Podcasts about Enterprise resource planning

In this special episode of the Oracle University Podcast, Bill Lawson and Nikita Abraham chat with Peter Fernandez, Senior Director of Cloud Certification at Oracle University, about the exciting new Raise Your Game challenge. They discuss how the initiative is designed to enhance participants' skills in Oracle Fusion Cloud Applications and Oracle Cloud Success Navigator. They also cover key details about the challenge, such as how to get started, who can participate, the way it is structured, and the prizes up for grabs.   Raise Your Game: https://education.oracle.com/raise-your-game-saas Oracle University Learning Community:  https://education.oracle.com/ou-community LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/oracle-university/ X: https://x.com/Oracle_Edu   Special thanks to Arijit Ghosh, David Wright, Kris-Ann Nansen, and the OU Studio Team for helping us create this episode.   ------------------------------------------------------------------   Episode Transcript: 00:00 Welcome to the Oracle University Podcast, the first stop on your cloud journey. During this series of informative podcasts, we'll bring you foundational training on the most popular Oracle technologies. Let's get started! 00:25 Bill: Welcome to the Oracle University Podcast. I'm Bill Lawson, Senior Director of Cloud Applications Product Management with Oracle University, and with me is Nikita Abraham, Team Lead of Editorial Services. Nikita: Hi everyone! Last week, we concluded our three-part series on multicloud, and today, we're shifting gears and exploring an exciting new challenge that's been thrown down by Oracle University. To tell us all about it, we have Peter Fernandez joining us. Peter is Senior Director of Cloud Certification at Oracle University. Hi Peter! We're thrilled to have you with us today! Peter: Hi Niki, hi Bill! I'm delighted to be here. 01:02 Bill: So, Peter, let's get straight into it. What's this new challenge all about?  Peter: The challenge, which we're calling Raise Your Game, is an incredible opportunity for anyone looking to gain knowledge and gain professional skills about Oracle's Fusion Cloud Applications. We launched a skills challenge on Feb 14, and it will continue until May 15, 2025. This challenge encourages you to build expertise in two key areas: Oracle Fusion Cloud Applications and Oracle Cloud Success Navigator.  This training is geared towards anyone who could be a student in higher ed or someone pursuing a business degree, and Oracle customers and partners who are new to Oracle's Applications or experienced consultants implementing business applications.  01:55 Nikita: And how exactly does the challenge help in building this expertise? Peter: The challenge has two levels. In Level 1, you'll need to complete an Oracle Fusion Cloud Apps Foundations course and pass the corresponding exam. These courses are designed to deepen your understanding of the technology enablers in Oracle's Fusion Cloud Applications and learn about Oracle's Modern Best Practice, or OMBP. These are extremely helpful throughout all phases in the journey when implementing and using Oracle Fusion Cloud Applications. The Foundation training itself covers a wide range of topics, including core OMBP processes, key performance metrics, implementation considerations, and technology enablers like AI, ML, mobile, and analytics.  02:49 Bill: Before we move on, Peter, can you tell us more about Oracle Modern Best Practice? We discussed it a few weeks back, but for anyone who missed that episode, it'll be nice to get a quick refresher. Peter: Sure, Bill. Implementing Oracle Fusion Cloud Applications successfully is more than just technology—it's about following best practices that drive efficiency and success and tie back to business requirements.  Oracle Modern Best Practice represent years of accumulated experience, industry insights, and proven methodologies. It serves as a guiding framework for implementing efficient business processes within Oracle Fusion Cloud Applications. These best practices map the features and innovations within Oracle applications to the processes that customers perform every day, and that is key.  These curated, industry-leading practices detail how the features that we have built using the most modern technologies can be leveraged to optimize operations.  Having a solid grasp of an OMBP and its associated technology enablers will empower you to ensure smoother business operations and higher customer satisfaction. It will show you how to automate activities, streamline tasks, improve results, and set your team up for continued success.  The goal of these courses is to make it easy for implementers, global process owners, IT teams to identify every opportunity to improve an organization's business processes with Oracle Fusion Cloud Applications.  04:33 Bill: So, getting back to Level 1, what do I earn when I complete it? Peter: When you complete this level, you'll earn a Level 1 Oracle University Learning Community badge. This recognizes that you have foundational knowledge in your chosen Fusion application. 04:48 Bill: That sounds exciting. And then there's a Level 2? Peter: There is also a Level 2 and where things get even more exciting. You're going to take your knowledge to the next level by completing the Oracle Cloud Success Navigator Essentials course and passing the associated assessment.  This level in the challenge focuses on particularly applying the knowledge you gained in Level 1 where you'll explore the Oracle Cloud Success Navigator's features and functionality, and get the skills you need to lead organizations through their Oracle Fusion Cloud Applications implementation journey.  05:25 Nikita: And when I complete Level 2, I earn another badge? Peter: That's right, Niki. When you successfully complete Level 2, you'll earn a special Level 2 Oracle University Learning Community badge.  The goal of Raise Your Game is to reach the Summit by completing both Level 1 and Level 2 challenges with the fastest time and the highest pass scores. Both these combined determine your position on the leaderboard and your position in the Top 500, which will be awarded separate prizes at the end of the challenge.  05:59 Nikita: So, when you're done, you'll have both theoretical and practical knowledge. And I understand that there are some fantastic prizes up for grabs? Peter: Absolutely, Niki.  This not only helps with both theoretical but also practical knowledge. Learners also have a chance to be featured on the leaderboard in the Oracle University Learning Community. The leaderboard showcases the people who have achieved Level 1 and Level 2 with the fastest times and the highest scores. Along with the badges I told you about, at the end of the promotion, the top 500 people who complete both Level 1 and Level 2 with the fastest time and highest pass scores will receive an Oracle-branded cap, an Oracle Success Navigator pin, and a special Oracle University Community Success Navigator digital badge.  06:52 Bill: So, Peter, who can participate in this challenge, and are there any prerequisites? Peter: The challenge is open to anyone interested in expanding their knowledge of Oracle Cloud Applications. And while there are no strict prerequisites, a basic understanding of business concepts and some familiarity with Oracle Cloud Applications is recommended.  This will ensure that you're able to make the most of the learning materials and engage with the content effectively. You can always check the program overview on the website if you have more questions about this challenge. We've got an FAQ posted there that should answer most anything you are curious about. 07:31 Bill: That's good to know, Peter. And the fact that I get started no matter my level of experience is great news, too. Peter: Absolutely, Bill. Even if you are a beginner fresh out of college, or a seasoned pro like I mentioned earlier who has been implementing Oracle Fusion Cloud Applications (or other applications) for years, I would recommend the challenge and training to you.  Basically, this training is for everyone. This program provides foundational knowledge to improve the implementation approach using Oracle Modern Best Practices. Even those individuals that are certified in Cloud Applications will benefit from learning how these modern best practices fit into their work.  08:12 Nikita: Ok, Peter, I'm ready to do it. How do I get started with the challenge? Peter: That's great. The first step, of course, is to register. And you can do this by visiting oracle.com/education. That's Oracle's main site. oracle.com/education. And select the first tile that you'll see on the webpage, which is the Raise Your Game challenge. If you don't already have an Oracle MyLearn account, you'll need to create one and you'll be prompted to create one. This account gives you access to the Oracle MyLearning platform. Once you're registered, you'll have access to a curated list of learning paths and corresponding certifications. It's important that you review the official rules and promotion details before proceeding with the challenge.  09:12 Unlock the power of AI Vector Search with our new course and certification. Get more accurate search results, handle complex datasets easily, and supercharge your data-driven decisions. From now to May 15, 2025, we are waiving the certification exam fee (valued at $245). Visit mylearn.oracle.com to enroll. 09:40 Nikita: Welcome back! Ok, Peter, I've registered. What's next? Peter: After you're done registering, you need to select the Cloud Application course that aligns with your interests and goals. We have courses on four different areas: Human Capital Management, Enterprise Resource Planning, Supply Chain Management, and Customer Experience. Once you complete the training and certification, you're done with Level 1.  For Level 2, we have the Oracle Cloud Success Navigator Essentials course and assessment that you will need to complete. You can check your status on the leaderboard in the Oracle University Learning Community and share your progress on social media. Like I was saying, the time taken to complete each of these levels and the higher scores earned determines the Top 500 winners.  10:36 Bill: And the best part of this challenge is that it's completely free, right? Peter: Absolutely. There is no cost associated with participating in the skills challenge. It is completely free for anyone, anywhere in the world to participate as long as they comply with the official rules of the promotion. You can take any or all of the Foundation Associate certification exams at no cost. With multiple free attempts, there is no time limit for completing the exams, but to be eligible for the prizes, you must complete the exams and assessments by May 15, 2025. That's midnight GMT. 11:16 Nikita: What if someone doesn't pass the certification exam on their first attempt? Peter: If someone does not pass the certification exam on their first attempt, we understand that not everyone does. We've made provisions for that. If you don't pass the foundations associate certification exam, you have the option to retake the exam many times over. 11:37 Nikita: Now, Peter, let's say someone has already registered for the Fusion Cloud Applications Foundations Associate certification exam before joining the skills challenge. Will their exam be considered for the prizes? Peter: Well, that's a great question, Niki. If someone has already registered for the exam before joining the challenge, their exam will be considered for the prizes as long as they first join the skills challenge. This ensures that everyone who engages with the challenge has a fair chance to win. 12:06 Bill: Does course content consumed before the start of the challenge count towards the awards and badges? Peter: Unfortunately no, Bill. Any content consumed or purchased before Feb 14, 2025, that's again 12 AM GMT, does not apply retroactively to awards or prizes in the Raise Your Game challenge. We want everyone to start on an equal footing here. 12:29 Nikita: What about certifications earned before the challenge began? Peter: Again, certifications earned before Feb 14, 2025, again 12 AM GMT, do not qualify for the promotion. That ensures again that the challenge is fair for all participants. 12:48 Nikita: Now, Peter, how many free exam attempts do participants get as part of the challenge? Peter: Since all the Oracle Fusion Cloud Applications Foundations Associate Certification exams are free, there is no limit to the number of attempts. Participants can take these exams as many times as they need to. 13:05 Bill: And, Peter, say I want to take more than one of the Foundations courses and exams. Can I do that? Peter: Absolutely. This is a great way for someone to learn about the different areas of business that they may be familiar with. As I mentioned earlier, the Oracle Fusion Cloud Applications Foundations training is a program to provide you with knowledge of OMBPs, Oracle Modern Best Practices, that is, and Fusion Cloud Applications. So, it's a great opportunity to cross-skill. You can earn all four certifications if you choose. 13:38 Bill: Peter, thank you so much for joining us today and telling us all about this challenge. It is a really fantastic opportunity for everyone, whether you're new to Fusion Cloud Applications or an experienced implementation professional, to boost your Oracle Cloud Apps expertise. We're really excited to try it out ourselves! Peter: A sincere thank you to you, Bill and Niki. It's been an absolute pleasure. I'd really encourage everyone to jump on this challenge. It's a great way to enhance your learning journey and have some fun along the way. Nikita: I couldn't agree more! Thanks Peter. That's a wrap on this episode. Join us next week for another episode of the Oracle University Podcast. Until then, this is Nikita Abraham… Bill: And Bill Lawson, signing off! 14:19 That's all for this episode of the Oracle University Podcast. If you enjoyed listening, please click Subscribe to get all the latest episodes. We'd also love it if you would take a moment to rate and review us on your podcast app. See you again on the next episode of the Oracle University Podcast.

In this special episode of the Oracle University Podcast, hosts Lois Houston and Nikita Abraham dive into Oracle Fusion Cloud Applications and the new courses and certifications on offer. They are joined by Oracle Fusion Apps experts Patrick McBride and Bill Lawson who introduce the concept of Oracle Modern Best Practice (OMBP), explaining how it helps organizations maximize results by mapping Fusion Application features to daily business processes. They also discuss how the new courses educate learners on OMBP and its role in improving Fusion Cloud Apps implementations.   OMBP: https://www.oracle.com/applications/modern-best-practice/ Oracle University Learning Community: https://education.oracle.com/ou-community LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/oracle-university/ X: https://x.com/Oracle_Edu   Special thanks to Arijit Ghosh, David Wright, Kris-Ann Nansen, Radhika Banka, and the OU Studio Team for helping us create this episode.   ---------------------------------------------------------   Episode Transcript:   00:00 Welcome to the Oracle University Podcast, the first stop on your cloud journey. During this series of informative podcasts, we'll bring you foundational training on the most popular Oracle technologies. Let's get started! 00:25 Nikita: Welcome to the Oracle University Podcast! I'm Nikita Abraham, Team Lead of Editorial Services with Oracle University, and with me is Lois Houston, Director of Innovation Programs.  Lois: Hi everyone! For the last two months, we've been focusing on all things MySQL. But today, we wanted to share some really exciting news about new courses and certifications on Oracle Fusion Cloud Applications that feature Oracle Modern Best Practice, or OMBP, and Oracle Cloud Success Navigator.  00:57 Nikita: And to tell us more about this, we have two very special guests joining us today. Patrick McBride is a Senior Director from the Fusion Application Development organization. He leads the Oracle Modern Best Practice Program office for Oracle. And Bill Lawson is a Senior Director for Cloud Applications Product Management here at Oracle University. We'll first ask Patrick about Oracle Modern Best Practice and then move on to Bill for details about the new training and certification we're offering. Patrick, Bill, thanks for being here today.   Patrick: Hey, Niki and Lois, thanks for the invitation. Happy to be here.  Bill: Hi Niki, Lois. 01:32 Lois: Patrick, let's start with some basic information about what OMBP are. Can you tell us a little about why they were created? Patrick: Sure, love to. So, modern best practices are more than just a business process. They're really about translating features and technology into actionable capabilities in our product. So, we've created these by curating industry leading best practices we've collected from our customers over the years. And ensure that the most modern technologies that we've built into the Fusion Application stack are represented inside of those business processes. Our goal is really to help you as customers improve your business operations by easily finding and applying those technologies to what you do every day.  02:18 Nikita: So, by understanding these modern best practice and the technology that enables it, you're really unlocking the full potential of Fusion Apps.  Patrick: Absolutely. So, the goal is that modern best practice make it really easy for customers, implementers, partners, to see the opportunity and take action. 02:38 Lois: That's great. OK, so, let's talk about implementations, Patrick. How do Oracle Modern Best Practice support customers throughout the lifecycle of an Oracle Fusion Cloud implementation? Patrick: What we found during many implementers' journey with taking our solution and trying to apply it with customers is that customers come in with a long list of capabilities that they're asking us to replicate. What they've always done in the past. And what modern best practice is trying to do is help customers to reimage the art of the possible…what's possible with Fusion by taking advantage of innovative features like AI, like IoT, like, you know, all of the other solutions that we built in to help you automate your processes to help you get the most out of the solution using the latest and greatest technology. So, if you're an implementer, there's a number of ways a modern best practice can help during an implementation. First is that reimagine exercise where you can help the customer see what's possible. And how we can do it in a better way. I think more importantly though, as you go through your implementation, many customers aren't able to get everything done by the time they have to go live. They have a list of things they've deferred and modern best practices really establishes itself as a road map for success, so you can go back to it at the completion and see what's left for the opportunity to take advantage of and you can use it to track kind of the continuous innovation that Oracle delivers with every release and see what's changed with that business process and how can I get the most out of it. 04:08 Nikita: Thanks, Patrick. That's a great primer on OMBP that I'm sure everyone will find very helpful. Patrick: Thanks, Niki. We want our customers to understand the value of modern best practices so they can really maximize their investment in Oracle technology today and in the future as we continue to innovate. 04:24 Lois: Right. And the way we're doing that is through new training and certifications that are closely aligned with OMBP. Bill, what can you tell us about this? Bill: Yes, sure. So, the new Oracle Fusion Applications Foundations training program is designed to help partners and customers understand Oracle Modern Best Practice and how they improve the entire implementation journey with Fusion Cloud Applications. As a learner, you will understand how to adhere to these practices and how they promise a greater level of success and customer satisfaction. So, whether you're designing, or implementing, or going live, you'll be able to get it right on day one. So, like Patrick was saying, these OMBPs are reimagined, industry-standard business processes built into Fusion Applications. So, you'll also discover how technologies like AI, Mobile, and Analytics help you automate tasks and make smarter decisions. You'll see how data flows between processes and get tips for successful go-lives. So, the training we're offering includes product demonstrations, key metrics, and design considerations to give you a solid understanding of modern best practice. It also introduces you to Oracle Cloud Success Navigator and how it can be leveraged and relied upon as a trusted source to guide you through every step of your cloud journey, so from planning, designing, and implementation, to user acceptance testing and post-go-live innovations with each quarterly new release of Fusion Applications and those new features. And then, the training also prepares you for Oracle Cloud Applications Foundations certifications.                   05:55 Nikita: Which applications does the training focus on, Bill? Bill: Sure, so the training focuses on four key pillars of Fusion Apps and the associated OMBP with them. For Human Capital Management, we cover Human Resources and Talent Management. For Enterprise Resource Planning, it's all about Financials, Project Management, and Risk Management. In Supply Chain Management, you'll look at Supply Chain, Manufacturing, Inventory, Procurement, and more. And for Customer Experience, we'll focus on Marketing, Sales, and Service. 06:24 Lois: That's great, Bill. Now, who is the training and certification for?  Bill: That's a great question. So, it's really for anyone who wants to get the most out of Oracle Fusion Cloud Applications. It doesn't matter if you're an experienced professional or someone new to Fusion Apps, this is a great place to start. It's even recommended for professionals with experience in implementing other applications, like on-premise products. The goal is to give you a solid foundation in Oracle Modern Best Practice and show you how to use them to improve your implementation approach. We want to make it easy for anyone, whether you're an implementer, a global process owner, or an IT team employee, to identify every way Fusion Applications can improve your organization. So, if you're new to Fusion Apps, you'll get a comprehensive overview of Oracle Fusion Applications and how to use OMBP to improve business operations. If you're already certified in Oracle Cloud Applications and have years of experience, you'll still benefit from learning how OMBP fits into your work.  If you're an experienced Fusion consultant who is new to Oracle Modern Best Practice processes, this is a good place to begin and learn how to apply them and the latest technology enablers during implementations.  And, lastly, if you're an on-premise or you have non-Fusion consultant skills looking to upskill to Fusion, this is a great way to begin acquiring the knowledge and skills needed to transition to Fusion and migrate your existing expertise. 07:53 Raise your game with the Oracle Cloud Applications skills challenge. Get free training on Oracle Fusion Cloud Applications, Oracle Modern Best Practice, and Oracle Cloud Success Navigator. Pass the free Oracle Fusion Cloud Foundations Associate exam to earn a Foundations Associate certification. Plus, there's a chance to win awards and prizes throughout the challenge! What are you waiting for? Join the challenge today by visiting oracle.com/education. 08:27 Nikita: Welcome back! Bill, how long is it going to take me to complete this training program? Bill: So, we wanted to make this program detailed enough so our learners find it valuable, obviously. But at the same time, we didn't want to make it too long. So, each course is approximately 5 hours or more, and provides folks with all the requisite knowledge they need to get started with Oracle Modern Best Practice and Fusion Applications.  08:51 Lois: Bill, is there anything that I need to know before I take this course? Are there any prerequisites? Bill: No, Lois, there are no prerequisites. Like I was saying, whether you're fresh out of college or a seasoned professional, this is a great place to start your journey into Fusion Apps and Oracle Modern Best Practice. 09:06 Nikita: That's great, you know, that there are no barriers to starting. Now, Bill, what can you tell us about the certification that goes along with this new program?  Bill: The best part, Niki, is that it's free. In fact, the training is also free. We have four courses and corresponding Foundation Associate–level certifications for Human Capital Management, Enterprise Resource Planning, Supply Chain Management, and Customer Experience. So, completing the training prepares you for an hour-long exam with 25 questions. It's a pretty straightforward way to validate your expertise in Oracle Modern Best Practice and Fusion Apps implementation considerations. 09:40 Nikita: Ok. Say I take this course and certification. What can I do next? Where should my learning journey take me? Bill: So, you're building knowledge and expertise with Fusion Applications, correct? So, once you take this training and certification, I recommend that you identify a product area you want to specialize in. So, if you take the Foundations training for HCM, you can dive deeper into specialized paths focused on implementing Human Resources, Workforce Management, Talent Management, or Payroll applications, for example.  The same goes for other product areas. If you finish the certification for Foundations in ERP, you may choose to specialize in Finance or Project Management and get your professional certifications there as your next step. So, once you have this foundational knowledge, moving on to advanced learning in these areas becomes much easier. We offer various learning paths with associated professional-level certifications to deepen your knowledge and expertise in Oracle Fusion Cloud Applications. So, you can learn more about these courses by visiting oracle.com/education/training/ to find out more of what Oracle University has to offer. 10:43 Lois: Right. I love that we have a clear path from foundational-level training to more advanced levels. So, as your skills grow, we've got the resources to help you move forward.  Nikita: That's right, Lois. Thanks for walking us through all this, Patrick and Bill. We really appreciate you taking the time to join us on the podcast. Bill: Yeah, it's always a pleasure to join you on the podcast. Thank you very much. Patrick: Oh, thanks for having me, Lois. Happy to be here. Lois: Well, that's all the time we have for today. If you have questions or suggestions about anything we discussed today, you can write to us at ou-podcast_ww@oracle.com. That's ou-podcast_ww@oracle.com. Until next time, this is Lois Houston… Nikita: And Nikita Abraham, signing off! 11:29 That's all for this episode of the Oracle University Podcast. If you enjoyed listening, please click Subscribe to get all the latest episodes. We'd also love it if you would take a moment to rate and review us on your podcast app. See you again on the next episode of the Oracle University Podcast.

