Verified Document

Internal Controls And ERP Systems Research Paper

Implicit in the use of these internal controls is keeping strategic plans and initiatives on track. This focus on continual alignment of strategies to their objectives through the use of internal controls is what separates those organizations attaining success with their supply chains or not. One of the more successful organizations globally in orchestrating their supply chains through the use of internal ERP controls is PC and laptop manufacturer Lenovo (Barrett, et.al.). According to studies of their supply chain completed by AMR Research, Lenovo has been able to attain a 37% reduction in supply chain costs over three years (Barrett, et.al.). In addition Lenovo has been able to stay profitable while experiencing 42% growth during the 4th quarter of 2009, a time when many of its competitors were facing financial losses. Compare their growth to the overall market growth of 17% and the value of supply chain-based internal controls becomes clear. Experiencing this high rate of growth Lenovo also attained the highest customer satisfaction ratings in their segment of the market. All of these accomplishments occurred due to the tight integration of their supply chain, manufacturing operations and heavy reliance within Lenovo on internal controls from their global ERP system (Barrett, et.al.).

Contrast this success with the failures in China surrounding production and quality assurance management (Enderwick, et.al.). The lack of knowledge transfer within Mattel for example is a case in point, where no ERP system was used to unify quality management, manufacturing quality standards and worst of all, minimum acceptable quality levels for paint and components (Bapuji, Beamish, et.al.). The lack of internal controls as defined by key performance indicators or metrics on Balanced Scorecards (BSC) within Mattel and for that matter with many of the manufactures outsourcing segments of their operations to China (Enderwick, et.al.) led to a disaster of credibility and quality for manufacturing outsourced operations in this nation.

Conclusion

There are measurable and significant financial results attainable through the use of internal controls to manage supply chains when they are captured, analyzed and reported by ERPO systems. The intent of this analysis has been to show how the hierarchy of supply chain metrics, when tracked and analyzed...

Parts of this document are hidden

View Full Document
svg-one

The example of how Lenovo has been able to increase their market share even in the midst of a recession, attain the highest customer satisfaction ratings in their chosen markets, while staying profitable provides evidence of how internal controls that are supply chain focused are paying off. ERP systems are in the midst of a major transition right now, away from being systems of record to being catalysts or hubs of data intelligence and information. The use of ERP systems as a catalyst of strategy is now occurring much more often as a result.
References

Hari Bapuji, and Paul W. Beamish. "Mattel and the Toy Recalls (A). " Richard Ivey School of Business Case Collection: 9B08M010: Mattel and the Toy Recalls (A) 21 December 2009

Barrett, Jane . " Lenovo: The Journey of a Supply Chain Leader ." AMR Research . AMR Research, 12 March 2010. Web. 8 Apr 2010. .

Barrett, J.. "Demand-Driven is an Operational Strategy. " Industrial Management 1 Nov. 2007

Bhagwat, R., and M. Sharma. "Performance measurement of supply chain management using the analytical hierarchy process. " Production Planning & Control 18.8 (2007): 666.

Peter Enderwick. "Avoiding quality fade in Chinese global supply chains: Designing appropriate governance structures. " Business Process Management Journal 15.6 (2009): 876..

Helena Forslund. "ERP systems' capabilities for supply chain performance management. " Industrial Management + Data Systems 110.3 (2010): 351.

Meade, D., S. Kumar, and B. White. "Analysing the impact of the implementation of lean manufacturing strategies on profitability. " The Journal of the Operational Research Society 61.5 (2010): 858-871.

Su, Y., and C. Yang. "Why are enterprise resource planning systems indispensable to supply chain management? " European Journal of Operational Research 203.1 (2010): 81.

Charles A. Watts, Vincent A. Mabert, and Nathan Hartman. "Supply chain bolt-ons: investment and usage by manufacturers. " International Journal of Operations & Production Management 28.12 (2008): 1219.

Chyan Yang, and Yi-fen Su. "The relationship between benefits of ERP systems implementation and its impacts on firm performance of…

Sources used in this document:
References

Hari Bapuji, and Paul W. Beamish. "Mattel and the Toy Recalls (A). " Richard Ivey School of Business Case Collection: 9B08M010: Mattel and the Toy Recalls (A) 21 December 2009

Barrett, Jane . " Lenovo: The Journey of a Supply Chain Leader ." AMR Research . AMR Research, 12 March 2010. Web. 8 Apr 2010. .

Barrett, J.. "Demand-Driven is an Operational Strategy. " Industrial Management 1 Nov. 2007

Bhagwat, R., and M. Sharma. "Performance measurement of supply chain management using the analytical hierarchy process. " Production Planning & Control 18.8 (2007): 666.
Cite this Document:
Copy Bibliography Citation

Related Documents

Internal Control
Words: 924 Length: 3 Document Type: Case Study

Internal Control In the United States, all corporations planning to go public have to maintain an adequate internal control system. LJB is a small company that does local distribution and wants to go public. The president has decided to get an independent audit firm to carry out the assessment while identifying its areas of weakness. In case failure is reported by this audit firm, it could be fined or the officers

Internal Control
Words: 580 Length: 2 Document Type: Term Paper

Internal Control The Importance of Internal Control Programs An effective internal control program in an organization ensures the efficiency of its operations and helps a business to attain its objectives by minimizing the chances of violation of rules and regulations by the employees. It safeguards the organization's assets and promotes the reliability of the accounting and financial information. Failure to implement an effective internal control program results in a corporate culture in

Internal Controls Organizations Have the Responsibility of
Words: 697 Length: 3 Document Type: Essay

Internal Controls Organizations have the responsibility of accounting for all of their financial and operational data in an effective and efficient manner that is in compliance with all regulations as well as industry practices. Having a set of internal controls in place can help streamline an operation which provides a level of efficiency as well as offers protections again various risks. The SEC has been in an increasingly important role and

Internal Controls Are "Methods Put in Place
Words: 931 Length: 3 Document Type: Essay

Internal controls are "methods put in place by a company to ensure the integrity of financial and accounting information," and to protect the organization's assets from misappropriation by internal sources (Investopedia, 2013). Internal controls help to prevent fraud, but they also allow the company to have reliable data on all transactions, which can be used for any number of control purposes. Further, internal controls promote operational efficiency and they encourage adherence

Internal Controls Companies Need to Be Aware
Words: 772 Length: 3 Document Type: Essay

Internal Controls Companies need to be aware of the varying influences that are acting upon their organization. One method of examining the current situation is to divide the perception into ideas and influences that are arriving from the external environment and those that are internally controlled. Internal controls are important because they rely on leadership, courage and skill for these actions to take hold. The purpose of this essay is to

Internal Control Programs Are Important
Words: 697 Length: 3 Document Type: Term Paper

Defining internal control techniques usually need ethics as base reference. This is because the condition of employees must always be considered, whether an internal control will positively or negatively affect the people within an organization. Thus, when establishing an internal control program, the "good for all" must always be the objective. While internal control techniques define what is good for an organization, the employees who comprise an organization must therefore

Sign Up for Unlimited Study Help

Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.

Get Started Now