Why ERP? A Primer on SAP Implementation

Book Description

What is Enterprise Resource Planning and why does it matter? Like The Goal, Why ERP? is a short novel about a manager in a furniture manufacturing business who is charged with learning about and implementing a new ERP system, SAP R/3. The story tells of his experience and provides a non-technical, non-programming introduction to the basic concepts and architecture of ERP systems.

Customer Reviews:

Outstanding Introduction to the Enterprise Software Concept.......2005-09-07

I am a Professor in the Management Information Systems area and I use this book as a quick and relatively painless introduction for students who know absolutely nothing about the software that supports Integrated Business Systems. It is an excellent read for that purpose. It focuses on why Enterprise Systems are valuable for some companies, the dangers of blind adoption, the value and power of systems integration, and some of the costs associated with implementing these systems. Just as important, it does this in an interesting way. At least more interesting to my students, who are either dual majors in business administration and information systems or straight majors in some area of business administration. While the other reviewers are correct in their blistering reviews of the book from a technologist's perspective, the book is not written for technologists. As the title suggests, it is a primer and primers are written at the most elementary level.

I have not come across a better book for someone with no knowledge of Integrated Business Systems to learn quickly in 119 pages what Enterprise Systems are about.

REVIEW FOR STUDENTS.......2005-04-21

I read this book as a requirement for my Management Informations Systems class. While it is a dry read, I acknowlege that it was a noble effort to present the information in the form of a novel. Do not read this book if you are an expert on SAP or very familiar with ERP systems. This is little more than a text book put in the form of one large example. Keep your expectations low and you'll be fine.

Why ask why?.......2004-10-28

I picked up this little jewel hoping to learn something about SAP's R/3 product and believe me, it took some serious effort to plow my way through this loathsome tale. The Goal has been done to death by everyone, including Goldratt, and this book is a pale imitation of that classic novel. If you know absolutely nothing about MRP or ERP, then this book might be helpful. It does motivate the need for such systems and production controls in general. The book also has some screen shots of SAP's product, so at least you'll have some basic familiarity with that system before you see it on a workstation. I think I'd rather read the User's Guide to R/3 (or to my VCR) than read this book.

Why ERP? No, really, why ERP?.......2003-11-13

I wouldn't even make paper airplanes with this book - because they would suck too. When millions of books were burned in WWII, why did they miss this one?

Not a good read, pick up The Goal or Better Together instead.

This Book Sucks.......2003-11-13

Why ERP? Because I didn't have a choice as to read it or not. I'd rather take a bath in gasoline and light myself on fire than read this thing again.

Average customer rating:

Effective refresher ... Efficient reference
Great for more advanced courses....
Comprehensive Guide to Statistics
Schaum's Outline of Statistics
A Failed Attempt

Schaum's Outline of Statistics
Murray R Spiegel
Manufacturer: McGraw-Hill
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Statistics | Economics | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0070602816

Book Description

This Schaum's Study Guide is the perfect tool for getting a handle on statistics. Fully stocked with solved problemsÑ508 of themÑit shows you how to work problems that may not have been fully explained in class. Plus you get 694 additional problems to use for practice, with answers at the back of the book. Ideal for independent study, brushup before exams, or preparation for professional tests, this Schaum's guide is clear, complete, and well-organized. It even prepares you for computer solutions of statistical problems, fully explaining the use of Minitab, the most popular statistical software. It's the perfect supplement for any course in statistics, and a super helper for the math-challenged.

Customer Reviews:

Effective refresher ... Efficient reference.......2007-01-07

I recommend this text to financial professionals I teach ... VERY helpful to clear the cobwebs several years after college!

Great for more advanced courses...........2006-12-12

I bought this book as a study aid for my Elementary Statistics class. Although the book does give you many examples to help solve, it gets a little too complicated for a beginning statistics class. It became hard to sort through the things I needed to gain a basic understanding of the fundamentals of statistics. If you are needing this book for your job or a more advanced statistics course, I would recommend it, but it's one for the beginner to leave alone.

Comprehensive Guide to Statistics.......2006-06-13

This excellent book provides a comprehensive look at statistical methods. It's a great reference guide with 19 chapters, each of which build nicely on one another.

Chapters 1 through 11 lay the foundation of statistical study and the reader should benefit greatly from this framework.

Specifically, Chapters 1 through 3 cover Variables and Graphs, Frequency Distributions and Mean-Median-Mode concepts. Chapters 4 through 6 move on to cover Standard Deviation, Skewness and Elementary Probability Theory. Chapter 7 then discusses Binomial, Normal and Poisson Distributions.

Chapters 8, 9, 10 and 11 delve into Sampling, Statistical Estimation, Statistical Decision and Small Sampling Theory.