In this episode of Inside SAP S/4HANA Cloud, Yannick Peterschmitt explores the early stages of Connect44's journey from SAP Business ByDesign to SAP S/4HANA Cloud Public Edition. The podcast features Xenopol Oprea, Product Manager at telecoms infrastructure provider Connect44, and Raphael Finck, CEO of SAP partner Snap. They discuss the challenges, best practices, and experiences of the initial phases of this major project. Learn about the key considerations in selecting the right partner, the importance of a cloud mindset, and the role of SAP Digital Discovery Assessment in optimizing business processes. Tune in to hear how Connect44 is navigating this significant transition and the insights gained so far. And stay tuned for more episodes with Connect 44 and Snap in the future. What topic would you like us to discuss next? Send an email to insides4@sap.com.

The Enterprise is a cutting-edge weekly podcast designed for technology executives and IT decision makers, hosted by Moor Insights & Strategy analysts Melody Brue and Robert Kramer. In this first episode, Melody and Robert take a look at some of the important innovations in 2024 and what they expect to see in 2025. Podcast Overview and Key Discussion Topics The weekly podcast will dive deep into critical enterprise technology domains, including: - Enterprise Resource Planning: Latest innovations in ERP systems - Supply Chain Management (SCM): Strategies for optimizing global operations and leveraging cloud and AI - Modern Workplace Technologies: Tools and platforms transforming business collaboration and HR/HCM - Data Management: Insights into enterprise data intelligence and analytics - Emerging Technologies: AI, machine learning, automation, and their impact on business operations The Enterprise provides actionable insight for technology leaders, covering: - Cutting-edge enterprise software trends - Strategic technology adoption strategies - Real-world case studies and implementation approaches - Expert analysis from seasoned technology analysts Tune in weekly to stay ahead of the rapidly evolving enterprise technology landscape.

This show has been flagged as Explicit by the host. Greetings and welcome to Hacker Public Radio. My name is Peter Paterson, also known as SolusSpider, a Scotsman living in Kentucky, USA. This is my second HPR recording. The first was episode 4258 where I gave my introduction and computer history. Once again I am recording the audio on my Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra phone, running Android 14, with Audio Recorder by Axet. The app was installed from F-Droid. Markdown For my Shownotes I learned to use Markdown by using the ReText app, which allows me to write in one window and preview the result in another. What is this show about? When I visited Archer72, AKA Mark Rice, in November 2024 in his University of Kentucky trauma room I reminded him that I work for God's Pantry Food Bank. He said he wanted to hear more, and highly suggested that I record the story as an HPR show, so here we are. I plan to ask the questions I hear from so many, and attempt to answer them as best I am able. What is the History of God's Pantry Food Bank? Reading directly from the About-Us page of Godspantry.org Mim Hunt, the founder of God's Pantry Food Bank, vowed to leave "the heartbreaking profession of social work" behind when she returned to her hometown of Lexington after serving as a child welfare worker in 1940's New York City. She and her husband, Robert, opened "Mim's," a combination gift shop, antique gallery, and health food store, but after seeing poverty in Lexington that rivaled what she'd fought against in New York, she found herself unable to remain silent. Mim began her work in Lexington by filling her station wagon with food, clothing, and bedding, and distributing it directly to individuals in need. Soon, neighbors were bringing food donations to what became known as "Mim's Pantry" located at her home on Lexington's Parkers Mill Road. But Mim quickly corrected them. "I don't fill these shelves," she said. "God does. This is God's Pantry." God's Pantry Food Bank was born out of this work in 1955 and remained mobile until the first pantry was opened in 1959. Since its founding, the food bank has grown in many ways. What started with one woman attempting to do what she could to address a need is now an organization serving 50 counties in Central and Eastern Kentucky through a number of programs with a dedicated staff committed to the mission of solving hunger. Mim Hunt devoted her life to helping others, and we continue to honor her legacy at God's Pantry Food Bank. Her work is proof that one person, with every small action, can make a large impact. We invite you to join us in continuing Mim's work. Where have been the locations of the main Food Bank facility? My ex-workmate Robert Srodulski recently wrote a reply in Facebook when our newest building was announced. He stated: "If I count right, this is the 6th main warehouse location in Lexington. Congratulations! > Mim's house and car Oldham Avenue garage A building next to Rupp Arena (which is now gone) Forbes Road Jaggie Fox Way, Innovation Drive." My friend Robert was employed by the Food Bank for 26 years. I am chasing his time as the longest lasting male employee. Two ladies have longer service times: Debbie Amburgey with 36.5 years in our Prestonsburg facility. She started on 19th October 1987. Sadly my good friend Debbie passed earlier this year, and I miss her greatly. She never retired. Danielle Bozarth with currently just under 30 years. She started on 30th May 1995. It would take me just over 11 years to catch up with Debbie's service record, which would take me to the age of 68. Unsure if I shall still be employed by then! What exactly do I mean by Food Bank? In February 2023 I wrote a blog post with my explanation of Food Bank. My website is LinuxSpider.net, and you will find the direct link in the shownotes. The blog was written as a response to friends, mostly from the United Kingdom, asking me very this question. To many there, and indeed here in USA also, what is called a Food Bank is what I call a local Food Pantry. Nobody is wrong here at all. We all gather food from various sources and distribute it to our neighbours who are in food insecure need. Most Pantries are totally staffed by volunteers and often open limited hours. The Food Bank has a larger scope in where we source food from, the amount sourced, does have paid staff but still dependent on volunteers, and we are open at least 40 hours a week. More if you include projects that involve evenings and Saturdays. God's Pantry Food Bank has a service area which includes 50 of the 120 Counties of Kentucky, covering central, southern, and eastern, including part of Appalachia. When I started in 1999 we were distributing 6 million pounds weight of food per year. This is about 150 semi-truckloads. Over 25 years later we are looking at distributing about 50 million pounds this year, about 1,250 truckloads. Over 40% of our distribution is fresh produce. We are an hunger relief organisation, so this amount of food is assisting our neighbours in need. In those 50 Counties we have about 400 partner agencies. Many of these agencies are Soup Kitchens, Children's Programs, Senior Programs, as well as Food Pantries. God's Pantry Food Bank is partnered with the Feeding America network of 198 Food Banks. In my early years I knew them as America's Second Harvest. In 2008 they changed name to Feeding America. Their website is FeedingAmerica.org What they do is outlined in their our-work page, including: Ensuring everyone can get the food they need with respect and dignity. Advocating for policies that improve food security for everyone. Partnering to address the root causes of food insecurity, like the high cost of living and lack of access to affordable housing. Working with local food banks and meal programs. Ending hunger through Food Access, Food Rescue, Disaster Response, and Hunger Research. I have visited a few other Food Banks, but not as many as I would have liked. We all have our own areas of service, but do often interact as the needs arise, especially in times of disaster. The Feeding America network came to Kentucky's aid in the past few years with the flooding in the East and tornadoes in the West. Feeding America aided the Food Banks affected by the devastation from Hurricanes Helene and Milton. How did I get started at the Food Bank? As mentioned in my introduction show I moved from Scotland to Kentucky in May 1999 and married Arianna in June 1999. Before our wedding I had received my green card. My future Mother-in-Law Eva recommended I check with God's Pantry Food Bank to see if they were hiring. She was working for Big Lots and had applied for a warehouse job at the Food Bank. Unfortunately for her she never got the job, but she was quite impressed by the organisation. She knew that I had warehouse and driving experience. So, one day after dropping Arianna at her University of Kentucky Medical Staff Office I stopped by the Food Bank on South Forbes Road to ask. The answer was that they were indeed hiring for the warehouse, and to come back that afternoon to meet with CW Drury, the Warehouse Manager. I drove home, put on smarter clothes, and drove back. It was a pleasure meeting CW and hearing about the job. Although most of the explanation of what they did in their mission went over my head at the time, I knew needed a job, and wanted to join this company. A few days before our wedding I received a phone call from CW offering me the position. I accepted and went for my medical the next day. My first day with God's Pantry Food Bank was on Tuesday 6th July 1999, the day after our honeymoon. I will admit that although my previous job in Scotland was a physical one, quite a few months had passed, and the heat was hot that Summer in Kentucky! I went home exhausted everyday, but totally enjoying the work I was doing. I started off mostly picking orders, assisting Agencies that came in, going to the local Kroger supermarkets to pick up bread, deliver and pick up food barrels of donations, and all the other duties CW assigned me to. I particularly enjoyed the software part of the job. I forget the name of the software back then, but do remember learning the 10 digit Item Codes. 1st is the source 2nd and 3rd are the category. There are 31 officially with Feeding America. next 6 is the unique UPC - usually from the item bar code 10th is the storage code of dry, cooler, or freezer The first code I memorised was Bread Products: 1040010731 This broke down to Donated, Bread Category, UPC number, and Dry Storage. I must admit we did not create a new code when we started storing Bread Product in the Cooler. That is probably the only exception It has been my responsibility all these years to maintain the Item Category Code sheet with different codings we have used and had to invent. An example is that when the source digit had already used 1 to 9, we had to start using letters. Although there were concerns at the time, everything worked out well. When I started at South Forbes Road there were 11 employees there and Debbie in Prestonsburg. 12 in total, in 2 locations. These days we have over 80 employees in 5 locations: Lexington, Prestonsburg, London, Morehead, and a Volunteer Center on Winchester Road, Lexington, near the Smuckers JIF Peanut Butter plant. My time at 104 South Forbes Road was for a full 4 weeks! In August 1999 we moved to 1685 Jaggie Fox Way, into a customised warehouse with 3 pallet tall racking, and lots of office space. It felt so large back then! On my first couple of days of unloading trucks there I totally wore out a pair of trainers!! Jaggie Fox does sound like a strange name for a street, but I later learned it came from 2 ladies, Mrs Jaggie and Mrs Fox who owned the land before the business park purchase. Anyway, that's what I have been told by mulitple people. Technology was fun in 1999, as we had a 56K phone modem, about 10 computers, and 1 printer. You can imagine the shared internet speed. I forget how long, but we eventually got DSL, then Cable. What have been my duties at the Food Bank? For my first decade of employment I worked the warehouse and as a driver. This included delivering food to the 4 to 5 local pantries that we ran ourselves in local church buildings in Fayette County. Funny story is that a couple of years into the job, I was approached by the Development Manager and asked if I knew websites and HTML. I informed her that I was familiar, and she made me responsible for the maintenance of the website that University of Kentucky students had created. It indeed was quite basic with only HTML and images. I had this duty for a few years before a professional company was hired. I mentioned Inventory software. In early 2000 we moved to an ERP, that is an Enterprise Resource Planning suite named Navision written by a Danish company. That company was then taken over by Microsoft. For as while it was called Microsoft NAV, and these days it is part of Dynamics 365. Feeding America commissioned a module named CERES which assisted us non-profits to use profit orientated software. Inhouse, we just call the software CERES. Even though I was no longer maintaining the website, I was still involved in IT to a degree. I became the inhouse guy who would set up new employees with their own computer. Ah, the days of Active Directory. I never did like it! I was also the guy the staff came to first with their computer problems. Funny how a lot of these issues were fixed when I walked in their office. If I could not fix an issue there and then, we did have a contract company on-call. They maintained our server and other high level software. This was still when I was in the warehouse role. After that first decade I was allocated to be our Welcome Center person, which I did for 3 years. This involved welcoming agencies, guests, salespersons, volunteers, and assisting other staff members in many ways. I also went from being a driver to the person who handed out delivery and pick-up routes to the drivers. During these years I became a heavy user of CERES working with the agencies and printing out pick-sheets to our warehouse picking staff. Although I really enjoyed the work, I will openly admit that I am not always the best in heavily social situations. I did have some difficulty when the Welcome Center was full of people needing my attention and I was trying to get software and paperwork duties done. Somehow I survived! My next stage of employment was moving into the offices and becoming the assistant to the Operations Director. This is when I really took on the role of food purchaser, ordering fresh produce and food from vendors as part of our budget. I also took over the responsibility of bidding for food donations from the Feeding America portal named Choice. National Donors offer truckloads of food and other items to the network, and we Food Banks bid on them in an allocated share system. The donations are free, but we pay for the truck freight from the shipping locations. A full time IT person was hired. We are now on our 4th IT Manager. The last 2 each had assistants. Although I am grandfathered in as an admin, my duties in this regard are very low, but still have the abity to install software as needed. Quite handy on my own laptop. As well as being the Food Procurement Officer I also became the Reporting Officer. This has been greatly aided by our team receiving the ability to write our own reports from the Navision SQL database using Jet Reporting. This is an Excel extension that allows us to access field data not directly obtainable in the CERES program. The fore-mentioned Robert Srodulski used to spend a day creating a monthly report that included all of our 50 counties across multiple categories of data. He would step by step complete an Excel worksheet with all this information. I took his spreadsheet, converted it into a Jet Report, and it now runs in about 5 minutes! It is my responsibility to supply reports on a regular monthly, quarterly, and yearly basis to my Directors, fellow staff, and to Feeding America. Yes, I do have an orange mug on my desk that says "I submitted my MPR". That is the Monthly Pulse Report. It sits next to my red swingline stapler! What are God's Pantry Food Bank's sources of food? This is probably the question I get asked the most when friends and online contacts find out what I do for a career. We receive and obtain food from various sources, including: Local donations from people like you. Thank you! Local farmers. Local retail companies and other businesses giving food directly to us and to our Partner Agencies. We are the official food charity of many retailers, including Walmart and Kroger. National Companies, mostly through the Feeding America Choice Program. The USDA, U.S. Department of Agriculture, supplies us with multiple programs of food: TEFAP (the Emergency Food Assistance Program), CCC (Commodity Credit Corporation), and CSFP (Commodity Supplemental Food Program). Purchased food, including Fresh Produce, via donations and grants. Without all this food coming in, we would not be able to distribute to our internal programs or to our partner agencies, allowing them to run Backpacks for Kids, Food Boxes for Seniors, Food Pantries, Mobile Distributions, Sharing Thanksgiving, and a multitude of other services we offer our neighbours. We have a team of Food Sourcers that work directly with the retail companies, so I am not fully involved there, but I am the main Food Purchaser for the majority of the food we buy. Specialised internal programs like Backpack and local Pantries do order specific foods that they need on a regular basis. I try to supply for the long term. With the USDA CSFP program I am responsible for the ordering of that food through a Government website. Often 6 to 12 months ahead of time. Here's a truth that staggers many people when I inform them: If you are spending cash on food donations to God's Pantry Food Bank, the most efficient use of those funds is to donate it to us. I truly can obtain about $10 worth of food for every $1 given. An example is that I recently obtained a full truckload donation of 40,000lb of Canned Sliced Beets (yum!) that we are paying only freight on. Do the maths. #Where is God's Pantry Food Bank located? As mentioned we have 5 locations, not including our own local pantries, but our main head office is at 2201 Innovation Drive Please check out our webpage at GodsPantry.org/2201innovationdrive as it includes an excellent animated walk-through tour of the offices and warehouse, including the Produce Cooler, Deli Cooler, and Freezer. They are massive! I personally waited until the very last day, Friday 13th of December, to move out of my Jaggie Fox office and into my new one at Innovation. Our official first day was on Monday 16th December 2024. What I tooted and posted on that Friday caught the eye of my CEO, Michael Halligan, and he asked me if he could share it with others. Of course he should! In the Shownotes I have included a link to my Mastodon toot. It's too long a number to read out. I am absolutely loving our new location. It's my challenge to fill the cooler, freezer, and dry warehouse with donated food! My new office is 97% set up to my workflow, including my infamous hanging report boards, and spiders everywhere. The last line of my blog says: All that said, it truly is the only job I have ever had which I absolutely enjoy, but totally wish did not exist!! This remains true. Our mission is: Reducing hunger by working together to feed Kentucky communities. Our vision is: A nourished life for every Kentuckian. #How may HPR listeners support God's Pantry Food Bank The quick answer is to go to our website of GodsPantry.org and click on Take Action. From there you will be given a list to choose from: Donate Food Volunteer Host a Food Drive or Fundraiser Become a Partner Attend an Event Advocate Other Ways to Help Thank you so much for listening to my HPR show on God's Pantry Food Bank. Apart from leaving a comment on the HPR show page, the easiest ways for people to contact me are via Telegram: at t.me/solusspider or Mastodon at @SolusSpider@linuxrocks.online I look forward to hearing from you. Now go forth, be there for your fellow neighbours, and record your own HPR show! … Adding this comment to the Shownotes, that I shall not be speaking aloud. Although I consider this show topic to be Clean, as it is basically about my life and work, not my beliefs, there may be some worldwide who hear the name God's Pantry and consider it to be religious. Therefore I am flagging the show as Explicit. just in case. It is merely the name of our non-profit Food Bank, as called by our founder Mim Hunt. Although the majority of our Partner Agencies are faith based non-profit organisations, the Food Bank itself is not faith based. … Provide feedback on this episode.

ERP connects to the EHR to tie financial records and patient information and create efficiencies in staffing and inventory control.

