NOTE: Free essay sample provided on this page should be used for references or sample purposes only. The sample essay is available to anyone, so any direct quoting without mentioning the source will be considered plagiarism by schools, colleges and universities that use plagiarism detection software. To get a completely brand-new, plagiarism-free essay, please use our essay writing service.
One click instant price quote
... everyone is comparing the products based on a fair method of comparison. Interviews and demonstrations can occur simultaneously but it may not be appropriate to have the same staff and executives at demonstrations versus interviews. The technical team will want to be present for both, however, the executive team may defer to the technicians instead of attending the demonstrations.
Examples of financial reports that are the result of the scenarios process may be reviewed by the executive team at some point during the interview process or afterward when they can be more thoroughly discussed with the technical team. &# 61608; Evaluation, references, selection Reference checks will help you understand more fully whom the vendor is, how he or she works with other clients, the competence level of the vendor and how reliable he or she is when trouble occurs. A desirable product is determined primarily on how well the product meets the requirements of a particular business. There are several issues a business needs to be concerned about when reviewing software features. Specifically, the software should be easily understood and easy to use. Timely support from the software company and vendor is essential. The system must be flexible in that reports can be customized to fit the needs of the business.
Secured entry and transaction handling must be available with appropriate input, output and processing controls in place. All team members should feel comfortable and confident with the selection. Once a determination is made that what the company sought to purchase (what it needs, not what might be called bells and whistles) matches as closely as possible what the vendor offers, enough time must be allowed for a thoughtful and successful implementation. Great Plains products are rated among the best in the middle-market software accounting market.
Those who rank accounting software packages look for several attributes: &# 61608; Good company behind the product, including good leadership &# 61608; Good financial reporting capabilities &# 61608; Good customization capabilities &# 61608; A well-developed and knowledgeable VAR channel &# 61608; Well-developed offering of third part add-on products &# 61608; Minimal amount of missing features Great Plains scores well in most of these categories. It was founded in 1981 and has become a global provider of accounting, financial and e-business applications served by over 1100 employees worldwide. With a sizable customer based of over 24, 000 customer sites, it has been listed in Forbes Magazine as "one of Forbes 200 Best Small Companies" and "one of Business Week's 100 Hot Growth Companies. " Plains continues to exceed expectations for earnings increasing by 34 % its revenues in the most recent quarter. Overall stockholder equity has gone from $ 133 million on May 31, 1999 to almost $ 203 million at the end of February 2000. Plains has earned several awards over as many years, including PC Magazine Editors' Choice when it reviewed multi-user Windows accounting systems. Excel Company presents a good comparison of Great Plains Dynamics with other upper-mid range accounting systems that shows, in most cases, the company scores extremely well in all functional areas by either providing the function themselves or through a third party server (web).
Other areas reviewed by Excel include server operating systems, database support and Microsoft compliance. Great Plains does not meet the needs of all server systems. In particular, Macintosh users cannot use the product. Customization and Financial Reporting features are important to all businesses. The Journal of Accountancy Online provides a review of middle market software for both categories. Great Plains Dynamics 5. 0 showed consistent strength in both areas, however, ratio reports are not provided without the purchase of Crystal Reports or another similar product.
Great Plains allows customers to customize reports, forms, user fields, and input screens to name a few of its customization features (web). Morgan Crucible, an international engineering group is headquartered in Windsor, UK. In 1997 the company began the search to replace a legacy system that would not meet the demands of the fast-approaching new millennium. The goal was to implement a new system by mid 1998. After identifying the business' information needs, specifications were drawn up. Much research was done to identify an initial list of products and vendors that looked like they could match the requirements.
After hiring a consultant to review the list, a short list of five suppliers was identified. From that list, Morgan Crucible selected Great Plains Dynamics. Michele La Riviere, the lead person for Morgan Crucible indicated "there were two main considerations that finally swung the decision in favour of Dynamics. One was that it was a 32 -bit, fully Windows-compliant product, and had been developed as such, rather than being written for DOS with Windows patched on top of it. The other consideration was the analysis capability. " Having met the July 1998 deadline, Morgan Crucible has nothing but good to say about Great Dynamics product, employees, and the value-added reseller (VAR). Whenever glitches occurred, the VAR was available.
End-user training was provided with the VAR explaining the Dynamics system while La Riviere spoke specifically to how it applied to the business' applications. La Riviere pointed out that, "like the implementers, the support staff have a good understanding of the accounting issues. " Dynamics provides a menu of training and support options to meet the specific desires of its customers. Many technical support service options are available through the local software consultant and Dynamics. A unique feature offered by the business is the "Great Plains University. " In existence for more than 10 years, this program provides "traditional and online classroom training throughout the United States and internationally. " Demos, evaluations, desktop movies, and white papers are also available for review. Soft Letter and the Association of Support Professionals have given Great Plains Software high marks for its customer support site known as Customer Source. Customers note that Customer Source provides them ready access to support that is easy to use and very responsive to the customer's needs.
Dynamics provides a good cross-section of input, processing, and output application controls. Because risk is inherently involved when it comes to handling financial transactions, businesses must take as much precaution as possible to reduce the temptation to use internal information inappropriately and to prevent poor decision-making as a result of bad information. The personal analysis will focus on three main areas: ease of use, Bibliography:
Free research essays on topics related to: dynamics, plains, accounting systems, financial reporting, great plains
Research essay sample on Great Plains Financial Reporting
