As CEO of OceanSide Marine, Rebecca Thornberg knows it is important to control costs and to respond quickly to changes in the highly competitive boat- building industry. When BG Consulting proposes that OceanSide Marine invest in an ERP system, she forms a team to evaluate the proposal: the plant engineer, the plant foreman, the systems specialist, the human resources director, the marketing director, and the management accountant. A month later, management accountant Mark Cole reports that the team and BG estimate that if OceanSide Marine implements the ERP system, it will incur the following costs:
a. $ 360,000 in software costs
b. $ 95,000 to customize the ERP software and load Oceanside’s data into the new ERP system
c. $ 112,000 for employee training
The team estimates that the ERP system should provide several benefits:
a. More efficient order processing should lead to savings of $ 189,000.
b. Streamlining the manufacturing process so that it maps into the ERP system will create savings of $ 270,000.
c. Integrating purchasing, production, marketing, and distribution into a single system will allow OceanSide Marine to reduce inventories, saving $ 210,000.
d. Higher customer satisfaction should increase sales, which, in turn, should increase the present value of profits by $ 150,000.

Requirements
1. If the ERP installation succeeds, what is the dollar amount of the benefits?
2. Should OceanSide Marine install the ERP system? Why or why not? Show your calculations.
3. Why did Thornberg create a team to evaluate BG’s proposal? Consider each piece of cost- benefit information that management accountant Cole reported. Which person on the team is most likely to have contributed each item?