At the heart of The Prophets' vision are “The 24 Essential Supply Chain Processes.” What are they? Find out, and see the future yourself. Click here In this episode of the Auto Supply Chain Prophets podcast, hosts Terry Onica and Jan Griffiths explore one of the industry's most overlooked but critical aspects: Supplier Relationship Management (SRM).The discussion starts with reflections on Stellantis' layoffs, which got Jan thinking about how OEMs and the UAW still approach negotiations in a transactional way. The same old "tit-for-tat" mindset from her days in the supply chain continues, but the real question is, how can we move beyond this?Fresh off a trip to Belgium, Terry brings practical insights from a recent conference where she discussed the importance of internal collaboration. With so many moving parts—purchasing, quality, materials management, plant operations—the challenge is how to break down silos and get everyone aligned. The solution? SRM technology. With today's SRM tools, companies can finally achieve a "single version of the truth," enabling real-time data access and more reliable performance metrics.The recent disruptions have pushed risk management and ESG into the spotlight, highlighting the need for compliance. It's no longer a matter of "should we do this?" but "we absolutely must." Jan and Terry point out that for leaders listening, now is the time to commit to compliance. This is especially true as regulations increase and controls become tighter, making it mandatory to establish effective systems for managing suppliers.What shines through this episode is Terry's unwavering optimism. Despite being in the trenches of the auto supply chain for years, she stays passionate and hopeful because, as she explains, she's seen it work. She talks about her work with problematic suppliers and how walking them through the steps of MMOG/LE transformed their businesses. Even industries outside of automotive, like medical, have reaped the benefits of implementing these best practices.Join us for a thought-provoking episode that urges listeners to rethink supplier management and highlights the importance of leadership, collaboration, and a unified approach to data.Themes discussed in this episode:The need for the automotive supply chain to move from transactional to collaborative relationshipsThe role of Supplier Relationship Management (SRM) tools in fostering data transparency and shared accountability among stakeholdersHow leadership commitment is essential for driving supply chain transformation and addressing resource constraintsThe increasing demand for rigorous data accuracy and compliance in today's complex supply chain environmentThe potential of technology to revolutionize supply chain processes and improve overall efficiencyWhy regular evaluations of supplier performance are necessary to encourage accountability and sustained successHow implementing best practices from frameworks like MMOG/LE can significantly improve supplier collaboration and overall performanceFeatured on this episode: Name: Terry OnicaTitle: Director, Automotive at QADAbout: For two decades, Terry has been the automotive vertical director of this provider of manufacturing Enterprise Resource Planning software and supply chain solutions. Her career began in the supply chain in the late 1980s when she led a team to implement Electronic Data Interchange for all the Ford assembly and component plants.Connect:

Enterprise Resource Planning software runs at the heart of the world's largest organizations, helping to plan and operate companies, and underpinning the wave of globalization over the past 20 years. However, it too is about to evolve as the impact of GenAI deepens. This week, Dave, and Rob talk to Miranda Nash, GVP Applications Development & Strategy, Fusion AI at Oracle, about focusing on not just PoC, but how you scale AI, the evolution of ERP software, the use of Agents to drive higher levels of automation and this years Oracle CloudWorld.  We also pick through the evolving jargon of AI in an attempt to demystify it.TLDR 01:15 Confused about reaching the zenith of non-functional requirements (and the word Zentih) 06:00 Cloud conversation with Miranda Nash 35:50 Demystifying AI 45:00 Dancing to Cuban music!GuestMiranda Nash: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mirandanash/HostsDave Chapman: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chapmandr/Esmee van de Giessen: https://www.linkedin.com/in/esmeevandegiessen/Rob Kernahan: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rob-kernahan/ProductionMarcel van der Burg: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcel-vd-burg/Dave Chapman: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chapmandr/SoundBen Corbett: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ben-corbett-3b6a11135/Louis Corbett:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/louis-corbett-087250264/'Cloud Realities' is an original podcast from Capgemini

In this podcast episode, NTT DATA's Waliuollah Ali explores the multifaceted challenges and expectations surrounding the implementation of Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems in organizations. The discussion highlights the distinct needs of key stakeholders, including top management, departmental employees, and IT teams. Listeners will learn about the importance of real-time data for decision-making, the necessity of user-friendly interfaces for employees, and the critical role of cybersecurity in modern ERP systems. The episode emphasizes effective change management, data quality, and the strategic involvement of leadership to ensure successful ERP adoption and enhanced productivity across the organization.

Solutions360: https://solutions360.com/Follow Brad Dempsey: https://www.linkedin.com/in/braddempsey/Connect with Drew on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drew-slocum-65aa4233/Inspect Point is a cloud-based solution that supports fire and life safety professionals in their mission to make the world more secure. The web-based backend and a powerful mobile application enable companies to run their entire business from inspection to collection with one platform. Featuring a library of built-in NFPA & UL-C templates, Inspect Point is the most comprehensive fire protection platform on the market today. As technology advances, Inspect Point will support the fire protection industry each step of the way. Learn more about Inspect Point: https://www.inspectpoint.com

At the heart of The Prophets' vision are “The 24 Essential Supply Chain Processes.” What are they? Find out, and see the future yourself. Click here In this special milestone episode of the Auto Supply Chain Prophets podcast, co-hosts Terry Onica and Jan Griffiths celebrate reaching their 60th episode by revisiting six key moments from previous episodes that highlight the core mission of their show: preparing leaders in the auto industry for the future.First up is TS Tech's innovative approach to MMOG/LE standard implementation. They share how Wendy and Jeff, key figures in MMOG/LE compliance, shed light on the often-overlooked material side of the supply chain. Next, they explore risk management with insights from Christopher Mattingly, former VP of Transportation for Stellantis, who underscores the critical need for risk management in supply chains, sharing practical advice on contingency planning.Shifting gears to the EV space, they revisit the comeback story of Volta Truck, an EV startup, showing how important training and alignment are in overcoming challenges in the auto industry.In another segment, Terry and Jan delve into the enduring relevance of EDI, with Fred Coe likening it to the industry's lifeblood, and touch on the potential of new technologies like APIs. They also discuss QAD's Red Zone in an episode with Kevin Shayer, who explains how implementing the connected workforce solution boosted their company's productivity and engagement.The final highlight is the episode with Mike Payoink, whose passion for moving beyond spreadsheets to a standardized, automated process across different plants demonstrates the significant benefits of real-time visibility and collaboration in managing quality and supplier issues.In a captivating wrap-up, they identify five key success factors drawn from their extensive podcast journey, offering listeners actionable advice for navigating the future of the auto supply chain.Themes discussed in this episode:The importance of implementing the Materials Management Operations Guideline (MMOG/LE) and overcoming compliance challengesThe necessity of effective risk management and contingency planning in supply chainsThe role of teamwork and education in achieving compliance and operational successExploring the EV space with insights on an EV startup's recovery strategiesThe importance of comprehensive training and cross-functional collaboration in the automotive industryUnderstanding the enduring significance of EDI in the automotive supply chainIdentifying and reinforcing the key success factors that contribute to success in the automotive supply chainFeatured on this episode: Name: Terry OnicaTitle: Director, Automotive at QADAbout: For two decades, Terry has been the automotive vertical director of this provider of manufacturing Enterprise Resource Planning software and supply chain solutions. Her career began in supply chain in the late 1980s when she led a team to implement Electronic Data Interchange for all the Ford assembly and component plants.Connect: LinkedInName: Jan GriffithsTitle: President and Founder, Gravitas Detroit About: Jan is the architect of cultural change in the automotive industry. As the President and...

Catherine Gray, the host of Invest In Her, interviews Beth Hilbing and Dianne Gubin, the Co-CEO's of C- Sweet. C-Sweet is a 10,000+ organization whose mission “Is to foster executive level relationships for business development, collaboration, and expanded career paths.”   Beth Hilbing is a versatile, experienced, successful executive with extensive experience in managing infrastructure and global client services for the entertainment, insurance, aerospace, and banking industries. In her most recent role at Boeing Corporation as Sr. Program Manager and Principal IT Business Partner. Beth has a focus on innovative technologies in Engineering, Manufacturing and Supplier Management, and Digital Architecture and Applications.  Delivering agile, cost-competitive solutions, so customers can reduce costs, drive efficiency and optimize operations. Supporting mission-critical government programs and new business contracts estimated in 100 million in size and up.   Prior to that Beth was director of Global Collaboration Services at Northrop Grumman Corporation (NG), focused on engineering and operations to support collaboration technology spanning domestic and international operations for NG. Prior experience includes managing teams up to 600 in size, budget responsibility of $120 million+, Project/Product Management, Mergers and Acquisitions, Vendor Management, Cloud, Mobile, Cyber Security, Global Client Service Structure and Support, Application Support, and Financial management.    As a former Vice President for Northrop Grumman Federal Credit Union, Beth was responsible for all design and implementation for Information Technology Systems and Program Solutions, including Enterprise Resource Planning programs, Internet security, and disaster recovery. Managed Financial System Conversion, Disaster Recovery Planning, Cyber Security Audits.  Dianne Gubin, an Investment Banker and Principal for Capital InVentures, Dianne actively raises capital, introducing investors to CEOs and management teams seeking $10 million to over $500 million in debt and/or equity financing.   She has a strong network of private, corporate, financial, and institutional investors.  Dianne participates in structuring syndicates and capital stacks, including bond raises.  Her work includes business development, deal flow, business plan and proforma review, due diligence, financial analysis and more.    Industry experience includes finance, tech, staffing, affordable housing, commercial mortgage, healthcare, biotech, consumer products, entertainment, energy, ethanol, aircraft, manufacturing and more. Dianne's background includes 25+ years in B-2-B sales and account management working with Fortune 1000, middle market, and fast-growth companies.   Dianne's founded two executive search firms with responsibility for management, operations, business development and recruiting.  She is president of Amplify Professional Services which specializes in information technology search and consulting.   https://www.csweet.org        www.sheangelinvestors.com    Follow Us On Social Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | LinkedIn

Enterprise information systems (EIS) have been important enablers of business cross-functional processes since the 1990s. Often referred to as enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems, they were extended in line with electronic businesses for integration with suppliers and customers. Today, EIS architectures comprise, not only, ERP, supply chain, and customer relationship management systems, but also, business intelligence and analytics. We open the discussion piece by discussing how decentralization dynamics impact EIS and how such dynamics must be controlled but also harnessed to make future EIS more efficient and useful.

In this episode, we dive deep into the complex world of ERP systems to separate fact from fiction. Often shrouded in misconceptions and myths, ERP solutions play a crucial role in modern business but are frequently misunderstood. Our expert team debunks common myths and clarifies what ERP truly involves. We aim to provide a clear, unbiased perspective. Whether you're a seasoned professional or new to enterprise resource planning, this episode promises to enrich your understanding and help you make informed decisions in your ERP journey. Tune in to dispel the myths and discover the true potential of ERP for your business. DOWNLOAD MORE RESOURCES:  2024 DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION REPORT: https://resource.thirdstage-consulting.com/2024digitalentopreport  ZERO CHECKLIST: https://resource.thirdstage-consulting.com/phasezerochecklist SOFTWARE BUYER'S GUIDE: https://resource.thirdstage-consulting.com/softwarebuyersguide SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT PLAYBOOK: https://www.thirdstage-consulting.com/reports/mastering-the-chain-a-comprehensive-guide-to-supply-chain-management/ DIGITAL STRATEGY FRAMEWORK: https://resource.thirdstage-consulting.com/digitalstrategyframework GUIDE TO ORGANIZATIONAL CHANGE MANAGEMENT: https://resource.thirdstage-consulting.com/the-definitive-guide-to-erp-hcm-organizational-change-management 20 LESSONS FROM 1,000 DIGITAL TRANSFORMATIONS: https://www.thirdstage-consulting.com/reports/ebook-20-lessons-from-1000-erp-implementations  

Meagan Knoll and Tom McGinnis, long-time collaborators and educators rejoin me to dive into what it takes for employers and universities to succeed with the SAP University Alliances program. Although employers may find it daunting, Meagan and Tom share valuable tips on how employers can engage with universities and students alike to develop a qualified talent pipeline. Meagan Knoll has been a member of Grand Valley State University Faculty for the past 16 years. In addition to her longstanding dedication to academia, Meagan has achieved a new milestone as the Vice Chair of the SAP North America Academic Community Board and as the Co-Chair of the Partnership Committee. Meagan's commitment to student success extends beyond the classroom. She takes great pride in her extracurricular role as the advisor of the university's SAP student group, a community that serves as a crucial bridge connecting students to professionals within the SAP ecosystem. Outside of GVSU, Meagan remains deeply involved with the ASUG Michigan Chapter, where she currently holds a position on the Senior Leadership Team (SLT).   Thomas McGinnis has industry experience as a Software Developer, Business Analyst, System Administrator ERP Consultant and Project Manager. Tom also has 20 years of experience in academia.  He has a Master of Science and a Ph.D. in the field of Business Information Systems; he is an SAP-certified Associate Consultant and TERP10 academy instructor.  Tom has developed and taught courses in Enterprise Resource Planning (using SAP), Business Intelligence and Data Warehousing.  He is active in his local ASUG Chapter; frequently presenting new and developing aspects of Business Intelligence at chapter meetings.   Tom's research work has appeared in peer reviewed journals, in book chapters and numerous conference proceedings.  Connect with Us: LinkedIn: Meagan Knoll Mustansir Saifuddin Innovative Solution Partners  X: @Mmsaifuddin Innovative Solution Partners YouTube or learn more about our sponsor Innovative Solution Partners to schedule a free consultation.    Episode Transcript [00:00:00.890] - Mustansir Saifuddin Welcome to TechDriven business brought to you by Innovative Solution Partners. Meagan Knoll and Tom McGinnis, long-time collaborators and educators, rejoin me to share how SAP University Alliances is impacting the IT industry talent pipeline. Listen in as we uncover the value of UA programs, how employers leaders can connect with universities and the key takeaways for fostering successful partnerships in the ever-evolving tech landscape. All right, So let's start with the very basics.   [00:00:46.430] - Mustansir Saifuddin When we talk about University Alliance, what is the real value of the UA program in building a talent pipeline overall from an IT industry perspective?   [00:01:00.900] - Meagan Knoll Well, let me get started with telling you some of the unique opportunities that the University Alliances offers, and I think that will really segue into some of the value that comes from it. So the University Alliances has a lot of different initiatives behind the scenes. They offer training and workshops to faculty so that we're always on the cusp of new technology and emerging technology. They allow us to have hands-on access to SAP systems so that our students can explore and learn really the basics and the extended knowledge of being within the SAP system. They offer a lot of curriculum resources. How can we impart this knowledge onto the students in a very hands-on way? And a curriculum that is pretty standardized across the University alliances, so we can pool our talents to troubleshoot and provide these really in-depth curriculum opportunities. Then one of the best, I think, when it comes to connecting SAP employees or SAP users, is it helps faculty and students collaborate with those experts. For new emerging technologies or maybe a specific line of business, they really help make that connection so that we're talking to the right people and having the students learn the right content.   [00:02:29.740] - Meagan Knoll Then they offer certifications and badges, which is really great for the students to not only leave with a degree from a university, but with a SAP certification There's many different ones that can be taken, but a value at the student level is that that certification has tangible learning objectives that they can take from their degree at the university and then apply them to those certificates and badges.   [00:03:07.990] - Mustansir Saifuddin That sounds incredibly awesome. I hear a few things when you talk about this at length. One is that not only the students are getting benefit, but even the teaching staff has got that breadth of knowledge by going through this program.   [00:03:28.760] - Mustansir Saifuddin Tom, from where you said, what do you see the value?   [00:03:32.500] - Mustansir Saifuddin What is that comes to you when you talk about UA program?   [00:03:36.870] - Tom McGinnis It's the continuation of exactly that. With the students and the faculty getting together, it provides a great deal of value for the employer that's going to be hiring those students. You have students who are arriving on site on day one that have a process understanding. They understand, if you will, the of SAP. They know what master data is. They know what the org structure of the organization could be. They understand the transactions. That fundamental knowledge of all those pieces really adds a great deal of value. Usually In the UA, a majority of the schools are worried about the make-buy-sell process. The value is not that the new hire has the company's specific business processes in mind, but But they know how to translate what they got out of the UA program into the organization and translate that into reporting, data sourcing, data-driven decisions. It really lets them hit the ground running, and the businesses can get a great deal out of that. At the same time, the students get a great deal out of that as well because they understand the value of what this means to business. Normally, speak to students about what's important, and they accept that.   [00:05:04.310] - Tom McGinnis When they see the University Alliance and how it partners with business, they now get a real value for that, and they're no longer passive in their education. We see students really jumping on board and augmenting skills more and more. So it improves both the business side as well as the student side. It's really fun to watch.   [00:05:25.790] - Mustansir Saifuddin For sure. I think I can totally relate to it. I mean, you would Your choice of words, especially when you talk about translating, translation, it is so much important. When you talk about a business, there are certain parameters they run and they use certain terminologies, technologies, and then everything is coming together to make up a business environment. And a student who is exposed to it very early on, they now are able to simulate in the new system because it's just natural to them now. That takes me to my next question, which is, look from an employer's perspective. Where can employers find a university they can connect with who has got the UA program?   [00:06:15.890] - Meagan Knoll The University Alliances, of the schools that participate in the program who offer some SAP courses, they always have one point person that's called the Faculty Coordinator. This point person is a great go-to as a person to learn about what offerings they have, if they have any student groups, if they have any needs or things that they want to connect over. There's also some great advisory board opportunities. A lot of local universities who offer the SAP program have advisory boards where different companies can sit on those advisory boards and help direct the curriculum choices. There's a really good touch point, which is Career Services. Contacting a local university's Career Services to see if they have an SAP program, if they have a University Alliances program, and getting your foot in the door with Career Services can then open not only the doors to the courses that were offered and the student body that makes up those courses, but also ways to really get engaged when it comes to maybe taking the students on for internships or taking the students on for an entry-level career.   [00:07:42.330] - Mustansir Saifuddin Wow. There are so many different aspects and avenues for employers to interact with a university that has got the program going, right? Now, looking from a different angle, what do you expect from prospective employers? What is that you guys want or the students are looking for?   [00:08:05.550] - Tom McGinnis There's a couple of things. Part of it is being active or participating with the faculty and the students. It also brings together the folks to talk about what the requirements are and expectations. I know Megan and I have worked with a lot of students in bringing companies into the student group to just talk hiring practices, talk about what's the average day in the office. That opens up their eyes. It also gets the employers in to help assess the program, if you will, because Not all programs are made equal. Some schools will have larger programs than others. Sometimes a school will have dedicated SAP coursework, meaning a full 15-week course dealing with business processes. Activities, dealing with configuration, dealing with warehouse management or building a data warehouse. And along with that, there might be snippets in other courses. So the accounting course may have a two-week discussion around SAP and what accounting looks like. A supply chain course might touch upon procurement just for a few weeks in the semester. There are different ways of teaching the classes, and employers can come in and take a look at that and see what they're looking for. Students see the employers coming in and get an understanding of what the employers are looking for, and everyone starts to dial in on what they like.   [00:09:43.650] - Tom McGinnis In some of the programs I've taught in, a majority of the students taking the courses, SAP courses, are not MIS students. They're not technology people. They're business process people because they see that the employers value that business process understanding. It's really fun to watch that eke out. Then faculty, of course, get involved because they want their courses to be relevant to employers. It's a self-fulfilling prophecy where everyone's feeding off each other's energy to ramp up the programs. It's really exciting to see that happen.   [00:10:23.260] - Mustansir Saifuddin Now, that's interesting. I think one point that I really got out of this is as an employer ourselves, at Innovative Solution Partners, basically what I'm hearing is you want us to be there, interact with the program and students, and get to know what is being taught. And this is one way of Getting the value out of the program because each program has got its own merit in terms of what has been taught in the program. And each school has a different curriculum. So this way an employer has an opportunity to get to know what they will be dealing with or what they will be getting in terms of the talent that they're looking for.   [00:11:09.540] - Meagan Knoll To speak to that point, let me give you some examples of some opportunities that have taken place at a lot of University Alliances schools. There's something called the NextGen Labs. Nextgen Labs are a space within the university where they can do hands-on projects for or a community partner. If your business has a small project that maybe you don't have the bandwidth to take on and it involves SAP in some way, you could turn it over to a course at a university, and the students could work on solving that problem for you or making that report that you need. That's one great way to preview the talent because those students that are on that next-gen project who are going to be meeting with you and talking about it and presenting it gives you a great insight into what type of employee those students might become. Another one that is pretty popular is code jams. A great way to connect with the students and see the students in action would be to participate in a code jam. A lot of SAP organizations or user groups groups, they have code jams put on by SAP. Students can attend those as much as the employees at the different businesses can attend.   [00:12:39.710] - Meagan Knoll And having that mix between students and professionals is a great way to see that blossoming talent and really connect with them before you hire them on.   [00:12:53.380] - Mustansir Saifuddin That's very interesting. So I know I'm familiar with code jam for sure. This next Gen program that you mentioned, it seems very interesting also. It seems like there are multiple ways a prospective employer can connect and interact and get a first-hand look at the talent that they're dealing with or they will we're going to be approaching in the future. So this is really good news.   [00:13:18.880] - Mustansir Saifuddin Now, let's take a different approach.   [00:13:24.130] - Mustansir Saifuddin I know you are being an educator, you're dealing with students day in, day out. How How are you preparing these young people to be productive from the get-go?   [00:13:35.620] - Meagan Knoll I think it takes more than just an individual faculty member. It's really, most of these SAP University Alliances programs are housed in a larger college, like the College of Business. It takes that whole roundabout knowledge of the tactical things, the systems thinking, the hands-on, education, all the different insights that come from career services and come from extracurriculars, even leadership type roles that students might have on campus. It really takes a large ecosphere at the university level to really prepare the students to go forth. And the UA gives a really great mix that universities can already add on to their great programs, but it just gives that little bit of extra edge.   [00:14:29.920] - Mustansir Saifuddin Yeah, that makes sense, because especially when you think about these programs, I know it feels like sometimes when you think about these programs, you are looking at one part of it, but it's an overall scheme of things It makes sense to have it as the way it's set up, like you mentioned.   [00:14:49.740] - Mustansir Saifuddin Tom, you have any other points that you want to share about this, especially when you're preparing young folks?   [00:14:57.940] - Tom McGinnis Part of it is there's There's a couple of aspects to it. It's more from the employer side of things is when you're looking at programs, as I said before, they're not all the same. Oftentimes, I see companies struggle with how to participate, how to put their foot in in those cases. Megan has mentioned career services and all those opportunities, but part of it is assessing the schools that you partner with. Most organizations already have a set list of schools that they recruit from. It could be just as simple as going out and looking to see if one of their current schools is on that list. Sap, www. Sap. Com, they have a list of UA schools. If you have a list of 10, 15 local schools that you recruit from, it's worth checking to see whether those schools are there on that list. Then you just take a look at their program. How many students do they have? What's the mix of majors? How involved are the faculty? What courses are involved in that? Lastly, as Megan said, the certifications. You're looking at that holistically and bringing that all together, and that's where you get some of those unique views.   [00:16:19.160] - Tom McGinnis The faculty oftentimes go along for the ride because they see the interest in those programs. It's a great way of getting that synergy involved. I think that's the thing I want to stress. It's the combination of faculty organizations and the students. That's what really brings this home as a value prop for everyone involved.   [00:16:44.870] - Mustansir Saifuddin For sure. I think this subject is such a vast subject, and we can keep on going, but we do have a time limitation. I'll try to wrap this up. Just looking at all the discussions we had so far and what we covered, what is the one key takeaway that you want our listeners to go with?   [00:17:10.720] - Meagan Knoll In preparing and talking and getting this topic on the top of our minds, the one takeaway that really stood out to us is that old adage of, You reap what you sow. So the more involved that you are in that synergy of students and faculty and organizations the more that your connection and your internship possibilities, your young career possibilities will flourish.   [00:17:39.870] - Tom McGinnis There's opportunities out there for companies to harvest these diamonds in the rough, we call it. Fantastic performers that are sitting there in school not quite knowing what they want to do yet, who are going to really flourish in the right environment. It's just getting those folks together and seeing the value on on all their sides. And oftentimes, I see organizations not taking advantage of this because they have some self-imposed barrier to entry in this recruiting scheme. And there's nothing there. It's a simple call to Career Services to find out who on campus could I talk to and going from there. Or it's leveraging your current grads and whatever alumni associations you have in your company, using them to go out and recruit on campus. So there's a lot of low-hanging fruit that's there for people to take advantage of. Yeah, and I think I would like to sum it up with this is almost like a matchmaking   [00:18:45.870] - Mustansir Saifuddin You have the right set of talent on both sides, right?   [00:18:51.530] - Mustansir Saifuddin In our business, looking for individuals or teams that they want to bring into their fold. And the university is looking at placing these young individuals into a system where they can flourish and they can get a sense of what they are getting into. And it seems like the UA program allows them to do both of it in a way that interaction starts so much earlier than any other program where you are doing the book study versus not having that real-life exposure. I really appreciate you guys coming together and sharing your thoughts on this.   [00:19:38.430] - Mustansir Saifuddin Thanks for listening to Tech Driven Business brought to you by Innovative Solution Partners. Meagan and Tom shared valuable insights on how IT firms can leverage the University Alliance program. Their main takeaway, the more involved that you are in that synergy of students, faculty, and organizations, the more impact the program will have. There is a lot of low hanging fruit that's there for people to take advantage of. We would love to hear from you. Continue the conversation by connecting with me on LinkedIn or Twitter. Learn more about Innovative Solution Partners and schedule a free consultation by visiting isolutionpartners.com. Never miss our podcast by subscribing to our YouTube channel. Information is in the show notes.

