Wolfgang Uhr

Führungsinformationssysteme in Betrieben der ehemaligen DDR — Anmerkungen aus der Sicht mehrjähriger Kooperationsbeziehungen eines Lehrstuhls Wirtschaftsinformatik mit Industrieunternehmen

Unter dem Begriff “Leitungsinformationssystem” gab es auch in der DDR — nach anfanglichen ubersteigerten und unrealistischen Konzeptionen — seit Anfang der 80-er Jahre ernstzunehmende Ansatze, obere Leitungsebenen in Industriekombinaten und -betrieben rechentechnisch zu unterstutzen. Gegebene Rahmenbedingungen schrankten jedoch die Wirksamkeit der projektierten und realisierten Losungen ein. Ungeachtet dessen wurden Erkenntnisse und Erfahrungen gewonnen, die fur die weitere Arbeit auf diesem Gebiet nutzlich sind.

Market and Competitive Conditions in Trading with Consumer Goods

When you look for the significant trends in trading with consumer goods, the trend to size may well initially predominate. On the one hand, mergers and acquisitions of other companies mean that the retailing companies themselves become ever larger — the growth of the German Metro, for example, is primarily based on acquisitions, but also the mergers and mutual purchases of large department stores show this — on the other hand, the sales areas are also growing. Large self-service department stores are being built on greenfield sites, specialized shops, such as do-it-yourself centers (e.g., Homedepot), are being established successfully, and also department stores strive for size. Retailing chains are increasingly supplanting independent retailers. The trend to shopping centers, which has long been established in the USA, is also coming to Europe. One of the largest centers in the USA is the Mall of America in Bloomington, Minnesota. The Mall of America, which was opened in 1992, today includes over 520 stores, employs more than 12 thousand people and has between 35 to 42 million visits yearly — more than Disney World, Graceland and Grand Canyon have together (http://www.mallofamerica.com). The most prominent German example is the Centro in Oberhausen that opened on September 12, 1996. 200 businesses offer their goods under a single roof in this shopping mall with a sales area of 70,000 square meters. A car park with space for 10,500 vehicles surrounds the shopping complex and ensures problem-free logistics.

Distributed Retail Information Systems (DRS)

The specifics of the business performed by retailing companies normally require territorially distributed structures. Thus, a retailing group usually consists of central areas, regional subsidiaries, central warehouses or goods distribution centers, and stores. In addition to the local distribution, the various retailing companies have very different organizational structures. Similarly, the distribution of the functions is often greatly influenced by the industry and the company philosophy. Consequently, it is hardly possible to provide a general distribution model for retailing limited to just a few scenarios. For these reasons, a modern retail information system should provide a large degree of flexibility to allow it to be adapted to any distribution structures.

Planning and Control of Goods Flows Between Industry and the Retail Sector

The relationship between industry and the retail sector has traditionally provided a high conflict potential. This results primarily from the different goals pursued for the policies for product and price on one hand, and communications and distribution on the other hand. As part of the product and price policy, manufacturers are mainly interested in building a positive image of their own brands and products. In contrast, the retail sector favors providing a positive image of its assortment and shopping outlet. This includes the different emphasis on manufacturing and retail brands. As part of the distribution policy, industrial companies tend to favor the delivery of large order quantities, whereas the retail sector wishes the fastest possible delivery, even for small volumes. Advertising by the manufacturer in the conflict area of end-consumer and permanent promotions by the retail sector serve to devalue brands. Increasingly, industry and the retail sector are faced with the need to meet joint profit goals, recognize this unsatisfactory situation as chance to end the conflicting relationship and to use cooperatively all success potentials available within the value chain to the end customer (see Figure 7-1). Not aggressive low prices, but a better price-benefit ratio, should produce more customer satisfaction and thus larger market shares and increased sales.

Electronic Commerce in the Retail Sector

Scarcely a development has influenced the structures of our economy so lasting and in such a short time as the new capabilities of the digital business handling over worldwide networks that are covered by the glittering term electronic commerce. Even when the predictions about the size of the expected online sales differ, they all forecast for the next few years a significant increase of the sales revenues that will be achieved over the Internet. The largest potential is seen in the electronic business conducted between companies (B-to-B), with a forecasted sales volume of 153 billion dollars in 2000. A significantly lower revenue potential is seen in the online sales to end customers (B-to-C). Figure 6-1 compares forecasts from various sources.

