Transforming the Enterprise” is a valuable resource for companies, no matter what size, to evaluate their ERP and e-business strategies, formulate a cohesive
approach to the infrastructure and models needed for information capture and usage, and combine speed, business capability technical skills and execution of ideas for the development of a
successful information-and technology-based enterprise. The authors believe that companies who will succeed in e-business are those that have a balanced view of technology, business infrastructure
and processes. This book can assist managers and professionals in e-business, ERP and information management to develop that balanced position. It outlines proven models and techniques for
combining ERP capabilities with the cross-platform power of Internet technology. It shows how information understanding is essential to the success of any organization, and especially to ecommerce
organizations or business areas.