Challenges of running a business, the evolving perspective on marketing, and the significance of understanding marginal costs and operational readiness when scaling a business.In this episode, Jordan West and Nathan Vazquez, shared the significant mistakes he made in selecting a 3PL company and an ERP system, resulting in six-figure losses. The discussion covers the importance of partnerships with agencies, the inevitability of business mistakes, and the value of learning from them. Listen and learn in this episode!Key takeaways from this episode:Conduct thorough research before investing in an ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) system to avoid costly errors.Ensure close collaboration with agencies and partners for shared success.Explore licensing deals for business growth and revenue generation.Understand marginal costs and operational readiness for effective business scaling.Adaptability and creativity are essential in marketing strategy due to unpredictable elements.Recommended Tools/App:Klaviyo: https://www.klaviyo.com/ Sendlane: https://www.sendlane.com/ MailChimp: https://mailchimp.com/ Recommended Podcast/Audiobook:Econ Talk: https://russroberts.info/econtalk/ Bill Simmons: https://www.theringer.com/the-bill-simmons-podcastToday's Guest: Nathan Vazquez, CEO of Pipsticks spent 15 years working in finance as an options trader and market maker at Citibank. His wife, a graphic designer, started a sticker curation company called Pipsticks while she was a stay-at-home mom. Nathan supported her as she built the business, and they worked together to ship out sticker subscriptions.Connect and learn more about Nathan and Pipsticks:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/pipsticks/Email: nathan@pipsticks.com Website: https://www.pipsticks.com/ This episode's sponsor is OneClickUpsell- increases your Shopify revenue 10–20% by offering your customers highly-targeted upsells and cross-sells on every purchase. OneClickUpsell is the original upsell app for Shopify, and it's highly-profitable upsell funnels have already made half-a-billion dollars (that's BILLION with a “B”!) in additional revenue for their users! Don't miss out on another dollar in free upsells. Learn more here: OneClickUpsell Get 5 Offers for 2 Products (10 in total) along with 10 highly engaging tried and true creatives, 30 captivating headlines, descriptions, and ad texts sent to you for only $99. Go to https://www.upgrowthcommerce.com/offer and order now - this offer is only available for a limited time. We love our podcast community and listeners that we have decided to offer a free e-commerce Growth Plan for your brand! To learn more, click here: upgrowthcommerce.com/grow

In this next series of episodes, Megan Knoll and Tom McGinnis, long-time collaborators and educators join me to talk about how companies can leverage the SAP University Alliances to build their talent pipeline. In this first episode, we'll start with an overview of how the program is helping shape a skilled workforce and benefiting students, educational institutions, industry partners, and SAP.  Meagan Knoll has been a member of Grand Valley State University Faculty for the past 16 years. In addition to her longstanding dedication to academia, Meagan has achieved a new milestone as the Vice Chair of the SAP North America Academic Community Board and as the Co-Chair of the Partnership Committee. Meagan's commitment to student success extends beyond the classroom. She takes great pride in her extracurricular role as the advisor of the university's SAP student group, a community that serves as a crucial bridge connecting students to professionals within the SAP ecosystem. Outside of GVSU, Meagan remains deeply involved with the ASUG Michigan Chapter, where she currently holds a position on the Senior Leadership Team (SLT).   Thomas McGinnis has industry experience as a Software Developer, Business Analyst, System Administrator ERP Consultant and Project Manager. Tom also has 20 years of experience in academia.  He has a Master of Science and a Ph.D. in the field of Business Information Systems; he is an SAP-certified Associate Consultant and TERP10 academy instructor.  Tom has developed and taught courses in Enterprise Resource Planning (using SAP), Business Intelligence and Data Warehousing.  He is active in his local ASUG Chapter; frequently presenting new and developing aspects of Business Intelligence at chapter meetings.   Tom's research work has appeared in peer reviewed journals, in book chapters and numerous conference proceedings.  Connect with Us: LinkedIn: Meagan Knoll Mustansir Saifuddin Innovative Solution Partners  X: @Mmsaifuddin @ISolPartners,  YouTube or learn more about our sponsor Innovative Solution Partners to schedule a free consultation.    Episode Transcript [00:00:00.000] - Mustansir Saifuddin Welcome.   [00:00:03.310] - Mustansir Saifuddin To Tech-Driven Business brought to you by Innovative Solution Partners. Megan Knoll and Tom McGinnis, long-time collaborators and educators, joined me to share how the University Alliance Program is helping shape our skilled workforce and benefiting students, educational institutions, industry partners, and SAP. It's all about building a valuable talent pipeline.   [00:00:28.810] - Mustansir Saifuddin So how are you guys?   [00:00:38.400] - Meagan Knoll Well.   [00:00:39.200] - Tom McGinnis Thank you. Very well, thanks.   [00:00:41.830] - Mustansir Saifuddin So I know the topic from today's session is building your talent pipeline. And I know it's a wild subject, but I try to keep it to a few points that make sense in terms of how our listeners interact with our podcast. So if you guys are ready, we can get into our questions.   [00:01:05.990] - Meagan Knoll Sounds great.   [00:01:06.500] - Tom McGinnis Let's get started. Let's go.   [00:01:08.420] - Mustansir Saifuddin All right. So I know talent pipeline, big word, a lot of different things that goes along with it, but let's focus on a couple of things. Can you describe the University Alliance as it applies to SAP and the SAP customers and partners ecosystem? Absolutely.   [00:01:31.680] - Meagan Knoll The University Alliance is a program that was initiated by SAP, and the whole idea was to foster collaboration between educational institutions like the universities and trade schools, SAP itself, and then SAP customers and partners. What we like to think of for the University of Alliances is that it is a conduit for knowledge transfer that will help prepare students to become skilled professionals in the SAP area. It's a global initiative that has over 3,500 educational institutions, and that spans over 113 countries.   [00:02:18.810] - Tom McGinnis From a customer perspective, it gives an avenue. It allows companies to work with their local schools, because often times universities are struggling with what content to provide that's meaningful to the local community when it comes to job skills and with systems work. Companies can help identify what those requirements are and the skills that they value and help set those realistic goals for the graduates. And from a school's perspective, it's the target market that they're working with. So the whole idea of having this conduit back and forth allows both sides to get what they need out of the relationship. Collaterally then, everyone gets other benefits outside of the University Alliance, a variety of different ways that we'll probably end up talking about in a few minutes.   [00:03:12.440] - Meagan Knoll One of the other points when it comes to the SAP University Alliances is that there's a lot of collaboration and making sure that students and partners can both participate in things like conferences, meetings, workshops, boot camps, certifications. It really helps to make sure that our students are skilled to the point they need to be to jump right into that talent pipeline.   [00:03:40.340] - Mustansir Saifuddin Now that's a great explanation about the University Alliance. Thank you. Let me ask you this, how long has been this University Alliance around in terms of your interaction, both of your experiences, goals?   [00:03:57.820] - Meagan Knoll I have been interacting with the University Alliance for about 17 years now.   [00:04:03.680] - Tom McGinnis And for me, close to 15 years.   [00:04:07.050] - Mustansir Saifuddin Wow, it's quite a long time. Okay. So that leads me into my next question. Especially, we're talking about talent. University Alliances, coming from a customer's perspective, what can SAP customers and partners expect from this program? Can you elaborate on that?   [00:04:25.830] - Tom McGinnis Yeah, everyone gets a little bit different benefits out of it. The major stakeholders, as you said, the business community, the academic community, and most importantly, from our perspective, the students. From a business perspective, their impact on the school, I don't think organizations appreciate how much impact they can have on their local schools because they're looking for guidance, they're looking for help when it comes to what to offer students. The partnerships that are forged with companies and the local universities provide a variety of benefits out of that. Companies also, from an internal standpoint, get visibility at school so that their own organizations can see opportunities for upskilling employees, working with researchers at universities, and that partnership really builds. From the school's perspective, it's almost like self-marketing. They're working with these organizations, and it's a front-facing thing, where now these companies have a face on campus, and that means a face in recruiting. That's a face for research, a face for value generation that helps the university move along. And of course, with students, it's the networking. Students struggle. They struggle hard with meeting companies and getting their foot in the door with these social networks, professional social networks.   [00:06:00.830] - Tom McGinnis The UA program is a shot in the arm for them for that. It helps them meet people that they want to interact with and start slowly gaining that understanding of what an organization does. Again, it leads to other peripheral things. There's a lot of internships that come out of the UA, and that allows companies to test drive students in a manner of speaking, but also the students get to test drive a company and see what organization they'd like to work with. Ua schools are a great place for organizations to get interns because they're ready to hit the ground running when they're done with their coursework. So there's a great variety of things that benefit all three parts of that group.   [00:06:49.850] - Mustansir Saifuddin Yeah. It's going to be very interesting term you mentioned that it seems like a mutually beneficial for all parties involved in terms of... Especially, I think one thing that I really liked about your observation is everybody gets a test drive, right? You get to know the employer versus the employers get to know the students and the university being in the middle trying to engage these different parties into a common platform, right? So, Meagan, from your perspective, how have you seen this work? What's your perspective on this?   [00:07:28.900] - Meagan Knoll From an education standpoint, I have seen the great collaboration that has come between industry partners, SAP Proper, and then also the universities in the University Alliances. There is a wealth of information that's provided by these companies when it comes to adapting new technologies, giving students hands-on opportunities to work with these new technologies, and it also helps to encourage and support faculty-led research. Not only are we looking for benefits to the students, but also benefits in making the research aspect of working and having that environment where we have that pipeline of students versus our students going to our employers, it all comes together as a nice symbiosis.   [00:08:26.720] - Mustansir Saifuddin Makes sense. No, definitely. Let's talk about from a different angle. Lessons learned when you're working with employers, how can they be successful?   [00:08:38.590] - Tom McGinnis Well, that's a good one.   [00:08:40.300] - Mustansir Saifuddin Yeah, for sure.   [00:08:42.340] - Tom McGinnis Well, it comes back a little bit to what we were saying just a bit ago about that front-facing aspect. One of the things that we've seen with our students, and part of it is the demographics of the student today, but if they don't know an organization, they tend not to go out of their way to recruit at that organization. They like whatever they know and they stick with it. Well, for companies that don't have an end consumer product, they're at a disadvantage. Those people who make intermediates, they make the product that goes into other products, our students don't know them, and the company is not on the radar during recruiting. With a program like UA, they're seeing how everything is made behind the scenes. A lot of UA schools also—and I do plant tours and things like that as part of the curriculum to get folks onto the shop floor, let's say, and see how SAP is really used there. Breaking down that barrier, if you will, or informing the students of who's out there, that's a big change in the opportunities for a company to recruit. And that's probably one of the biggest things I've seen come out of UA programs is the visibility of the company in front of the students has greatly increased compared to traditional courses.   [00:10:05.800] - Mustansir Saifuddin I think I really love that aspect of it. It seems like there is a conduit into how a student is starting from an education point of view, but then getting to real life earlier than they expect to. I mean, this engagement through the UA program allows them to experience way upfront, which makes it easier when they actually get into the real work-life, right? So it seems like a very powerful tool that allows them to be ahead of the competition. I mean, there's always companies looking for talent, but talent that comes with education upfront about themselves, about the organization where they're maybe potentially working in the future.   [00:10:58.270] - Meagan Knoll Absolutely. We have noticed that there not only is that reduced onboarding time because they have those skills and they're ready to hit the ground running, but there's also the opportunity to develop the talent. It's not uncommon for students who are part of the university alliances to intern at a company, then possibly work part-time at a company, and then become full-time hire as soon as they graduate. You can start to develop that talent in a specific way that meets your needs of your organization.   [00:11:33.790] - Mustansir Saifuddin Yeah, for sure. And that is the key point, right? How do we get that engagement going early on? So now taking a little deviation from our UA part of it, but on a personal level, you both have been an educator for quite some time. Taking it back to the University Alliance, what is the aha moment that you would experience over the past few years? And you can go, Tom, you can start and then Meagan, you can follow up with what are your experience is. I'd love to share that with our listeners.   [00:12:15.910] - Tom McGinnis Well, it's funny the way you said that, because for me right now, it's going through the list of aha, moments. There's not just one. There are a couple of them. There was one moment for a Midwest company. This is a company that was in Minneapolis. They had to change the way that they hired new hires and students because they brought on a student who was doing SAP work, coursework, as an intern his sophomore year in school. They liked him so much, they brought him in for another internship the following summer. When he graduated, of course, he applied for a position there and they gave him a position, but he had worked there so long already they couldn't hire him as a new hire. He was actually in a different salary bracket. When you have a student that's that valuable before they've even finished their coursework, that's a big aha moment on what a UA program does for the student's skills. The other big aha moment is when I take a look at the students in my classroom, and I'm MIS faculty, Management Information Systems, you would think the course I teach predominantly has MIS students in it.   [00:13:35.970] - Tom McGinnis But my biggest SAP classes, my MIS students are in the minority in the class. It's usually other disciplines, supply chain management, marketing, accounting. It shows, I think, the value that other disciplines place on SAP skills and what those organizations are then doing to the recruiting at our college. Yeah, there's a lot of aha, moments.   [00:14:01.580] - Meagan Knoll I think the biggest aha moment for me was a very rewarding experience. A couple of years ago at Sapphire, I was able to sit in on a session in which one of our former students was presenting as the subject matter expert. That was only three years after she had graduated from our program. Knowing that the roles were reversed and I was able to learn from her, just like she had learned from me in the classroom five years earlier, was a great aha moment and a great feeling that our program does make a difference and that we could really bolster up that talent pipeline and really have students who are ready to hit the ground running to make valuable impacts for any organization that they're hired at.   [00:14:49.470] - Mustansir Saifuddin Great example. Thank you for sharing that. I think one thing I would like to add to this is being an SAP professional for over 20 years and working with different industries and different customers, one thing is very clear to me, and that is the talent that comes out of the UA program. I mean, the example that you used, Meagan, about someone this early in the career getting on a stage, something like a Sapphire conference, a huge opportunity and a huge gathering of customers and partners and folks who are learning more about SAP. And this is a moment for a student that just came out of this program and getting into the workforce, be able to share what they've learned on this stage. I think that is great. And especially, Tom, your examples speaks for itself, right? I mean, you're looking at as an organization, customers looking for talent. But when the talent is that well developed early on and they are able to get into the organization, start running from the get go. I mean, that's what a lot of these companies are looking for. They want to have employees who are ready, who understand the culture, who can adapt to the applications, to the technologies that they're using.   [00:16:22.160] - Mustansir Saifuddin So it's a happy ending from both angles, right? So great examples. Thank you. Well, I know we talked about a bunch of things in our session, so that takes me to my last question. And this is one takeaway that I always like our listeners to have with them after every session. Based on all that we have covered so far, what is the one key takeaway that you would want our listeners to leave with?   [00:16:56.560] - Meagan Knoll I would say that the one key takeaway that I want listeners to leave with is an expanded knowledge that this program does exist. It may not be at your fingertips at this time, but just the knowledge of knowing that the University of Alliance is out there and is promoting and producing this talent, is something to maybe tuck into your back pocket and revisit at another time and really reach out to a UA school in your area.   [00:17:26.980] - Tom McGinnis To echo that, I think it's about engagement. A company needs to reach out in this day and age to find the resources it needs. The UA is a great place to reach out to, but you also want to reach out to your local schools. Even if they're not in the UA program yet, your interest in UA coursework may push them in that direction. And it's that interaction that I really want to see organizations do, is get out there with their local schools and start that conversation. The worst thing that could happen is that you don't find the resources that you want. The best thing that can happen is you find these diamonds in the rough that you can then use and use them to recruit even more diamonds in the rough. It's a self-fulfilling prophecy.   [00:18:21.530] - Mustansir Saifuddin No, great examples, and I think that's the key, right? I mean, you have the opportunity and you have the means to get to this great program that has been around. And how do we get the word out? So folks who are looking, folks who may be looking in the future, folks who never even heard about it, this is an opportunity for them to avail this, at least explore the options and see what is out there in terms of what UA can do for them. And we'll look forward to having you both on our next session, where we'll dig more into the details of the University ofAlliance program. So thank you.   [00:19:02.180] - Tom McGinnis Thank you. Thanks for having us.   [00:19:09.410] - Mustansir Saifuddin Thanks for listening to Tech-driven Business brought to you by Innovative Solution Partners. Meagan and Tom shared valuable insights on how partners can come together in building a talent pipeline. Their main takeaway? Know that the University Alliance is out there and reach out to your UA school in your area. It's all about engagement and finding these diamonds in the rough that can help build a talent pipeline. We would love to hear from you. Continue the conversation by connecting with me on LinkedIn or Twitter. Learn more about Innovative Solution Partners and schedule a free consultation by visiting isolutionpartners.Com. Never miss our podcast by subscribing to our YouTube channel. Information is in the show notes.

