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16 CHAPTER 1 Introduction to Business Processes

Figure 1-11: GBI enterprise structure

HOW TO USE THIS BOOK

This edition of Integrated Business Processes with ERP Systems does not cover
all of the processes introduced in this chapter. Chapter 2 is an introduction to
enterprise systems, and Chapter 3 discusses fi nancial accounting. Chapters 4-8
address the key logistics processes: procurement, fulfi llment, production,
warehouse management, and material planning. Finally, a concluding chapter
discusses all of these processes from an integrated perspective. In addition, the
exercises and demonstrations included in this book are available online via
WileyPLUS.

CHAPTER STRUCTURE
As the previous paragraph indicates, most chapters will focus on a specifi c
process, such as procurement, fi nancial accounting, and production. Most of
these chapters share a common structure. Each chapter begins with a review
of the simple presentation of the process introduced earlier in this chapter. The
chapter then segues to a detailed discussion of data, key concepts, and process
steps. General concepts related to data—organizational data, master data, and
transaction data—will be introduced in Chapter 2. Each subsequent chapter
will focus on the specifi c concepts and data that are relevant to the process
discussed in that chapter. Most chapters require you to understand a few fun-
damental concepts, which are discussed next. Note that many of the concepts
related to organizational and master data are relevant to more than one pro-
cess. In such cases, we do not repeat the discussion of these concepts. Rather, we
refer you to previous chapters where they were discussed.
The third main component of each chapter consists of a detailed discus-
sion of the various steps involved in the process. Each process step will be
discussed using the following framework:
• Triggers: the event(s) that cause(s) the process step to be initiated
• Tasks: the specifi c steps needed to complete the process step

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