Integrated Business Processes with ERP Systems

CHAPTER 1

Introduction to Business Processes

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

After completing this chapter you will be able to:

1. Define the functional organizational structure, and explain why this structure creates problems for modern businesses.
2. Describe key business processes in an organization.
3. Identify the main integration points between and among processes.
4. Understand the cross-functional nature of processes and their relationship to organizational areas.
5. Adopt and apply an integrated perspective to business processes.
6. Describe organizational structure of Global Bike Incorporated.
7. Explain how the SAP^® ERP system promotes an integrated approach to business processes.

At this point in your university career, you have probably begun taking courses in accounting, operations, MIS, and other disciplines. These courses have introduced you to some basic business concepts and exposed you to different aspects of how a business operates. You have also begun to master several technology tools that will be very useful in your future career, such as office productivity tools to create spreadsheets, presentations, and documents. The course for which you are using this textbook deals with integrated business processes and the enterprise systems (ES) that support them. The concepts and skills you will gain from this course are different from what you have experienced previously, and you will need to approach this course with a different perspective.

THE FUNCTIONAL ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE

To successfully ...