Join the exclusive live broadcast led by AV, CEO of Avèro Advisors, as we explore the critical essentials of ERP systems. This insightful session, mainly designed for public sector professionals, will feature a thorough walkthrough of our live ERP checklist. It's a unique opportunity to deepen your understanding of Enterprise Resource Planning strategies, align with best practices in public sector consulting, and have your questions answered by an industry expert. Enhance your ERP knowledge with us and be part of this enriching journey. Join AV in this insightful solo podcast, where he delves into the critical art of navigating Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) implementation. With an eye-opening statistic that 80% of these implementations falter, he underscores the gravity and meticulousness required in this process. Throughout the episode, AV walks listeners through a comprehensive checklist essential for any ERP implementation or digital transformation journey. This includes documenting current processes, pinpointing modernization opportunities, developing process maps for the desired future state, specifying requirements, and preparing a projected budget. The journey involves procurement, drafting a Request for Proposal (RFP), evaluating proposals, conducting product demonstrations, vendor selection, contract negotiations, and the pivotal stages of implementation and going live. AV also highlights the significance of user testing, creating training materials, and establishing a system for reporting technical issues, ensuring a well-rounded approach to ERP implementation.

In this episode of the podcast, host Roger Knecht engages in a dynamic conversation with Sam Mendelsohn, a CPA and Mergers and Acquisitions expert. Together, they dive deep into the world of accounting, business valuation, and the critical role accounting professionals can play in helping business owners realize their company's true potential.6   Your Host: Roger Knecht, president of Universal Accounting Center Guest Name: Sam Mendelsohn, CPA Sam Mendelsohn is the President and Chief Operating Officer at The Value Builder System™. Sam is also a former Vice President within an operating division of the Constellation Group (TSE:CSU). Sam has led marketing for over 20 different brands and is a highly-rated MacKay speaker on marketing. He has also delivered over 500 software deployments ranging from marketing systems to full Enterprise Resource Planning systems and corporate performance management systems at companies including Microsoft, Merck, Howard Hughes Medical Institute and Sun Media.   Highlights: Sam shares his journey from traditional accounting to specializing in mergers and acquisitions, emphasizing the importance of business valuation. They discuss how understanding a business's true value can make a significant difference in decision making, especially during a potential sale. Sam reveals how crucial it is for business owners to continuously monitor and improve eight key drivers of business value. Roger and Sam explore real-life scenarios where two seemingly identical businesses can have vastly different valuations. They emphasize the shift accountants can make into the CFO and advisory services space, helping business owners maximize profitability, navigate operational challenges, and achieve long-term growth. Sam introduces the concept of a "showroom-ready" business and discusses the pivotal role accountants can play in preparing businesses for potential sales. They share insights on how aspiring entrepreneurs can start an accounting business, a bookkeeping business, or a tax business, and highlight the importance of learning bookkeeping online and taking online tax courses. Discover how understanding business valuation and the eight key drivers can be the catalyst for both accountants and their clients to achieve extraordinary success in the world of CFO and advisory services. Notable Quotes from this episode: "Those eight drivers are similar to going and buying a home... You're going down this checklist of what that house is going to consist of. Well, it's the same thing with the business." "Your business should always be showroom ready." "Find a good framework that you're comfortable leveraging... show up and have that conversation with the client rather than being scared about what to talk about." "Accountants have such an opportunity to look beyond the income statement, balance sheet, and cash flow statement and really do a lot of good for business owners on the operational side." Join Roger and Sam in this thought-provoking discussion as they highlight the untapped potential accountants possess to become indispensable partners in business growth and transformation. Discover how understanding business valuation and the eight key drivers can be the catalyst for both accountants and their clients to achieve extraordinary success while offering CFO and advisory services. If you're considering starting an accounting business, a bookkeeping business, or a tax business, or if you want to learn bookkeeping online and explore online tax courses, this episode is packed with valuable insights for aspiring entrepreneurs.   Sponsors: Universal Accounting Center Helping accounting professionals confidently and competently offer quality accounting services to get paid what they are worth.   Offers:   Now's the time to get your Business Score.  See how the 8 drivers mentioned in the show today apply to your business.  Learn what you can do today to work ON your business and improve your valuation to build the business you want.  CLICK HERE to start, it will only take 15 minutes.   It's time to compliment your accounting and tax services with quality CFO & Advisory services.  Become a Profit & Growth Expert, apply the Universal Business Builder principles with your clients and learn what you can do to be a Value Builder Provider.   Get The Unlocking Small Business Market whitepaper.  Understand how smart advisors position their services to protect, grow and realize the value of a business.  Learn what it is you can do to become an author, leveraging your expertise to market effectively your services and get the clients you deserve.  This is a webinar you don't want to miss.  Learn from Mike Capuzzi what a Shook is and how you can use it to position yourself as the Premier Accounting Firm in your area.  This is a must-see presentation so get ready to take some great notes.   In addition to becoming an author, see what you can do to follow the Turnkey Business plan for accounting professionals.  After more than 40 years we've identified the best practices of successful accountants and this is a presentation we are happy to share.  Check it out and see what you can do to be in business for yourself but not by yourself with Universal Accounting Center.   For Additional FREE Resources for accounting professionals check out this collection HERE!   Be sure to join us for GrowCon, the LIVE event for accounting professionals to work ON their business. This is a conference you don't want to miss.   Remember this, Accounting Success IS Universal. Listen to our next episode and be sure to subscribe.   Also, let us know what you think of the podcast and please share any suggestions you may have.  We look forward to your input: Podcast Feedback For more information on how you can apply these principles to start and build your accounting, bookkeeping & tax business please visit us at www.universalaccountingschool.com or call us at 8012653777

Enterprise resource planning upgrades can be expensive and complex—and unavoidable. A product and platform approach can manage costs and improve outcomes.

White Paper - Leveraging Risk Management In this episode of the Auto Supply Chain Prophets podcast, hosts Cathy Fisher, Terry Onica, and Jan Griffiths explore the critical topic of risk management in the automotive supply chain. The conversation commenced with the hosts sharing their experience with an EV startup, underlining the crucial role of robust supply chain processes for successful scaling. Transitioning to the main topic of risk management, Cathy and Terry discussed their recently updated white paper, which explores risk management strategies and the development of resilient supply chains. They further delved into the paper's relevance amid current supply chain challenges, including the COVID-19 pandemic and the semiconductor crisis.The conversation highlights the necessity of cross-functional collaboration in identifying and addressing supply chain risks. The hosts stress the significance of CEO involvement, cost considerations, and risk appetite in creating effective contingency plans. The episode concludes by emphasizing the critical role of proactive risk management, with a continual focus on the dynamic nature of risks, necessitating frequent assessments and quarterly reviews.Themes discussed in this episode:Supply chain challengesFuture of supply chain in the EV eraWorking with EV startupsImportance of robust processesUpdate on risk-based thinkingCost considerations and risk appetiteProactive risk managementCross-functional collaboration At the heart of The Prophets' vision are “The 24 Essential Supply Chain Processes.” What are they? Find out, and see the future yourself. Click here Featured on this episode: Name: Cathy FisherTitle: Founder and President, QuistemAbout: Cathy's firm helps its clients, particularly automotive manufacturers, eliminate customer complaints and increase their profits. She has worked in the automotive supply chain since the 1980s when she started her career with General Motors.Connect: LinkedIn Name: Terry OnicaTitle: Director, Automotive at QADAbout: For two decades, Terry has been the automotive vertical director of this provider of manufacturing Enterprise Resource Planning software and supply chain solutions. Her career began in supply chain in the late 1980s when she led a team to implement Electronic Data Interchange for all the Ford assembly and component plants.Connect: LinkedInName: Jan GriffithsTitle: President and Founder, Gravitas Detroit About: A veteran executive in the automotive industry, Jan previously served as chief procurement officer for a $3 billion, Tier 1 global automotive supplier. As the president of Gravitas...

Want to know about the key financial business processes that make up Invoice to Cash? Lois Houston and Nikita Abraham, as well as Sr. Principal ERP Learning Strategist David Barnacle, are here to simplify this critical process flow for you.   In this episode, they go over the entire Invoice to Cash process flow, which includes everything from the moment the invoice is created to the moment when the customer's debt (payment) is settled and reconciled with the bank statement.   Oracle MyLearn: https://mylearn.oracle.com/ Oracle University Learning Community: https://education.oracle.com/ou-community LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/oracle-university/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/Oracle_Edu   Special thanks to Arijit Ghosh, David Wright, Kris-Ann Nansen, Radhika Banka, Parvathy Narayan, and the OU Studio Team for helping us create this episode.   --------------------------------------------------------   Episode Transcript: 00:00 Welcome to the Oracle University Podcast, the first stop on your cloud journey. During this series of informative podcasts, we'll bring you foundational training on the most popular Oracle technologies. Let's get started. 00:26 Nikita: Hello and welcome to the Oracle University Podcast. I'm Nikita Abraham, Principal Technical Editor with Oracle University, and with me is Lois Houston, Director of Innovation Programs. Lois: Hello everyone! In our last episode, we spoke about Enterprise Resource Planning business processes, particularly those related to Oracle Fusion Cloud: Financials, with our Sr. Principal ERP Learning Strategist David “Barney” Barnacle. We discussed how there are five business processes within the Oracle Cloud Financials Business Process Model. Today, Barney joins us once again to take us through the first of those business processes, the Invoice to Cash process. Nikita: Welcome back, Barney! 1:08 Barney: Hi Niki. Hi Lois. Nikita: Barney, what does the Invoice to Cash business process cover? Barney: Invoice to Cash is a child process of a parent life cycle commonly known as Order to Cash. Order to Cash includes all the steps involved in fulfilling customer orders, from order entry to delivery to the final customer payment. 01:31 Barney: Order processing can take many forms depending on the industry, product, and customer. It can range from delivering standard items that are directly shipped from stock to complex items, configurations (or structures), which can be fulfilled from multiple sources i.e. make, buy, or transfer. It can include processes such as drop shipments and internal orders. Certain businesses may process orders based on subscriptions only, which may or may not include fulfilment of items. If you're interested in learning more about these complex business subprocesses, I'd suggest visiting mylearn.oracle.com and looking for the business processes under Supply Chain Management (SCM), in particular Order Management Processing. 02:20 Barney: Here, in the business process for financials, we have simplified Order to Cash into two child subprocesses: Order to Shipment and Invoice to Cash. It is the second subprocess i.e. Invoice to Cash that uses financial products and covers customer billing (including the calculation of transaction tax), customer payments, also known as receipts, bank statements, reconciliation of receipts, and the ultimate creation of accounting entries for all transaction events in this billing process. 02:55 Lois: So, you're saying Invoice to Cash is just one part of the Order to Cash process. Barney: That's right, Lois. While the origin or source of a customer transaction can be multiple feeder systems (for example, Order Management, Projects, Subscription Management, and third-party or legacy billing systems), Invoice to Cash refers to an end-to-end process covering everything from the moment an invoice is created until the customer's debt is finally settled and reconciled with the bank statement. The real value for businesses lies in automating the process and getting insights and alerts from the Oracle Cloud applications to improve their overall profitability and cost savings. 03:38 Lois: Help me understand the flow of events, Barney. Because surely there are processes that occur before an invoice is raised, right? What are the processes covered in the larger Order to Cash cycle? Barney: You're absolutely right, Lois. Let's break it down further. Order to Cash is the parent business process. It starts in Order Management (with order capture and pricing) and ends in Cash Management (with the reconciliation of customer receipts). If we take a simple view of Order to Cash, we can use, as our example, ordering standard product items delivered directly to the customer from existing stock. We have two subprocesses here: Order to Shipment and Invoice to Cash. These processes use many different SaaS products. 04:25 Barney: The Order to Shipment subprocess starts with order capture by the order entry clerk, the salesperson, or directly input by the customer. The order captures essential attributes, such as items and quantities, required delivery dates, and financial contract terms, like payment terms, and so on. The pricing engine is called to create a sales price and then the global order promising check verifies supply of the items. Once the order is validated, submitted, and optionally approved, the order line passes on to order orchestration or fulfillment. 05:04 Barney: The order orchestration process drives scheduling and reservations. Then, within warehouses, the items are picked, packed, and shipped to the customer. Once the shipment is confirmed, the customer is invoiced based on contractual terms. Here, the second subprocess of Invoice to Cash takes over. The order orchestration process pushes the order attributes into the auto invoice interface tables. From there, the Billing Manager runs auto invoice to import customer invoices. This, in practice, will often be automated. The transactions will include the correct taxes as well as default accounts, and revenue will be recognized based on defined revenue recognition rules or events. 05:52 Nikita: Can I just interrupt, Barney? What do you mean by revenue recognition rules? Barney: Revenue recognition is an accounting principle that asserts that revenue must be recognized as it is earned. Let's look at this simply. The revenue recognition principle is a key component of an accrual-basis accounting. This accounting method recognizes revenue once it is considered earned, unlike the alternative cash-basis accounting, which recognizes revenue at the time cash is received or anytime cash changes hands. In the case of cash-based accounting, the revenue recognition principle is not applicable. 06:34 Barney: Revenue is generally recognized after a critical event occurs, like the product being delivered to the customer. Revenue recognition standards can vary based on a company's accounting method, geographical location, whether they are a public or private entity, and other factors. In essence, revenue recognition looks to answer when a business has earned its money. Typically, revenue is recognized after the performance obligations are considered fulfilled, and the currency amount is easily measurable to the company. A performance obligation is the promise to provide a distinct good or service to a customer. On the surface, it may seem simple, but a performance obligation being considered fulfilled can vary based on several factors. 07:19 Barney: Essentially, the revenue recognition principle means that companies' revenues are recognized when the service or product is considered delivered to the customer — not when the cash is received. Determining what constitutes a transaction can require more time and analysis than one might expect. To accurately recognize revenue, companies must pay attention to the five steps outlined in the various accounting standards and ensure they are interpreting them correctly. 07:47 Barney: For revenue recognition within our simple process flow, we could use an account receivables invoice and accounting rule to defer revenue, or we could pass the information over to the Revenue Management product to follow the steps of the relevant accounting standards and only recognize earned revenue when a performance obligation has been satisfied. Nikita: OK, I get it now. Thanks for that, Barney. 08:10 Barney: Great. So, getting back to our financial process, the invoice or invoices are either printed or electronically sent to the customer. The payment terms attached to each transaction will determine when full payment is due and may include early settlement discounts. Monthly statements sent to the customers will highlight account balances and any late or overdue transactions. Customers will send their payments, manually or electronically, and the company may also create automatic receipts (commonly known as direct debits) to transfer funds from customer bank accounts to the company's bank account on a regular monthly basis. 08:52 Barney: The receipt received will be applied to the open transactions (debit items such as invoices) and either clear or reduce the customer's account balances. The cashier will then ensure these receipts have all been correctly accounted in the company's bank account – a step called bank account reconciliation. The subledger accounting rules engine will ensure that at each transaction event (e.g., create invoices, adjust invoices, create receipts), the correct accounting is created and ultimately transferred to the general ledger as receivables journals. That means a full account record is created for each order line processed within the Order to Cash flow. 09:37 Barney: Finally, the Collections team monitors customer account balances on a regular basis and with various collection strategies and actions (such as sending dunning letters) aims to reduce Days Sales Outstanding and improve the company's cash inflow. 09:53 Lois: Let me make sure I get this. We have the larger life cycle, the Order to Cash process, which connects the various pillars of Enterprise Resource Planning, or ERP, like Financials and Procurement. And within them, there are modules like Order Management, Receivables, Collections, Cash Management, and General Ledger. Barney: Exactly, Lois. Nikita: So, since the focus of this series is on Oracle Financials, we'd like to learn more about the processes under it. 10:19 Barney: OK, Niki. Oracle Cloud provides capabilities to streamline the Invoice to Cash business process, and Oracle Receivables Cloud is the cornerstone of the Invoice to Cash solution. This application helps you improve cash flow, increase efficiencies, and optimize customer relationships. It has user-friendly interfaces that you can leverage to efficiently manage the process. And you can proactively manage the entire customer billing cycle and process customer receipts. 10:51 Nikita: From what I understand, the Accounts Receivable Specialist seems to be an important role in the Order to Cash process. So, how does the Oracle application help Receivables Specialists work more efficiently? 11:02 Barney: Oracle Receivables has embedded business intelligence that offers summarized dashboards within the work areas, giving you or giving the receivables specialist an intuitive, simple, and modern user experience. Infolets highlight, in real-time, issues with the key processing steps, such as auto invoicing, receipt processing, etc., allowing receivables specialists to take effective action. Some of these errors can also be downloaded into a spreadsheet for efficient bulk correction of data. 11:40 Barney: Another interesting feature is social enterprise network, which can highlight issues within the receivables and collections team, leading to quicker adjustments or corrections of the customer account balances or transactions. There's also Oracle Bill Management, which provides a self-service approach to reduce customer inquiries. You can set up Bill Management to enable the customer to directly complete various receivables processes for themselves, such as reviewing outstanding transactions and credit memos, monitoring disputes, and more importantly, making online payments. 12:22 The Oracle University Learning Community is a great place for you to collaborate and learn with experts, peers, and practitioners. Grow your skills, inspire innovation, and celebrate your successes. The more you participate, the more recognition you can earn. All of your activities, from liking a post to answering questions and sharing with others, will help you earn badges and ranks, and be recognized within the community. If you're already an Oracle MyLearn user, go to MyLearn to join the community. You'll need to log in first. If you've not yet accessed Oracle MyLearn, visit mylearn.oracle.com and create an account to get started. 13:01 Nikita: Welcome back. So Barney, you spoke about how Invoice to Cash has several tasks within it, like invoicing customers, collecting payments, and so on. How does all of this come together in terms of the Oracle Cloud Financials Business Model? Barney: Invoice to Cash is an integral financial process within organizations and is broadly divided in our model into four subprocesses: Customer Invoice to Receipt, Capture Transactions, Customer Statement to Collection, and Bank Transaction to Position. Let's have a look at each of these in turn. 13:36 Barney: The Customer Invoice to Receipt subprocess includes several tasks. Everything from recording the invoice to be sent to customers for goods sold or services provided and addressing billing-related issues, if there are any, to recording customer receipts, making adjustments to outstanding amounts, posting receivables activities so that the Receivables subledger can be seamlessly closed, and finally using analysis and reporting tools to get deeper insights and drive better decision-making. 14:04 Lois: That's a lot of details that are being captured. Barney: Yes, Lois. Every minute detail that affects the financial status of an organization can be captured, like the Capture Taxes subprocess. This is the process of applying required taxes based on legislative requirements. It's based on the information entered within the invoice and invoice line level. This could be regarding customer ship to, bill to, product and tax classification codes, and so on. The system automatically applies the attributes and calculates the correct taxes at the invoice line level and then calculates the total taxes applicable to the whole invoice. 14:43 Barney: Then we have the Customer Statement to Collections subprocess, which includes sending statements to customers at periodic intervals, flagging delinquents, creating and assigning collection-related tasks to collection agents, recording and resolving disputes raised by customers, recording payments, and tracking and measuring KPIs to review the collection team's performance. And finally, the Bank Transaction to Cash Position subprocess deals with matching bank statement lines to payments received from customers. Accountants working in the Treasury Department can prepare the expected cash positions, based on the expected receipts and payments to be made within the specific time period. 15:26 Lois: OK, so we've established that the application captures a lot of details. But we also need to be able to extract this data to assess the financial health of the organization, right? So, when it comes to receivables activities, what are the key performance indicators for an organization? Barney: Yes, you're right there, Lois. KPIs are required to closely monitor and measure the performance of an organization. And to really optimize the Invoice to Cash process, the Receivables department in any organization will have certain KPIs they need to track. 16:01 Barney: Some critical ones we've already mentioned are Days Sales Outstanding or DSO, which measures the average number of days that a company takes to collect revenue after a sale has been made, Time to Settle, Percentage of Current Receivables, Average Invoice Age, % Disputed Invoices, Operational Cost Per Collection, Number of Delinquent Accounts, and Time to Reconcile. These are all important KPIs. All these KPIs are easily available in the Oracle application in a visual representation, like a graph or percentage, and can be viewed by management simply in a single dashboard. They can also be displayed in a user-designed format for greater efficiency. 16:49 Nikita: Thank you so much, Barney, for coming back to talk to us about the Invoice to Cash business process. Barney: No worries. Happy to be here. 16:56 Lois: We're really looking forward to having you back next week to tell us about the next two business processes, Procure to Pay and Asset Acquisition to Retirement. And if you want to learn more about these ERP business processes and get certified, visit mylearn.oracle.com. Until next time, this is Lois Houston… Nikita: And Nikita Abraham, signing off! 17:18 That's all for this episode of the Oracle University Podcast. If you enjoyed listening, please click Subscribe to get all the latest episodes. We'd also love it if you would take a moment to rate and review us on your podcast app. See you again on the next episode of the Oracle University Podcast.

