Social ERP

Social ERP is to denote social networking system based on linked ERPs (Enterprise Resource Management), which is not related to any company, product, or anything similar to them, but just a social movement from open source communities. It's core idea is quite simple: link ERPs all over the world to share data and collaborate each other regardless of organizations, companies, and nations etc. That is to say, it's an ERP version of Linked Data or Web of Data.
The main goal of Social ERP is to automate various knowledge-based works, and relocate human resources to more productive or valuable fields. It assumes more than a half of current working activities, that is, value-production activities can be automated via a few IT related tools such as below.
- Clouded mobile computers such as clouds of Google Android, IPhone and, most notably, full linux machines such as Beagle Board based mobile computers.
- Open communication protocols such as Bluetooth, WiFi and XMPP etc.
- ERP integrated with other prominent office applications such as OpenOffice and Thunderbird etc.
- Business Modeling tools on Social Networking Services.
Another goal of Social ERP is to extend the scope of ERP to other fields than industries. That is to extend the scope to cover other affairs such as personal health cares, educational issues, governmental services etc. So, Social ERP is Personal ERP also: Distributing ERP systems not only to companies but individuals also, and link them all together.
Top-down Approach
Social ERP is a kind of social reform activity rather than IT project. It aims to establish IT infrastructure and to organize a society in a new manner using predetermined and pre-established IT infrastructure of which main components are SNS and ERP.
First of all, it suggest to establish a most comprehensive IT framework using validated open source applications for both hardwares and softwares, and secondly, to reorganize the structure and algorithm of the current economic entities such as companies, governments, families and individuals.
Web based, but Personal ERP
Like other web based ones such as Web ERPs OpenBravo etc., Social ERP also is designed to operate on the Web. So, Browsers such as Firefox and Chrome etc. do an important role in the system. That means that Browsers are the main user interfaces for the system, and all the modules consisting the system should conform to the web standards such as http and xml etc.
However, different from other ERP systems, Social ERP aims to establish a sole ERP or a universal ERP composed of numerous ERPs from various industries and nations. So, seamlessly, several ERPs come into, and go out the Universal ERP.
As mentions above, one of the peculiar features of Social ERP is its focus on individuals rather than organizations such as companies. The proponents are to provide ERP to every individual in the way similar to blogs such as Wordpress. So, anyone can have his/her ERP via a few button clicks via the Web, and be a part of the Universal ERP to share data and knowledge, to buy and sell products and services, and to collaborate each other.
Software
Social ERP is not an application but a bundle of applications including current ERP systems such as OpenBravo, OpenERP and ERP5 etc. Most of those applications are open source ones.
Office Automation
Social ERP aims to integrate various office softwares into ERP packages. Among them, notable are;
OpenOffice : currently, OpenOffice is integrated into various ERP systems including OpenERP, ERP5 and OpenBravo etc.
GIMP - it's a design application.
Joomla - a CMS
Magento, Virtuemart - shopping cart applications
eCommerce
Social ERP is to integrate ERP packages operated by individual companies and persons with eCommerce system such as eBay, Amazon and Google Product Search etc. It's goal is to share knowledge of who produces what, where, when and how. Among them, how is to be achieved by other means such as collaborative BPMN and UML described below.
By linking ERPs into one global and universal ERP, a kind of eCommerce system shall be theoretically generated and shared to remove any kind of distributive services - direct purchase and sale among producers themselves without help or intervention of middleman.
Search Engine
As all ERPs are expected to be linked each other and to compose a kind of universal ERP, one of issues arisen from it is how to find exactly what I want. Search Engines such as Google, Bing and Wikia Search do a key role here.
Among various search engines, below are some that are particularly proper to the goal of Social ERP.
Wolfram Alpha

