QUES 1: What kinds of systems are described here? What valuable information do they provide for employees and managers? What decisions do they support?
Answer: Firstly, Transaction Processing Systems are in place. The system is seen as keeping track of elementary activities and transaction such as inputting of the expense data via a web interface from whether they are working with a computer, telephone, and palm handled device .
In tracking, the system is seen to automatically import travel and expense data from credit cards. Secondly, there is also Human Resource System which is seen to capture number of employees, positions and spell out their job requirements. Furthermore, there is the Enterprise System which seeks to automate the entire system to work to work together, thus executing the business process across different levels to achieve managerial efficiency and customer satisfaction. Finally, Executive Support System is also seen in place where with just the click of the mouse, reports approved boosting accuracy and productivity.
From the above, Transaction Process System spells out rules for the staff to comply with as well as creating a maximum amount for airfare, hotel rooms and meals. It tracks vendors as well as how expenses are run. On the part of managements, the Transaction Process Systems helps in monitoring of expenditure. Management through the help of the Enterprise system gets a feed back on activities as well as return on investment. It also assists in making preferences as regarding vendor services.
QUES 2: What problems do automated expense reporting systems solve for companies? How do they provide value for companies that use them?
Answer: With the use of the system, managerial decisions like minimising cost, increasing efficiency in service, achieving higher profits margins and if possible minimising or preventing fraud is achieved. With the inculcation of automation of the system the problem of accuracy of data has been solved as well as fraud detection. The problem of maximum compliance to corporate policies and governmental regulations has been a thing of the past. Problems arising from employees in conjunction with flight booking have been dismissed.
There has also been easy access to data importation from corporate credit cards. In pursuance of efficiency, not withstanding excellence the, the system has catalysed cliental level achieve through satisfaction. Once customers are duly satisfied, they have full confidence in the company and the result is the number keep increasing implying higher profit margins.
QUES 3: Compare MarketStar’s process for travel and entertainment expense reporting with its new process based on Concur Expense Service. Diagram the two processes?
Answer: Comparing time spent in the manual process to time spent in the systemised process, it is evident that less time is spent as well as reduction in labour. Therefore, there is cost effectiveness. MarketStar’s processes for travel and entertainment expense reporting used to be paper based which involves manual way of doing thing. This was quite time consuming and labour intensive because six hundred and fifty (650) out of thousand, two hundred (1,200) employees file the expense reports to the accounts department regularly.
Also, three full time employees were required to check proper tabulation and coding approval process and audit expense report per week which delays for several weeks. However, the Concur Expense Service uses software which automates the travel and expenses reporting process through data provided via the web interface wherever they are working with computer, telephone or palm held device which makes them faster, reduces cost and labour. It also ensures efficiency and effectiveness as the Concur Expense Service controls and minimises fraud and help companies comply with corporate and governmental policies and regulation.
Consequently, with the Concur Software, employees who are not working are identified and unauthorised purchases are detected and the employees are able tie their expense to specific projects to client specification.
