Intelligent Email Release 1

Intelligent Email

Intelligent Email provides functionality in SAP Business One to send marketing documents and statements via email.

One of the first in a long line of Intelligent Essentials Demo Videos to come!

SAP gains recognition for Proactive Sustainability Efforts

Executing on its commitment to sustainability SAP today announced that the expansion of its North American headquarters on the Newtown Square campus in Pennsylvania has achieved Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Platinum certification, the highest rating given by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC).

Designed by FXFOWLE Architects and opened in May 2009, the 200,000-square-foot building is currently the largest LEED Platinum-certified facility in the State of Pennsylvania.

The building received the max number of LEED points in the water efficiency, innovative and design process categories. The state of the art design water management system they are using is set to save over one million gallons of water every year.

Energy efficient buildings support SAP’s goal of reducing carbon emissions to year 2000 levels by 2020. SAP estimates that the new building is one-third more energy-efficient compared to conventional buildings by using intelligent design features.
The building's sensor system is integrated with exterior shading devices that automatically adjust the lighting and help control the temperature level in the facility. A hybrid air conditioning system produces ice to cool the building during the overnight hours when energy demands and electric rates are the lowest. Floor-to-ceiling glass exteriors and a green roof, planted with native and regional vegetation, integrate the office with its surrounding natural environment and create an exceptional work environment.

In addition, SAP committed to an annual purchase of 19 million kilowatt-hours of wind-generated Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs). The wind-energy purchase offsets more than 80 percent of the electricity needs of the SAP Newtown Square campus and reduces the company's carbon footprint by over 10 tonnes.

Source: SAP News – Press Release 17/08/2010

Intelligent iPhone Sneek Peek!

The latest addition to Intelligent Essentials is on the way.

The Intelligent iPhone App is making rapid progress. Here's a few sneek peek images of the App. Let us know what you think, and don't hestitate to pose any questions or queries you might have.

Hope your as excited as we are!

Motivate your staff with SAP B1! Another SME to realise the benefits.

Small toy business Jellycat has implemented an SAP application to integrate its business functions.

SAP's SME-specific Business One package will automate the company's processes and provide financial reporting.

Danny Olive, finance director at Jellycat, said, "We needed a comprehensive, integrated and scalable solution to help us continue our business success."

This follows a push by SAP to expand its offering into the SME market. Jim Hageman Snabe, co-chief executive officer of the firm, said the company had made recent inroads into the sector.

He said: "Reaching more than 100,000 customers is a testament to the inroads we have made in expanding our volume business and our success in the SME segment."

SAP's current ERP and business software for small to medium businesses includes:

Business One
BusinessByDesign
Business All-in-One
BusinessObjects
NetWeaver
Crystal Reports®
Xcelsius®

Each of the SAP SME products has been developed to encourage better management of business processes, providing business owners and managers with insight and information into revenue draining processes and the solutions to streamline them. In a similar way to its large scale ERP products, SAP's SME products helps business owners and managers drive efficiency throughout their entire organisation.

Providing such training to employees also helps them visualise the link between their roles and the success of the business, clarifying the communication channels which SAP initiates. Through SAP, SME owners and managers can empower their employees to contribute to the future success of the organisation.

Sources: Ezine Articles and Computer Weekly

To Do List or Not To Do List

“One of the secrets of getting more done is to make a TO DO List every day, keep it visible and use it as a guide to action as you go through the day.”

Jean de La Fontaine (French Poet)

“For every minute spent in organising, an hour is earned.”

To Do Lists have their advantages it has to be said and I’m a great believer in them…

1.They can help relieve stress! Knowing what needs to be done and having it written down may help remove it from your mind and avoid unnecessary thinking about.

2.We can prioritise once we have a full list of what needs to be done.

3.A to do list is more dependable than our memory! With the substantial amount of tasks which one must now complete within our working and social lives we can’t really expect ourselves to remember everything, and why should we, we’re only human!

4.We can cross out the tasks once they are achieved which will help you feel a sense of achievement and true completion. You can truly recognise the accomplishments you have made.

5.If anything remains on your to do list it can be readily carried over until tomorrow. Just because you write a to do list for doesn’t mean that everything needs to be crammed within a specific time period.

6.A to do list may provide us with a more realistic picture of what we are likely to achieve within a given time period as we can recognise the number of tasks which need to completed and consider the time which may need to be allocated for completion.

Not everyone is a fan of To Do Lists…

1.The mind is powerful thing. Is it not better to trust our memory and keep our brains active?

2.It can be a time consuming process writing a To Do List; time which may be better spent completing tasks.

3.If you fail to complete your to do list you may feel guilty… it can drain you of your motivation as the list appears to be endless and time frame for completion is beyond estimation.

4.Some people suggest highlighting and placing focus on one goal for the day which will under pin your activities. Something which you are passionate about and will provide a sense of motivation for all the routine tasks which you must consider along the way.

So what’s the solution? Do what works for you!

I personally feel that writing a To Do List can be a constructive activity once it is realistically drawn up and you don’t place undue pressure on yourself to complete tasks beyond the time that is available to you. What you do you should do well and everything else can wait.

Perhaps easier said than done but there are only so many hours in the day!

“There are occasions where saying “no” is the best time management practice there is.”
Catherine Pulsifer, We Never Seem to Have Enough Time

Keeping up to date with customers

"Marketing is the whole business seen from the point of view of its final result -- that is, from the customer’s point of view."
- Peter Drucker

As marketing co-ordinator for IIS I'm trying to find new ways to interact with our customers, build and maintain relationships with them. I want to encourage all our customers, who we see as business partners, to interact with us, provide feedback and make any enquiries or suggestions they have directly through our positions within the various social media platforms.

Communicating with us is now free and easy!

We understand the importance of our customers, as they along with our employees are what make us who we are and without them we wouldn't exist.

Not taking action to strengthen your relationships can cost your business big time and here are 9 advantages of being proactive to keep learning about your customers:

Allows you to have a real point of difference that is still relevant and not generic eg great customer service

Helps you craft communication that is meaningful to them

Allows you to pinpoint areas of opportunity such as new services or products or on the other hand what to drop from your range

See what changes have occurred for example are they hanging out in places where you are not

Allows you to see what is working and what is not

Allows you to review what features and benefits are important to them

You can see what they like and dislike so you can make adjustments

Deepens the relationship

It make life a lot easier!

Source: Small Business Brief

Hospitality or Bribery??? Bribery Act 2010

“Though the bribe be small, yet the fault is great.”
Edward Coke

The Bribery Act 2010 will soon come in to force but what does it mean for businesses?

The Bribery Act 2010 introduces controversial new corporate offences, which will add more weight to the increasing burden on prudent managers who are responsible for business planning. The Act has enormous importance from a practical, commercial point of view, in all sectors, whether public or private.

What does this mean? It means that it will now be an offence to bribe another person, or receive a bribe, including the mere offer to give a bribe, or a request for one.

A sensible starting point would be to:
•Identify areas of the business where bribery could be an issue, for example, in procurement or sales, where official permissions or consents are required. Look for warning signs. The risk is potentially higher where there is a foreign element, although a very recent police case in the Liverpool Crown Court highlights a potential problem with lavish corporate entertainment even in the domestic market.

•Consider corporate entertainment in particular, and consider some central monitoring of entertainment given and received.
An anti bribery policy should be written and circulated to all members of staff and make it part of the terms and conditions that they agree to adhere to.

Get prepared now and then once the Secretary of State’s guidance is published hopefully only a few changes will have to be made.

Adapted from Source: SME Web