ERP
As Social ERP is an ERP, the core of it is current ERP packages including;
OpenBravo
OpenERP
WebERP
ERP5
Social Networking System
One of tools to link numerous ERPs from various vendors and communities is Identi.ca, an open source SNS. Linking ERPs is simple; all data input and/or data generation by system can be (not must be) published to and classified in SNS such as Identi.ca and FriendFeed.
So, theoretically, anyone can see what is being done at anywhere in the World not even business worlds but all kinds of worlds also. This is an uncommon practice in business world, and shows the experimental status of Social ERP.
Messaging and VoIP
Because of its social aspects, communication tools and protocols also are important.
XMPP/Jabber
VoIP
WiFi
The basic wireless communication standard is IEEE802.11n. Because of its open characters, WiFi or IEEE802.11 standards are expected to spread wide and rather quickly over the world. As Social ERP aims Linked ERPs and each ERP should be a part of the universal ERP, WiFi with wired connections can be a good tool to achieve it. This feature is explained in detail below.
O3B
To be global, there should be a bridge between nations, and some suggested O3B as a linker among ERPs in different nations. O3B means Other Three Billions and is a project to provide web connections to under developed nations via satellites. One of its sponsors is Google.
Hardware Architecture
One of the peculiar features introduced by Social ERP is to load ERP on a few personal devices including laptop computers and smart phones using various operating systems including Android and Ubuntu etc.
Netbooks, Iphone, G1 and Beagle Board based mobile computers also are key hardwares to compose the physical forms of Social ERP.
Business Modeling
To share common business processes among people, Social ERP suggests to collaborate in writing business flowcharts using various modeling tools including BPMN and UML etc. UNSPSC and eClass are one of guidelines in writing sharable business models.
BPMN
Business Process Modeling Notation is to model sequential flow of business processes using predetermined symbols. Social ERP aims to model all industrial sections using BPMN in a collaborative manner using Oryx, Eclipse, and Intalio etc.
After modeling the business processes of an industrial field, it can be converted into executable codes such as BPEL.
UML
After writing a prototype using BPMN, UML is used to write more delicate and in-detail versions of business process modeling. Social ERP can be said to be an of business worlds, but not limited to them.
Application
The sections below describes how Social ERP is to be applied to real worlds.
Industries
As the main usage of ERP is something for business worlds, the first application of Social ERP also is on business affairs to accelerate automation. Social ERP also is to remove or automate repetitive works
Banking
Under Social ERP assumption, every individual uses his/her own ERP, So, they are all linked each other in financial affairs also. That means an universal banking system can be generated automatically even without establishing an online or web banking system. That is to say, Every individual/company buy and sell products and services each other using his/her/its own ERP, each ERP is expected to generate financial data and accounting positions of each entity in real time.
It's one of interesting features of Social ERP proposition, because many social infrastructures such as banking systems and insurances etc. are generated automatically by the peculiar and technical properties of the assumptions of Social ERP itself.
It's a little bit different from current e-Banking or online banking etc., which are just counterparts of off-line banking systems. The Universal Banking System of Social ERP is to generate banking system without any governing party such as bank or government etc.
Insurance
Like the banking system of Social ERP, under Social ERP assumptions, there is no owner or governing company of its insurance system which also can be automatically generated by Social ERP itself or established by anyone in real time.
Health/Medical Insurance
Automobile Insurance
Casualty Insurance

Accounting
As ERP systems basically have accounting functions, it's one of the easiest goals to achieve in Social ERP proposition - to provide accounting services to everyone rather than every company.
One key benefit is Analytic (or Cost or Managerial) Accounting service without human labors from accounting professionals such as CPA (or CA etc), Tax Attorney, and Customs Service etc. Because, Social ERP assumes every citizen has his/her own ERP system, even Tax Authorities such as IRA (Internal Revenue Service) also can be automated.
One service similar to the accounting goal of Social ERP is Google Finance. That is, Social ERP aims to extend accounting service similar to Google Finance to every citizen over the world without any governing body.
Education
The educational goal of Social ERP is to extend OLPC to all citizen and all nations rather than only children and only under developed nations. Because it assumes the educational processes are not so different from industrial processes, citizens shall buy and sell knowledge and skills each other all the same way as business affairs under Social ERP propositions.
One service similar to that of educational goals of Social ERP is MIT OpenCourseware. For every citizen to register any educational course provided by anyone over the world, the role of search engine is quite important. Under Social ERP assumptions, the search engine shall search and compose learning content in real time for users. For example, if anyone want to learn how to drawing a 3D building, the search engine shall search related or appropriate content in the web and provide it to the user in a predetermined manner. It probably include Google Sketchup tutorials and videos in the Google website.
For this purpose, one of search engines deployed by Social ERP is Wolfram Alpha.

Governmental Services
The goal of Social ERP in governmental fields is to encompass governmental services into business areas. That is to say, minimizing the scope of services provided by governments, and extending the role of markets.
One services similar to that goal is FEA, Federal Enterprise Architecture which is an electronic governmental services to increase the efficiency of current US governments. One difference between them is that, dissimilar to FEA, that of Social ERP is to resolve or minimize government itself and strengthen the functions of markets, especially eCommerce composed of numerous citizens equipped with linked ERPs, that is, Social ERP.
Logistics
In most nations, logistics occupy about 20% of values produced in the society, that is, about 20% of its GDP.

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