The document discusses enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems. It describes ERP as a system that integrates all departments and functions of a company onto a single computer system to serve their needs. ERP automates business processes and can provide tremendous payback if installed correctly. The document outlines the evolution of ERP from earlier MRP systems of the 1960s-1980s to more modern ERP systems of the 1990s-2000s that integrate functions across the entire value chain of a business.