Business Applications

Business Applications

University of Phoenix

Business Applications

Since the early 1980’s the use of computers in business, large and small, has experienced explosive growth. What once was the purview of only the largest conglomerates such as IBM, General Motors and NASA is now within the scope of almost any business concern – computerized operations. The ideal touted by IBM and Microsoft in the 80’s, “a computer on every desk” has now been fully realized thanks in large part to the proliferation of PC-based systems, and truly advanced software to run on them.

Different departments within a business entity, however have very different needs and very different software applications to satisfy those needs. The accounting department has specific needs for software to take care of the company’s financials, whereas Human Resources needs to keep track of personnel information, vacations, training and sick leave. These two systems may interface for things such as payroll, but otherwise they handle completely different functions. The sales force, on the other hand, may require very specialized software called Customer Relationship Management, or CRM to manage their activities. Each department has its own needs and must choose the software that best meets those needs.

Accounting

There are many things to consider when choosing accounting software, from the size of the business, the industry the business is in, capabilities and of course, cost. According to Thatcher (2009), “Choosing the right accounting software will help you simplify your finances, but choosing the wrong one will only complicate matters further.” Anyone considering the purchase of accounting software must be sure that the chosen package has all of the features needed, is easy to use and is easy to integrate with other applications that may be in use in other departments.

Human Resources

With the possible exception of accounting, no other department in a company has more sheer volume of data to...