The remaining chapters offer practical insights into such topics as Chi-Square test, Correlation Theory, Analysis of Variance (ANOVA), Time Series Analysis and Statistical Process Control. Much of this appears in the CFA curriculum and therefore is a worthy supplemental study.

True to its format, this Schaum's book helps readers via its question and answer format in each of its chapters. Going through these problems teaches and reinforces concepts taught in the first pages of each chapter in the book.

Great job authors! I'm hoping others will benefit from this book too.

Schaum's Outline of Statistics.......2006-03-03

This is a handy desk guide to statistics for someone who needs a statistical referemce as part of their job but is not a statistician, ie, performance management, data preparation or other information analysis. I compared this book to many others and found it the most comprehensive.

A Failed Attempt .......2005-01-12

This book is sloppily edited, with numerous typos in the equations. Page 91 has two symbolic errors plus a text error.
Overbar omitted twice on page 19 giving a nonsensical formula Z = (X - X)/s

Average customer rating:

Good if you're familiar with TOC
Stop waisting time and start making money!
Helpful book
Useless book
Finally a TOC book that addresses accounting specifics!

Throughput Accounting
Thomas Corbett
Manufacturer: North River Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0884271587

Book Description

Learn How To Apply The Theory Of Constraints To Management Accounting.

The Theory of Constraints, a management philosophy derived from physics, assumes that constraints prevent organizations from achieving better performance. The Theory of Constraints (TOC) is based on a scientific method that has been developed and refined for nearly three decades by Dr. Eliyahu M. Goldratt. As a tool for business management, TOC is now accepted as a mainstream alternative to cost accounting.

Throughput Accounting

Reveals a new management tool for managerial accounting and shows an alternative path for other management practices.

Enables managers to quickly see if their decisions increase profitability.

Demonstrates some of cost accounting's flaws, and shows how these errors will lead to bad decision making.

Compares the paradigm of TOC-based throughput accounting with more conventional cost accounting methodologies and in the process, demonstrates a new way to solve the complex problems of modern management.

Customer Reviews:

Good if you're familiar with TOC.......2004-02-24

This is a good explaination of why the various allocation based account methods lead to poor management decisions and a good introduction to a better way of accounting. It does not include how to reconcile throughput accounting with required GAAP reporting. The only book I know that does is The Measurement Nightmare, which is a rather difficult read. It would be very helpful to have a book with example problems to work, an explaination of the GAAP reconciliation process, and more detail into what costs are totally variable and non-totally variable.

Stop waisting time and start making money!.......2003-07-31

This is a funny little book. It's not too well written and the content is not that new, once you have read Eli Goldratt's basics on the topic.
However, Thomas Corbett simply put the stuff together and proves, beyond any doubt, the fallacy of classical cost accounting as well as the "new & improved" fallacy of ABC.
Examples are quite simple to follow and the outcome is very exiting!
Makes you seriously wonder if there is add-on software out there that extracts the relevant data from present accounting systems, and helps top and middle management make the right decdions for a change on a daily basis. Key question is; how can this software help non-TOC companies help establish their bottle neck?

Helpful book.......2003-02-19

People who did not understand the message, find the Throughput Accounting a useless framework. But if you are a smart and open mind person, this book is for you.

The theory is very well explained illustrating an alternative path to the old and nosense cost accounting.

I advice you to buy it.

Useless book.......2003-01-19

I really think I have lost money buying this useless book I advice you not to buy it.
The nosense theory explained is even explained bad.

Finally a TOC book that addresses accounting specifics!.......2002-05-22

We've all read Goldratt's work on the Theory of Constraints (TOC) and the improvements that can be made in manufacturing processes. However, what is often overlooked in those books is the reality of getting these changes to work with our traditional cost accounting systems. TOC sounds great in theory, but how do we, as accountants, measure and report financial results in a way which supports TOC, yet still fulfills our responsibilities for external reporting? Don't we still have to apply overhead to products and calculate product costs?

In this book, Corbett does a great job illustrating how our old cost accounting techniques are inadequate, and, more importantly, can lead us to make decisions which actually harm the bottom line. But he doesn't stop at simply pointing out the shortcomings of cost accounting, as most texts do. He takes the additional step of providing real financial statements and measures that support the concepts in TOC, and allow accountants to give production management the data they need. You can begin using these statements right away in your own company. In addition, he shows us how to use TOC to make various financial decisions. He even spends a chapter showing some of the criticisms of Throughput Accounting and provide warnings about its proper use.