Inside every successful corporation is a well-oiled financial team working to do what is in the best interest of the company. From the CFO to the finance intern, having a system of modern best practices and a comprehensive suite of financial solutions, properly utilized, is more important than ever before.   Join hosts Lois Houston and Nikita Abraham, along with Sr. Principal ERP Learning Strategist David Barnacle, as they introduce you to the Oracle Cloud Enterprise Resource Planning suite and the key business processes within it.   Oracle MyLearn: https://mylearn.oracle.com/ Oracle University Learning Community: https://education.oracle.com/ou-community LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/oracle-university/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/Oracle_Edu   Special thanks to Arijit Ghosh, David Wright, Kris-Ann Nansen, Radhika Banka, Parvathy Narayan, and the OU Studio Team for helping us create this episode.   ---------------------------------------------------------   Episode Transcript: 00:00 Welcome to the Oracle University Podcast, the first stop on your cloud journey. During this series of informative podcasts, we'll bring you foundational training on the most popular Oracle technologies. Let's get started. 00:26 Lois: Hello and welcome to the Oracle University Podcast. I'm Lois Houston, Director of Innovation Programs with Oracle University, and with me is Nikita Abraham, Principal Technical Editor. Nikita: Hi everyone! A few weeks ago, we concluded our spotlight on HCM business processes. And today, we're going to move on to ERP business processes. ERP, as you may already know, is Enterprise Resource Planning. And to take us through this, we have David “Barney” Barnacle, our Sr. Principal ERP Learning Strategist. For over 20 years, Barney has successfully trained customers in the rapid configuration and effective use of Oracle Applications. Welcome Barney! We're so glad to have you here today. 01:10 Barney: Thank you! Happy to be here. Lois: In previous episodes this season, we've spoken about the business process training that Oracle has. But from an ERP point of view, can you briefly tell us what it is and why we have it? Barney: Sure, Lois. Inside every successful corporation is a well-oiled financial team working to do what is in the best interest of the company. From the CFO to the financial trainee, everybody within an agile, innovative enterprise will be using modern best practice processes within a complete and fully integrated suite of SaaS applications. That's why we have Oracle Business Process Training for Oracle Fusion Cloud: ERP. It's a powerful training solution that gives users and companies a solid understanding of how Oracle ERP solutions work together to ensure effective and efficient transaction processing. 02:06 Nikita: Now that we know why we have this training, let's get down to it. Barney, what is ERP? Barney: Enterprise Resource Planning or for short as it's known, ERP, is a system or a collection of systems that companies use to manage day-to-day business activities efficiently. The ERP system brings together different dimensions of businesses from financials, procurement, risk and compliance, to enterprise performance management, and Oracle Fusion ERP analytics. ERP systems tie together several business processes and seamlessly allow data to flow between them. By collecting an organization's shared transactional data from multiple sources, ERP systems eliminate data duplication and provide data integrity with a single source of truth. 03:00 Barney: Today, ERP systems are critical for managing thousands of businesses of all sizes and across all industries. For these companies, ERP is as indispensable as the electricity that keeps the lights on. Remember, simply, ERP is the vehicle for integrating people, processes, and technologies across a modern enterprise. 03:27 Lois: Barney, in the world of various ERP systems, how is the Oracle Cloud ERP application suite unique? And how is it structured? Barney: Thanks, Lois. Oracle Cloud ERP is a cloud-based SaaS (Software as a Service) application, or group of applications, that provides end-to-end business solutions. These solutions, in turn, enable businesses to significantly cut down costs, improve their process efficiencies, and enhance collaboration. Oracle Cloud ERP is classified into six different product families. We have Financial Management, Procurement, Project Management, Risk and Compliance, Enterprise Performance Management (EPM), and finally Enterprise Resource Planning Analytics. 04:14 Lois: So as I understand it, we have Oracle Cloud ERP, a modern cloud-based software application, and then have Oracle Financials, Procurement, EPM, and so on within the Oracle Cloud ERP suite, right? Barney: Correct. That's right, Lois. Nikita: That's quite an interesting mix of product families. Can you tell us about each of these products, Barney? 04:35 Barney: Sure can. Let's start with Financials. Oracle Cloud Financials is a global financial platform that connects and automates your financial management processes, including payables, receivables, fixed assets, expenses, GL, and reporting, for a clear view into your total financial health. 04:56 Barney: Next is Oracle Cloud Procurement, an integrated source-to-settle suite that automates business processes, enables strategic sourcing, improves supplier relationship management, and simplifies buying. Then we have Project Management. Oracle Project Management helps you plan and track your projects, assign the right talent, balance capacity against demand, and scale resources up or down quickly as needs change. 05:27 Barney: Then there's Risk and Compliance. Oracle Cloud Risk and Compliance Management is a security and audit solution. It controls user access to your Oracle Cloud ERP financial data, monitors users' activity, and makes it easy to meet compliance regulations through automation. 05:45 Nikita: Interesting. And these pillars are connected to one another? Barney: Yes, Niki. One of the biggest advantages of choosing the Oracle Cloud ERP solution is its ability to integrate all the product offerings that come under it. Now, getting back to the product pillars in the ERP suite, we have Enterprise Performance Management. With this, you can model and plan across Finance, HR, Supply Chain, and Sales. You can streamline the financial close process and drive better decisions. 06:18 Barney: And closing out the list, we have ERP Analytics. Oracle Fusion ERP Analytics is a prebuilt cloud-native solution for Oracle Cloud ERP. It helps financial and procurement professionals uncover underlying drivers of profitability, improve the use of working capital, and control business expenditures. Oracle's unique application capabilities enable organizations to unify financial analytics across different departments. So those are the six product families that make up the Oracle Cloud ERP. 06:56 Lois: I think that's what all organizations want, right? A comprehensive solution to help them meet their business needs. But how do organizations that have legacy ERP systems and processes move to the Oracle Cloud ERP systems? Do they need to completely switch over? And what happens to the existing processes they've been following? Barney: Yes Lois, they can co-exist. But you can implement just one cloud product, such as expenses or revenue management, to enhance the existing or current business processes. You can then have several step-by-step projects to move different business processes to the cloud – until you are 100% cloud. 07:37 Nikita: So, within the ERP suite, we'd like to learn more about Oracle Cloud Financials. Can you tell us about the types of organizations that would benefit from using Oracle Cloud Financials? Barney: Sure, Niki. So like I was saying before, Oracle Cloud Financials gives you a complete view of the overall financial health of your organization by connecting data and process automation in payables, receivables, fixed assets, expenses, GL, and reporting. It also helps organizations respond quickly to an everchanging environment and deliver decisive insights as needed. It is a comprehensive global solution designed for organizations of every size and industry. 08:20 Lois: Barney, a typical organization will have various transactions and processes that have a direct impact on their financial balance, right? Everything from financial accounting, transaction processing, payment delivery, and cash reconciliation, to employee expense processing, and even asset management. How does Oracle Cloud Financials process all these activities or functions? 08:41 Barney: Good question, Lois. Oracle Cloud Financials has several modules to help businesses handle all the processes you've just mentioned. Let's say procuring items, creating invoices, and making payments to suppliers are the typical day-to-day activities of a manufacturing organization. In Oracle Cloud Financials, the process of invoice to payment is handled by Oracle Payables and Payment tasks, which provide streamlined and user-friendly interfaces for Payables professionals to efficiently manage the Supplier Invoice to Payment process. 09:18 Barney: Let me give you another example. Every organization will have employees submitting their expenses for approval and payout. These expense-related activities are handled by Oracle Expenses. Oracle Expenses gives your organization the tools it needs to effectively manage the travel and expenses process. You can simply start the whole process by uploading a copy of your expense receipt using the expenses mobile app. 09:46 Lois: So, it looks like every financial end-to-end process in an organization is represented in Oracle Financials. Barney: Yes. Let's take Oracle Receivables. It provides streamlined and user-friendly interfaces for Receivables professionals to efficiently manage the credit-to-cash process. You can use it to proactively manage the entire cycle of billing customers and processing customer payments.  10:11 Barney: When you deal with cash that needs to be received from customers in a very large organization, it's important that you understand these customers well and build a good relationship with them. And to do this, many organizations hire specialists called collection agents. Oracle Advanced Collections is designed for these collection agents. For anyone who doesn't know, collection agents are basically those responsible for working with late or nonpaying customers to resolve payment issues and remove non-payments. 10:43 Nikita: That can be quite problematic, right? I'm sure any delays in payment from customers would cause cash flow problems for a company. Barney: Exactly. And so Advanced Collections is the critical final step in the credit/billing-to-collections business process, where the aim is to reduce delinquent customers, encourage prompt customer payment, and minimize the company Days Sales Outstanding. For those who don't know, Days Sales Outstanding is the average number of days it takes a company to receive payments for a sale. 11:19 Did you know that Oracle University offers free courses on Oracle Cloud Infrastructure? You'll find training on everything from cloud computing, database, and security to artificial intelligence and machine learning, all of which is available free to subscribers. So, get going! Pick a course of your choice, get certified, join the Oracle University Learning Community, and network with your peers. If you're already an Oracle MyLearn user, go to MyLearn to begin your journey. If you have not yet accessed Oracle MyLearn, visit mylearn.oracle.com and create an account to get started.  11:58 Nikita: Welcome back. We were just going through the various modules within Oracle Financials. So far, we've covered Payables and Payments, Expenses, Receivables, and Advanced Collections. What other modules are there, Barney? Barney: We have Oracle Assets, which is a complete asset management solution. Nikita: So assets like property… equipment… Barney: Exactly. Yes, and Oracle Assets helps you maintain your assets accurately. It supports the end-to-end asset life cycle from asset acquisition to retirement, i.e. from capture to retire. Also, if you do not directly acquire or buy the assets outright, we have a product called Lease Accounting, which covers all the accounting entries for leased assets. 12:45 Nikita: Ok. And what else? Barney: We also have Oracle Cash Management, tax engines, subledger accounting, intercompany engines, and general ledger. Nikita: Can you quickly run us through these modules? Barney: Sure. Oracle Cash Management is a comprehensive business solution that helps you optimize enterprise-wide liquidity and control cash. Tax engine is used to calculate transactional taxes based on business, products, places, and country rules. For example, when to use sales tax as opposed to when to use value added tax or VAT. 13:19 Barney: Oracle Subledger Accounting is a powerful, rules-based accounting solution that provides consistent accounting treatment for financial transactions created across Oracle Cloud applications. The intercompany engine is used to automatically balance journals that are between different organizations. For example, a central management fee charged annually between the organization's headquarters and each of its subsidiaries. In the cloud, with intercompany, you can have up to three balancing segments. However, the primary balancing segment is still used to identify the company or fund holder. 13:59 Barney: Then we have Oracle General Ledger. Oracle General Ledger is the central repository of accounting information. It provides highly automated financial processing, effective management control, and real-time visibility into financial results. 14:16 Lois: Before you continue, Barney, can you tell us what a general ledger system does? How is it different from subledger accounting? Barney: Sure, Lois. The main purpose of a general ledger system is to record the financial activities of a whole company and produce financial and management reports to help people inside and outside the organization make decisions. 14:38 Barney: Subledger journals can provide the detail and a fully auditable path back to the source transaction that created the accounting entry. This single source of subledger accounting detailed data is often summarized into account balances when transferred across to general ledger. It is these summarized GL account balances that will drive real-time financial reporting using the various cloud reporting tools. 15:04 Lois: Ok. So, you've told us about the modules within the Oracle Cloud Financials suite that capture different types of transactions. For Oracle Fusion Cloud users, what's the quickest way to uncover business insights and deliver financial improvements to their enterprise? Barney: To identify underlying drivers of profitability, improve the use of working capital, and control business expenditures, we have Oracle Fusion Cloud ERP Analytics. This is an analytics-based, state-of-the-art, technology-driven tool that provides you with the organization's financial status at any given point. Financial Reporting and Analytics helps you speed up your decision-making process with graphical insights, configurable analytics dashboards, and event-based delivery of information so you can take targeted actions. 15:56 Lois: That's interesting. Thanks for that, Barney. That was a lot for me to take in, but it's very insightful. Nikita: Yes, it was. Getting back to some of the processes you mentioned, like the Expense Report process or the Supplier Invoice to Payment process, can you give us an overall picture of how these processes are fulfilled within the Oracle Cloud Financials function? 16:17 Barney: Absolutely. At Oracle, we can map these different processes to the Oracle Financials Business Process Model. This model refers to the end-to-end business processes enabled by Oracle applications to record financial data and derive reports for efficient and successful business performance. There are key business processes in this model. 16:42 Nikita: I know you're going to be joining us in upcoming episodes to talk about each of these business processes, but can you briefly tell us about them? Barney: Sure, Niki. Let's start with the process that records cash inflow into an enterprise. Invoice to Cash refers to the cycle of events captured in the system, starting with recording customer invoices for goods and services provided, processing customer receipts based on the terms of payment, and reconciling receipts with bank statements and customer account balances with the Account Receivables ledger balances. 17:15 Barney: Then, we have the major processes that cause an outflow of cash from the enterprise. Procure to Pay involves recording the journey of transactions, from requisitioning and procuring goods and services from the supplier to receiving them at their destination and the ultimate entering of supplier invoices and payments. Asset to Retirement empowers organizations to manage the entire financial cycle of assets, including acquisition, capitalization, depreciation, and the ultimate retirement. 17:46 Barney: Accounting Transformation is the process of converting transactions or activities from subledgers to journal entries to meet corporate needs and statutory or legal reporting. And finally, Budget to Report covers the entire process of creating budgets, capturing actuals, and conducting budget reporting and variance analysis. 18:08 Lois: Each of these business processes has users with various job roles working on the application, right? They'll be taking action… providing input… So how does Oracle Cloud Financials define these job roles in the application? Barney: Well, in small or medium-sized companies, the financial functions may be the responsibility of a single accountant. But in large organizations, there is going to be a financial team, where the job roles are specialized, often focused on a particular business task or function. 18:43 Barney: The responsibility for these roles are often grouped into three main categories. We have the Specialist or Clerk, who is responsible for a specific group of tasks. For example, creating payments or reconciling bank statements. Then we have the Supervisor, who is responsible for managing the specialist executing the specific business tasks. And finally, we have the Managers or Manager, who is responsible for managing the team to meet company objectives. 19:15 Barney: When we're talking about the business processes I mentioned earlier, each of them are performed by different job roles. For example, for the Invoice to Cash business process, we have the Billing Specialist and Billing Managers, Collection Agents, and Cash Manager. For Procure to Pay, we have the Accounts Payable Specialist and Supervisor. Asset to Retirement, there's the Asset Accountant and Asset Accounting Manager. The Accounting Transformation business process is usually managed by any role assigned SLA privileges. And finally, for Budget to Reporting, we have the General Accountant and General Accounting Manager. 19:55 Nikita: Thank you so much, Barney, for giving us this thorough introduction to Oracle ERP, and particularly Oracle Financials Cloud. Barney: Thanks, Niki. It was a pleasure to be here. 20:05 Lois: We're looking forward to having you back on the podcast next week to talk about the first of the five main Financials business processes, the Invoice to Cash process flow. And to learn more about these business processes and get certified, visit mylearn.oracle.com. Until next time, this is Lois Houston… Nikita: And Nikita Abraham, signing off! 20:27 That's all for this episode of the Oracle University Podcast. If you enjoyed listening, please click Subscribe to get all the latest episodes. We'd also love it if you would take a moment to rate and review us on your podcast app. See you again on the next episode of the Oracle University Podcast.

In today's episode, we interview Nick Foy, an ERP expert, to share with us some ideas and best practices on building systems and managing an effective ERP.   TODAY'S WIN-WIN:No ERP is going to fix a bad business process. LINKS FROM THE EPISODE:You can visit our guest's website at: https://www.silverdaletech.com/Attend our Franchise Sales Training Workshop:  https://bigskyfranchiseteam.com/franchisesalestraining/If you are ready to franchise your business or take it to the next level: CLICK HERE.Follow our guest on social:https://www.linkedin.com/in/nickfoy/ABOUT OUR GUEST:Nick Foy is the Founder, CEO, and Chief Evangelist of Silverdale Technology, which provides access to world-class processes, systems, and change management methods regardless of their size or budget. Going against the grain of the ERP industry, Nick and his team are 'democratizing ERP' with their unique perspectives, such as their standard business process library, fixed price implementation and money-back guarantees. Nick is well placed to do so, with over 30 years of experience in business and technology consulting and leadership positions, particularly in logistics and supply chain, at Amazon, Capgemini Consulting, ModusLink Corporation, 3663 First for Food service, and The Glenmorangie Distillery Company. ABOUT BIG SKY FRANCHISE TEAM:This episode is powered by Big Sky Franchise Team. If you are ready to talk about franchising your business you can schedule your free, no-obligation, franchise consultation online at: https://bigskyfranchiseteam.com/ or by calling Big Sky Franchise Team at: 855-824-4759.   

Highlights from this week's conversation include:Emilie's background and journey in data (3:42)The problem of three-way match (8:56)Operational workflows and how data stacks solve them (13:16)Turbine's solution as a lightweight ERP (14:05)Workflows and analytics (14:59)Consolidating information into helpful application (27:41)Challenges in operational workflows (32:19)Friction and hurdles in ERP usage (39:28)A solution for purchase order management (40:47)Turbine's focus and limitations (45:26)Building a software that gets out of the way (52:51)Final thoughts and takeaways (54:25)The Data Stack Show is a weekly podcast powered by RudderStack, the CDP for developers. Each week we'll talk to data engineers, analysts, and data scientists about their experience around building and maintaining data infrastructure, delivering data and data products, and driving better outcomes across their businesses with data.RudderStack helps businesses make the most out of their customer data while ensuring data privacy and security. To learn more about RudderStack visit rudderstack.com.

August's installment of our Economics Club series, sponsored by The Glatfelter Insurance Group, featured a discussion about York County's logistics industry with a panel of experts throughout supply chain. The panel discussion highlighted how manufactured goods are packaged and moved within a factory, how trucking companies are moving goods to their point of use, and how the next generation of the logistics workforce is preparing to meet increasing demand and innovation. About the Panelists Joe Garner, Director of Operations, JLS Automation With over 30 years' experience of successful business and operational leadership, Joe Garner's focus is identifying and developing both resources and processes that are in line with the business strategy. In this role he's had to guide the JLS team at the work order detail level, as well as contribute strategic direction in developing and executing the businesses strategic plans at the staff level. Ryan Polakoff, President, Nexterus Ryan Polakoff oversees all day-to-day activity for Nexterus Inc. As the fourth generation of the Polakoff family, Ryan has worked in and around the family business his entire life. Since 2003, Ryan has worked every desk at the company to truly learn the business from the ground up. As a “what is possible?” leader, Ryan thrives in difficult situations; he enjoys dissecting complex issues, designing solutions, and implementing actionable results. Ryan is a firm believer in challenging the status quo and embraces his role as a coach. His focus is on unifying and building teams, empowering and growing leaders, and providing the necessary support and resources to keep Nexterus in growth mode. Dr. Mohammed Raja, Associate Professor of Supply Chain Operations and Department Chair, Operations and Information Technology, Graham School of Business at York College of Pennsylvania Dr. Mohammed Raja is the chair of the Operations and Information Technology department at York College. As a faculty member, he teaches courses in Logistics Management, Production Planning and Control, and Enterprise Resource Planning using SAP S/4HANA. He is also the founding faculty advisor for the ASCM (Association of Supply Chain Management) Student Chapter and currently serves as a board member on the ASCM - South East Pennsylvania Alliance Local Chapter. About the Moderator Mike Pritchard, Chief of Transportation Planning, York County Planning Commission and York Area Metropolitan Planning Organization Mike Pritchard holds a B.A. in Political Science from Penn State and a Master's in Public Policy & Administration from York College. He is a member of the American Planning Association and the American Institute of Certified Planners. Mike's team at YCPC recently partnered with Gannett-Fleming, Inc. and the YCEA to complete the first county-wide Freight Plan for York. The Economics Club Breakfast series offers an informative monthly breakfast and provides attendees the opportunity to network with key business and community leaders. A variety of speakers discuss economic and business updates important to York County. Contact Casey Nixon, cnixon@yceapa.org to learn more about joining the Economics Club.

