United under SAP (PDF)

Inhaltsangabe:Abstract:
Nowadays, companies all over the world face incredible pressure in global markets. To survive and to stay competitive, procurement of every description needs to be developed as a major leverage to save cost in the recent years. To achieve competitive differentiation with advantage, companies have to empower information workers. Business processes are the key to unlock the potential of these strategies.
A supportive IT structure may play a decisive role for business processes and can make a great deal of difference. The implementation of an ERP system provides an opportunity of a ¿¿configurable information system (IS) package that integrates information and information-based processes within and across-functional areas in an organization¿¿. In information system areas, implementation is defined as ¿¿the process that begins with the managerial decision to install a computer-based organizational information system and is complete when the system is operating as an integral part of the organization¿s information system¿¿. After implementation, significant benefits such as improved customer service, better production scheduling, and reduced manufacturing costs can accrue from successful implementation of ERP systems as well as staying competitive against competitors in matters of flexibility and adaptively. But especially, more transparence through a common used system enables the opportunity of increasing inner-company¿s processing and working flows with fast and convincing criteria of decisions.
In the scope of this thesis the methods and concepts of SAP implementation for ThyssenKrupp Escalator in Zhongshan (in the South of China) have to be investigated and presented. This investigation has to include both the project approach and before-after situation in order to increase the practical relevancy. However, ERP systems are expensive and time-consuming, and once ERP systems are implemented, management should evaluate whether it is successful and delivers promised benefit. The successful implementation is extremely coupled on the predetermined goal(s). Furthermore, Chinese culture is quite different from Western countries; so is organizational culture imbedded within national culture and it is a core attribute to discern between the Chinese view of satisfaction and the Western view.
The SAP implementation project in Zhongshan cut both ways: for ThyssenKrupp Co. (China) Ltd. and ThyssenKrupp Airport Systems Co. (Zhongshan) [...]