After reading this book you will realize that calculating a product cost is like buying a house and then trying to figure out how much of the purchase price to assign to the bathroom faucet. "Product Cost" is a fallacy, and impossible to determine. All that really matters is Throughput, the difference between selling price and totally variable costs.

Book Description

Praise for Performance Management

"We are witnessing a convergence among advanced management concepts and practices. Performance management is a means to pull it all together, to understand the strengths and limitations of each management practice and leverage it for competitive advantage. Cokins' book walks us through all this in a manner that makes something confusing much less so.
There is no one right answer for any situation. The answer lies in a balance of concepts and the integration of them. Performance Management is the glue that holds them all together.
This book helps the reader understand the breadth of PM. It's not just about measuring!"
—John F. Morrow, CPA, AICPA Vice President, The New Finance

"Gary Cokins has articulated the '411' of performance management. His combination of personal anecdotes with fundamental cost and performance management theories provides business leaders at all levels, in any industry or profession, a solid resource for practicing their work.
This book is not only an invaluable resource for those new to performance management but provides guidance, wisdom, support, and insight to all industry leaders and managers. Cokins has organized and simplified the many complex performance management theories, associated tools, and infrastructure for the reader.
Buy it, read it, and give it to your colleagues—then celebrate your successes!"
—Sue Swertfeger, Senior Manager, Owens & Minor

Download Description

Praise for Performance Management

" We are witnessing a convergence among advanced management concepts and practices. Performance management is a means to pull it all together, to understand the strengths and limitations of each management practice and leverage it for competitive advantage. Cokins' book walks us through all this in a manner that makes something confusing much less so.
" There is no one right answer for any situation. The answer lies in a balance of concepts and the integration of them. Performance Management is the glue that holds them all together.
" This book helps the reader understand the breadth of PM. It's not just about measuring!"
-- John F. Morrow, CPA, AICPA Vice President, The New Finance

"Gary Cokins has articulated the '411' of performance management. His combination of personal anecdotes with fundamental cost and performance management theories provides business leaders at all levels, in any industry or profession, a solid resource for practicing their work.
"This book is not only an invaluable resource for those new to performance management but provides guidance, wisdom, support, and insight to all industry leaders and managers. Cokins has organized and simplified the many complex performance management theories, associated tools, and infrastructure for the reader.
"Buy it, read it, and give it to your colleagues-- then celebrate your successes!"
-- Sue Swertfeger, Senior Manager, Owens & Minor

Customer Reviews:

Great for senior managers and executives.......2007-04-16

There aren't a lot of really good books about performance management, and performance measurement specifically, available yet. Too many of them are overly prescriptive in what to measure and very light on the details of how to measure (properly).

Because I specialise in performance measurement (and have done for over 14 years now), I've read quite a bit in this field and expected that Gary's book was going to be another one I'd refuse to recommend to my clients and subscribers.

But that's not what happened. I actually really enjoyed Gary's book, and support a lot of his philosophy about performance management. It's got to have strong alignment to strategy, it's got to be well thought through, it's not really about scorecards and technology, it's about making it easier to execute strategy, and it's about reliable and objective data.

It's a great book to give people that really need to take performance management more seriously, particularly senior managers and executives. It's not a book for the operational manager that is new to performance measurement (in this case try "Performance Scorecards" by Chang and Morgan).

Quantifiable vs. Qualifiable Performance Management Systems.......2005-03-23

I met Gary at a SAS conference the other day and we had a discussion on various issues. One of them being the query of why so many strategies to improve performance fail. Is it in the design or the execution of strategy? Gary popped the commonly accepted view that it is failure to execute otherwise sound strategies. And I replied, being a Strategy Consultant for over 16 years, that I haven't seen a sound strategy yet. After some debat we agreed that design and execution are equaly important.

This book is about execution of sound strategies using a series of quantifiable performance management methods. These are most popular in the Anglo-Saxon (US/UK) world and have been exported to the European mainland as well where they compete with qualifiable performance management systems. What is the difference? Quantifiable PMS' are based on measurement and consequences as strategy and tactics are imposed top-down. Qualifiable PMS' however are based upon a 'meeting-in-between' strategy process where productivity is boosted by inspiration, motivation and creativity. Employee involvement is the key. Instead of using fixed targets and bandwiths, one would use waypoints and scenario's, leaving the control of execution to operational teamleaders. (In W.W.II the Germans were 1.7 times more effective than the Allied forces using qualifiable techniques, even though they were outnumbered 3 to 1 by allied forces using quantifiable techniques). Qualifiable techniques are based on the assumption that operational conditions and short term objectives change all too rapidly for a rigid approach of planning & control. But if operational teamleaders understand the strategic and tactical objectives they can easily adapt to new conditions.

