RSM uses a full version of the main platform, SAP Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) 6.07 which is only slightly modified for teaching, and uses a fictitious company database. The system is taught using workshops and tutorials, and students may receive official SAP certification for their new skills.
The SAP platform used by RSM is provided as part of the SAP University Alliances programme and includes several functions related to topics taught at RSM; sales process and distribution, purchasing process and materials management, manufacturing planning process and production planning, financial and management accounting, human capital management, warehouse management, project system, enterprise asset management, and customer service. The agreement with SAP is expected to run for at least three years.
“Students of business schools request more and more practical training in addition to their theoretical training, and using real software improves their learning experience,” says Dr Nicola Dalla Via from RSM’s Department of Accounting and Control. “SAP is a market leader and is in standard use worldwide. Even if a company uses different ERP software, the underlying logic of the business processes will be the same and the students’ skills will still be useful.”
Competitive advantage in job market
Students taking the elective in accounting information systems, which is part of RSM’s MScBA in Accounting and Financial Management, are the first to use SAP, and will be followed by students attending the accounting course in the MScBA in Management. It is expected that the training will soon be part of the MSc in Human Resource Management and of RSM’s two bachelor programmes, the BSc in Business Administration and BSc in International Business Administration.
The skills are expected to give RSM students a competitive advantage in the job market; companies can reduce the time dedicated to initial training and instead focus on explaining working practices instead of teaching basic skills, says Dr Dalla Via. “Students can learn how to navigate the system and how to master basic transactions. They can also learn the logic of the information flows in commercially available ERP systems.”
Students will be able to create positions within the organisational structure, hire an employee for the new position, create a sales order after checking the stock status, pick materials from the warehouse, manage the delivery process, create an invoice and receive a payment. They learn more about the information flow, the main controls and the documents involved in the process.
Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University (RSM) is ranked among Europe’s top 10 business schools for education and among the top three for research. RSM provides ground-breaking research and education furthering excellence in all aspects of management and is based in the international port city of Rotterdam - a vital nexus of business, logistics and trade. RSM’s primary focus is on developing business leaders with international careers who carry their innovative mindset into a sustainable future thanks to a first-class range of bachelor, master, MBA, PhD and executive programmes. RSM also has offices in the Amsterdam Zuidas business district and in Taipei, Taiwan. www.rsm.nl
For more information on RSM or on this release, please contact Marianne Schouten, Media & Public Relations Manager for RSM, on +31 10 408 2877 or by email at mschouten@rsm.nl.