SAP expands University Alliance Program in NZ

SAP expands University Alliance Program in New Zealand

AUT joins University of Auckland and Waikato University

SAP New Zealand today announced that the Business School at AUT University in Auckland has joined its University Alliances Program (UAP).

The SAP UAP is a global endeavour that provides university academics with the tools and resources necessary to teach students about integrated business processes and strategic thinking.

Dr Felix Tan, Professor of Information Systems and Chair of Business Information System at AUT, says the university is planning to launch a new Business Information Systems major within the Bachelor of Business programme in 2010.

“The new major will produce business graduates who can combine an understanding of a company’s business systems, processes and information needs with the awareness of how these technologies can be used to improve processes and compete locally and globally through the efficient and effective use of information and information systems and related emerging technologies,” says Professor Tan.

“The use of SAP’s enterprise software will help students better understand the concepts introduced in the classroom, enabling them to put theory to practice through demonstrations, exercises, problem-solving, and case studies.

“Initially we plan to use SAP to also support teaching accounting and possibly operations/supply chain management. We hope that staff members from other disciplines will come to appreciate how an ERP system can help students better understand how a business can optimise key processes such as human resources management, customer relationship management, as well as sales and distribution along with their finance systems,” adds Professor Tan.

Graeme Riley, Managing Director, SAP New Zealand, says information and communication technologies are increasing important in the workplace.

“Employers look for business graduates who understand an organisation’s business systems, processes and information needs. However it’s more compelling if the graduate also grasps how these technologies can be used to improve processes and compete locally and globally through the efficient and effective use of information and information systems,” says Riley.

The SAP UAP, which was launched in New Zealand in 1999, applies to business, accounting, information technology, and information systems undergraduate and post-graduate courses. There are now three UAP members in New Zealand: AUT University; University of Auckland; and Waikato University.

The objective of the programme is to incorporate SAP software into undergraduate and post graduate courses of study so that students may be exposed to the latest SAP knowledge and skills. It provides up to 175,000 students every year with hands-on SAP software experience as part of their degree.

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About the SAP University Alliances Programme

The SAP University Alliances programme is a global initiative with nearly 900 member campuses in more than 40 countries. SAP provides free licences to its business software suite to member universities and technical institutes for use in disciplines such as management, operations research, accounting, finance, marketing, information technology and computer science. The programme enables students at participating campuses to experience how organisations operate more productively and profitably through advanced academic curriculum that includes hands-on exercises using SAP’s current business software. Peer hosting is provided at low cost by five independent non-profit University Competence Centers located across the world. More than 175,000 students gain first-hand experience with SAP software each year.

About SAP

SAP is the world’s leading provider of business software*, offering applications and services that enable companies of all sizes and in more than 25 industries to become best-run businesses. With more than 86,000 customers in over 120 countries, the company is listed on several exchanges, including the Frankfurt stock exchange and NYSE, under the symbol “SAP.”

ENDS

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