At the heart of The Prophets' vision are “The 24 Essential Supply Chain Processes.” What are they? Find out, and see the future yourself. Click here In this episode, hosts Cathy Fisher, Terry Onica, and co-host, Jan Griffiths share a roadmap to success in the automotive supply chain. The roadmap comprises five crucial steps that aim to help organizations prepare for the future and thrive in the industry. Step one involves identifying the 24 essential supply chain processes, crucial for success. Steps two and three emphasize the importance of assessing competencies and providing training for a knowledgeable and skilled workforce. In step four, they highlight the significance of adopting a strategic supply chain mindset, and step five explores the benefits of technology and automation. Throughout the episode, the hosts provide valuable insights and examples to inspire and guide listeners on their journey toward supply chain success. Don't miss out on all of these insights and real-world examples that can propel your supply chain toward profitability and success. Themes discussed in this episode:The Strategic RoadmapIdentifying the 24 Essential ProcessesAssessing Competencies and Providing TrainingAdopting a Strategic Supply Chain MindsetImportance of CollaborationLeveraging Technology and AutomationUrgency in Embracing ChangeFeatured on this episode: Name: Cathy FisherTitle: Founder and President, QuistemAbout: Cathy's firm helps its clients, particularly automotive manufacturers, eliminate customer complaints and increase their profits. She has worked in the automotive supply chain since the 1980s when she started her career with General Motors.Connect: LinkedInName: Terry OnicaTitle: Director, Automotive at QADAbout: For two decades, Terry has been the automotive vertical director of this provider of manufacturing Enterprise Resource Planning software and supply chain solutions. Her career began in supply chain in the late 1980s when she led a team to implement Electronic Data Interchange for all the Ford assembly and component plants.Connect: LinkedInName: Jan GriffithsTitle: President and Founder, Gravitas DetroitAbout: A veteran executive in the automotive industry, Jan previously served as chief procurement officer for a $3 billion, Tier 1 global automotive supplier. As the president of Gravitas Detroit, Jan provides online courses, speeches, podcasts, and workshops to break the mold of command -and-control leadership to help you unleash the potential of your team and allow authentic leadership to thrive.Connect: LinkedInMentioned in this episode:The five-step RoadmapThe 24 Essential Supply Chain ProcessesEpisode 32:...

At the heart of The Prophets' vision are “The 24 Essential Supply Chain Processes.” What are they? Find out, and see the future yourself. Click here MMOGLE and IATF cross reference document In this episode of the Auto Supply Chain Prophets Podcast, The hosts, Cathy Fisher and Terry Onica, along with the Co-host, Jan Griffiths take a broad picture of the automotive sector and its changing standards. Cathy stresses the necessity of clarity in relation to clients, markets, and value for strategic planning to be successful. Terry talks about MMOG/LE training and the need to align MMOG/LE with IATF 16949 standards for a more thorough supply chain management strategy.They discuss the benefits and difficulties presented by the automotive industry's changing landscape. To build a potent fusion of innovation and mass manufacturing skills, they underline the importance of dismantling silos and encouraging collaboration between established OEMs and EV startups. The relevance of sustainability is also discussed, as well as how automotive standards should change to account for emerging technologies and cybersecurity issues. The hosts repeatedly emphasize the importance of a comprehensive approach to supply chain management and the necessity of fusing quality, supply chain, and other elements to ensure long-term success in the rapidly changing auto sector.Join this episode of the Auto Supply Chain Prophets and dive in as they take a macro view of the industry and the standards of the auto industry. Themes discussed in this episode:The Importance of Clarity in Strategic PlanningEvolving Automotive StandardsCollaboration between Legacy Auto and EV StartupsThe Role of Sustainability in the Automotive IndustryChallenges in Supply Chain ManagementFeatured on this episode: Name: Cathy FisherTitle: Founder and President, QuistemAbout: Cathy's firm helps its clients, particularly automotive manufacturers, eliminate customer complaints and increase their profits. She has worked in the automotive supply chain since the 1980s when she started her career with General Motors.Connect: LinkedInName: Terry OnicaTitle: Director, Automotive at QADAbout: For two decades, Terry has been the automotive vertical director of this provider of manufacturing Enterprise Resource Planning software and supply chain solutions. Her career began in supply chain in the late 1980s when she led a team to implement Electronic Data Interchange for all the Ford assembly and component plants.Connect: LinkedInName: Jan GriffithsTitle: President and Founder, Gravitas DetroitAbout: A veteran executive in the automotive industry, Jan previously served as chief procurement officer for a $3 billion, Tier 1 global automotive supplier. As the president of Gravitas Detroit, Jan provides online courses, speeches, podcasts and workshops to break the mold of command and control leadership to help you unleash the potential of your team and allow authentic...

Join Lois Houston and Nikita Abraham, along with special guests Nancy Kramer and Betina Tagle from Oracle's corporate security organization, as they discuss the steps you can take to evaluate your organization's security, privacy, and compliance requirements using Oracle Cloud Infrastructure. They also talk about the resources that are available to help you do so.   Oracle MyLearn: https://mylearn.oracle.com/ Oracle University Learning Community: https://education.oracle.com/ou-community Subscribe to Security Updates: https://www.oracle.com/security-alerts/ Oracle Trust Center: https://www.oracle.com/trust/ OCI CAIQ: https://www.oracle.com/corporate/security-practices/cloud  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/oracle-university/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/Oracle_Edu   Special thanks to Arijit Ghosh, David Wright, and the OU Studio Team for helping us create this episode.   --------------------------------------------------------   Episode Transcript:  00;00;00;00 - 00;00;38;16 Welcome to the Oracle University Podcast, the first stop on your cloud journey. During this series of informative podcasts, we'll bring you foundational training on the most popular Oracle technologies. Let's get started. Hello and welcome to the Oracle University Podcast. I'm Nikita Abraham, Principal Technical Editor with Oracle University, and with me is Lois Houston, Director of Product Innovation and Go to Market Programs.   00;00;38;20 - 00;01;01;13 Hi there. In today's special episode, we're going to talk about all the steps you can take to evaluate your organization's security, privacy, and compliance requirements using Oracle Cloud Infrastructure. We'll also explore some of the resources that are available to help you do so. And to tell us all about it, we're joined by two guests from Oracle's corporate security organization.   00;01;01;16 - 00;01;32;25 Nancy Kramer is a Senior Director in Global Information Security. She has 20 years of experience in risk management, security, privacy, and compliance audits involving complex business processes and IT systems. She also provides thought leadership, including engagement with industry organizations. Dr. Betina Tagle is also with Global Information Security. She has over 20 years of experience with cybersecurity and compliance in both the private and public sector.   00;01;32;27 - 00;01;52;26 Thank you so much, Nancy and Betina, for being with us today. Yes, this is such an important topic to learn more about. I'm really interested in what you have to share with us. Thank you so much for having us. We are delighted to help our customers learn more about how to securely reap the benefits of cloud. Thanks for this opportunity, Niki and Lois.   00;01;52;28 - 00;02;25;26 As organizations adopt cloud services, they're seeking guidance on evaluating cloud service providers. Our goal is to offer helpful insights on the approach. Let's start with setting some context. What kind of challenges do organizations face in their cloud adoption journey? Organizations continue to migrate business-critical applications and workloads to the cloud. The benefits are compelling. Leveraging the cloud lets organizations focus on their core mission and minimize capital expenditure.   00;02;25;29 - 00;03;08;09 With cloud services, organizations still own their data while leveraging the expertise, economy of scale, technical flexibility, and scalability offered by their cloud providers. When organizations are considering their cloud strategy, they need to consider their security, privacy, and compliance objectives from internal and external sources, compiling their requirements for the cloud service providers. For example, external requirements may include applicable laws and regulations based on the organization's location, their customer location, industry, or the type of data they process.   00;03;08;12 - 00;03;50;02 Organizations would benefit from a thorough analysis of the regulatory environment by their legal team. Internal requirements may be defined by the organization's Board of Directors, CEO, CISO, and other executives, as well as internal policies and contractual commitments to their customers. Oracle Cloud Infrastructure, or OCI, provides services, features, and documentation resources to support these customer obligations. Oracle University and OCI also offer helpful courses to guide customers through securing their cloud tendencies using various OCI features and services.   00;03;50;03 - 00;04;22;19 I want to come back to those courses later, but first, who does what in the cloud? Which operational technology management tasks are handled by the cloud provider and which are the customer's responsibility? I think it will help if I start by defining the categories of Oracle offerings and summarizing who does what per category. This will clarify the notion of the shared management model that is predominant in the cloud as well as the relative scope of available security assurance validations.   00;04;22;22 - 00;04;57;08 OCI services can be used to build and operate computing environments, which include data analysis, storage, system integrations, enterprise workloads, and cloud native or containerized applications. Oracle manages the hosted tools, but the customer is responsible for how they build, configure, and use these tools, and for the data processed in their tenancies. Some examples of OCI services are compute and autonomous database.   00;04;57;10 - 00;05;30;11 Exactly right, Betina. In contrast, cloud applications are hosted using a Software as a Service or SaaS model in which the cloud provider, such as Oracle, manages the cloud applications and the underlying infrastructure. Customers are responsible for how they configure and use these SaaS applications and for the data processed in their cloud tendencies. Examples of these services include Enterprise Resource Planning, ERP, and Human Capital Management, or HCM.   00;05;30;13 - 00;05;59;11 Customers are also responsible for securing any third-party integration associated with these SaaS offerings, as well as any custom code extension scripts that they add to the applications. Let me highlight the differences a bit more in relation to the traditional on-premises model where companies such as Oracle provide hardware and software that customers install, deploy, and manage in their own computing environments.   00;05;59;13 - 00;06;25;23 The customer is wholly responsible for the management of the entire technology environment in which those products are deployed and operated, as well as the data they process. That makes sense. Right, Lois. And Oracle strongly recommends that customers protect the computing environment they manage by installing security updates delivered through the Critical Patch Update, CPU, and Security Alert programs without delay.   00;06;25;26 - 00;06;59;08 Customers can view and even subscribe to notifications about these security updates at oracle.com/security-alerts. Just to summarize, cloud providers are responsible for the security of the cloud, and customers are responsible for security in the cloud. They still decide on what data to process, where, and how. No matter what type of cloud service, OCI or SaaS, customers should still do the following.   00;06;59;08 - 00;07;34;01 Implement settings for authentication and authorization per their security and privacy requirements for accounts and passwords. Manage access for user accounts, including auditing which user accounts have access to what data. Monitor the available logs and reports, and respond to security events as well as determine what data to process and manage that data per their organization's security and privacy objectives. And you're going to be joining us in the Oracle University Learning Community soon for a special live event to talk about all of this in more detail, right?   00;07;34;02 - 00;07;57;13 Yes, we are. We are so excited to talk to everyone in the community. We're going to look at this topic in-depth in the special live event that is scheduled for June 29th. We will walk you through a tour of relevant resources on oracle.com so you can make sure to plan ahead and attend. And you'll need to be a member of the community if you want to attend.   00;07;57;14 - 00;08;17;13 So be sure you join and register for the event today. If you're not already a member of the community, you can sign up by visiting mylearn.oracle.com. You'll find all the live events, including the one Nancy and Betina will be hosting, on the community home page. So Betina, how can people see a preview of those oracle.com resources?   00;08;17;14 - 00;08;52;08 Oracle offers a wealth of security and cloud compliance information on the Oracle Trust Center found at oracle.com/trust. The site includes Oracle Corporate security practices, the cloud compliance site of third-party independent attestations to various global and regional compliance frameworks, and the Oracle Security blog. You can view the independent third-party certifications for OCI in the Trust Center by clicking the Attestations link under the Cloud Compliance heading.   00;08;52;10 - 00;09;22;06 Please note that each attestation is scoped to a particular set of cloud services and data center regions. Clicking on a compliance framework name retrieves a general description and the link to the entity providing the compliance framework. Some examples of global compliance frameworks include ISO 27001, SOC 2, Cloud Security Alliance Star, and Payment Card Industry Data Security Standards or PCI DSS.   00;09;22;08 - 00;09;45;23 This site also includes geography-specific standards, such as US FedRAMP, UK CyberEssentials, European Union Cloud Code of Conduct for Privacy, and IRAP for Australia. Obviously, this information is subject to change and is updated frequently.   00;09;45;25 - 00;10;11;16 Want to learn more about modern best practices for cloud applications? Oracle University offers business processes training for Human Capital Management, Financials, Customer Experience, Supply Chain, and Procurement. From now through August 31st, you can take the training for any of these areas and get certified for free as well. Oracle Cloud training and certifications empower you to explore limitless possibilities in the cloud landscape.   00;10;11;17 - 00;10;29;10 Gain the knowledge and skills needed to design, deploy, secure, and operate modern cloud infrastructure and applications with confidence. Go to education.oracle.com for more details. What are you waiting for? Get certified today.   00;10;29;12 - 00;11;04;29 Welcome back. Let's say there's a customer who wants to view OCI compliance attestations. I know they can always contact Sales to get these audit reports, but are there any self-service options? Yes. OCI customers can download OCI attestations of compliance to various compliance frameworks, including global information security standards, via the OCI Console and the Compliance Documents screen. There are multiple types of compliance documents available depending on the compliance framework or standard.   00;11;05;02 - 00;11;50;21 These include audit reports, attestations of compliance, and certificates of compliance. While logged in to the OCI Console for your tenancy, open the navigation menu. Click Identity and Security from the left menu that appears and then click Compliance on the screen that appears. The Compliance Documents page displays all available documents. You can filter, sort, and download the compliance documents of interest from this page via the command line interface and using the OCI API. Instructions for accessing compliance documents are also in the OCI product documentation at docs.oracle.com.   00;11;50;21 - 00;12;20;04 Thanks, Betina. That's great to know. Nancy, what else does Oracle offer to help our customers secure their cloud workloads running on OCI? I can offer two additional recommendations. The first is to take advantage of the in-depth OCI courses available through Oracle University. The OCI learning subscription includes introductory as well as expert-level courses.   00;12;20;06 - 00;12;59;02 To get started, there's an OCI Foundations learning path that describes the types of services OCI offers, has some basic recommendations for configuring your tenancy so that you meet your organization's security and privacy and compliance objectives. There are some key terminology you'll be introduced to in that learning path, as well as recommendations for architecture that provide resilience and business continuity. For example, OCI regions typically have multiple availability domains which each, in turn, have multiple fault domains.   00;12;59;05 - 00;13;31;01 OCI designed these availability and fault domains to have redundant systems so that a disruption of service in one availability domain does not result in a disruption to all availability domains in that region. These kinds of architectural and system design choices will help organizations avoid disruption of their operations when using systems running in OCI. A more advanced Oracle University offering is the Cybersecurity and Oracle Cloud learning path.   00;13;31;03 - 00;13;58;21 This group of courses explains the various OCI services that can be used to implement information security controls for identity management, networks, managing encryption keys, network firewalls, vulnerability scanning, compartment management practices, and so much more. And all of our OCI training in MyLearn is available free to anyone. So, there are really no barriers to learning if you're interested in diving in.   00;13;58;23 - 00;14;36;09 Those are some great course recommendations, Nancy and Bettina. So, Nancy, you said you had two recommendations. What's the other one? My second suggestion is for customers to evaluate the suitability of OCI cloud services by downloading and reading the detailed information about security practices from oracle.com. Oracle published Consensus Assessment Initiative Questionnaires, also called CAIQ or “CAKE” for various cloud services, including for OCI. CAIQs are industry-standard questionnaires from the Cloud Security Alliance.   00;14;36;12 - 00;15;11;14 That is a global organization which defined a set of controls companies can use to evaluate all types of cloud services to essential security controls in a fair and consistent manner. Each CAIQ answers several hundred questions, encompassing important information security control domains such as audit and assurance, application security, business continuity, change management, data center physical controls, human resources, identity and access management, incident management, and finally, threat and vulnerability management.   00;15;11;14 - 00;15;38;22 These publicly-available CAIQs encompass a broad set of information security policies and practices that are most relevant for cloud services. You can download the OCI CAIQ from oracle.com/trust by drilling down on the Security Practices for Cloud section. We will also add it in the show notes so that it's easily accessible.   00;15;38;25 - 00;16;07;16 Thank you, Betina and Nancy. This has been a very informative conversation. I had no idea about all the details that went into corporate security. I can't wait for the live tour of these oracle.com public resources in the Oracle University Learning Community on June 29th. We're very much looking forward to that event as well. Thank you so much for giving us a chance to share guidance about how organizations can evaluate the security, compliance, and privacy of cloud service providers.   00;16;07;18 - 00;16;31;02 We look forward to being back here again. We'd love that. Thanks again! In our next episode, we'll look at Oracle Machine Learning with Cloud Engineer Nick Commisso. Until then, this is Nikita Abraham and Lois Houston signing off. That's all for this episode of the Oracle University Podcast. If you enjoyed listening, please click Subscribe to get all the latest episodes.   00;16;31;04 - 00;19;04;01 We'd also love it if you would take a moment to rate and review us on your podcast app. See you again on the next episode of the Oracle University Podcast.