However Gary's latest book is the best book on quantifiable PMS' since Maximum Performance Management by Boyett & Conn (that actually tries to combine qualifiable and quantifiable techniques).

Don't just buy it, read it!

Great addition to ABC and Performance Improvement.......2004-06-29

From TQM to Balanced Score Cards - this is the book that provides a practical synthesis. Focus on cause and effect relationships and away from abstractions. Must have book.

Business performance in context of today's environment.......2004-05-17

If execution is the goal these days, then this book brings an interesting perspective -- it's both big picture AND 'how to do it' at the same time. Cokins does a great job of putting the execution imperative into the larger context of "why." A good read for a reminder of basic performance management tools and for exploring how they work best in the context of today's tough business environment.

Great Graphics in Performance Management.......2004-05-16

Gary's book, on Performance Management published by Wiley, does an excellent job of pointing out there are no "Silver Bullets" or management tools that solve all problems. Combinations of the right techniques is an art. Bold graphics and flow charts in the book do much to stimulate the thought process. Business failure is often a result of inadequate performance management systems. Survival in today's global economy requires many of the better performance management techniques described in Gary's new book. A great addition to any business library. Bill Hass, Certified Turnaround Professional, wjhass@aol.com

Average customer rating:

Theory of Accounting and Control
Shyam Sunder
Manufacturer: South-Western College Pub
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Organizational Behavior | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0538866861

Book Description

Using Barnard and Simon's contract model of organizations, this is the ONLY theory text that truly integrates financial, managerial, tax, auditing, not-for-profit and governmental aspects of accounting into a single framework within the economic theory of the firm.

Management Control: Theories, Issues and Performance, Second Edition

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Management Control: Theories, Issues and Performance, Second Edition
Anthony J. Berry , Jane Broadbent , and David Otley
Manufacturer: Palgrave Macmillan
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1403935351
Release Date: 2005-05-12

Book Description

This new edition provides undergraduate and postgraduate students of management control, together with interested practitioners, with a thoroughly contemporary overview of the area. While the core of the original book is retained, new chapters are added on Knowledge Management, Risk, and Control in Networks.

Accounting Control and Organisational Behaviour (CIMA Student)

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Accounting Control and Organisational Behaviour (CIMA Student)
David Otley
Manufacturer: CIMA Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Book Description

This book goes beyond the material usually included in traditional management accounting texts and provides both managers and management accountants with a simple guide to the major issues involved in developing and using accounting systems for management control. Attention is focused particularly on budgetary control systems because these form the basis for management control in most organisation of any size.

Accounting Information Systems: Transaction Processing and Controls

Average customer rating:

i need test bank or test soluation
Embarrassing !!!
Stay away from this book!

Accounting Information Systems: Transaction Processing and Controls
J. L. Boockholdt
Manufacturer: Richard D Irwin
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Book Description

This well-known text provides students with the knowledge of information systems needed to begin their accounting careers. It emphasizes systems as an accounting discipline while providing technological competence. It teaches from an accounting, rather than a MIS, perspective. Provides balanced coverage of systems, EDP Controls, and auditing of systems. Modular approach allows for teaching flexibility.

Customer Reviews:

i need test bank or test soluation.......2003-04-10

hello
i am student preparing phd in accounting information system i boghut hard copy from your book " Accounting information system Transaction Processing and Control ".
it is good book, my sudant are intersted with it, but i need test bank or test soluation on line if there is any answers tests, which i am learning this book to my student in Damascuse Univesity.
especially chapters 1. 2.3.4. and 5 so i wish your help
and i advanced thank uyou
Sencerely
Hassan Katalo

Embarrassing !!!.......2002-06-08

It is so difficult to read this book, as it is full of truisms, repetitions and low-level information. Once the content would be summarized and stripped to less than hundred pages, it might be useful.

Stay away from this book!.......1999-10-17

a lot of $$ for a book that makes only very vague and general statements, does not offer any compelling examples and "explains" crucial things such as flowcharting and programming on two pages but gives elaborate examples on very simple cost accounting problems that bore even a freshman.

Accounting, Management Control and Business Organisation: An Institutionalist Perspective

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Accounting, Management Control and Business Organisation: An Institutionalist Perspective
W. B. Seal
Manufacturer: Avebury
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Theory | Economics | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

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Addiction Reform in the Progressive Age: Scientific and Social Responses to Drug Dependence in the United States, 1870-1930 (Dimensions of Accounting Theory and Practice)

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Addiction Reform in the Progressive Age: Scientific and Social Responses to Drug Dependence in the United States, 1870-1930 (Dimensions of Accounting Theory and Practice)
Arnold Jaffe
Manufacturer: Arno Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Drug Dependency | Recovery | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books

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