Working Capital Management

CHAPTER 10 Information and Working Capital

This chapter covers these topics:

• Consideration for the ending of the “special” status of information technology and the development of a rational business perspective.
• Understanding how working capital information products are used to communicate between information providers and their business clients.
• Reviewing the features, benefits, and disadvantages of Internet-based bank technology.
• Analyzing enterprise resource planning (ERP) as a more comprehensive approach to developing working capital information.
• Development of a strategy for the selection of a working capital information system.

AS WE HAVE REPORTED THROUGHOUT this book, the management of working capital is complex, involving many different tasks, organizational functions, and sources of information. Fortunately, developments in computer technologies and communications make these activities relatively user-friendly and efficient, with banks and vendors offering integrated platforms requiring secure access to business users. We will first review standard bank technology, discuss ERP systems, and then note customary phases of the selection process.

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

Technology is not magic! Systems that support working capital functionality are like all sources of information: successful applications require good management. For any technology to succeed, it must work in harmony with the people and the processes in its organizational function. While many information ...