#64: In this episode of the podcast, we speak with Andrew Jamison, co-founder of Extend, a platform that enables businesses to issue and manage digital credit cards. Jamison shares his journey from leaving the corporate world of American Express to embarking on entrepreneurship. He recounts his experience implementing solutions for corporate clients in SAP consulting and developing an interest in payments while working at Amex. Jamison explains that the idea for Extend came from identifying a gap in the market for a solution that would capture spend, reconciliation, and expense management, particularly for the middle market. Jamison also touches on the challenges of starting a company, including the need to secure investments from friends and family before reaching out to professional investors. Extend Links: https://www.paywithextend.com/https://twitter.com/PayWithExtendhttps://www.linkedin.com/company/paywithextendStartup Savant Links:https://startupsavant.com/podcasthttps://www.youtube.com/@StartupSavantPodcast/https://www.instagram.com/startupsavantpodcast/https://www.linkedin.com/company/startup-savant/

Quark.ai Generative AI solution can add value to solutions required by some of the world's most recognized brands “The world runs on SAP,” says Prosenjit Sen, CEO of Quark.ai. In this podcast, focusing on practical uses for generative AI, Sen is joined by Rob Levi of EPI-USE, a Gold SAP Partner. “One of the things an enterprise user of SAP deals with is an enormous value of documentation… you're looking at an ocean of documents” adds Sen. “Using search if you have 100s of thousands or millions of documents, is like finding a needle in a haystack.” EPI-USE is a South African company. They are part of GroupElephant.com which employees 3,500 people worldwide. Mark A. Daley, a technology leader, also joins us to offer industry perspective. “We have over 1,300 clients globally,” says Levi, who adds that in addition to the weight of client documentation, EPI-USE has its own documents, that are critical to deliver expected results. Levi goes on to outline his company's needs and the needs of their customers. “We give you a human like answer in English,” says Sen, “…and not only that, for that answer we will give you the evidence.” Questions come back with answers where the answer is not only provided but source materials are noted. Quark.ai speaks English and can footnote. The answers to questions, are instant. Daley notes that one of the advantages of this approach is that with time and staff turnover, the body of corporate knowledge and experiences, as reflected in the documents, are not lost with staff departures or that tribal knowledge drain. If that information is in the documentation, Quark.ai provides instant access, in any file type with the resource documented without hallucinations. EPI-USE is a South African company that is part of GroupElephant.com which employs 3,500 people worldwide.  EPI-USE channels one percent (1%) of revenues to their not-for-profit-zone.  EPI-USE is a leading global SAP ERP integrator and although most of us use the term ERP for Enterprise Resource Planning, EPI-USE has a duel meaning for which they champion:  ERP also means: Elephants, Rhinos & People, as they focus on helping people and communities to avoid poaching endangered wildlife, as part of the workday at the organization. Visit quark.ai Visit https://www.groupelephant.com/ Visit https://www.epiuse.com/ Visit https://www.erp.ngo/ Visit https://www.linkedin.com/in/markadaley1/

ERP or Enterprise Resource Planning – the name may conjure up images or memories of large systems that can take years to implement, or perhaps even longer to upgrade. In this episode, we'll talk to someone who shares with us how we, as ServiceNow Developers, can become close partners with our ERP brethren by leveraging the power of our platform. Topics 00:00 Welcome/introductions 07:05 What is an ERP? 09:26 Who are the ERP vendors? 12:55 ECM defined 21:52 Other similar vendors 25:18 How ECM works 29:00 Implementation time 34:50 What's in it for ServiceNow Devs 37:56 Roadmap 39:12 Words of advice 40:00 Contact info 40:48 Outro Links Email jens.strandbygaard@servicenow.come LinkedIn Check out the other ServiceNow podcasts.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

ERP or Enterprise Resource Planning – the name may conjure up images or memories of large systems that can take years to implement, or perhaps even longer to upgrade. In this episode, we'll talk to someone who shares with us how we, as ServiceNow Developers, can become close partners with our ERP brethren by leveraging the power of our platform. Topics 00:00 Welcome/introductions 07:05 What is an ERP? 09:26 Who are the ERP vendors? 12:55 ECM defined 21:52 Other similar vendors 25:18 How ECM works 29:00 Implementation time 34:50 What's in it for ServiceNow Devs 37:56 Roadmap 39:12 Words of advice 40:00 Contact info 40:48 Outro Links Email jens.strandbygaard@servicenow.come LinkedIn Check out the other ServiceNow podcasts.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Let's jump into the Alkimi archives this week for a special episode of LabTalks! Alkimi's own Benjamin “Slam” Dunkel met up with Phil Haunhorst, CEO of Obius. Obius is a blockchain-based ERP software, that brings Enterprise-Resource-Planning to Web3. Check out Obius here: https://www.obius-erp.io/ Slam and Phil discussed a range of topics, touching on Web2 and Web3 interaction with daily life, barriers to entry of Web3, and how education can help Web3 adoption... For everything else Alkimi

For this episode of the eCom Logistics Podcast, we welcome Sarah Scudder, Chief Marketing Officer of SourceDay and host of the What the Duck podcast. Today, Sarah digs into building partnerships between suppliers and procurement organizations.She discusses how the sheer volume of orders makes first-mile critical in the operations of manufacturers and the role of technology in automating manual processes. Sarah also gives actionable tips on how to build partnerships, from hiring the right talent to making it easy for suppliers to work with procurement to reevaluating payment terms to become more attractive as a partner.Sarah also talks about how midmarket companies and suppliers can utilize a tech stack to reduce risk. By utilizing niche software, the back and forth that happens with line item changes can be tracked to avoid supplier misses. Finally, Sarah gives advice to brands with seasonal products and how they can plan for 2023 and beyond. ABOUT SARAHSarah Scudder is a self-proclaimed manufacturing supply chain nerd. She is a sustainability nut and loves all things Bradley Cooper. In fact, she has been trying to get a dinner date with him for over two years. The struggle is real. She is good at loading the dishwasher but can't keep potted plants alive. Green is her favorite color.Sarah hosts the direct materials podcast What the Duck?! and a monthly Voice of Supply Chain show that features people in supply chain doing extraordinary things. She also hosts monthly Manufacturing Woes and Women In ERP shows and enjoys speaking about marketing and supply chain-related topics.Follow her hashtags #ManufacturingMaven and #WomenInERP to get daily manufacturing and direct materials supply chain news. HIGHLIGHTS02:48 Sarah's journey from student leader to CMO 10:04 Midmarket companies: Avoid costly mistakes by automating manual processes of first-mile delivery19:52 Become a partner and build collaborative working relationships27:36 A single solution will not address every PO problem; use niche tools36:29 Brands must assess their supplier base in 2023 QUOTES26:31 Price should no longer be a top consideration in selecting suppliers - Sarah: "The days of trying to save a penny here and then on price are, just in my opinion, gone. And if I were running a procurement organization, I don't even think costs would be in my top three focus areas. Now, of course, do you need to make sure that what you're buying is market competitive? Absolutely. But I think there are many more priorities than looking at price. And one of the main ones is supply. And if you can't get supply, no matter how much it costs, it does you no good because you're not gonna have anything to manufacture."30:54 Use niche tools to prevent supplier misses - Sarah: "When a company is issuing a purchase order, 52% of the time, our research has shown from the usage of our platform that line items change. So if I'm issuing a purchase order with a hundred line items, we're saying that on average, 52 of those hundred line items are going to have have changes, and that means then, significant back and forth via email and spreadsheet with your supplier, and then we go back to that risk."37:55 Brands with seasonal products must assess their supplier base - Sarah: "One of the most important things you can do to prepare is one, do a full assessment of your supplier base. Who are your suppliers? What is their availability? What sort of relationship do you have with those suppliers? Anything that's questionable or a red flag, I would go immediately start sourcing alternative suppliers to make sure you can have supply." Find out more about Sarah in the links below:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/manufacturingmaven/Website: https://sourceday.com/Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/what-the-duck/id1606314974

The buzzwords over the last couple of years have been 'digitalisation', 'pivot', and 'digital transformation'. We managed to sit down with Ben Lim, the Senior Country Manager for Epicor Software to hear how these buzzwords have been turned into action. He also explains how important ERP systems (Enterprise Resource Planning) are to smaller enterprises as we move into 2023. And just what is 'Human Centric Industry 5.0' all about?Photo Credit : Shutterstok | Wright Studio

Shawn Windle explains how information flows through an organization's software — and why ERP, or Enterprise Resource Planning, is more than the software itself, demonstrating the vitality of understanding this conceptual framework.Connect with us!https://www.erpadvisorsgroup.com866-499-8550LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/company/erp-advisors-groupTwitter:https://twitter.com/erpadvisorsgrpFacebook:https://www.facebook.com/erpadvisorsInstagram:https://www.instagram.com/erpadvisorsgroupPinterest:https://www.pinterest.com/erpadvisorsgroupMedium:https://medium.com/@erpadvisorsgroup

What is ERP? Today's guest, Nick Foy, Founder of Silverdale Technology, walks us through how ERP, Enterprise Resource Planning, allows all data and transactions to go through a single system. When you can put over 150 business processes within one system everything is SO MUCH easier to understand and evaluate. With over 30 years of operations and technical experience, Nick walks us through how ERP systems work and how they can change the way you do business. We discuss the three levels of data: 1. Interesting 2. Insightful 3. Actionable These tips and many more are jammed packed into this incredible interview. Tune in. To learn more from Nick about ERPs (Enterprise Resource Planning) visit www.SilverdaleTech.com, e-mail him at Hello@SilverdaleTech.com or follow on Social Media @SilverdaleTech Thank you for listening to another episode of the Perky Collar Radio Show. Warmest Regards, David M. Frankel Perky Collar Inventor, Perky, LLC Founder, Perky Collar Radio Show Host, Commercial Real Estate Broker & Business Broker www.PerkyLLC.com, www.BBOTC.net Feel free to join my Entrepreneur Group on Facebook www.Facebook.com/Groups/CharlotteEntrepreneurThinkTank Feel free to learn more about The Fenx and join fellow successful Entrepreneurs https://entrepreneurs-maclackey.thrivecart.com/the-fenx-monthly/?ref=cettsupport Feel free to connect with me on Linkedin www.Linkedin.com/in/DavidMFrankel Ready to write a book and share your story with the world? Let me help you get it done every step of the way. Go to https://perky.bookpublishingagency.com/ --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/perkycollaradioshow/support

Two automotive supply chain experts sit down in a room and scour two of the most widely consulted, notoriously complex protocols for automotive supply chain management: the Automotive Industry Action Group's Global Materials Management Operational Guidelines/Logistical Evaluation (MMOG/LE) and International Automotive Task Force (IATF) 16949. They emerge, probably with plenty of eyestrain, and produce a meticulously assembled document that identifies 24 essential supply chain processes and connects them to each other.The aforementioned experts are Auto Supply Chain Prophets co-hosts Cathy Fisher and Terry Onica, and they're making the case for breaking down silos through open communication and critical analysis of processes. In this episode of Auto Supply Chain Prophets, they talk with co-host Jan Griffiths about the patterns that emerged when they identified each process and looked for connections between them, the results their clients have seen upon applying these findings and the reception they've been getting from original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) so far. Themes discussed in this episode: How delivery has always been a part of qualityThe cohesion and growth that can occur when you break down silos and communicateThe application of the processes across verticalsThe five categories that Terry and Cathy created to map out all 24 processes across the business continuumFeatured on this Episode Name: Cathy FisherTitle: Founder and President, QuistemAbout: Cathy's firm helps its clients, particularly automotive manufacturers, eliminate customer complaints and increase their profits. She has worked in the automotive supply chain since the 1980s when she started her career with General Motors.Connect: LinkedInName: Terry Onica Title: Director, Automotive at QADAbout: For two decades, Terry has been the automotive vertical director of this provider of manufacturing Enterprise Resource Planning software and supply chain solutions. Her career began in supply chain in the late 1980s when she led a team to implement Electronic Data Interchange for all the Ford assembly and component plants. Connect: LinkedInName: Jan Griffiths Title: President and Founder, Gravitas DetroitAbout: A veteran executive in the automotive industry, Jan previously served as chief procurement officer for a $3 billion, Tier 1 global automotive supplier. As the president of Gravitas Detroit, Jan provides online courses, speeches, podcasts and workshops to break the mold of command and control leadership to help you unleash the potential of your team and allow authentic leadership to thrive.Connect: LinkedInEpisode HighlightsTimestamped inflection points from the show[00:26] From pain points to processes: Five years ago, Cathy Fisher and Terry Onica began...

#digitaltransformation #cio The UN recently celebrated its 75th anniversary and in this episode of CXOTalk, we speak about Digital Transformation with the Chief Information and Technology Officer of the United Nations, Bernardo Mariano Jr.The conversation explores the current state of digital transformation at the UN and discusses the role of digital technologies in helping achieve sustainable development goals and a more peaceful world.The conversation included these topics:● On the Chief Information Technology Officer role at the UN● On being Chief Information Officer at the World Health Organization● On being a digital transformation leader at the UN● On the benefits of digital transformation● On how to overcome enterprise collaboration and diversity challenges● On measuring the success of digital transformation initiatives● On gaining technology consensus across UN member states● On the role of data in digital transformation and decision-making● On ensuring data security and integrity● On the broad vision of transformation and digital ecosystems● On advice to government policymakers on digital technologies and transformationSubscribe: https://www.cxotalk.com/subscribeTranscript: https://www.cxotalk.com/episode/digital-transformation-united-nationsBernardo Mariano Joaquim Junior of Mozambique is the Chief Information Technology Officer (CITO), Assistant Secretary-General, Office of Information and Communications Technology at United Nations Headquarters in New York (UNOICT).He brings to the position 28 years of experience within the United Nations system and international organizations, most recently serving as the Chief Information Officer and Director for Digital Health and Innovation at the World Health Organization (WHO), where he led the organization's digital transformation journey, leveraging digital technologies and innovations to accelerate the achievement of WHO strategic goals.Bernardo started his career in 1993 with International Organization for Migration (IOM) in Mozambique and continued with IOM in Haiti, Mali, Angola, Kenya, Kosovo and South Africa in addition to Geneva, Switzerland before joining WHO in 2018. He served as IOM Senior Regional Adviser for Sub-Saharan Africa (2017-2018), Regional Director for Southern Africa (2009-2015) and served as IOM Chief Information Officer (2015-2017, 2002-2011), having championed business transformation initiatives, driving innovations in operation and management systems, Enterprise Resource Planning systems, information technology, project management and network infrastructure.He holds a Master of Science in Global Management from Salford University (United Kingdom), and a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering from the Eduardo Mondlane University in Mozambique. He is fluent in English, Portuguese and Spanish, with a very good knowledge of French.

On this episode of Healthy Outcomes, our host Mark Ross interviews Kayla Flint, principal, and Kevin Gardner, director, on the Baker Tilly Digital team, about digital transformation as it relates to healthcare providers.

In the episode 112 of IDEAS+LEADERS podcast I am speaking with Oana Velcu-Laitinen about the importance of creativity and how to work on it in the workplace. Oana Velcu-Laitinen is a NeuroLeadership coach and trainer focusing on creative thinking to enhance work performance. Her clients include researchers, change leaders, entrepreneurs, and individuals seeking career growth. Oana holds a PhD in Economics from Hanken School of Economics in Helsinki, Finland. During her doctoral research on implementing Enterprise Resource Planning systems in mid-sized Finnish companies, she repeatedly noticed an underestimation of change management. As a result, she got interested in supporting individuals and organisations to create cultures of creativity and change. So, in 2016, she disrupted her academic career to become a knowledge solopreneur. You can contact Oana HERE Thank you for joining me on this episode of IDEAS+LEADERS. If you enjoyed this episode, please share, subscribe and review so that more people can enjoy the podcast https://podcasts.apple.com/pl/podcast/ideas-leaders/id1531433083

Manufacturing Talk Radio welcomes Ara Surenian from Plex, the Smart Manufacturing Platform that connects your people, systems, machines, and supply chains. Lew and Ara discuss Plex's products which include Enterprise Resource Planning, Manufacturing Execution System, Supply Chain Planning, Production Monitoring and more. Find out how to run your manufacturing operations more efficiently on this episode of Manufacturing Talk Radio. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Webcast URL: https://knowledgewebcasts.com/know-portfolio/leveraging-enterprise-resource-planning/ The modern economy has placed immense pressure on businesses to speed up their operations while increasing profitability, managing their margins, and complying with ever-changing regulations. But to survive and stay ahead in a highly disruptive and volatile market, it has become critical for companies to leverage technological advances that can optimize their business processes and boost their organizational value. Many companies now lean on enterprise resource planning (ERP) to overcome these issues and gain a competitive edge. However, ERP implementation can be complex and challenging as businesses must have an in-depth understanding of ERP before they select a software solution that aligns perfectly with their strategic goals. Listen as information technology experts from Aptean Ron Poggi and David Levitt provide the audience with a comprehensive guide on how to leverage enterprise resource planning to improve your business operations. Speakers, among other things, will also discuss ways to avoid and overcome some of the top ERP implementation challenges. For any more information please click on the webcast URL at the top of this description.

Our latest podcast guest discusses balancing the art and science of marketing.But I asked her a deeper question as well – what about philosophy in marketing? After all, our free digital marketing course is called Become a Marketer-Philosopher: Create and optimize high-converting webpages (https://meclabs.com/course/).You can hear the answer to that question, along with plenty of lesson-filled stories, from Emily Campbell, Chief Marketing Officer, Infinite Electronics (https://www.infiniteelectronics.com/) (a Warburg Pincus portfolio company). Warburg Pincus is a global private equity firm with $85 billion in assets under management. Campbell manages a 40-person team and a $30 million marketing budget.Lessons (with the stories of how she learned them) we discussedBalance the art and science of marketingGet out of your comfort zoneFirst team firstChallenge your team and help them growIt's hard to be simpleBalance an extremely successful career with a really interesting lifeCoaching and mentoring can help people grow in their current roles but also help them plan for their future career – even if it is not with their current place of employmentGo into a meeting with a high-level story – never the detailsRelated content mentioned in this episodeNFTs For Brands: It's OK to say no, always be a student, don't resist change (podcast episode #26) (https://www.marketingsherpa.com/article/interview/NFTs-for-brands)About this podcastThis podcast is not about marketing – it is about the marketer. It draws its inspiration from the Flint McGlaughlin quote, “The key to transformative marketing is a transformed marketer” from the Become a Marketer-Philosopher: Create and optimize high-converting webpages free digital marketing course.Get more episodesTo receive future episodes of how I Made It In Marketing, sign up to the MarketingSherpa email newsletter at https://www.marketingsherpa.com/newsletters

NetSuite released results from their fiscal 2022 fourth quarter. NetSuite ERP Cloud Revenue was up 27% year-over-year. Rootstock Software, a worldwide provider of cloud Enterprise Resource Planning solutions, announced new enhancements to its Cloud ERP to meet the needs of manufacturing, distribution, and supply chain organizations. They introduced product enhancements through enabling a resilient supply chain, improved demand planning, enhanced financial analytics, an improved user experience, optimized mobile capabilities, leveraging of Einstein AI and LNP for improved employee experience, and self-service via Einstein Bots. Microsoft recently announced the utilization of their products in Columbia to improve education and in Israel to provide low-cost crop insurance to small farmers.Website: erpadvisorsgroup.com 

Webcast URL: https://knowledgewebcasts.com/know-portfolio/the-promises-of-enterprise-resource-planning-in-manufacturing/ With Covid-19-related disruptions, rapidly changing compliance regulations, and rising demands for food quality, today's food and beverage (F&B) industry must be more agile and innovative than ever before. These manufacturing challenges emphasize the importance of leveraging Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) technology, a system that helps organizations automate and streamline their operations. While ERP significantly improves efficiency and profitability, a one-size-fits-all approach will not work for a highly specialized industry. Hence, it is vital for F&B manufacturers to find a food industry-specific platform that increases productivity, accelerates business growth, and helps overcome operational demands in today's cut-throat market while maintaining compliance. In this LIVE Webcast, Jack Payne, Director of Solutions Consulting at Aptean, will provide the audience with an in-depth discussion of the current trends and best practices in enterprise resource planning (ERP). He will also offer key considerations to ensure a successful ERP implementation, especially in the food and beverage industry. For any more information please click on the webcast URL at the top of this description.

Enterprise Resource Planning software can deliver tremendous value to your organization. Yes, an ERP software platform can help automate your business and save your employees time, but it's about more than that. The right platform can improve your business and add enterprise value to your organization.https://www.erpadvisorsgroup.com/blog/enterprise-value-erp-system

It seems like everyone is implementing a new ERP these days, but are you expecting technology to be a simple and easy solution to solve all your problems?  What are some common obstacles and objections related to this transformational change in your healthcare organization?  A new ERP solution is a significant long-term commitment so sustainability and continuous improvement should be major considerations.  On this episode of Power Supply, we speak with Eric Swaim, Director of Strategic Sourcing and Supply Chain Analytics at Texas Children's Hospital to discuss his frontline insight regarding their recent implementation of a new Enterprise Resource Planning cloud solution. Whether you're already using an ERP or looking at implementing one soon, this is an episode you're not going to want to miss! Loving the #PowerSupply conversations? You can now download our free mobile app: Apple: https://zcu.io/sx2h Android: https://zcu.io/xJSJ   And listen at: iTunes -> https://zcu.io/3Zef Spotify -> https://zcu.io/eBXx Stitcher -> https://zcu.io/2gMi Amazon Podcasts -> https://zcu.io/Xo2S Google Podcasts -> https://zcu.io/O8SY #ERP #Enterprise #Resource #Planning #Integration #sustainability #standardization #PowerSupply #Podcast #Education #SupplyChain #Healthcare #Purchasing #Contracting

Today's episode will blow you away. I know it did to me. We dive right into mental health and specifically living with OCD and the stereotypes we see in movies and television. I could not believe what I learned! Nancy shares her personal story and it's one you won't want to miss.  Follow Nancy on IG  If you enjoyed this episode, make sure and give us a five star rating  and leave us a review on iTunes, Podcast Addict, Podchaser and Castbox.  Sign up for the next DAC Bootcamp  Follow me on Social Media:Amy on IGAmy on Facebook  Resources:AmyLedin.comLean Bodies Consulting (LBC)LBC University  Amy Ledin Bio: The Co-Owner and Operator at Lean Bodies Consulting. Amy Ledin has been in the online wellness space for over a decade. Her coaching in this space has led to her passion in helping women build strong personal integrity. Fighting cancer for now close to 7 years, Amy loves sharing her mindset hacks and strategies that helped her through her fight to not just be a survivor, but an overcomer.