Systems for the Support of the Company Management

One factor that particularly affects the competitiveness of a retailing company in the market is the availability of current management-relevant information supported by an adequate information and communications infrastructure. Information is a critical success factor, and, nowadays, business success results primarily from an information lead over the competitors. Executives need precise information from all areas of the company and from its environment. The large volume of operative data in retail information systems can not be considered as suitable as basis for making management decisions without sensible conditioning and possibly coupling of these data with information from external sources. Managers must be able to recognize any problem areas and to analyze their creation as fast as possible through the availability of meaningful key figures. The same key figures should be used for the support planning. Special management support systems (MSS) are needed here.

Closed Merchandise Management Systems and Their Realization with SAP Retail

Chapter 2 described which functional subareas a merchandise management system must always cover. This chapter considers the individual subfunctions in more detail and presents the concepts realized in SAP Retail.

Architecture of Integrated Information Systems in Retailing Companies

Architectures, also known as grouping frames, have achieved great importance in providing an understanding of information systems at the process design level. An architecture structures the considered section of the real world, here the tasks of retailing companies, at an abstract level using the selected structuring paradigm and so emphasizes relationships and possible time-related sequences between the independent parts of the frame. The architecture of integrated information systems in retailing companies forms a pictogram of an H that represents the principal tasks. The SAP Retail system generally follows the retailing H-architecture, although not in the graphical preparation of the H. To derive the H, let us consider the principal tasks involved in retailing companies:

Markt- und Wettbewerbsbedingungen im Handel mit Konsumgütern

Sucht man nach den wesentlichen Trends im Handel mit Konsumgutern, so mag zuvorderst der Trend zur Grose ins Auge fallen. Einerseits werden durch sogenannte Mergers und Acquisitions, also durch Zusammenschluss mit und Zukaufen von anderen Unternehmen, die Handelsunternehmen selbst immer groser -das Wachstum der Metro zum Beispiel beruht vor allem auf Zukaufen, aber auch die Zusammenschlusse bzw. gegenseitigen Kaufe von grosen Warenhausern zeigen diesen Trend -, andererseits wachsen die Verkaufsflachen an den Standorten. Grose SB-Warenhauser auf der grunen Wiese entstehen, Fachmarkte, z. B. Baumarkte, etablieren sich erfolgreich, und auch die Warenhauser streben nach Grose. Handelsketten verdrangen zunehmend selbststandige Einzelhandelsgeschafte. Der Trend zu Einkaufsmails, in den USA seit langem etabliert, halt auch in Deutschland Einzug. Das prominenteste Beispiel ist hier sicher das am 12. September 1996 eroffnete CentrO in Oberhausen, bei dem auf einer Verkaufsflache von 70.000 Quadratmetern 200 Geschafte unter einem Dach ihre Waren anbieten. 10.500 Parkplatze umgeben den Einkaufskomplex und sorgen fur eine reibungslose Logistik. Einen weiteren Trend bilden das Internet und der Electronic Commerce. Zunehmend konnen Produkte bequem vom heimischen Personalcomputer aus per Mausklick bestellt werden. Prinzipiell lasst sich alles uber das Internet kaufen: von Buchern, CDs uber Reisen und Autos bis zur Marmelade und dem Frischgemuse. Viele Auguren sehen die Zukunft des Kaufens im Internet, prophezeien eine Elimination des stationaren Einzelhandels und prognostizieren eine direkte logistische Kette vom Produzenten zum Endabnehmer.

Geschlossene Warenwirtschaftssysteme und ihre Realisierung mit SAP Retail

In Kapitel 2 wurde dargestellt, welche funktionalen Teilbereiche ein Warenwirtschaftssystem (WWS) grundsatzlich umfassen muss. In diesem Kapitel sollen die einzelnen Teilfunktionen detaillierter betrachtet und die in SAP Retail realisierten Konzepte vorgestellt werden.