Posted by admin | Posted in Model Railway | Posted on 30-03-2009
Tags: art, distributed, graphics, java, programming, scalability
Looking For Scale Linda ? Then This is Where You Want to Be
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 Pigs the Freezer A Guide to Small Scale Production Book Linda McDonald Brown $21.25 Time Remaining: 10d 6h 11m Buy It Now for only: $21.25 |
 ROUTE 66 1969 HURST OLDSMOBILE 442 SIGNED BY LINDA VAUGHN 1 64 Scale Die cast $12.00 Time Remaining: 10d 16h 22m Buy It Now for only: $12.00 |
 GMP ACME 118 SCALE LINDA VAUGHN MISS HURST FIGURINE CHECK OUT SHIPPING OPTION $10.61 Time Remaining: 12d 15h 42m Buy It Now for only: $10.61 |
 AMERICAN DIORAMA 50S FIGURE LINDA 1 18 SCALE 77723 $8.50 Time Remaining: 12d 18h 6m Buy It Now for only: $8.50 |
 Linda 1 18 scale figure AMERICAN DIORAMA $13.50 Time Remaining: 16d 17h 25m Buy It Now for only: $13.50 |
 Mini knits for the 1 12 Scale Dolls House by Linda Spratley NEW $26.20 Time Remaining: 17d 8h 20m Buy It Now for only: $26.20 |
 STEP VAN LINDAS FLOWERS Z Scale Z 5050L $6.98 Time Remaining: 21d 23h Buy It Now for only: $6.98 |
 LANE 118 SCALE TURQUOISE 1967 HURST FIREBIRD CONV WITH LINDA VAUGHN FIGURINE $124.99 Time Remaining: 23d 9h 3m Buy It Now for only: $124.99 |
 GMP Linda Vaughn Miss Hurst 1 18 scale figure figurine NIB limited supply $16.50 Time Remaining: 28d 21h 18m Buy It Now for only: $16.50 |
 1977 Press Photo Linda Clink Scale plays ghetto mother in All I Want $31.88 Time Remaining: 29d 1h 54m Buy It Now for only: $31.88 |
 MINI KNITS FOR THE 1 12 SCALE DOLLS HOUSE LINDA SPRATLEY PAPERBACK NEW $15.97 Time Remaining: 29d 14h 31m Buy It Now for only: $15.97 |
Erp In Service Industries - What Are The Available Options?
Service companies vary hugely in terms of what they deliver to their customers and the scale on which they operate. Large utilities companies operate nationally and internationally, and in recent years can deliver multiple services to their customers e.g. gas and electricity from one supplier. At the other end of the scale we find small companies delivering specialist services locally e.g. Solicitors, Accountants and Engineers. Increasingly we are seeing new entrepreneurial style organisations emerging, particularly in the technology sector, which are growing rapidly and have global reach in terms of their markets. These organisations face the challenge of being able to deliver their services effectively using affordable and scalable information technology support.
All services companies have similar attributes in term of their business models. In simple terms they develop, sell and deliver services to their customers, while managing human and financial resources. In terms of information technology (IT) this can be represented as "front office" and "back office" systems.
The front office systems are usually specialised to support the specific service operations. As a result the front office systems are often bespoke developed or provided by niche suppliers.
The back office systems however tend to be fairly standard, supporting functions such as Finance, HR, Sales Order Processing, Purchasing, Inventory Control, etc. These functions are best supported by Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) type systems provided by a large range of ERP vendors and partners.
The challenge therefore for services companies is to find the best balance between front office and back office systems.
A systems landscape where the front and back office applications are separated will require critical interfaces to be developed to keep the two sides in line. Typically this would involve demand/order information passing from the front office to the back office, and status information passing from the back office to the front office, e.g. credit checking, inventory availability, order status, etc. With the sophisticated middleware and communications technology available today, there is no requirement for the two sides to be on the same platform or database. Also, it is completely viable for the ERP system to be provided on a "Software as a Service" (SAAS) basis, allowing the system to be paid for on a monthly subscription rather than an upfront licence fee.
New entrepreneurial style service organisations, which are planning to grow rapidly, should give careful consideration to the front/back office split. Using an ERP based approach for the back office will deliver a cost effective and scalable solution, and will enhance the rich functionality provided by the specialised front office system.
About the Author
This article was written by Frank Crewe, ERP Practice Director at indepentent ERP consultants, BSM. With more that 25 years consulting experience, Frank consults with BSM clients on ERP System Selection and Implementation projects. He has managed major projects in Evotec, GlaxoSmithKline, Abbott Labs, Aegate, Eli Lilly, Syngenta and Petroplus among others. If you would like further information on ERP in service industries or on any other aspect of ERP please send an e-mail to Frank Crewe or check-out http://bsmconsulting.co.uk/practices/erp-life-cycle-management.